Two big league teams are playing in minor league ballparks this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Desmond Watson already has made NFL history — as the league's heaviest player.

It’s starting to feel like an annual tradition: Panthers vs.

Left homeless after Hurricane Milton destroyed the Tropicana Field roof on Oct. 9, the Tampa Bay Rays began their season as renters at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training headquarters for the Yankees, playing the Colorado Rockies in the final major league opener.

The Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday withdrew from a $1.3 billion ballpark project, citing hurricanes and delays that likely will drive up the proposal’s cost.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen as the eighth head coach in franchise history.

The impressive feats from the 2024 rookie quarterback class will carry over into the postseason.

Tampa area politicians will be given time to sort out the Rays’ ballpark situation following Hurricane Milton, and baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said there has been no thought to allowing the team to explore a relocation.

The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field.

Florida counties hard hit by Hurricane Milton are returning to a semblance of normalcy with power being restored to most areas, gas stations reopening and students returning to school this week.

Communities in Florida still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene are now also grappling with the still-unfolding damage from Hurricane Milton.

Hurricane Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, bringing misery to a coast still ravaged by Helene, pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph after producing a barrage of tornadoes, but sparing Tampa a direct hit.

Follow live streaming coverage on Hurricane Milton from Florida.

Follow live coverage on Hurricane Milton from Florida, as the major hurricane nears landfall on the Gulf Coast.

Is it luck or legend? Locals in Tampa Bay believe their city is protected from direct hurricane hits by a supernatural force.

Florida communities near Tampa Bay were devastated when Hurricane Helene made landfall two weeks ago about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north.

Hurricane Milton is projected to bring a monster storm to Florida’s west coast this week.

The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have left Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to practice the rest of the week.

The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton directly struck Tampa Bay was 1921 when the city was a sleepy backwater.

Milton strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane on a path toward Florida.

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Milton is intensifying and will likely be a major hurricane before it slams into the storm-ravaged Florida coast, most likely on Wednesday.

Hurricane Helene’s storm surge struck Florida fast and hard when it slammed into Gulf Coast communities near St. Petersburg.

The Nashville Predators have traded Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa Bay less than two years after acquiring the veteran defenseman.

The final cost of the Mets’ sorry 2023 season has been totaled: $420 million.

Pitchers Génesis Cabrera of the Toronto Blue Jays and Yohan Ramírez of the New York Mets have been suspended for three games each by Major League Baseball for their actions in separate games and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was banned for one game.

More than 1,200 feet of the bridge was destroyed back in 1980.

A world shipping association says there were at least 35 major bridge collapses worldwide from 1960 to 2015 due to ship or barge collision with a total of more than 340 killed.

Aidan Hutchinson showed up to the Detroit Lions’ game against the Buccaneers in a priceless shirt featuring Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Miami’s Luis Arraez joined DJ LeMahieu as the only players with undisputed batting titles in both leagues, winning the National League crown as Yandy Díaz sat out Tampa Bay’s season finale and overtook Corey Seager for the American League championship.

Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown says all is well between him and team management.

The Cleveland Guardians have traded starting pitcher Aaron Civale to the Tampa Bay Rays for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo.

Given what’s taken place in the past, there are two certainties as Las Vegas celebrates with the Cup this summer.

The New York Yankees’ Hal Steinbrenner says he’s open to other baseball owners’ consideration of proposing a salary cap for 2027, but only if small-market teams like the Oakland Athletics are subject to a payroll floor, too.

The Vegas Golden Knights will play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Saturday.

Michigan hockey advanced to a second-straight Frozen Four on Sunday with an overtime victory against Penn State.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks.

The New York Jets, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins could end long playoff droughts while the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers are well below.

So, what’s a meteorologist from Detroit doing tracking a hurricane in Florida?

More than 2.5 million are under evacuation orders in Central Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian, which is expecting to make landfall on the west coast of the state on Wednesday evening.

We are fully into Hurricane season, and the first big storm to hit the United States will soon make landfall.

