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The Sunshine Series Returns.

After a 3-0 victory over Miami FC, The Tampa Bay Rowdies have a strong lead in the Group H table as well as the Coastal Cup for the first time since 2016.

Stating in 2010 The Coastal Cup is a trophy awarded to the best Florida team in USL Championship. Since the Rowdies left NASL in 2016. Participation for the Cup has been put on hold until this season when Miami FC joined the USL Championship.

For a majority of the Cups history the Rowdies have the most wins with 5, and this season seems to be more of the same. The Rowdies needed a big home win on the road. Captain Sebastian Guenzatti scores his 4th goal of the season in the (38’). The future looks bright for the young fan favorite Malik Johnson scored his 2nd goal of the season in the (85’), deflating any hope of a Miami FC comeback. Keeping Juan Tejada out of the starting 11, gave them some much needed speed at the end of the game with him coming up with a goal in extra minutes (90’+4’).

The team is still undefeated with another away game on Wednesday night against ATL 2 and then back home against Miami FC for my birthday day. With a 6 point lead in the table already two more big wins against Group H teams will definitely help us clinch a playoff birth soon. With 14 points we are second place in the entire USL Championship. With a big road game coming up against ATL 2, the Mobsters & the Casuals with be distantly COYR, until the next Sunshine Series Game Aug 16 at Al Lang.

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Keep The Vipers In Tampa Bay!

With the news of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his team purchasing the XFL out of bankruptcy, the plans of which teams will return for the next season are still in question. Which leaves Vipers fans with only one goal in mind, keeping the Vipers in Tampa Bay.

Before the league closed earlier this year there where some rumblings about a few teams being relocated. The Vipers are apparently one of those teams due to low attendance at their only two games, one of which was a Sunday night game. The cost of playing at Raymond James might be a factor but teams like NY played in NFL stadiums as well and had smaller turnouts.

As the league was starting to take of fan interest in the Tampa Bay community was growing with our next home game probably being our highest attended game if it was to have been played. The TB Fang Gang was ready to step in as the Tampa Bay Vipers official supporters group, and now more then ever is ready to rep the team.

The push for keeping the Vipers in Tampa Bay is not to say that Orlando shouldn’t have a team, just don’t take ours. It would make more sense for Orlando to get a new team of their own to embrace rather than taking ours. The league already invested all the time and money into creating the Tampa Bah Vipers brand and fans, with other markets like LA and NY both having low numbers it would look bad on the league to just give up on four of their charter teams after one season. The Fang Gang and fans of the Tampa Bay Vipers will fight to keep our team in Tampa Bay!

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Rays Baseball 2021: Rise Of The Republic!

Supporters Groups are essential in the sport of soccer but slowly this trend is finding its way into other sports like hockey and baseball. With groups like “The 7 Line Army” the supporters group of the New York Mets, its time for the Tampa Bay Rays to have their own supporters group, we are The Rays Republic!

The Rays always get a bad rap for having no fans at the Trop, but with the hype built off last years playoff run and the glimpses of hope so far in this social distanced 2020 MLB Season, I feel fans will be ready to get back in the Trop and support the ball club more than ever.

With only cut outs being allowed at games for the 2020 season The Rays Republic has had time to plan out their inaugural 2021 season. All the Saturday home games are separated by Blue and Yellow representing the color the Supporters will wear for that game. Once game plans are made available the group will be offering tickets to support the club presumably in section 134/136 over in the right field corner. Rays Republic shirts will be included in the ticket package. If you already have season tickets don’t worry, you can still buy the shirt and membership separate even if you are not sitting in the section. I feel that this is a great option allowing The Rays Republic to spread across the entire Trop. By next year the group will have all the chants ready to get the Trop loud and rocking, my personal favorite being the “Choi!!” chant for Ji-Man.

With groups like “Sticks Of Fire” supporters of the Lightning and Ralph’s Mob supporters of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, I see no reason why the Rays can’t have their own supporters group. It’s actually a great step at building a loyal fan base inside the ball park, yet another reason not to move the team out of the Tampa Bay Area. For more information on The Rays Republic follow their Instgram @theraysrepublic.

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The War On I-4 Is Back!

