Rays The Roof

The Afternoon of: Game 28

2008-05-01T11:47:00.017-05:00

Rays 4 (16-12), Orioles 2 (15-13)

As our loyal 12 readers would agree, "PA" has really been slacking on his duties lately so I'll take this one.

MVP: Carl Crawford

Highlights

We got six tremendous innings from Matt Garza. He would have pitched a shutout except for the fact that I typed "Garza fastball working" in my notes box the pitch before Adam Jones went yard to left. My bad.

Carl Crawford continues to kill it as he went 2 for 3 with a walk, run, sacrifice, and the game winning RBI's in the 7th. Involved in 3 of the 4 runs.

The bullpen: 3 scoreless innings, Percival is now tied for 10th all time in saves. Al Reyes should stay where he is, maybe we shouldn't have picked him up from jail?

Our defense and pitching is letting us consistently win games without scoring 9 runs. If we keep this up, look out.

After getting in a verbal scuffle with Orioles' Dennis Sarfate yesterday about stepping out of the box and "fucking with him" (Sarfate's words not mine), Carlos Pena called time during his first at bat against Brian Buress then sacraficed a run for a 1-0 Rays lead in the first.

Lowlights

Hopefully this doesn't become the biggest story of the game: Upton had to leave the game during his 2nd at bat with what appeared to be another seperated shoulder. Let's hope for a speedy return.

Iwamura is still not hitting too well, I don't want my leadoff batter to have the worst average in the lineup (he did today). However, as long as he keeps flipping his bat against the Red Sox, I'm happy.

Notes

The Orioles' bullpen reminds me of ours from last year. Awful, just awful. Where's Chris Ray these days?

Aubrey "Huff mad dong" continues to be involved in scoring against us (R)

Brian Roberts really needs to work on his backhand. Unfortunately for him, "PA" was a much better defensive 2nd baseman.

Hinske is apparently leading the AL in slugging % (.639)

Today's attendence: 132 people (players not included)

I like looking at the Games Behind column in the standings right now. Our number isn't 31, feels good.

Some of the writers here have a friend from college who is an Orioles fan. He practices the "front tuck" exhibited below...

(this is not our friend, but he could be an O's fan)

Four Players on the Orioles Who I hate.

2008-04-29T12:18:00.006-05:00

It was easy to get fired up for the Red Sox series, because there is so much inherently hate-able about Boston. I'm finding it a little harder to get quite so fired up about playing the Orioles even though they are in first place. Thus, I present some players I hate on the Orioles. This should help get you into a good mood for tonight's first-place match-up.

4. Melvin Mora -- He hit .350 one year and now he thinks he is some kind of all-star. Also, he probably is at least 38 years old.

3. Kevin Millar -- I hated him when he was on the Red Sox and I hate hit now. Plus, his batting stance and bat waving are really, really annoying. Oh yeah, and he's fat.

2. Aubrey Huff -- He didn't even try to hit for the Rays in his final season in Tampa. Now, the only time he tries is against the Rays.

1. George Sherrill -- Have you ever been walking down the street and you see a guy and you hate him immediately? Yeah, that's how I feel about Mr. Sherrill. One look and you know he's a complete douchebag. Why don't you try bending the brim of your cap a little their skippy.

The Morning After: Game 25

2008-04-28T01:02:00.004-05:00

Red Sox 0 (15-12), Rays 3 (14-11)

Sorry about the lack of a morning after for Saturday's 2-1 win. NFL Draft + Rays win with an Aki bat flip + 20 beers = No Morning After. Seriously that Aki bat flip was one of the funnest Rays related moments in a really long time. Of course, Aki gets the MVP.

MVP: James Shields

Highlights

James Shields pitched the best game of his career and the best game by a Rays pitcher this season. The stage was big and he stepped his game up to a new level. Shields may be the best pitcher on the team even including Kazmir. His fastball was moving all over, his curve was biting, and his change was once again dominant. The quality of his performance can not be overstated. Absolutely awesome.

Bartlett was good with the glove again and scored the first Rays run. He was on first and Beckett tried to pick him off and the throw was bad. Bartlett took of and made it all the way around to home due to some shoddy throws from the Red Sox after recovering the errant pickoff throw.

Longoria continues to impress me and the contract he signed continued to looks smarter and smarter for the Rays. After Beckett dominated Longo in his first two at bats, Longo sat on a curve with a 2-2 count in his third at bat and crushed one into the left field seats. I no longer see a ceiling for his career. He has speed, he can field, and he may be the most impressive rookie hitter I have seen since Pujols.

