December is a time for reflection for most of us. We take inventory of what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to be improved upon in the coming year.
In 2023, the sports scene in Tampa saw two sports figures emerge onto the scene and transform the organizations they were a part of. One of our top sports figures has been with his organization for nine years and continues to have unparalleled success.
Number 3: Kevin Cash
No manager in baseball gets more out of his team than Kevin Cash with the limited resources he has to work with.
Of course, the front office shares in the credit, but Cash combines everything and refines the product we see on the field.
Cash has led the Rays to four consecutive trips to the postseason and will be favored to make another postseason trip in 2024.
It doesn’t matter how many injuries the team has or what all-star has moved on because the Rays did not want to pay the player market value. Kevin Cash finds a way to get the most out of every player on the roster.
One thing that Cash does that players appreciate is that he gives players confidence. No matter how you’re doing, he instills confidence in his players.
He’s personable, relatable to the players, and has installed a winning culture in the clubhouse.
Number 2: Baker Mayfield
With the Buccaneers in salary cap hell, the team had little money to upgrade the roster and bring in high-profile free agents.
With Tom Brady retiring, Kyle Trask was the only quarterback on the roster. Enter Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield was looking for an opportunity to showcase his skills in a starting role, and the Buccaneers were looking for a starting quarterback.
When Mayfield entered the building for OTA’s, he began winning teammates over with his work ethic and desire to win.
Mayfield plays with a massive chip on his shoulder, and that attitude is infectious and rubs off on his teammates.
All Mayfield has done is lead the Buccaneers to an 8-8 record so far, and the team is on the cusp of their third straight NFC South Championship.
Mayfield is also having the best season of his career, passing for 3,907 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has the Buccaneers on the edge of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
Mayfield has overcome the naysayers and all the doubters and proved to everyone that he is a top-ten quarterback in the NFL. As of this writing, he is having a better season than Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Matt Stafford.
Number 1: Alex Golesh
When you think about the job that Alex Golesh did this past season at USF, it will go down as one of the best one-year turnarounds in NCAA history.
No sports figure in Tampa has done more to energize a downtrodden fan base than Alex Golesh has done at USF.
When Golesh arrived on the campus at USF, the Bulls were coming off one of the worst seasons in the program’s history at 1-11.
It was a program that was on fire, a team in disarray. Enter Golesh, and nine months later, the Bulls had their first bowl win in five years and had completed the biggest one-year turnaround in the program history to finish at 7-6.
With the recruiting class that Golesh has put together and the use of the transfer portal, it would not be a surprise to see the Bulls in the top 25 next season.