Bucs establish waiting list for tickets

By ERNEST HOOPER, RICK STROUD and ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

TAMPA -- After running several "last chance" ads in recent weeks, the Bucs announced Thursday that season tickets are sold out for the first time in team history.

The Bucs have started a waiting list, joining about half the teams in the NFL.

"The fact that we now have a waiting list for Buccaneers season tickets certainly represents a landmark moment in this franchise's history," team executive vice president Joel Glazer said.

Fans can get on the waiting list by calling the team's ticket office at (813) 879-2827.

The Bucs will set aside approximately 1,000 tickets for each game. The tickets will go on sale to the public at a later date. The practice will be reviewed year to year.

REWARDING DAY: The Africa trip Derrick Brooks funded for a group of Boys & Girls Club youths has garnered plenty of attention, but trips he makes to see the kids all year earned him the Sporting News' Good Guys Award.

Brooks was presented with the award Thursday by Sporting News senior vice president John Rawlings and senior writer Paul Attner. He also received a $5,000 check for his "Brooks Bunch" charity. That's about the same amount he spent on each of the 20 youths he took to South Africa and Swaziland last month.

The magazine selected Brooks as its top Good Guy from a nomination list of more than 400 professional athletes. Also listed among the 99 "Good Guys" on the final list were Bucs guard Jerry Wunsch, Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina and Devil Rays reliever Roberto Hernandez.

Attner said it was important to know that Brooks visits the kids regularly. Brooks said he felt "funny" accepting the award because his charitable work is not about enhancing his public image.

"You don't do it to receive awards; you do it to change kids' lives," Brooks said. "That's a message I like to have along with kids in my program.

"People ask me all the time why I do what I do, and I constantly redirect them to kids. Get (youths') thoughts about how they feel about this program because that's who this is really about."

CITRUS CLASH: The Bucs depart for Orlando at 6 a.m. today to start a two-day session of joint practices with Miami.

The players could have gone Thursday night and rested in a hotel, but coach Tony Dungy said there is a reason the group will go by bus this morning.

"It's hard, it's a distraction, it's tough, but I kind of like a couple of those during the course of camp," Dungy said.

With Wednesday night's practice postponed because of a thunderstorm, Dungy had the players practice Thursday morning instead. He wants to make sure they get in enough padded practices.

Practices with Miami will not involve scrimmages. With the teams scheduled to play each other Aug. 10 and again in the regular season, Dungy said both coaching staffs thought it was best not to have a controlled scrimmage.

"You can work on certain down-and-distances, certain plays, certain situations that you know you're going to get work on rather than what comes up in the game," Dungy said. "They play a different style of defense than we play, a little bit different style of offense. To be able to see that and react to that is going to be good for us."

This will be the first time Dungy and the coaching staff will see deposed offensive coordinator Mike Shula since he was fired in February at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Asked if it would be awkward to see Shula, Dungy said, "No, it'll just be different."

CLOSE TO THE VEST: Offensive coordinator Les Steckel has a quandary on his handsbecause of the schedule makers.

Three of the four preseason opponents also are on the regular-season schedule: Miami, Washington and New England, which the Bucs play twice in three weeks. Steckel has to install a new offense, but at the same time the unit cannot show too much in the exhibition games.

"I don't have an answer for that, and I've asked myself what we should do," Steckel said. "Until I have a chance to look at more film and look at what our offensive players should do, I'm really unsure." INJURY REPORT: Four players are out today because of injuries: safety Damien Robinson, tight end James Whalen and cornerback Tarig Holman have left hamstring strains. Tight end Patrick Hape has been sidelined all week with a right foot fracture. Safety Ashley Cooper (right patellar tendon) and wide receiver Tavarus Hogans (left hamstring strain) are limited. Brooks (cut right hand), running back Warrick Dunn (lower back strain) and tackle Jason Odom (lower back strain) are questionable.

CLOSED PRACTICE: Both practices Tuesday will be closed to the public. The team will hold its annual Family Day for players, coaches and staff. Training camp will re-open to the public Wednesday.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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