I watched the Rays work out at the Naimoli complex last spring and knew I was looking at something special. This group of guys was not cut from the same cloth that as the groups from the previous 10 years. I sensed the change and I started writing about it. Yesterday I checked back on my Rays blogs from the past year and was shocked as to how accurate some of my observations were.
Last fall the Devil Rays for the 9th time in ten years finished last in the league and I wrote a blog that stated that it just didn’t feel like last place. I guess it was then that I officially jumped on the band-wagon that bloggers like so much to talk about.
On January 5th, I stated that Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett would make everyone forget that Delmon young ever played here. On the same day I stated that Andrew Friedman’s plan for development was almost flawless. (Correct)
On April 14th, I wrote that the Rays pitching staff would have to be reckoned with this year. On the same blog I said that the Rays would win 88 games and the pitching would be the reason. (They won more than 88)
On April 25th, I said that the Red Sox would win the AL east with room to spare but the Rays had the ability to catch the Wild Card. (Got this one backwards)
On April 28th, I stated that Stuart Sternberg was in the same class as John Henry and George Steinbrenner when it came to his desire to put a successful product on the field. He just didn’t have the same cash flow. (Correct)
On May 1st, I wrote that the Rays had too many quality pitchers. There just wasn’t enough room for all of them. As a result of that statement being correct, the Rays lost reliable relievers Gary Glover, Kurt Birkens, Scott Dohmann and Al Reyes. Jeff Niemann got called up for 2 spot starts but couldn’t stay when others got healthy. David Price, Wade Davis and Mitch Talbot never got called up during the season and Price, Niemann and Talbot only got called up in September. (Correct)
On May 19th, I stated that the Rays and the Red Sox would play in the American League championship series. I also said that the Yankees were done mainly because of the suspect pitching, their age and the fact that Girardi was not now, nor was he ever going to be Joe Torre. However, on that same blog I said that the Indians would get it together and win the Central and the Tigers couldn’t stay that bad for much longer. I guess nobody is perfect. To prove that point, It was the very next day that I implied that “Merlot” Joe Maddon wasn’t the guy who should lead this team. turns out (Almost correct; the Indians and Tigers never got started and Joe Maddon turned out to be the guy)
On May 27th I wrote that the Rays were for real and no matter what the “experts” said, they were not going away. (Correct)
On June 23rd, I complained that the Rays’ success was interfering with my creature comforts, as the increased attendance was causing me to have to remain in the seat I paid for rather than roam around and sit wherever I wanted to sit; to wait in lines when making a pit stop; and trying to get a warm hot dog without missing a whole inning. (Absolutely correct)
I should stop here because so far I look like a genius. The real fact is that I did make some statements that didn’t turn out to be correct.
I stated that Ben Zobrist was a waste of time when he turned out to be the “Super-sub” that Maddon had predicted he would be. (Wrong)
In a moment of frustration, I did say that the Rays wouldn’t compete in the post season because they didn’t have a legitimate star to carry them. (Very Wrong)
In June I said that the Rays would only have one all-star representative and that would be the token one because every team had to have at least one player on the team. Boy, was I wrong there. They had three. Kazmir got the win and Longoria and Navarro played about 8 innings each and were both significant contributors to the AL victory.
If I had to grade myself for all of the statements I made during the year I would give myself a B-. And the minus only gets there because I started to lose faith during the 7 game losing streak around the All-Star break. I think I am most proud of myself because I saw this coming last spring when none of these guys had even thrown a ball or swung a bat in anger.
The fabulous Cindy and I attended the Rays Playoff Rally at Straub Park in St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon. I’m generally not inclined to take part in this sort of event but Cindy wanted to go. It was just another reminder of how much joy I would have missed in my life if I didn’t have Cindy to get me off my dead #### and participate in life.
The event was thoroughly enjoyable. It was easy to get there. The parking was affordable and getting out of town was easy. My only regret was that the line to get a “Rayhawk” haircut was so long that I couldn’t wait for a free one. I guess I am going to have to pay for it.
Todd Kalas did a great job in player introductions, Duane Staats and Joe Magraine were terrific in recapping the year and even though some folks stared at the Red Sox tattoo on Cindy’s leg, nobody said anything because of her Rays hat and tee shirt. My Sox tattoo is high enough on my arm so the sleeve of my Rays tee shirt covered it. We didn’t stay for the Survivor concert but friends who did said it was great.
My friend, New Jerseys own Blue & Orange has been baiting me all year long to make a definitive statement as to who I would root for when nuts came to bolts. It’s about that time so here is the statement.
I never ever thought that I would get to see the Red Sox win a World Championship; but they did in 2004. They did it again last year but that couldn’t come close to the elation that I felt after the first one. I have experienced something that my father, my brother Bobby, my uncles Irving and Charlie and my father-in-law, Bob Cobb never got to experience. I got to experience a Red Sox World Championship. I can live the rest of my life in peace.
However, this year has to belong to the Rays. When the White Sox visit Tropicana Field tomorrow, I will be displaying the Blue of the Rays. And if the Gods are just and the Red Sox come to the Trop for the American League Championship series, I will still display the Rays Blue shirt.
I was reading the St. Pete Times this morning when I came across a story that had the following quote in it.
"We don't have anyone to throw out the ball for our first playoff game," Tampa Bay Rays President Matt Silverman said. "MLB asked us who it'd be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor."
This is what it has come to. The improbable Tampa Bay Rays are about to engage in the American league Playoffs for the first time in their eleven-year history and there is nobody from the organization’s past worthy enough to throw out the first pitch of the opening game. I was taken aback when I read this quote. How can there not be somebody from the past eleven years to be worthy enough to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the playoffs?
I decided to do some research in order to help Mr. Silverman find somebody with the proper qualifications to perform this prestigious task. Alas, I discovered that he has a major problem on his desk. The Rays don’t have Babe Ruth’s daughter to fall back on. They don’t have a Yogi Berra; a Rod Carew; a Yaz; a Ken Brett; a Johnny Bench; a Tom Seaver; a Bob Gibson; a Ron Santo or any one else who might have helped get them to the promised land in the past; mainly because they have never been to the Promised Land in the past and in fact, have never been close.
They don’t have a revered “Hall-Of-Famer” to fall back on unless you consider Wade Boggs to be that and most folks don’t even remember that he finished his career with the Rays. Even venerable players from the past don’t qualify. Vinnie Castilla had five 30+ home run seasons and four 100+ RBI seasons, but none of them with the Rays. Jose Canseco has 462 career homers and is famous but nobody would be stupid enough to pick him.
There is nobody from the front office that deserves the honor who isn’t currently affiliated with the team. Vince Naimoli thankfully brought the team to the Bay area but in eight years did more to alienate the community against the Rays than any of their bad baseball teams did. Naimoli is definitely out. Don Zimmer would seem like a great pick with his 60+ years of being in baseball. But he is currently on the payroll.