Carl came through in the 8th with a RBI double that extended the lead to 3-0. It just gave Shields that little bit of extra cushion.

Lowlights

Beckett was brilliant. He struck out Ray after Ray. I can't really blame the Rays hitters, Beckett was just that good.

Analysis

What a series! It is the most impressive series I can remember this ball club ever playing. The stage was big and the Rays stepped up. I am the only one who now really believes this team has a legit shot for the playoffs? It sure is nice to be able to watch meaningful, competitive games. In a matter of a couple weeks Kaz and Floyd should be back and there will be no reason this team can't go on a big time run. This team is for real and people all around baseball are starting to believe.

Sweet Caroline! Good times never seemed so good

In case you missed, the Rays played Sweet Caroline after the victory. This song is a staple of Fenway park played in the 8th inning of every game. It was a subtle mockery that did not go unnoticed by Sox fans and probably not by the players. The Rays, the whole organization from the players to the front office, have decided that they will no longer be pushed around. Whether it is a bat flip or a song these subtle gestures are beginning to create a sense of self-confidence and identity that makes me happy to be a Rays fan.

SWEEPSWEEPSWEEPSWEEPSWEEPSWEEPSWEEP

PA

The Morning After: Game 23

2008-04-26T00:28:00.003-05:00

Red Sox 4 (16-10), Rays 5 (12-11)

What a great game and what a huge win. I can't remember the last time I was so nervous watching a Rays game. Biggest (and most impressive) win of the season.

MVP: Carl Crawford

Highlights

The bullpen came through in a big, big way once again. Combined the relief corps pitched 6 innings and gave up only on run. Howell (2.69 ERA) did not have his best stuff out there but he dug deep and managed to go three innings. Glover (1.69 ERA), Dohman (2.49 ERA), and Wheeler (1.38 ERA) were fantastic. Dohman deserves special recognition. He came in with one out and runner on the corners and got Ortiz to hit into a double play. Just fantastic. Wheeler also had a great moment when he blew away Manny in in the 9th.

Garza was not great. His command was obviously off, as it has been through out his rehab starts. He got into a lot of trouble because of all the walks. However, his overall stuff seemed quite good. After that rough 2nd inning, he bore down and gave the Rays three very important innings.

The defense was spectacular. BJ and Carl both made diving catches in the outfield. Gabe Gross intimidated runners all night long with his run. In the infield, Hinske made a number of good plays with a difficult catch on a foulout in the first being the most impressive. Bartlett showed his impressive range and good hands many times through out the night. He is great at getting the DP started.

Carl Crawford had a great day at the plate. He had two triples. One that got a rally going and another that drove in a run. However, his most memorable at bat was probably in the 11th when he slapped a single the opposite way to get the rally started. He went on to steal second base and score on Nathan Haynes singles into right.

Speaking of Nathan "no hit" Haynes," all I can say is "wow." Way to step up.

Longoria had another good day at the plate. He has a great eye and just gets the job done at the plate. Not only that, but he can definitely run a little. He has showed some pretty decent speed with his triple the other night and his stolen base tonight.

Hinske and Gross may not show up in the stat line as having had great days at the plate, but each of them significantly contributed to the win. Both players showed the definition of professional at-bats. They fouled off pitches, hung in there, had good eyes. They made the Sox pitchers work.

Lowlights

Luckily Aki's boneheaded play did not come back to hurt the Rays. There was a grounder to second with a runner on first. Instead of tagging out the runner trying to make it to second or throwing it to second, he stood there and looked around for a few seconds. By the time he decided to throw to first the batter was already safe and, to make matters worse, the runner from first made it into second safely.

This game might not have been so close if the rays could have capitalized on scoring opportunities in the early going. Twice the Rays had a runner on third with one or no outs and failed to get that runner home. The hitting needs to be more timely for this streak to keep up.

Analysis

This is a game the Rays would not have had a chance of wining last year. The bullpen has suddenly become a real asset instead of a huge dead weight. This is the first time all season I have really thought about the playoffs and been able to take myself seriously.

Who was at the game? It looked like there was a lot of Sox fans in the stands. It must have been nice to be able to talk a lot of crap after the game.

This makes for a four game winning streak for the Rays. That is their longest of the season. They need to keep this momentum going and win tomorrow night. The match-up is pretty decent for the Rays. The vastly overrated Buchholz faces off against E-Jack. Here is hoping that E-Jack will be brilliant and not mediocre. You never know what you will get out of E-Jack. This is a very winnable game. Let's get it done.