Hurricane Ian is on track to hit Florida as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it moves towards Florida this week. Here’s information on closures and emergency information.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it moves towards Florida this week. Here’s how to find your evacuation zone, as counties begin to issue orders.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it moves towards Florida this week. Here’s how to find your evacuation zone, as counties begin to issue orders.

Hurricane Ian is on track to hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday.

It’s been over a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3 million today.

The best way to be prepared for a hurricane storm surge is to know your evacuation zone and plan your destination and travel routes ahead of time.

Florida is projected to have Hurricane Ian hit them sometime this week and many residents will have their pets with them when evacuating.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it nears Cuba and eventually Florida this week in the Atlantic. Here’s how to find your evacuation zone, as counties begin to issue orders.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it nears Cuba and eventually Florida this week in the Atlantic. Here’s how to find your evacuation zone, in the case of an evacuation order.

We’re tracking live updates on Hurricane Ian as it nears Cuba and eventually Florida this week in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Ian is projected to hit Florida as a strong storm sometime this week, and the state has already declared an emergency over the looming landfall.

Hurricane Ian is nearing Cuba on a track to strike Florida as a Category 4 as early as Wednesday.

Nine home teams are underdogs in Week 3.

The Stanley Cup Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning shows the value of hitting on top picks in the NHL draft.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed plan to split the season between Florida and Montreal has been rejected by Major League Baseball.

The group text for the Notre Dame Prep freshman basketball team was created to talk about practice and ride sharing. Vinny Tartaglia was in charge of adding cell phone numbers.

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, Leonard Fournette ran for two scores and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 on Thursday night.

Given its location next to the Gulf of Mexico, one would think that the Tampa Bay region would have an extensive history with hurricanes. On the contrary, that's not the case.

Weather forecasters say a storm that has been lashing Florida over the past day has intensified into a hurricane.

Jameson Taillon tries to extend a streak of dominant starting pitching by the New York Yankees when he opposes Dallas Keuchel and the White Sox in the Bronx.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

A Florida state agency says dam safety experts consider the risk of a possible second breach in a leaking wastewater reservoir to be “unsubstantiated.”.

Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis says crews are working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond to avoid a “catastrophic flood."

FILE - Toronto Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez signs autographs for fans before a spring training baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, Fla., in this Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, file photo. The Toronto Blue Jays will play their first two homestands of the season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. The Blue Jays cited the ongoing Canada-U.S. border closure in making the difficult decision." “The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team.

This photo provided by Cadillac shows a scene from Cadillac's 2021 Super Bowl NFL football spot. They aimed to connect to the estimated 100 million viewers who tune in to the Super Bowl broadcast each year. Perhaps the most striking effect: Virtually none of the ads featured people in masks, a public-health priority but also a grim reminder of the ongoing pandemic. AIMING TO ENTERTAINIn an effort to be light, advertisers stuffed -- and sometimes overstuffed — their ads with celebrities. “I like Springsteen and heartwarming ads like this generally, but this one feels too forced given the current political climate,” he said.

— Virus deaths won't be reflected in the 2020 census, a step that will have an impact on where congressional seats get apportioned, experts say. AdON THE HORIZON: Some experts believe rapid tests could be better at at identifying sick people when they are most contagious. Rapid tests might be technically less accurate but they're fast. The Food and Drug Administration said it supports “innovation in testing” but has only approved about a dozen rapid tests. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

(AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)For Tom Brady, another trip to the Super Bowl — but this time, in a Tampa Bay uniform. “Whoever would've thought a home Super Bowl for us? It gave New England its third straight trip to the Super Bowl, and Brady's last of nine as a member of the Patriots. He's leading the Buccaneers to only their second Super Bowl; the Bucs won on their first trip, back in 2002. But nobody would mistake Johnson for Brady, who could join Peyton Manning as the only other quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two franchises.

The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31-26 to advance to the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay (14-5) is the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. The prize is much different this year, though, because the Super Bowl will be played in front of a far smaller crowd than usual. The first Super Bowl in 1967 was played in front of 61,946 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Eagles backup Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, a sign of things to come in the Super Bowl against New England.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy watches during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)While Matt Nagy gets to coach Chicago in the playoffs despite a middling 8-8 record that could help save his job, former Bears coach Lovie Smith can only wonder if the extra team in the postseason could have helped him eight years ago. Smith’s Bears teams from the beginning of last decade are near the top of that list. Chicago lost five of six and missed the postseason as the seventh seed with an 8-8 mark. The tough-luck missing playoff team that season was the Giants, who missed out the year before Eli Manning and Co. won their second Super Bowl under coach Tom Coughlin.

