Rays Rants (and more):

 

 

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. 

 

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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.     

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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.  

 

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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! 

 

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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.

"The Sky Is Falling"

 

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.

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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 crap". 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!  

 

 

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Rays Rants (and more):

 

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.  

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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?

 

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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.  

 

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 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 pisses 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?

 

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Is there anyone who doubts that Brandon Webb is the best picture in baseball this year?

 

 

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Just my thoughts and opinions....

 

 

Rays Rants (and more):

            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.  

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.    

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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?

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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?

Just my opinions..... 

 

 

Rays Rants (and more):

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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

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Manny is worth $20 million for one more year (especially based on what Andruw Jones got).

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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.

 

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Sometimes I think it must be me! That's the only explanation that makes any sense. I must be the one who thinks funny.