News and Notes

Kazmir will be back either May 3rd of 4th in a start against the Sox at Fenway.

Cliff Floyd is looking at returning May 9th, which will be after the Rays 9 game road trip which starts after this series against the Sox.

If you're interested in reading the texts of a drunken Rays fan please read previous post.

Rays Rays Rays

2008-04-25T23:08:00.003-05:00

Below is the transcription of a text message I received from "DN" at 11:36 pm Friday night.

"Taking shots of jamison irish whiskey. watching the rays win. Great mother fucking times"

I could not agree more. Make sure you take an extra shot for Nathan "no hit" Haynes.

Update: I received a second text from "DN" at 1:14 am Saturday morning.

It read "Mother ducking says"

My interpretation of that drunken text is "mother fucking rays."

Let's go.

PA

Biggest Series in 10 Years

2008-04-25T15:38:00.002-05:00

Well, we are about two and a half hours from kicking off what is arguably the biggest series in the brief history of the Rays franchise. I am pumped. I only wish I was at the game.

I will be over at Rays of Light in the chat room during the game if anyone wants to stop by.

Go Rays!

PA

Notes From Yesterday's Cubs-Rockies Game

2008-04-25T13:11:00.006-05:00

I was able to get out of the mountains yesterday and attend my first professional baseball game of the season, Cubs vs. Rockies in Denver. Here are some notes from the game, and how the overall experience compared to a Rays game.

Atmosphere

-The first thing you notice when you enter Coors Field is the view out of left field. Rockies management did an excellent job using their mascot to adorn their stadium (Rocky Mountains). It appears that the Rays will finally capitalize on their mascot when the new stadium is outdoors (Sunshine Rays) and on the water (Devil Rays). Ahh Ambiguity.

-I was not too impressed with the Rockies Fans (except for their love of Tulowitzki). The stadium never really got too loud, and the Cubs fans could definitely be heard. Of course, there are Cubs fans everywhere because Chicago is a huge market and it's super trendy to root for them. Just ask "DN", he loves the Cubs.

-The surrounding area is sweet. Sports bars and clubs everywhere in Downtown Denver. Reminds me way too much of "Real World Denver" though.

-The parking situation was pretty terrible, not because I couldn't find a place, but because I couldn't find a place under $15. It's funny because as you get away from the stadium and closer to Downtown Denver, the price of parking goes UP.

-It was a day game, weather was nice. Nothing like a baseball day game OUTDOORS. Watching indoor baseball during the day should be outlawed.

-The Rockies "Around the League Update Board" is still calling the franchise from Tampa Bay the "Devil Rays." Unacceptable.

-When a Rockies pitcher gets a K the A/V people sound the "Law and Order" Gavel. I don't know if more parks are doing this or not this season but it's pretty sweet.

-The Rockies have a "Guest Service" hot line you can call during the game with questions about the team. If not already implemented in Tampa, it should be immediately. For example, you and your boy are watching the game in left field and get into an argument about how often Carlos Pena strikes out. You say that he strikes out atleast half the time he comes to the plate, your boy (who's wearing the #23 jersey with his own name on the back) disagrees. All you need to do is pick up the phone and you'd find out that in 74 at bats Pena has struck out 28 times.

to the game itself...

-I've been to only three non-Rays baseball games, Jason Marquis has started two of them.

-I never realized how many white guys play on the Rockies, the whole starting lineup is white. I heard alot of Nickelback and U2 when the players came to the plate. In Tampa, the sounds are much more eclectic.

-Tulowizki had an incredible at bat in the 8th and ended up reaching on error while hitting in the go ahead run. In Denver, they love a Tulowizki.

Cheer 1 (Clapping): Dah Dah Dahdahdah dahdahdahdah TULO!!

Cheer 2 (Charge): Instead of "Charge", insert "Tulo!!"

Cheer 3 (Standard): Tu-lo-witzki clap clap clap clap clap

Can't wait to get back to Tampa on Monday.

The Morning After: Game 22

2008-04-25T00:09:00.005-05:00

Blue Jays 3 (10-13), Rays 5 (11-11)

Thank God we Extra Innings subscribers did not have to suffer through another broadcast by the Canadians. I have never been so happy to hear Dewayne Stats.

MVP: Andy Sonnanstine

Highlights

Andy Sonnanstine was excellent. His line may not be that impressive but he pitched very well. He had good control and command all night long. Only one ball was hit hard against him all night. He was very unlucky giving up the first two runs. It was bloopers and infield hits all around. He is now the Rays leader in wins with three.

