Sports and Recreation

Tampa Bay area fans have the option to root for a home run; slap high-fives after a touchdown; count down the time during a power play; watch dogs chase a stuffed rabbit; or applaud as a favorite horse makes a photo finish. Whatever your pleasure, the following options will have you cheering.

Baseball
Professional baseball is played at several locations. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays play major league baseball April through September at Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Dr. in St. Petersburg; phone (727) 825-3137 for general information, or (727) 898-7297 for tickets. The Devil Rays remain in St. Petersburg during the off-season; spring training games take place at Al Lang Field at Progress Energy Park, 180 Second Ave. S.E.; phone (727) 825-3137 for ticket information. Both the Devil Rays major and minor league teams train at 7901 30th Ave. N.

The New York Yankees major and minor league teams call Tampa home in the spring. They play at Legends Field, N. Dale Mabry Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The facility's 10,000-seat stadium is a replica of New York's Yankee Stadium. Play is March to September; for information phone (813) 875-7753.

Two other major league teams hold spring training on the Pinellas Peninsula: the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays, both of which have minor league affiliates that play ball locally. In summer the Phillies' Clearwater Threshers train at Clearwater's Bright House Networks Field, 601 N. Old Coachman Rd., and the Dunedin Blue Jays work out at Knology Park, 373 Douglas Ave. in Dunedin. Both teams play a full minor league schedule; phone (727) 442-8496 for the Threshers or (727) 733-9302 for the Blue Jays.

Football
The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at Raymond James Stadium between N. Dale Mabry Highway and N. Himes Avenue; for ticket information phone (813) 879-2827. The stadium also is the setting for the Outback Bowl game, played on New Year's Day. The Tampa Bay Storm play arena football from February to May at the St. Pete Times Forum, downtown Tampa at Channelside Drive and Morgan Street; phone (813) 276-7300.

Hockey
The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, winners of the 2004 Stanley Cup, hit the ice at the St. Pete Times Forum October through April. For information and tickets phone (813) 301-6600.

Bicycling
Tampa's busy roadways generally are not conducive to safe bicycling; however, scenic, 4.5-mile Bayshore Boulevard is a delightful exception. It offers a breezy ride along the western shore of Hillsborough Bay with pretty water views as a backdrop. Suncoast Parkway Trail parallels the toll-road of the same name between the Veterans Expressway and State Road 50, and is generally separated from it by a buffer zone of plants and trees.

The Friendship Trail Bridge, once the Old Gandy Bridge connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg, now serves as an over-the-water recreation trail for bicyclists, in-line skaters and joggers.

Fishing
The central Gulf Coast offers some of the best saltwater fishing in the state. More than 300 species roam these warm waters. Tarpon appear in late spring and early summer, and kingfish run in spring and fall. Sea trout, bluefish, mackerel and grouper are commonly caught, and the waters of Hillsborough County yield bass, bream and perch.

Boats can be chartered for inshore and offshore saltwater and freshwater fishing; make arrangements at Clearwater Municipal Marina, St. Pete Beach or Isla del Sol. Boats equipped for 30-100 passengers venture into deep Gulf waters; they can be rented for half-day or all-day trips, which cost $20-$40 per person, depending on the amenities offered. For details about what may be caught where and when, pick up a Guide to Florida Fishing at local tackle shops.

Lake Thonotosassa, northeast of Tampa via SR 582, attracts freshwater fishing enthusiasts. The docks off Davis Islands and Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa offer ample casting sites. The Skyway Fishing Pier, next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, extends 3,350 feet into lower Tampa Bay; its northern end has concession stands, showers, picnic tables and parking lots.

Freshwater and saltwater fishing licenses are sold at some tackle shops, sporting goods and discount department stores and at the county tax collector's office. Phone (813) 307-6549 for information.

Golf
With some 50 courses to choose from and weather that allows for year-round play, the bay area is a true golfer's paradise. Some of the public and semiprivate courses in the St. Petersburg area are Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club, 8001 Cumberland Rd. in Largo, (727) 392-1234; Baypointe, 9399 Commodore Dr., (727) 595-2095; Mainlands, 9445 Mainlands Blvd., (727) 577-4847; Mangrove Bay, 875 62nd Ave. N.E., (727) 893-7800; Tides, 11832 66th Ave. N. in Seminole, (727) 393-8483; and Twin Brooks, 3800 22nd Ave. S., (727) 893-7445. East Bay Golf Club of Largo, 702 Country Club Dr., offers night golf until 11:30 p.m.; phone (727) 581-3333.

Water Sports
The Pinellas Peninsula's many beaches, with their attendant pleasures--swimming, skin diving and water skiing--line the slender offshore islands.

While there are two public beaches on the Tampa side of the bay--Ben T. Davis Beach, along Courtney Campbell Causeway (SR 60) near the airport, and Picnic Island Park near Port Tampa--it's the Gulf beaches that draw water lovers. Some of the popular island towns are Indian Rocks Beach, Madeira Beach, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and North Redington Beach.

Water sports of all kinds, including parasailing, are the focal point at John's Pass Village & Boardwalk, 140 128th Ave. in Madeira Beach, (727) 391-7373. The Tackle Shack in Pinellas Park offers instruction and rentals for kayaking, sailboating and scuba diving; phone (727) 546-5080 or (800) 537-6099.

The Pinellas County park system provides several areas throughout the county where picnicking, boating and swimming can be enjoyed. Fort De Soto Park, south of St. Pete Beach, is one of the most developed.

Hillsborough County parks also offer aquatic variety. Swimmers can dip into 72-degree spring water year-round at Lithia Springs Park, off Lithia Pinecrest Road. The springs feed the Alafia River, the county's most popular canoeing destination; launches are available in Lithia Springs Park and in Alderman's Ford Park, off CR 39 near Lithia.

Picnic Island Park, near the original encampment of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, beckons boaters, swimmers, picnickers and anglers. The park is south of the Gandy Bridge (US 92) near MacDill Air Force Base and accessible via Commerce Street in Tampa.

John Chesnut Sr. Park, adjacent to Lake Tarpon, accommodates motorized boats and is a popular park for both water-skiers and users of personal watercraft. Swimming is prohibited within the park.