According to the press release, all games will be broadcast in HD and the first broadcast will be on Friday, April 1 when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa Bay Rays fans, please take a moment to remember Officer David S. Crawford. Officer Crawford was killed last night as he investigated a prowler call last night at 10:30pm Officer Crawford was shot and pronounced dead on arrival at Bayfront Medical Center last evening.The shooting occurred just a few blocks east of Tropicana Filed.

Officer Crawford is the third St. Pete. police officer to lose his life in the line of duty since January 1st, 2011. Nine Florida police officers have been killed in the line of duty as well since January 1st. Please take some time to remember the friends and family of those officers.

Ronde looked as if he had lost a step in the 2009 season, but came on a performed strong in 2010. Barber was going to be a free agent heading into the uncertainty which is the 2011 season, but according to reports this afternoon, the Buccaneers are getting ready to announce that Barber will be a Buccaneer once again in 2011.

Barber, who will be 36 next season, recorded 81 tackles last season and three interceptions. 2009 saw Barber record his first season without an interception.

Certainly, the Glazers and the Buccaneers front office will have agreed to a reasonable contract with Barber. I like the move to bring Ronde back to a very young secondary. The fact that Ronde has reportedly agreed to a new contract prior to a new CBA being agreed to , tells me all you need to know about this player. He is a game, high character guy, and he wants to play. This is a great move by the Buccaneers front office. And, thanks for another season Ronde.

“Since the season’s been over, I haven’t taken any time off. I kind of just want to get back to full strength and then maybe back off a bit. But, I’ve probably trained harder than I ever have in the last couple months. And I feel really great”, Vanden Bosch said.

Vanden Bosch has long been known for his intense work ethic on and off the field. The addition of Vanden Bosch through free agency no doubt helped the development of rookie DT Ndamukong Suh over the last year.

Bailey’s agent told the Denver Post that they are looking for a four-year extension on his current contract in the $40-44 million dollar range.

Ashomugha’s contract was voided weeks ago after it was determined that he did not meet incentives in his contract in order to warrant a $17 million dollar 2011 season. There is still the outside chance that he could return to the Raiders next season. However, the current labor negotiations and the threat of a owner led lockout will greatly interfere with the offseason free agency period.

There is of course the chance that the Raiders move in another direction, refusing to invest $10-12 million dollars in one single player and try to acquire two players to fill other positions instead.

Chargers GM A.J. Smith told reporters, “Vincent’s a good player and he’s always been a good player, which I’ve said repeatedly. I’m comfortable with not giving him a long-term deal right now, and we are not negotiating a long-term deal. We’ll see how the year goes, but not at the present time”.

For the pricetag of $10-11 million dollars in 2011, Jackson might consider playing for one more season and then hitting the free agent market. However, what is risky for the Chargers is that the current designation of the franchise tag on players means nothing after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on March 4th. If the new CBA does not include provisions for the use of the franchise or transition designations, Jackson has accrued enough time in the NFL to become an unrestricted free agent after 6 seasons.

The reluctance to offer Jackson a long-term contract could come back to haunt the Chargers.

Joe Maddon cooked dinner for a packed house in the Batter’s eye restaurant at his annual event, Thanksmas.

In related Rays news over the weekend, RP Juan Cruz finally solved his visa issues and reported to the training facility in Port Charlotte. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters that Cruz might be this year’s version of Joaquin Benoit as he was also recovering from a shoulder injury at this point of spring training last season.

A key component of the Rays starting pitching rotation this year will be Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson made some starts for the Rays late last summer and looked impressive in doing so. Hellickson reported to Spring training this season with a slightly tweaked hamstring but does not figure that his injury will be an issue. Speaking with reporters, Hellickson said regarding his injury, “It’s getting better. There’s really no concern, just being cautious”.

With the Browns releasing several veteran defenders last week, and the organization moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme, the Browns need to focus on re-tooling the defense and there are several players that should be there at number 6 which will make an immediate impact for the Browns in 2011.

This year’s draft is especially loaded with talent at the defensive line position and it appears that CB Prince Amukamara might likely be still on the board when the Browns pick at number 6.

With the Browns playing six games a season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive pass rushing talent as well as pass defense should be a priority.

OLB Von Miller of Texas A&M, DE Adrian Clayborn of Iowa, DT/DE Marcel Darius could all likely still be on the board as well. Of course some players stock will rise or fall over the coming week with the start of the NFL Combine, but there are just too many pressing needs for the Browns on defense to think about offense.

The only two offensive players that should interest the Browns are both wide receivers. A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Most mocks I have seen show Green off the board at number 4 to the Cincinnati Bengals as they will most likely release Chad Ochocinco and are not bringing back Terrel Owens. The number 6 pick might be a little too high to select Julio Jones out of Alabama.

In the event of a lockout, players will not be allowed at team facilities to either work out or to practice. Several teams have been discussing the possibility of getting together in the offseason in order to stay fresh and continue to work on timing issues.

The Steelers have a trio of very talented wide receiver that will continue to only get better with practice. Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown all showed tremendous promise on the field this season for Pittsburgh.

It had been rumored that the Eagles were asking for two second round picks for Kolb, and I didn’t like the idea of the Vikings giving up those picks in order to obtain Kolb, and I really don’t like the idea of the Vikings giving up the number 12 overall pick for a quarterback which has basically just had a few good games in his career.

The Vikings cannot afford to surrender any more picks this season after giving up this year’s third round pick for the 4 week rental of WR Randy Moss. According to the Pioneer Press this weekend, the Vikings are actually trying to move down in the draft in order to acquire more picks, a move which would be wise.

In related news, newly released S O.J. Atogwe is expected to be meeting with the Washington Redskins this afternoon according to reports. Since Atogwe has been released, he is now a free agent and can sign with any team up until March 3rd. Atogwe would make a nice fit in the Vikings secondary. The seven year veteran recorded 73 tackles last season and has played both positions at safety, although he is best suited at free safety.

The Vikings have a need at safety and Atogwe has experience playing in the Tampa-2 defensive scheme.

About 40 Broncos fans attended the Champ Bailey Rally at Invesco Field last night, trying to let the Broncos ownership know that they want the team to re-sign Bailey and make him a Bronco until he retires. Ownership does want to re-sign Bailey though. John Elway Tweeted last week that the team is committed reaching a deal with the player before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 4th.

Bailey finished the season with 41 tackles, 13 passes defensed and two interceptions.