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Bob Sparks - page 14

Bob Sparks has 693 articles published.

Bob Sparks is President of Ramos and Sparks Group, a Tallahassee-based business and political consulting firm. During his career, he has directed media relations and managed events for professional baseball, served as chief spokesperson for the Republican Party of Florida as well as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Attorney General of Florida. After serving as Executive Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Charlie Crist, he returned to the private sector working with clients including the Republican National Committee and political candidates in Japan. He lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Sue and can be reached at [email protected].

One week out from NFL Draft, Dalvin Cook’s stock is dropping

in Sports by

With the NFL Draft only one week away, former Florida State star Dalvin Cook has gone from arguably the best back in the draft to possibly falling to the second round. After an underwhelming result at the NFL Scouting Combine, Cook’s stock appears to be dropping. Before the Combine, Cook himself made the case the he was the best running back in the draft. The critics came out soon after, and Cook was no better than the third rated running…

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Tie score in Legislature could leave Tampa Bay Rays big winners

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

In sports, a tie means no one wins. No one loses, either. Sometimes, in politics, ties can turn out to be victories. On Monday, the Florida Senate essentially handed the Tampa Bay Rays a win with a tie, after the Commerce and Tourism Committee voted 3-3 on a bill from Thonotosassa Republican Tom Lee, which prohibited pro sports facilities from using taxpayer funds. With that, Lee’s bill was officially called out on strikes this Session. Supporting Lee (who is not on the…

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Frank Vogel to next Magic GM: “I can get along with anyone”

in Sports by

A difficult year is behind the Orlando Magic. For the fifth consecutive season they failed to make the playoffs. During that span, the team had its worst five-year period ever with a record of 132-278. That cost General Manager Rob Hennigan and Assistant General Manager Scott Perry their jobs. Orlando Coach Frank Vogel can certainly relate to being fired. Just 11 months ago, he was looking for a job after being let go by the Indiana Pacers after his team…

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Marco Rubio looking for a landlord willing to take a chance

in 2017/Top Headlines by

In Tampa and Jacksonville, Sen. Marco Rubio or his staff does not hold office hours. Office hours require an office to do that. Two months ago, Florida’s junior senator had seven locations around the state and one in Washington, D.C. designed to help constituents with issues involving their government. Only five exist now in Florida. The reason? Last month Rubio’s Tampa landlord decided not to renew his office lease due to the massive disruptions caused by “protestors.” A few weeks…

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Chris Chiozza, Christian Laettner and the forgotten supporting actors

in Sports/Top Headlines by

Christian Laettner, meet Chris Chiozza. Your contributions to March Madness lore may be 25 years apart, but the memories will go on for far longer. Laettner, who was already well-known, made “The Shot,” in 1992 that kept Duke’s hopes alive for a repeat championship, which they won. Chiozza, a popular figure on the Florida campus, but relatively unknown elsewhere, sent the Gators to the Elite 8 on Friday with “The Shot 2.” One should be careful before making comparisons between…

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Can Gators display the patience needed to take down Wisconsin?

in Sports by

As the Florida Gators prepare to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Friday night’s Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden, an old saying applies to Florida players, coaches and fans: Patience is a virtue. But that is what is required to play against the well-coached, disciplined Badger team. On defense, eighth-seeded Wisconsin plays tough and aggressively, hoping to force undisciplined teams into taking quick shots. On offense, they are not afraid to run the shot clock down to the last…

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Despite horrible weekend, ACC still basketball’s best league

in Sports by

ACC fans, or supporters of schools outside of the SEC, often grumble about the “best conference by far” tag often given to the SEC by football pundits. Each time an SEC team loses a bowl game or a head-to-head matchup with one of the outsiders, the derision often follows. Conversely, SEC basketball fans, or supporters of other power conferences outside of the ACC, are equally uncertain that conference is that much better than the others. The ACC put eight teams…

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