It’s amazing! In the whole history of this team there is no one who stands out enough to qualify for this position. I guess Matt will have to look outside of the organization. Now there we have some qualified people. Governor Charley Crist is a relatively frequent visitor to the Trop. Paul Azinger just won the Ryder Cup for the United States and is a local. My choice however would be for #### Vitale. Dickey V has been a season ticket holder from day one. His shiny baldhead can be seen in the first row next to the visitor’s dugout about fifty times a year. He could even be seen there during the ten dreadful years before this one. He does in-house promotional spots on the big screen. Yep…Dicky V would be my choice.
Of course I’d prefer that they select Duane Staats to make the historical toss. Staats has been the TV announcer for the Rays for most of the dismal years and wouldn’t you know, when the Rays clinched a spot in the playoffs, he had the night off. FOX did the game and there was no local broadcast. Announcers are an integral part of baseball marketing. I can still hear Curt Gowdey broadcasting the Red Sox games when I was a boy. What Yankee fan my age does not remember Mel Allen or Dodger fan, Vin Scully? What Red Sox fan does not know whom the “Rem_Dog” is? There are a lot more of them that I never got to hear but it would be the right thing to do for Duane Staats.
As I was researching this I thought of the movie “Major League”. There is a scene where two Japanese groundskeepers were speaking and made the comment (which appeared in sub-titles), “Who are these guys?” That is the same thought I had when looking over the current roster.
Has anybody outside of Milwaukee ever heard of Grant Balfour or Gabe Gross? Has anybody except a statistic geek Dodger fan ever heard of Dioner Navarro or Edwin Jackson? Has anybody outside of Minnesota ever heard of Jason Bartlett or Matt Garza? Did Andy Sonnanstine catch anyone’s eye when he was drafted in the 13th round of the 2004 draft? Does anybody from Atlanta remember Willy Aybar? Did anybody notice that at the same time the Red Sox signed Dice-K, the Rays Quietly signed Akinori Iwamura? Did anybody in Kansas City miss J.P. Howell when he came to the Rays last year for Joey Gathright? Did anybody in Baltimore blink an eye when Chad Bradford was released? Did everyone feel that when the Rays reacquired Dan Wheeler that it was going to be more of the same old, same old? Do you think that the Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Reds and Astros wished that they had Trever Miller in their bullpens this year? They all owned his rights at one time or another.
The fact is, the only Rays anybody ever heard of before this season was Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena, and the Rangers, Athletics, Tigers, Yankees and Red Sox cast off Pena at one time or another.
During the off season last year the names most people knew on the Rays were David Price and Evan Longoria; and neither of those guys had played even one inning of Major League baseball.
“Recognizing his nearly six decades of service as a player, manager, scout, instructor, and goodwill ambassador, the Red Sox yesterday announced they will retire Johnny Pesky's No. 6 before Friday night's game against the Yankees, the eve of his 89th birthday.”
You can’t imagine how elated I was when I read the above item in the Boston Globe the other day. Johnny Pesky is one of the special people who have ever worn the Red Sox uniform and will be the first Red Sox player to have his Uniform number retired who was not a member of the hall of Fame.. About a year or so ago I wrote a blog about Pesky and got some great comments on it.
It always amazes me how the best-laid plans can get sidetracked. I thought I had my schedule all set for the last month of the baseball season. I was going to watch the upstart Rays cruise into the American league playoffs and I had my seat picked out for every game. I even had my subjects picked out for my Rays Rants blogs for about a three-week period.
Family matters in Boston caused me to table those plans but I assure you that my arriving in Bean Town last week on the same day as the Rays was just a coincidence. The trip had nothing at all to do with the fact that I got to see the Rays take 2 of 3 games from the Sox and hold them off for a while longer. It had to do with attending to family matters.
It was fascinating to watch my friends in Boston walking around with a look on their faces that screamed, “This is not supposed to happen”. At least it is not supposed to happen at the hands of the (Devil) Rays. Maybe the Yankees, maybe the Blue Jays, but not the Rays.
I arrived back in Florida a few days ago with just enough time to get my affairs in order and go back to the airport. This time I had to pick up my daughter and her husband who were coming to town to see the Red Sox play the Rays in the final series of the year. Now if you want to talk about Red Sox fanatics, you need to talk about these 2 people. We have 3 games here and my daughter brought 8 Red Sox shirts with her. She even brought me a pair of gardening gloves with the Sox logo on the back.
It is always great to have them here and this trip had been planned for a long time. However, I expected to attend the games at the Trop as a family firmly attached to the Red Sox Nation. I hadn’t figured that I would be the one to go over to the “dark side” and become a member of the Rays Republic. But there it was; my wife, my daughter and her husband all decked out in their Red Sox gear and me with my James Shields Rays t-shirt. And to make matters worse, Sox fans surrounded us. I was the blue shirt amid a sea of red. And to make matters worse than that, the Red Sox came to play. On Scott Kazmir’s second strike of the game, Big Papi hits a 3-run homer and it was all down hill from there. It got so bad that I had to leave my seat and sit under the stands for about 5 innings eating hot dogs and ice cream, smoking cigarettes and watching people. I would have gone home by the 5th inning but I was driving and they weren’t budging. It was a long, long night.
Every morning the sun rises and yesterday morning was no different. The sun rose and it was a new day. Yesterday was yesterday and the fact that the Sox hit 6 home runs and Dice-K was almost unhittable the night before didn’t matter so much. The Red Sox were sending Josh Beckett to the bump and the Rays were countering that move with the formidable Andy Sonnanstine. On paper, that meant that the Red Sox would be in first place this morning. But I guess that Sonny doesn’t read the paper. He matched Beckett pitch for pitch for six innings before giving way to the Rays’ (I’m sorry, but I can’t come up with one adjective to properly describe perfection) bullpen.
The game was tied going into the bottom half of the ninth but there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to have the bragging rights when the game was over and the Rays didn’t disappoint. A bloop hit, a walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases when Dioner Navarro hit a ball to center field deep enough to score the run from third and give the Rays the win. The Rays stay in first place, 2 games up in the lost column. If the Red Sox do manage to overtake the Rays for the AL East championship, they won’t have done it on head to head match ups.
Tonight’s game won’t be nearly as stressful for me as the first two. Even if the Sox win they will still leave town in second place. It will be sad to see the kids go home on Thursday but I think my son-in-law will go home with some hope for the post season. He said last night that if the Red Sox don’t make the World Series he at least has someone to root for in the Rays. The Rays Republic is growing by the minute.
I need to offer an apology to my friend B&O languishing in frustration up in New Jersey because of his beloved Mets’ failure to close out the National League East in the last two weeks. It was just about two weeks ago when I assured my friend that I could write enough words on the Rays to divert his attention from the struggles his team was having to just stay in the race. But take heart B&O; there are 12 games left and I’ve got a feeling….
I find it fascinating that in the year 2008, the most stable franchise in baseball seems to be the Rays. The Yankees have been old and confused all year. The Red Sox haven’t been physically healthy all year and their mental health was suspect until they shipped out Manny. The Dodgers mental health was suspect until they acquired Manny. Go figure! The Indians haven’t made sense all year; they are not a last place team. The Jays, Mets, Brewers and Mariners all changed managers and 3 of those teams still have playoff chances. The Tigers were the team to beat in the spring and managed to sel####estruct from the beginning. Are the Twins there because everyone else is so bad or are they for real? How can the White Sox look stable with Ozzie at the helm? The Cubs seem quite stable but we keep reading about their potential sale. The Pirates have mastered the art of rebuilding. How did the Rockies get into the World Series last year? Or better still, what the heck did they do to miss it by so much this year?