With a lot of bad pressing coming out of the NAL over the past few weeks, the league had announced that the Tampa Bay Tornadoes will play their inaugural season in the NAL not AAL.

The Tampa Bay Tornadoes planned on having their inaugural season in 2020 as a part of the AAL, but due to COVID 19 the season was cancelled as well as the seasons of other pro arena leagues like the IFL and NAL.

I feel the move is a huge step up for the club. They will be joining already storied arena football franchises like the two time and defending champions Jacksonville Sharks, the Orlando Predators which sparks a new era in “The War On I-4“ rivalry. The NAL is also a better league overall than the AAL, especially on the production quality of their games.

This is a huge moment for management Alton Walker, John Amato, and Ken Nelson. The guys have worked really hard to get the team where it is today, all with one goal in mind. To reclaim Tampa Bays spot as the top tier organization in all of Arena Football.

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I’ll Take The Point: Part Deux.

A match up between the top clubs from Group G & Group H ended in a tie, not the outcome I wanted but I’ll take the points on the road.

So far this season I still haven’t seen the Tampa Bay Rowdies play a complete game. This was their second road test of the season taking on the Birmingham Legion who sit atop Group G. Since last season the Rowdies have always had trouble with the Legion and this game was no different. Coach Collins finally added Juan Tejada back into the lineup which added a much need speed boost on the offense. Tejada allows the defense to focus more of their attention on him allowing Sebastian Guenzatti to score a goal 51 minutes in. Goalie Evan Louro had some nice saves and is slowly becoming one of my favorites on the team.

This tie doesn’t make me as mad as last weeks home one to NCFC. Last week felt like a loss, we had a 2-0 lead at home and lost it after the half, this week we entered the half losing 1-0 and game back to tie. I like how the club never shows signs of giving up. If they can just turn up the heat more on offense I think the club will be fine going into playoffs. Next weeks game is against the Charleston Battery who is only 1 point behind us in Group H, so we need a big win at home. Hopefully I will be in attendance along with my fellow Ralph’s Mob & Skyway Casual supporters, cheering on our Rowdies!!!

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Straight Out The Cauldron

In alliance with DiabolikDVD, new Blu Ray Boutique label Cauldron Films already has new drooling for more blu rays!

The new labels goal is to bring poorly or never released cult films for the 70s & 80s from across all genres. From all the work the team has done with DiabolikDVD they definitely are in tune with what the collector wants, learning from other boutique labels like Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome, and Severin Films.

The inaugural releases of “American Rickshaw” and “Abrakadabra”, the first being a latter Sergio Martino flick that has “Big Trouble In Little China” vibes. “Abrakadabra” is a 2018 film but it’s Giallo style makes it fit with the label. I am glad they included a newer film, something the other labels stay away from.

After getting the first two releases from the label I will definitely be getting a shirt and whatever the next two films, one a 1970’s Giallo that hasn’t been released on Blu Ray yet, and a 1980’s European horror film that has never been released in the US. The dedication to releasing hard to see films in America could be what separates Cauldron films from the rest. Can’t wait to see what the reaper cooks up out of the cauldron next.

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I’ll Take The Point

Despite a 2-0 lead at half the, 2-2 tie with North Carolina FC feels like a loss for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Members of Ralph’s Mob & Skyway Casuals are invited to watch the club play each week.

One might think a 1 hour rain delay would have put the club off balance, but right from the jump the Rowdies offense was running at full force. Both of the clubs stars Sebastian Guenzatti and Leo Fernandes put the club up 2-0 going into the half with, Fernandes scoring his 3rd goal of the season this one off a corner kick. North Carolina FC had some attempts at the goal but Goalkeeper Evan Louro had some good saves. He got nailed in the face pretty hard with one but was able to hold on.

Leo Fernandes has scored a goal in every game this season.

The second half was a different story. I definitely noticed a lack of urgency and pressure in the second half. Instead of killing NC FC’s momentum they took their foot off the gas and allowed them to score 2 pretty easy goals. Louro is a solid goalie but so far anytime some kicks a high goal he just can’t seem to reach it. The offense definitely could have used Juan Tejada to give a little life into the game.