(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)The Latest on Week 16 in the NFL (all times EST):___8 p.m.For the first time since 2014 there will be an NFL playoff team with a losing record. The winner will remain alive in the NFC East playoff race if Washington loses to Carolina. ___6:05 p.m.Washington is well on the way to blowing its first chance to clinch the NFC East. ___6 p.m.Eleven teams in the NFC are still harboring hopes of making a playoff run with Week 16 winding down. 1 seed in the NFC with a win Sunday night against the Titans and a Seattle loss or tie.

Antonio Brown #81 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes a reception for a touchdown ahead of Justin Coleman #27 of the Detroit Lions during the second quarter of a game at Ford Field on December 26, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (2020 Getty Images)

The Latest on Week 10 in the NFL (all times EST):___8 p.m.From Kyler Murray magic to Alex Smith’s latest milestone, it was quite the day for quarterbacks selected first in the NFL draft. The Cardinals beat Buffalo 32-30 on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins with 2 seconds left, dropping the Bills record to 7-3. Brees was shaken up on a sack in the second quarter when Kentavius Street landed on him. 1 pick Joe Burrow, threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jakeem Grant with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. Cole had scored on a franchise-record 91-yard punt return in the second quarter.

One death in Florida was linked to the storm, along with some scattered flooding and forecasters said the tropical storm was on a path offshore of South Carolina that would eventually take it further out to sea. That came amid a combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico being carried up by a cold front that had pushed Eta across Florida earlier. Earlier Thursday, Eta was in the Gulf of Mexico when it slogged ashore near Cedar Key, Florida. Before that first brush with Florida, Eta first hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane and killed at least 120 people in Central America and Mexico, with scores more missing. A 29th named system, Tropical Storm Theta, was centered late Thursday about 440 miles (705 kilometers) south of the Azores and moving east.

Kluber gets a $1 million buyout, and the club has said it is interested in re-signing Kluber to a less expensive deal. Lester gets a $10 million buyout from the Chicago Cubs that completes a $155 million, six-year contract rather than a $25 million mutual option. Milwaukee turned down Gyorko and Sogard, a day after declining a $15 million option on 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun. The White Sox declined a $12 million option for Encarnación and a $7 million option for González, who will receive a $500,000. Kluber gets a $1 million buyout, and the club has said it is interested in re-signing Kluber to a less expensive deal.

The Raiders placed two players on the COVID-19 list following positive tests earlier in the week and put five more players on the list because of “high risk” close contacts. The NFL moved the Raiders game against the Buccaneers from prime time to an afternoon slot Sunday in case the game couldn’t be played. Those contacts were later deemed “high risk” and those players were placed on the COVID-19 list on Thursday. The four linemen had their last close contact on Monday and are on target to be cleared to play Sunday. Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette was moved from injured reserve to the COVID-19 list on Monday following a positive test.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ latest batch of COVID-19 tests all came back negative and their game scheduled for Sunday against Tampa Bay is on for now. “We’ll be ready to go.”The NFL moved the Raiders game against the Buccaneers from prime time to an afternoon slot on Sunday just in case the game couldn’t be played. Those contacts were later deemed “high risk” and those players were placed on the COVID-19 list on Thursday. We’ll be ready to go.”Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette was moved from injured reserve to the COVID-19 list on Monday following a positive test. Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was put on the COVID-19 list two weeks ago before being activated on Monday.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The World Series drew a record-low audience of television viewers for the second straight night. Still, Fox won the prime-time evening with its best performance on a Wednesday night since May. The start was delayed by rain for 91 minutes to 10:06 p.m. and the final out was at 1:47 a.m. The Dodgers' seven-game NL Championship Series win over the Atlanta Braves averaged 4,410,000 viewers on Fox and FS1. TBS said its TV Everywhere platforms averaged an audience of 48,000 per minute during its postseason coverage, up 71% from last year.