I have to admit it. I have jumped on the Dustin Pedroia bandwagon for MVP. Up until about 2 weeks ago my pick would have been Justin Morneau or Carlos Quentin. Quentin got eliminated with his injury but Morneau has only continued to deserve consideration. However, after seeing the Red Sox 5 times in the last 2 weeks, I am convinced that the Red Sox are what they are because of Pedroia. He makes them go. He may be the most exciting ballplayer in the American League.
I saw a video from the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday. It had David Ortiz doing an interview with Jonathan Papelbon while they showed the videotape from his high School days imitating Patrick Swayze. I found the whole thing entertaining except the part when Ortiz referred to Pap as Cinco Ocho. It somehow offended me that anybody buys into Chad Johnson’s ####.
Another game, another victory and another “first” for Rays fans to celebrate. Friday night the Tampa Bay Rays beat the seemingly hapless Baltimore Orioles by a lopsided 14-3 score. The victory was the Rays 82nd of the year.
Now I have never claimed to be a mathematician, but the way I figure it is this. There are 162 games in a MLB regular season to be played by each team. If a team wins half of them, they will have won 81 games. The Rays did that last night with a win over the Blue Jays. Tonight, by beating the O’s and getting their 82nd win of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are GUARANTEED to have the first winning season in the 11-year history of the franchise. I, along with many others who have followed the Rays since the beginning, began to doubt whether I would ever see this day.
It only took the Marlins 5 years to get a winning season. It took the Mets 8 years. It took the Rangers and the Blue Jays 9 years. It took the Brewers and the Padres 10 years. It took the Astros and the Expos 11 years. In fact, the only team to go longer than the Rays without having a winning season is the Mariners. It took them until their 15th to finally produce a winner. (This of course only includes those teams that came into existence after 1961. It does not include any of the teams that have existed since before the Wright Brothers invented the airplane. It also doesn’t include the Royals, Diamondbacks, Rockies or Angels who all had winning seasons in their first 2 or 3 years because they must have been doing something underhanded.)
I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know how they are doing it. My friend Dwindy1 did a great piece on the Rays the other day and he told us whom they were doing it with. But I still haven’t figured out how they are doing it. Five good (but not great) starting pitchers have started all but 7 of the Rays games. All but one of the relief pitchers were either discarded by their former teams, dealt for low level prospects or journeyman players who all thought they were better than they were. Only three of the everyday starters have spent their entire careers in the Rays organization, and two of them are on the DL. And they are not paying any of them a ridiculous amount of money.
Maybe it is time to take my own advice and stop trying to analyze it and just enjoy it while it lasts.
I can’t help but to think that the off season trade that sent Delmon Young to the Twins for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza might be one of the best Rays trades of all time even if I didn’t like it when it happened. Even better than the Kazmir for Victor Zambrano deal with the Mets. Even better than the Dan Wheeler deal for Ty Wiggington deal with the Astros.
Time to eat some crow! I thought that Ben Zobrist was going to continue to be the biggest waste of time that the Rays have invested into any player. I thought Carlos Pena should have been dropped way down in the order or benched about 2 months ago. I didn’t think that Jason Bartlett’s defense was enough to make up for his lack of offense; and now I have both. I thought that they should have kept Aki at third base and made Longoria a second baseman. I thought that Seth McClung would ultimately be a better contributor than Gabe Gross. I thought that giving up Ty Wiggington for Dan Wheeler was too much. I thought they should have paid Julio Lugo in 2006 and kept him. I thought that I was smarter the Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman. Wrong on all counts! Maybe that’s why I am a caterer and not a baseball executive.
The following quote is from Fridays St. Pete Times.
[Upon further review, umpire Doug Eddings was wrong about the controversial obstruction call involving Willy Aybar in Sunday's game at Chicago.
Mike Port, MLB's vice president of umpiring, told the St. Petersburg Times on Thursday that it was "a missed call" and that in making the split-second decision, Eddings thought he saw runner A.J. Pierzynski "impeded more than he was" by Aybar, the Rays' third baseman.
"Looking back at that occurrence, for the first and last time, it was a missed call," Port said. "And it was not because Doug Eddings, an umpire with 10 years' experience and 10 before that in the minor leagues, didn't know the application of the rule, but just that in the moment in applying the rule, he saw something he thought was more than it turned out to be."
Pierzynski, in a rundown between second and third in the 10th inning, stuck out his left elbow at Aybar. Eddings ruled there was obstruction and awarded third base to Pierzynski, who later scored the winning run for the White Sox.
Port said that after watching replays, Eddings was "the first to admit" he was wrong and said so to MLB officials who regularly review controversial plays. There is no recourse, however, for the Rays.]
It’s nice to see the umps fess up every now and again when they blow a call. Everyone seems content that the event has been put to bed, but what if the Rays were tied for the Wild Card spot after 162 games. How content would everybody be then?
I have been to hundreds and hundreds of Major League Baseball games in the last fifty years, but this past Tuesday night I experienced a first time event. I can now say that I have lived a fantasy. I have experienced something I only dreamed about as a 9 year old attending a Giants’ game with my brother-in-law at the old Polo Grounds in Harlem, or as an 11 year old attending my first game at Fenway Park with my Uncle Irv and my cousins Dickie and Charlie.
The fantasy was with me in the early sixties when I attended a game at Comiskey Park in Chicago and then again at County Stadium in Milwaukee when I was doing time at the Great Lakes Naval Station. It was still there in the early seventies when I stole some time from a business trip in Windsor, Ontario to cross the Detroit River and take in a Tigers’ game at that old park in Corktown. The fantasy was still with me when I went to Candlestick Park in San Francisco during a business trip in the early seventies. It has been with me through dozens of games at Minor League fields in upstate New York and Pennsylvania and Georgia and Florida.
Tuesday night I walked out of Tropicana Field with indisputable proof that Bud Selig’s real first name is “Allen”. You see, I walked out of the Trop with an “Official Major League Baseball” for the first time in my life.
Unfortunately, it did not happen the way I had always thought it would. In my fantasy I would make a daring one-handed grab of a scalding foul ball, saving severe injury to a child or a senior close by. I could see my effort so appreciated by the home team that they would send the batboy to my seat with a new ball autographed by every member of the home team. In a gesture of good will, I would give the ball I caught to the person I saved from injury as a gesture of something. I would keep the autographed ball myself of course. After all, it is my fantasy.
Another scenario had me sitting in the outfield with a beverage and a hot dog in my hands when someone hit one in my direction. I would put the dog in my mouth and use that free hand to spear away the ball from the drunken guy next to me who was reaching for it with his $100 Wilson A-2000 baseball glove. It would be glorious watching the replay of that catch over and over on SportsCenter’s “play of the day”; especially because I made the catch without spilling a drop of my beverage.