Even though it’s not a loss, I feel going into next weeks away game against the Birmingham Legion the club should take it as a loss and try to tighten things up. So far this season I have not seen the club play a complete game. Last week they didn’t show up at the start, but ended up pulling out a win at the end. This week they dominated from the start but couldn’t close which hopefully doesn’t cost them at the end.

I have faith Coach Collins will fix some of these mistakes throughout the week. I am looking for a big road win this weekend. Currently we are at the top of Group E with 7 points, making us a Top 5 club in the league.

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Life Is Good Being A Rowdies Fan.

Despite being down early the Tampa Bay Rowdies opened up with a 2-1 victory over Atlanta Untied 2, in the first game of the USL Championship Tournament.

The atmosphere in Al Lang Stadium was a little different than in previous matches with social distancing in effect. The organization allowed about 150 or so members from Ralph’s Mob and Skyway Casuals supporters groups to be in attendance. This definitely added to the clubs play on the field, with the club pretty much dominating the entire game except for that one goal. Personally I wouldn’t want to play in front of no fans, it would make the game feel like practice.

Juan Tejada was all over the place last night coming up with an assist on the first goal made by Lucky Mkosana. All game long I was waiting for my favorite Leo Fernandes to make a big play. After a bunch of corner kicks, Leo finally got in the net scoring the game winner, his second of the season. I really liked the hustle that Mustapha Dumbuya had the entire game.

For the first game with following social distancing guidelines I felt the club made it really easy for fans to be safe and have fun. Apparently I was sitting between both supporters groups which made for a different experience but being a member of both groups it didn’t really matter to me which side I sat on I just wanted to cheer on my Rowdies.

With more televised games I won’t miss a second of the action. I hope I am invited back to next weeks game so I can keep the Rowdies coverage coming.

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Mob Ties.

The USL Championship resumes play this week, marking the return of the Sons of Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The Rowdies are in the Group H.

The league has been split up into 8 groups based on their regional position. The top two clubs from each group will then play in a single elimination playoff tournament to determine the new USL Cup Champions. The Rowdies are apart of Group H, along with Charleston Battery, Atlanta United 2, and inter state rival Miami FC. I am pretty confident the Rowdies can make it into the playoff round with only the Battery being sort of a threat. With our first win of the season coming before the pandemic the club is already atop Group H. The club will also play North Carolina FC, Philadelphia Union 2 , and Birmingham Legion FC.

As of now only a select number of family, friends, and Ralph’s Mob supporters will be allowed at Al Lang under strict social distancing guidelines. Later in August Season Ticket holders that did not ask for refunds will be allowed to attend two games of their choosing. Hopefully I am able to snag tickets to every match. ESPN + will be showing every home and away match except one so all fans of the club can show their support.

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Rays Ready For Opening Day.

With the MLB and the MLBPA finally coming to a decision to play a 60 game regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays have released their 60 man roster and let’s just say we are stacked.

Per usual with the club, the pitching staff this year might be the best in baseball. With Blake Snell coming back from injury, Morton, Glasnow should be our starters. Castillo, Alvarado, and Yarbrough are some of my favorites on the mound as well. I am interested to see how top prospect Brendan McKay bounces back after struggling against Houston, but they cheat so if I was him I would just go out there and show my stuff.

The problem with the Rays has always been scoring runs. I feel the additions of Hunter Renfroe and Yosh Tsutsugo will had some power batting to the line up, with Yoshi probably sharing the DH role with Ji-Man Choi. I am looking for Choi to have a big year, coming off his great performance in the playoffs. KK, Lowe, and Meadows are going to do their thing in the outfield so I am not worried about that.

The big news for the infield was the addition of No.1 MLB prospect Wander Franco being added to the taxi squad of the club. I could see Franco maybe getting some playing time when Adames isn’t in the game but I am not sure how the team plans to use Franco once he reaches the field. Fans are definitely excited to see him so I feel like now is a good time to bring him up.

With a great team on paper for this season I am expecting the Club to win around 38-40, games probably end up being a game behind the Yankees but just good enough to make it in the Playoffs.

Although it has not been announced if fans can come to games, I know I will be cheering on my Rays from home courtesy of the MLB TV subscription given to seasons ticket holders. Rays Up!!!