The NFL has shifted the Las Vegas game against Tampa Bay out of prime time after several Raiders players have been unable to practice this week because of contact tracing from the coronavirus. The game between the Seahawks and Cardinals in Arizona has been moved into the prime-time window. The league says the changes were made out of an “abundance of caution” to make sure a game would be available for Sunday night. The Raiders placed starting right tackle Trent Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Safety Johnathan Abram also has been unable to practice because of contact tracing.

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:___BULLPEN SAVEDThe Dodgers were so good in Game 1 of the World Series, they helped themselves for Game 2. Top relievers Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol should all be fresh for a bullpen game against Tampa Bay after they weren't needed in an 8-3 win Tuesday. Jansen has more blown saves (three) than conversions (two) in two previous World Series and also struggled this fall, but he seemed to have himself righted by the end of the NLCS. Manager Kevin Cash — uncharacteristically slow to pull starter Tyler Glasnow in Game 1 — also has fresh arms in the bullpen. After separating his troubled right shoulder while bumping forearms celebrating his go-ahead homer in NLCS Game 7, the Dodgers slugger touched feet with teammates after going deep in the World Series opener Tuesday.

A look at what's happening around the majors on Monday:SERIES SETIn a most unpredictable season, the teams with the best records in each league are set to meet in the World Series. The Dodgers and Rays will open in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night after each finished memorable League Championship Series matchups this weekend. They also won a Game 7, topping Houston 4-2 in the ALCS and earn the second World Series trip in franchise history. FIRST LOOKKevin Kiermaier, Mike Zunino, Blake Snell and the Rays are expected to work out at Globe Life Field a day before Game 1 of the World Series. BIG QUESTIONThe loaded Braves are in position to contend for the World Series again next year after they were eliminated by the Dodgers in the NLCS on Sunday night.

The only task left — winning Game 7 of their AL Championship Series against the Rays. That Red Sox team went on to win the World Series and end the Curse of the Bambino. McCullers started and Morton closed for the Astros in Game 7 of the ’17 World Series against the Dodgers. LET’S PLAY 6Mookie Betts and the Dodgers try again to avoid elimination when they face Atlanta in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. The Braves haven’t been to the World Series since 1999, the Dodgers haven’t won the title since 1988.

New York Yankees' Gio Urshela (29) and Mike Ford celebrate after the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians 10-9 in Game 2 of an American League wild-card baseball series, early Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)CLEVELAND – It took the New York Yankees nearly five hours on the field, carried them from Wednesday to Thursday and September into October to complete the sweep. "They weren’t going to lose.”At 4 hours, 50 minutes — even without two rain delays totaling another 76 minutes — it was draining. New York went 2-8 during a testy season series with top-seeded Tampa Bay, which won the AL East by seven games over the second-place Yankees. RECORD STOREIndians pitchers walked 12, tied for the most in any postseason game.

The Dallas Stars have to fix some things in a hurry, or this Stanley Cup Final could be over quickly. After consecutive games with three-goal periods, Tampa Bay has all of the momentum and a 2-1 series lead. Dallas' top line is without a goal against Tampa Bay. The NHL is playing Stanley Cup Final games on back-to-back nights for the first time since 2009, when Detroit won each of the first two games against Pittsburgh, which eventually won the series in seven games. In its only back-to-back this postseason, Tampa Bay won Games 2 and 3 in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston.

NY Rangers -- W Kaapo Kakko3. Los Angeles -- C Alex Turcotte6. Vancouver11. Los Angeles (from TOR)23. Washington26.

DETROIT Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman was officially introduced Friday as the team's new general manager. "I would like to start by saying I'm extremely excited to be back in Detroit with the Red Wings," Yzerman said. The Detroit Tigers welcomed back Steve Yzerman after he accepted the Red Wings general manager job on April 19, 2019. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)"Today is a real exciting day for the fans of the Detroit Red Wings and for the Red Wings organization," Holland said. "It's a real exciting day for me to see Steve Yzerman come back where he belongs, back in Detroit with the Detroit Red Wings."