Some years back, I realized that for every lie I told, I would have to look over my shoulder 10 times to see if it was catching up to me. And it seemed that almost every time I told a lie, it eventually caught up with me. Since I have chronic neck problems, it would serve me well to not have to jerk my head around for no good reason. Therefore, I stopped lying.
Here is Tuesday night’s saga (the way it happened).
My wife and I arrived at the Trop real early for some reason. They wouldn’t let us in the ballpark yet so we went over to the east side of the building to get out of the sun. After a couple of minutes, they opened the door and let us in to the area around the Rays Store and the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of fame. We went into the museum and wandered around for about 15-20 minutes when they finally took down the barriers and let the fans into the ballpark. We entered the park in left field and immediately discovered that the Blue Jays taking were taking batting practice. There was only about a dozen people in the stands at the time so we decided to stay. After a few minutes, a Blue Jay player with the ability to hit it out came to bat. He hit a couple out way off to my left, but nothing close.
After a couple of more minutes he hit one to my left and a kid about 12 years old made a great catch of it. I started applauding his effort when suddenly a loud crashing noise occurred to my right. I quickly looked that way and noticed activity down in the seat next to me. Lo and behold, there was a new white baseball rattling between the upright seat and the back of the blue chair. While I was applauding the kid’s effort, the hitter plunked one about 15 inches to the right of my groin and I never saw it. The guy in front of me said it was too far over his head to make an attempt at it.
I have no idea what the force of a ball hit on a line drive about 400 feet would be but there is no doubt in my mind that if the batter had hit the ball 15” to the right, I would still probably be in the hospital.
I don’t know who the guy was that hit the ball, but my imagination started working on a story that would really make me look good when I showed people the first baseball I ever got at a professional baseball game. However, a little while later we ran into a friend and I made the mistake of telling him how I actually came about getting the ball. I soon realized that I just lost any opportunity of developing a story that would make me look like a star as I told it.
All that being said, I’ve got a ball. I incurred no injuries in getting it. My neck will not be aggravated having to look over my shoulder (my wife knew the truth) and I am grateful to have my first ball after more than 50 years of going to baseball games. Even if it wasn’t the way I imagined it, I have lived a fantasy.
So Wednesday morning I logged on to the Tampa Tribune web site to read more about how our home town Rays beat up on the Angels the night before. What do you think I found? I’ll tell you what I found. I found one small article on the game and five articles on B.J. Upton’s alleged lack of hustle. I say alleged because I don’t really believe that he has a lack of hustle but more on that later.
Tuesday nights win put the Rays in a tie with the Cubs for the best record in Major League Baseball. They had a 77-48 (.616 winning percentage) record on August 20th with only 37 games left to play. They were 29 games over .500. They had a 5 game lead (in the lost column) over the Red Sox. They had won 8 of their last 10 games making them the hottest team in the American League and they did this without their best 2 players (Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria) and their closer (Troy Percival). That’s the stuff I want to read about.
But nooooooo! That’s not what I get to read. I get to read how B.J. Upton is dogging it. I get to read how B.J. Upton is loafing. I get to read how B.J. Upton is putting himself at a higher plane than the team. I get to read that B.J. Upton is an arrogant, cocky, prideful and a self-centered malcontent. Forget about the game. I guess it’s more fun to talk about the vultures circling Upton’s corpse. Even the comments that readers add to the forum are disturbing. Most of those are calling for Upton to be traded or sent down to Durham as punishment for his behavior.
Now I have had some issues with the way Upton plays the game. He is just learning the center field position and too frequently throws to the wrong base. He over estimates his own abilities and tries to throw out people when he has no chance. I think he plays too short relying on his speed to get to balls hit over his head. And I don’t think he is the smartest guy to ever play the game.
Some guys have a natural instinct for the game. They know exactly what to do with the ball even if they don’t do it quite as well as the next guy. They change the way they think with 2 strikes on them. They don’t try to lay down the perfect bunt every time. They don’t give away the fact that they are going to steal by adding a half step in their lead. They realize that you can’t hit a five run homer. B.J. doesn’t seem to have these instincts. He has all the natural ability in the world but he keeps short circuiting himself with his lack of mental instincts. I think that if the Rays could ever teach him a little prudence in his decision-making and outlook on the game his natural physical abilities will make him one of the better players in the league.
I don’t think B.J. Upton is a punk. I don’t think his hat size has grown since his arrival in professional baseball. I think he is a 23-year-old kid who has been the center of attention all his life. I think that everything he did earlier in his life worked because he wasn’t playing against competition that could take advantage of his shortcomings. I heard a great quote some time back. I think it came from a Clint Eastwood movie. “A man has to know his limitations” (or something like that). That’s what I think B.J. has to do; learn his limitations.
I think that if I was a NFL General Manager, I would do anything in my power to get Usain Bolt’s name on a contract to become a wide-out for my team. I don’t care if he has never seen a football! With that speed and that body he could be the most frightening thing that a defensive back every saw coming his way.
I can’t believe one of the latest moves by Theo Epstien. Last Friday (the last day for MLB teams to sign contracts with their amateur draft picks) Theo signed Ryan Westmoreland, an 18 year old High Schooler from Portsmouth, RI to a rookie contract and gave him a $2 million signing bonus. He also agreed to pay $212,000 towards college should Westmoreland ever decide to attend. Now what’s the big deal you say? Westmoreland was a fifth round draft pick. That means that MLB execs thought that about 150 players had more potential than this kid. I know that if I was one of the 149 players picked before him and didn’t get that much I would be pissed. Theo is driving the market up and out of control.
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Beijing Olympics this year. That wasn’t my plan but that is the way it has worked out. However, some of the events are bizarre. Hula Whoops? Trampoline jumping? Synchronized diving? And they are giving baseball and softball the boot. It must be me!
Having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball has caused the Rays to make some hard decisions concerning their staff this year. A while ago they released Gary Glover when he came off the disabled list. Glover was the reliable workhorse of the 2007 Devil Rays. He had a few bad outings this year but didn’t do a bad job most of the time. There just wasn’t any room for him with everyone else pitching lights out. He was picked up by the Tigers and just got up to the big club.
Al Reyes had the same thing happen to him this past week. He came off the DL and there was no room for him. He cleared waivers and wouldn’t take a Triple A assignment, prompting his release. The Mets signed him and they will be better for it.
These two guys were about the only positive things to come out of the bullpen last year. It is sad for me to see them go. I wish them both much success with their new teams.
Once upon a time there was a tiny, tiny chicken named Chicken Little. One day Chicken Little was scratching in the garden when something fell on her head.
"Oh," cried Chicken Little, "the sky is falling. I must go tell the king."
So Chicken Little ran and ran, and she met Henny Penny.
"Where do you travel so fast, Chicken Little?" asked Henny Penny.
"Ah, Henny Penny," said Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, and I must go and tell the king."
"How do you know that the sky is falling, Chicken Little?" asked Henny Penny.
"I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and a bit of it fell on my head," said Chicken Little.
