John McKay could be incredibly warm and friendly with Bucs staff, from ball boys to trainers. At the same time, he could be incredibly cruel and biting with players. [Times files (1984)]
When it comes to writing about sports teams, you want one of two things:
Special good or special bad.
Mediocrity is boring, but a team being really good or really bad makes for solid storytelling.
And memorable stories are what you get with one of sports' most memorable teams: the expansion Tampa Bay Bucs. In those days, they were affectionately known as "The Yucks,'' which also happens to be the name of a book written by Florida native Jason Vuic, who will appear this weekend at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading.