T.O.'s Tampa Forecast: Cardinals

By HOWARD ALTMAN
haltman@tampatrib.com
Published: January 31, 2009

TAMPA - At the Hyde Park Cafe, a couple of dozen fans, the vast majority men, waited for Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver Terrell Owens to arrive Thursday night. They milled about as Grand Master Flash blasted from the speakers.

A few platters of food sat mostly untouched.

Four words describe the banquet: Pigs in a blanket.

Sometime after 9, T.O. showed up, accompanied by a rather beefy, yet friendly bodyguard.

Shaking hands, laughing with fans, he predicted a Cardinal victory.

"It's pretty much a toss-up," he said. "You have a team with a good defense and a so-so offense and a team with a high-powered offense and not much defense. If things go well, it will break for the Cardinals."

Owens, who had a well-publicized feud with Jeff Garcia when both played for the Niners, shied away from talking about events at One Buc Place.

"I don't want to comment on Tampa Bay," he said. "The Buccaneers are not my concern."

Answering a question relayed by News Channel 8 reporter Sam Sodos, Owens said the huge diamonds in each earlobe never hurt during games.

"They make me shine a little more," he said. "They make me more of a star."