"I will go with you to the king," said Henny Penny.
We all know the story. They ran along together, and met Ducky Daddles, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey and finally Foxy Loxy who couldn’t care less about the sky falling. All he saw was five fat birds that were going to make a fine meal.
The original fable has the fox luring them back to his den where he eats them all except Chicken Little, who escapes and returns home without ever telling the King that the sky was falling. An awful lot of effort, sacrifice and worry over nothing.
Evan Almighty (that’s Evan Longoria to those of you who are uninformed) was placed on the Disabled List today by the Tampa Bay Rays. I just finish reading the article on line in the St. Pete Times and decided to peruse the reader comments below the article. Almost to a man, the comments were expressing the end of the line for the Rays in 2008. The general consensus was that the Rays could stand the loss of Crawford for a while but not the loss of Longoria and Crawford together.
I’m here to tell you, “that ####”. The Rays will be just fine. Losing one or both of those guys obviously creates a difficult situation, but it not the end of the world.
Neither Longoria nor Crawford have been have been carrying the Rays on their back this year. They have been key contributors to the success of the St. Pete Nine, but they haven’t been the sole reason for the success. What happened to the Yankees when A-Rod went down earlier in the season will not happen to the Rays. What happened to the Red Sox when Big Papi went down will not happen to the Rays. If anything, the Rays have proved that the parts are interchangeable.
Wasn’t the opening day third baseman Willy Aybar? Does anybody remember Eric Hinske filling in just fine at third base earlier in the year? Does everybody forget how many games Gabe Gross, Ben Zobrist, Willy Aybar Shawn Riggans and Hinske have won for the Rays? Hell, even Mike DeFelice, Jonny Gomes and Nathan Haynes have contributed to victories for them this year; and they are all in Durham with the Rays Triple A farm team.
It is not the end of the world and the sky is not falling. The pitching will keep them in games and every day a new star will appear. Don’t forget that Carlos Pena’s bat is now showing the magic it displayed last year. Don’t forget that Aki has been on a tear. Don’t forget that Navi has the only bat that has been consistently above .300. Don’t forget that this team has managed to get past injuries to Kazmir, Garza, Pena, Iwamura, Navarro, Percival, Bartlett, Floyd and last years best reliever Al Reyes. Don’t forget that this team has figured out how to win as a team. This team is bigger than any of its parts. It is not the time to panic. Not the time for the players; not the time for Joe Maddon and not the time for Andrew Friedman. This team has shown character all year and character is what is necessary to survive and succeed in times of adversity.
The sky is not falling. Don’t become a Chicken Little and say so!
Another day for celebration! Today the Tampa bay Rays won their 71st game of the year, surpassing the achievement of winning 70 games during the whole 2004 season. There can be no argument when I say that this is the best team in the history of the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. And they did it in impressive fashion by beating the Mariners 11-3 and taking 3 games of the 4 game series.
I keep scratching my head with these victories. Carl Crawford went on the DL this morning. Evan “Almighty” Longoria has been out the last two games with a wrist injury. Jason Bartlett (arguably the best fielding shortstop in the American League) hasn’t been able to play in the field for over a week after getting hit in the finger on a bunt attempt. Dioner Navarro had to take the day off just to rest. With 4 of the regulars out of the lineup they still manage to leave Seattle with 3 wins and moved 5 games in the lost column ahead of the Red Sox and 9 ahead of the Yankees.
All this celebrating has become rather taxing and quite frankly, rather ordinary. But today there is something special to celebrate. Rocco Baldelli came off the DL today and played right field for about 6 innings. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI and made a diving catch of a soft liner just like the old days. It almost seemed like he was never gone.
For those of you that are not familiar with the Baldelli story, this might not seem like such a big deal. But to those of us who have followed Rocco’s career since he was drafted in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft out of Warwick, Rhode Island, and was then compared to a young Joe DiMaggio, today was a big deal.
At 21 years old, Rocco made it to the Rays and began the ‘03 season patrolling center field between Carl Crawford and Aubrey Huff (most of the time). He was third in the voting for Rookie of the Year behind the Royals’ Angel Barroa and the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui. He finished ahead of Mark Teixeira by a sizable vote. 2004 was just as good as the first but with better power numbers. In the off-season that followed, Rocco injured himself playing basketball. He ended up missing all of the 2005 season because of that injury and others that followed one right after another.
He did get back in 2006 for 92 games but again his season was cut short because of leg problems. After a long rehab, he began the 2007 season with the Rays but was soon sidelined again with what everybody had been calling “hamstring” injuries. We didn’t hear much about Rocco after that except to find out that he his injuries were a lot more serious than had been believed and that he was seeing specialists all over the country to try and find out what was wrong with him.
This spring we all thought that Rocco would anchor the right field spot for a much-improved Rays team. But towards the end of Spring Training he held a press conference and announced that he would be put on the DL indefinitely. He insisted that he was not retiring but did tell us that he has “some type of metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities”. This is a condition that leaves him extremely fatigued after just a brief workout.
Unfortunately there still hasn’t been an exact diagnosis of his problem, only a consensus of the many doctors that have worked with him. In terms that I can understand, his body does not make and /or store a chemical (ATP – adenosine triphosphate) that is required for his muscles to work or recover from work. Because this isn’t happening, he gets extremely fatigued after short amounts of work and it takes long periods of time for him to recover.
There is no magic pill, injection or elixir he can take to fix this problem. All his activities are closely monitored and he is on a regimen of vitamins and supplements to try and offset what his body is not doing on its own.
The unfortunate situation for Rocco is that he is in the last year of his contract. The Rays have informed him they will not be picking up the ’09 option year (a business decision I personally can’t argue with). I don’t know what the future holds for Rocco Baldelli but I am thrilled with the fact that he is in the outfield again for the Rays. I only hope that things work out for him and he has many more years to contribute to the game of baseball. I know that I am going to enjoy watching him for as long as he can play.
I missed the Olympics opening day ceremonies at their original broadcast time but got a chance to watch them at a friend’s this morning. I don’t know about you, but I was impressed as hell. That whole production was so incredible that it left me almost speechless. However, I must say that some of the fashion statements that the individual teams were making in the parade probably shouldn’t have been made.
Am I imagining things or are the stands half empty for the events that NBC has broadcast?
I turned on the PGA tournament about 10 minutes before it was over. Quite frankly, I forgot it was on. Why was I not surprised that Sergio Garcia ended up with egg on his face? Why was I pleased that Colin Montgomery shot an 84 in his last round? That guy never did anything to me to cause that reaction. But I would be remiss if I didn’t offer my congratulations to Padraig Harrington for winning back-to-back majors.
I was watching Sports Center tonight on the four-letter network. They did a quick story on the Rays and did a lead in with this cutesy promo about the City of Tampa, Florida. They then shifted into the Rays story. This happens all the time and it #### me off. Why are they doing this fluff piece on the City of Tampa when the Rays play and make their home in the City of St. Petersburg? Tampa is on the other side of Tampa Bay; that big puddle that sits in the middle of the Cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Maybe I should send a map of the area to The ESPN offices in Hartford, Connecticut so they can figure this out. Hartford is the same as Bristol, isn’t it?
