Tampa

Until scientists develop a vaccine for those who suffer from optimism that Peter Angelos will buy and move a football franchise from Tampa to Baltimore, we will have to rely on conventional remedies. For example, the simple quoting of NFL owners from out-of-town newspapers can reduce fever and euphoria.Try this: "I know that Tampa is one of the premier places -- and let me emphasize premier places -- in the country for an NFL franchise. The NFL would be crazy to give up that market. Everybody in the NFL is cognizant about Tampa's ability to be a great NFL town.

One of Baltimore's best shots at returning to the NFL in a decade was on the verge of collapse yesterday as Malcolm Glazer -- a one-time Baltimore booster -- neared a deal for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.After a full day of negotiations, which saw representatives for both sides shuttle between Tampa law offices, the team announced it was close to a deal, but had not reached one and wouldn't until Monday at the earliest.If the deal is consummated, Mr. Glazer, whose unsuccessful courtship of sports teams had led some to brand him a "tirekicker," will have silenced two of the biggest talkers in sports: Peter Angelos and George Steinbrenner.

Fan's plea: Don't take our BucsI am writing this letter to the residents of Baltimore and Peter Angelos in an appeal to your sense of fair play. I grew up in Baltimore throughout the 1960s until I left in 1988. I remember my father taking me to see the Colts at Memorial Stadium during the good years and some of the not-so-good years. The Colts were as much a part of Baltimore as crabs, Natty Boh and the Orioles. I also remember the hurt and pain when Bob Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis.

TAMPA, Fla. -- He once tried to swipe Baltimore's NFL team, and he's determined to keep Baltimore from doing the same thing to him.J. Leonard Levy, who has been involved in just about everything good to happen in this city's sports scene during the past 30 years, said he does not want to repeat the mistakes of Baltimore and St. Louis, cities that lost NFL franchises when their communities lost interest."

Plans to begin weekly flights to Cuba from Baltimore have been pushed back to October because of lack of demand, the head of the travel company offering the service said Tuesday. The flights were to begin next month. William Hauf, president of Tampa, Fla.-based Island Travel & Tours Ltd., said his company delayed the start of the service to Havana from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to allow more time to market the flights to eligible groups, such as university and religious organizations.

TAMPA, Fla. -- How convenient for the Washington Redskins to give Baltimore fans another scouting report on a team that might be interested in moving.Two weeks ago the Redskins went to Anaheim, Calif., to play the Rams, and today they're in Tampa to look at the Buccaneers.The Rams and Bucs are two of the teams that could wind up changing addresses in the near future.The difference is that, unlike the Rams, the Buccaneers have never given any indication they're really interested in moving.

Unbeatens should share titleIt's difficult enough having an unbeaten football season if you consider quality of competition, scholastic eligibility, injuries and other off-the-field factors, but to witness two teams with 12-0 and 13-0 records, how can anyone vote one team over another in the mythical race for No. 1?Why is playing in the Orange Bowl the ultimate factor in choosing No. 1? Nebraska and Penn State were each unbeaten; therefore, they should share the No. 1 final ranking.Are the NCAA powers idiots, or don't they truly want to give accolades to the team that finishes first?

An investment group led by Orioles controlling partner Peter Angelos offered more than $200 million yesterday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the intention of moving the NFL franchise to Baltimore.Details of the offer were not immediately available, but a source familiar with the bid said it was worth more than the $200 million that Mr. Angelos offered last year before the team's owner died.In last year's offer, Mr. Angelos bid $200 million if the team could be moved to Baltimore and less if it could not and he was forced to base the team in outdated Tampa Stadium.

How's this for a sale offer you can't refuse?If you buy now, you get your money back over a 10-year period.That's the gimmick that the Tampa Stadium Task Force is using this week when it opens something called the Charter Seat Deposit Program.It's a variation of the personal-seat license idea that was invented in Carolina and tried successfully in St. Louis and not so successfully in Oakland.It never has been tried in a city that already has a team. It's difficult to get season-ticket holders to pay a fee for tickets they already have.

Tony Dungy was a hot commodity when he was fired as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. Options were plentiful. He could go coach the Carolina Panthers. He could go coach the Indianapolis Colts. He could even stay in Tampa to pursue a prison ministry, such was his religious conviction. "I wasn't sure that I wanted to leave Tampa at that time," Dungy said. "There were some things that I could do outside of football there, and we looked into a few things. But when the Colts opportunity came up, it just seemed like it was the right fit, and I'm happy it worked out this way."