Is there anyone who doubts that Brandon Webb is the best picture in baseball this year?
Last Friday night the Tampa Bay Rays played their 108th game of the 2008 baseball season. That game marked the 2/3-point in the season. I have had 2 months now to appreciate the positive steps the Rays have taken to become a viable team in the American league this year, but I am still totally amazed when I look at how much they have accomplished.
With the victory the Rays remained in first place in the American League East and led the Red Sox by 4 games in the lost column (this is the time of year when I stop looking at the games behind column and only look at the lost column). Only the Angels have a better record in the American League being 4 games better than the Rays in the lost column. With the win against the Tigers Friday and the Cubs loss, the Rays had the second best won/lost record in all of baseball. They’d won 64 games.
The most that they have ever won in a single season is 70 games, which they did in 2004 under the fiery leadership of Lou Pinella. Last year they only won 66 games. When they swept the Tigers this weekend they matched last years total wins with 52 games left to play.
For the long-suffering Tampa Bay Rays fan, this has been an incredible season of milestones. There have been so many “firsts” this year that I can’t even to properly chronicle them. There have been so many of them that most have become a blur. Actually, each new milestone sends the last into historical obscurity.
I am so fortunate to be a fan of the Rays. It seems like every day there is something new to celebrate that had never been done before. I don’t think that there is any team in all sports that has as many events to celebrate as the Rays have had this year. The Rays play the last game of the Indians series Wednesday afternoon and immediately fly to Seattle for a 4 game series against the Mariners. It is possible that they could tie and /or pass the best record they have had in their history this weekend.
What is there left to look forward to? Well, the day they clinch a spot in the post season will be a day to celebrate. The day they clinch the American League East. The day they win the American League Pennant and get to their first World Series. The day that they break the hearts of all Cubs fans when they become champions of the world. The days when Evan Longoria wins the Rookie-of-the-Year award and the American leagues Most Valuable Player award; the first to do so since Freddy Lynn did it with the Red Sox in 1975. OK, that last one may be a reach, but all the other firsts I listed are achievable.
I was informed Monday night that I would have to put up a $500 deposit to guarantee the opportunity to get playoff tickets this year. The deposit is non-refundable. It will however be used as a down payment on next years tickets. Money well spent if you ask me.
I’m still pissed about the fact that Buccaneer preseason football is getting as much press as the first-place Rays. I guess this is how the Patriots felt in the fall of 2004 when they won their first six games and all anybody talked about in Boston was the Sox.
Is it just me or is PGA golf just not the same with Tiger on the shelf. If it weren’t for Michelle Wie’s lousy showing at last weekend’s men’s senior event, nobody would be talking golf at all. That got as much press as Anika’s final Major or Lefty’s blowing another one.
We have a new expression that is driving me crazy. If I hear another baseball announcer use the expression “play(ing) the game the right way” I am going to consider taking a drink.
Dewayne Staats and Joe Magraine do the TV broadcast for the Rays. I have been critical of them over the years but this year there has been a change. Staats may very well be one of the best play-by-play guys doing Major league baseball and Magraine is not nearly the buffoon he was at the beginning of the season. What a difference a winning team makes.
I am informed that sometime after this article is posted that the Tampa Bay Bucs will announce a trade that brings Brett Favre to Raymond James Stadium for the 2008/2009 season. What are the Bucs going to do with the other 9 or 10 QBs on the staff? I know, make them all wide-outs; at least they know the play book. Besides Favre, the Bucs have Jeff Garcia, Bran Griese, Luke McCown Chris Sims and rookie, Josh Johnson on the QB depth chart. Is that the richest QB corps in the NFL?
Sometimes I get upset when people criticize the “plan” instead of criticizing the participant. A fine example of this is Jerry Manuel of the Mets. He has made the Mets respectable since taking over from Willie (once a Yankee, always a Yankee) Randolph. Yet he has exactly the same tools and parts to work with that Randolph had. I think it is the same as what happened at the local Olive Garden restaurant.
A new manager, using the same product and players, has turned one of the worst and dirtiest operations in the country into a pleasant dining experience in a relatively short period of time.
It seems to me that the same applies to the upcoming presidential election. When we supported George Bush in the last 2 elections, weren’t we really supporting his (or the republican party’s) plan? If that plan is what I believe is the best direction for the country, why would I want to change it? Why not just change the manager?
During the 2007 baseball season I was a frequent critic of Joe Maddon’s managing ability; being especially critical of his leadership and motivational skills. It appeared to me that Maddon was consistently sending a message that it was OK to lose as long as you played hard. In 2007 it didn’t really matter much as the Rays lost their predictable 90 plus games. However, this year is different. The Rays are in first place and quite honestly, fighting for their lives in the American League playoff hunt. The Red Sox are not going away and the Yankees seem to be figuring out how to win with that patched together pitching staff. The Tigers are coming together (finally) and the Twins appear to believe in themselves. The Wild Card hunt in the American League is going to be very interesting.
Last night the Rays were down 3-1 after the seventh inning. Andy Sonnanstine had pitched a pretty good game so far and had only used 92 pitches. Maddon decided that Sonny had gone far enough and brought in Travis Miller to pitch the eighth inning. Now Miller hasn’t been very good lately; specifically he hasn’t been able to find the strike zone except to groove his pitches for hitters to tee off on. He promptly gave up 2 walks and a hit and was relieved by Al Reyes (who had just come off the disabled list).
Reyes allowed all of Miller’s base runners to score and one of his own before getting out of the inning. Jason Hammel came in for the ninth and gave up another run.
My observation is this; when Maddon has given up on a game he brings in Hammel, Miller, Glover and now, Reyes. If he thinks that he can possibly win the game then Balfour, Wheeler, Howell and Percival get the nod. Last night he gave up on the game when was down 3-1. It was amazing to see the fans start leaving when Miller came into the game. By the way, Balfour was loose in the bullpen when Miller came into the game.
On July 10th, the Rays were in Cleveland and were ahead 2-0 going into the bottom of the 5th inning. Sonnanstine fell apart but Maddon left him in the game long enough to give up 6 runs. Hammel finally was brought in and stopped the scoring. In the eighth inning, Gary Glover was brought in with the Rays down 6-2. He had nothing and gave up 6 hits, 7 runs and 2 walks in 2/3 of an inning. Mercifully Travis Miller was brought in to get the last out.
I have never felt as sorry for any pitcher as I was for Gary Glover that night. The bullpen was not stretched and the game was still within reach, yet Maddon left Glover in the game to face utter humiliation. He didn’t even send the pitching coach, Jim Hickey, out to tell him he was taking one for the team. Gary Glover has not pitched since that game and is, in fact on the DL as of July 20th. I wonder if it is for psychological reasons based on what Maddon did to him on the 10th.
On another note, I was channel surfing last Saturday afternoon and happened on to a women’s beach volleyball game. My goodness, I had forgot how much I love that sport.
I tripped across a picture of a 1949 Ford and I thought I would share it with you. My first car was a 1949 Ford and looked almost exactly like this one except that all the metal parts of the car in the picture were straight and not one of the metal parts on my car were. Also, there wasn’t a plume of blue smoke behind the car in the picture and there always was one behind mine. Other than that the cars are identical. Gee, I loved that car! It would peal rubber.
The brawl that took place in the WNBA game last night was disgraceful! However, it might be the best thing that ever happened in the WNBA to spur interest in the game. What normal guy doesn’t want to see 10 women mixing it up on a wood floor with a few guys trying to break it up and not knowing how to do it, especially when there in no beach volleyball on the tube. I don’t remember Bill Lambeer ever being so timid when he played the game.
Michelle Wie! I have four daughters who were all 17 years old once and I can personally see three of them forgetting to sign their cards unless their mother was right there forcing them to do it. They all grew up to be pretty responsible people, but none of them play golf.
Manny is worth $20 million for one more year (especially based on what Andruw Jones got).
Maybe what everyone around the country is saying has some truth to it. Maybe the Tampa Bay area has not got a baseball mentality and they would be better off moving someplace else. The Rays are in first place in their division and look like they may make the playoffs with a little bit of luck and yet the Sports Talk Radio shows are only talking about the Bucs. The Bucs haven’t even fitted their players for helmets yet and that’s all everyone is talking about. Even the local radio hosts who get great pleasure out of chastising the local fans for not showing up at the games are headlining their shows with topics like whether Brett Favre would be a good fit in Pewter and Red.
Sometimes I think it must be me! That’s the only explanation that makes any sense. I must be the one who thinks funny.
Last Sunday night I was watching the Red Sox/Yankees game on ESPN. Much conversation took place between John Miller and Joe Morgan about Manny Ramirez’ recent slump. At some point in the evening there was a quote attributed to Manny that his slump would be over on Monday. Late in the game Manny (who wasn’t in the lineup) went in as a pinch hitter. He struck out on three pitches without even swinging the bat.
On Monday night Manny was back in the lineup and went 2 for 4 with an RBI. On Tuesday, he hit his 17th home run and had two RBIs to help the Sox get a 6-5 win over the Twins. Could it be that his slump is over as he predicted it would be? You may hate Manny Ramirez or you may love him, and either way your arguments would be sound. But I doubt if anyone could argue against the fact that he is a fascinating man. I for one have learned that if Manny talks, you need to listen.
I was really surprised when Scott Kazmir was selected to participate on this year’s American league All-Star team. When Kaz came off the DL, he came out strong but most of his last 4 or 5 starts have been nothing to write home about. He has slipped into that familiar role of being a 5 or 6 inning pitcher. Nobody seems to be able to get the fat of the bat on his pitches very often but he doesn’t seem to be able to avoid foul ball after foul ball without the ability to put the hitter away. I have been saying for the past 2 years that James Shields was the ace of the Rays’ staff, not Kazmir, and nothing that has happened this year has turned me from that position.
I love Carlos Pena and I firmly believe that his second half will be far more productive than his first half has been. However, he has struck out 10 times in the last 5 games and he has been killing the Rays batting out of the clean-up spot all season long. He needs to be moved to 6th or 7th in the order until he is back on track.
Jonny Gomes is the highest paid cheerleader in the country and may be one of the best teammates. But he no longer needs to take up space on
The fabulous Cindy and I attended the Rays Playoff Rally at Straub Park in St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon. I’m generally not inclined to take part in this sort of event but Cindy wanted to go. It was just another reminder of how much joy I would have missed in my life if I didn’t have Cindy to get me off my dead 
The parking was affordable and getting out of town was easy. My only regret was that the line to get a “Rayhawk” haircut was so long that I couldn’t wait for a free one. I guess I am going to have to pay for it. 
tattoo is high enough on my arm so the sleeve of my Rays tee shirt covered it. We didn’t stay for the Survivor concert but friends who did said it was great. 
Of course I’d prefer that they select Duane Staats to make the historical toss. Staats has been the TV announcer for the Rays for most of the dismal years and wouldn’t you know, when the Rays clinched a spot in the playoffs, he had the night off. FOX did the game and there was no local broadcast. Announcers are an integral part of baseball marketing. I can still hear Curt Gowdey broadcasting the Red Sox games when I was a boy. What Yankee fan my age does not remember Mel Allen or Dodger fan, Vin Scully? What Red Sox fan does not know whom the “Rem_Dog” is? There are a lot more of them that I never got to hear but it would be the right thing to do for Duane Staats. 
a scene where two Japanese groundskeepers were speaking and made the comment (which appeared in sub-titles), “Who are these guys?” That is the same thought I had when looking over the current roster. 
“Recognizing his nearly six decades of service as a player, manager, scout, instructor, and goodwill ambassador, the Red Sox yesterday announced they will retire Johnny Pesky's No. 6 before Friday night's game against the Yankees, the eve of his 89th birthday.” 
It is always great to have them here and this trip had been planned for a long time. However, I expected to attend the games at the Trop as a family firmly attached to the Red Sox Nation. I hadn’t figured that I would be the one to go over to the “dark side” and become a member of the Rays Republic. But there it was; my wife, my daughter and her husband all decked out in their Red Sox gear and me with my James Shields Rays t-shirt. And to make matters worse, Sox fans surrounded us. I was the blue shirt amid a sea of red. And to make matters worse than that, the Red Sox came to play. On Scott Kazmir’s second strike of the game, Big Papi hits a 3-run homer and it was
all down hill from there. It got so bad that I had to leave my seat and sit under the stands for about 5 innings eating hot dogs and ice cream, smoking cigarettes and watching people. I would have gone home by the 5th inning but I was driving and they weren’t budging. It was a long, long night. 
The game was tied going into the bottom half of the ninth but there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to have the bragging rights when the game was over and the Rays didn’t disappoint. A bloop hit, a walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases when Dioner Navarro hit a ball to center field deep enough to score the run from third and give the Rays the win. The Rays stay in first place, 2 games up in the lost column. If the Red Sox do manage to overtake the Rays for the AL East championship, they won’t have done it on head to head match ups. 
I need to offer an apology to my friend B&O languishing in frustration up in New Jersey because of his beloved Mets’ failure to close out the National League East in the last two weeks. It was just about two weeks ago when I assured my friend that I could write enough words on the Rays to divert his attention from the struggles his team was having to just stay in the race. But take heart B&O; there are 12 games left and I’ve got a feeling…. 
I have to admit it. I have jumped on the Dustin Pedroia bandwagon for MVP. Up until about 2 weeks ago my pick would have been Justin Morneau or Carlos Quentin. Quentin got eliminated with his injury but Morneau has only continued to deserve consideration. However, after seeing the Red Sox 5 times in the last 2 weeks, I am convinced that the Red Sox are what they are because of Pedroia. He makes them go. He may be the most exciting ballplayer in the American League. 
interview with Jonathan Papelbon while they showed the videotape from his high School days imitating Patrick Swayze. I found the whole thing entertaining except the part when Ortiz referred to Pap as Cinco Ocho. It somehow offended me that anybody buys into Chad Johnson’s 
I can’t help but to think that the off season trade that sent Delmon Young to the Twins for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza might be one of the best Rays trades of all time even if I didn’t like it when it happened. Even better than the Kazmir for Victor Zambrano deal with the Mets. Even better than the Dan Wheeler deal for Ty Wiggington deal with the Astros. 
Time to eat some crow! I thought that Ben Zobrist was going to continue to be the biggest waste of time that the Rays have invested into any player. I thought Carlos Pena should have been dropped way down in the order or benched about 2 months ago. I didn’t think that Jason Bartlett’s defense was enough to make up for his lack of offense; and now I have both. I thought that they should have kept Aki at third base and made Longoria a second baseman
. I thought that Seth McClung would ultimately be a better contributor than Gabe Gross. I thought that giving up Ty Wiggington for Dan Wheeler was too much. I thought they should have paid Julio Lugo in 2006 and kept him. I thought that I was smarter the Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman. Wrong on all counts! Maybe that’s why I am a caterer and not a baseball executive. 
Another scenario had me sitting in the outfield with a beverage and a hot dog in my hands when someone hit one in my direction. I would put the dog in my mouth and use that free hand to spear away the ball from the drunken guy next to me who was reaching for it with his $100 Wilson A-2000 baseball glove. It would be glorious watching the replay of that catch over and over on SportsCenter’s “play of the day”; especially because I made the catch without spilling a drop of my beverage. 
and the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of fame. We went into the museum and wandered around for about 15-20 minutes when they finally took down the barriers and let the fans into the ballpark. We entered the park in left field and immediately discovered that the Blue Jays taking were taking batting practice. There was only about a dozen people in the stands at the time so we decided to stay. After a few minutes, a Blue Jay player with the ability to hit it out came to bat. He hit a couple out way off to my left, but nothing close. 
I think that if I was a NFL General Manager, I would do anything in my power to get Usain Bolt’s name on a contract to become a wide-out for my team. I don’t care if he has never seen a football! With that speed and that body he could be the most frightening thing that a defensive back every saw coming his way. 
teams to sign contracts with their amateur draft picks) Theo signed Ryan Westmoreland, an 18 year old High Schooler from Portsmouth, RI to a rookie contract and gave him a $2 million signin
g bonus. He also agreed to pay $212,000 towards college should Westmoreland ever decide to attend. Now what’s the big deal you say? Westmoreland was a fifth round draft pick. That means that MLB execs thought that about 150 players had more potential than this kid. I know that if I was one of the 149 players picked before him and didn’t get that much I would be pissed. Theo is driving the market up and out of control. 
Having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball has caused the Rays to make some hard decisions concerning their staff this year. A while ago they released Gary Glover when he came off the disabled list. Glover was the reliable workhorse of the 2007 Devil Rays. He had a few bad outings this year but didn’t do a bad job most of the time. There just wasn’t any room for him with everyone else pitching lights out. He was picked up by the Tigers and just got up to the big club. 
All this celebrating has become rather taxing and quite frankly, rather ordinary. But today there is something special to celebrate. Rocco Baldelli came off the DL today and played right field for about 6 innings. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI and made a diving catch of a soft liner just like the old days. It almost seemed like he was never gone. 
a chance to watch them at a friend’s this morning. I don’t know about you, but I was impressed as hell. That whole production was so incredible that it left me almost speechless. However, I must say that some of the fashion statements that the individual teams were making in the parade probably shouldn’t have been made. 
I turned on the PGA tournament about 10 minutes before it was over. Quite frankly, I forgot it was on. Why was I not surprised that Sergio Garcia ended up with egg on his face? Why was I pleased that Colin Montgomery shot an 84 in his last round? That guy never did anything to me to cause that reaction. But I would be remiss if I didn’t offer my congratulations to Padraig Harrington for winning back-to-back majors. 
Is there anyone who doubts that Brandon Webb is the best picture in baseball this year? 
During the 2007 baseball season I was a frequent critic of Joe Maddon’s managing ability; being especially critical of his leadership and motivational skills. It appeared to me that Maddon was consistently sending a message that it was OK to lose as long as you played hard. In 2007 it didn’t really matter much as the Rays lost their predictable 90 plus games. However, this year is different. The Rays are in first place and quite honestly, fighting for their lives in the American League playoff hunt. The Red Sox are not going away and the Yankees seem to be figuring out how to win with that patched together pitching staff. The Tigers are coming together (finally) and the Twins appear to believe in themselves. The Wild Card hunt in the American League is going to be very interesting. 
bottom of the 5th inning. Sonnanstine fell apart but Maddon left him in the game long enough to give up 6 runs. Hammel finally was brought in and stopped the scoring. In the eighth inning, Gary Glover was brought in with the Rays down 6-2. He had nothing and gave up 6 hits, 7 runs and 2 walks in 2/3 of an inning. Mercifully Travis Miller was brought in to get the last out. 
On another note, I was channel surfing last Saturday afternoon and happened on to a women’s beach volleyball game. My goodness, I had forgot how much I love that sport. 
you. My first car was a 1949 Ford and looked almost exactly like this one except that all the metal parts of the car in the picture were straight and not one of the metal parts on my car were. Also, there wasn’t a plume of blue smoke behind the car in the picture and there always was one behind mine. Other than that the cars are identical. Gee, I loved that car! It would peal rubber. 
The brawl that took place in the WNBA game last night was disgraceful! However, it might be the best thing that ever happened in the WNBA to spur interest in the game. What normal guy doesn’t want to see 10 women mixing it up on a wood floor with a few guys trying to break it up and not knowing how to do it, especially when there in no beach volleyball on the tube. I don’t remember Bill Lambeer ever being so timid when he played the game. 
ce and I can personally see three of them forgetting to sign their cards unless their mother was right there forcing them to do it. They all grew up to be pretty responsible people, but none of them play golf.
Last Sunday night I was watching the Red Sox/Yankees game on ESPN. Much conversation took place between John Miller and Joe Morgan about Manny Ramirez’ recent slump. At some point in the evening there was a quote attributed to Manny that his slump would be over on Monday. Late in the game Manny (who wasn’t in the lineup) went in as a pinch hitter. He struck out on three pitches without even swinging the bat. 
I was really surprised when Scott Kazmir was selected to participate on this year’s American league 
All-Star team. When Kaz came off the DL, he came out strong but most of his last 4 or 5 starts have been nothing to write home about. He has slipped into that familiar role of being a 5 or 6 inning pitcher. Nobody seems to be able to get the fat of the bat on his pitches very often but he doesn’t seem to be able to avoid foul ball after foul ball without the ability to put the hitter away. I have been saying for the past 2 years that James Shields was the ace of the Rays’ staff, not Kazmir, and nothing that has happened this year has turned me from that position. 
I love Carlos Pena and I firmly believe that his second half will be far more productive than his first half has been. However, he has struck out 10 times in the last 5 games and he has been killing the Rays batting out of the clean-up spot all season long. He needs to be moved to 6th or 7th in the order until he is back on track. 
country and may be one of the best teammates. But he no longer needs to take up space on