The bullpen came in and did their job once again. Who ever would have thought the bullpen would be the strength of this team? Glover pitched great and has been pitching great all season. He filled in admirably for Wheeler. Miller did his job as well. Things got a little dicey with Percival. The Jays were able to get the tying runs in scoring position, but Percival bore down and stuck out one batter then got a pop out from the next guy. This is his third save in as many days. Maddon said after the game that he will NOT be used tomorrow.

Longoria had another good game. He legged out a triple and also had a double, a sacrifice fly, and a walk. He is very rapidly becoming the Rays best hitter and he has only been in the league a couple weeks. Amazing.

Crawford had another three hits tonight. He is now officially back to his old self -- smacking the ball all over the field. The whole offense just seems to function better when he is on.

Navi had another nice day at the plate. He reached base three of his four times up and has an rbi single.

Hinske continued to deliver clutch hit after clutch hit. He had another crucial RBI single tonight.

Lowlights

When Pena is bad, he is really bad. My god. He stuck out twice and did not look good doing it. This reminds me of earlier in his career where he would go through tremendous, long slumps. I hope this one does is not prolonged, but I have a very bad feeling about it.

Navi's defense leaves a lot to be desired. He can't throw anyone out, he lets a lot of balls by that he should block, and he has forgot to cover home twice in the last three games! Not good at all. His miscues have directly cost the team three runs.

Gabe Gross did not impress me to much with his bat, but at least he sees a lot of pitches when he is up there. Also, he appears relatively competent in the field.

Analysis

What a big time win for the Rays. This is their first three game winning streak of the season and gives them much needed confidence and momentum heading into their most important series of the season. In order to be in the playoff hunt, the Rays need to play well at home. This weekend, against the Red Sox, is their first chance to prove to themselves and to the rest of the league that they are a force to be reckoned with -- not in two years -- but right now. I am really excited to see if this ball club steps up to the challenge and wins the series. Plus, I hate the Red Sox.

Garza comes off the DL to face Wakefield. As we are all aware, Wakefield has owned the Rays over his career. Tomorrow is a good day to start showing that this team is different from all of the ones over the past ten seasons. Go Rays!

PA

The Morning After: Game 21

2008-04-24T00:11:00.003-05:00

Blue Jays 3 (10-12), Rays 5 (10-11)

Another day at Disney, another win. The Rays are now 5-0 when playing in Orlando.

MVP: Carl Crawford

Highlights

Hammell gave the Rays another solid performance. He is never spectacular, he is never dominating, but he always seems to give the team a chance to win. What more can you ask for from the fifth starter in your rotation? Tonight, he was probably better than usual. If it wasn't for Matt Stairs he would have had a really good night. Stairs is the definition of a professional hitter. I think that Hammell has proved that he deserves to be a major league starting pitcher.

Crawford is completely out of his early season slump. He got two hits (one a triple) and he scored two runs. As Carl goes so goes the offense. He seems to provide a spark that ignites the rest of the guys and leads to rallies.

Longoria had a huge hit to tie the game up in the bottom of the 6th. The bases were juiced and Carlos Pena had just struck out for the second out of the inning. Longoria stepped in there and delivered an opposite field single. Clutch. His fielding was also really good the whole game.

It is great to have Pena back at first base. He made a couple of picks that Hinske almost certainly would not have come up with.

Wheeler and Percy did it again. Wheeler have up only one hit in two innings of work and Percy continued his dominance with another perfect ninth inning. I am hoping that Wheeler has done enough to prove that he deserves the setup job after Reyes comes back from injury.

Hinske didn't have an amazing game, but he came through with another clutch hit. His RBI single in the 6th gave the Rays the lead and allowed Maddon to bring in the big guns (Wheeler and Percival) to close things down.

Lowlights

Pena just does not look good with the bat. He came up with one out and the bases juiced in the 6th. I was talking to my buddy on the phone and I told him that Pena was going to strike out. Pena proceeded to strike out, missing a 1-2 curve by about a foot. That is not a good feeling to have with your clean-up hitter.

The Rays had no answer to Matt Stairs all night long. He hit two home runs and damn near hit two more. His two outs were deep drives to the warning track that were luckily knocked down by the wind.

Analysis

Another night, another big win for the Rays. This was not a game they were favored to win. It was the Rays number 5 starter against the Blue Jays number 1 starter. And that number one starter happens to be Roy Halladay. The Rays are now guaranteed to win the series. This should be a confidence boosting win. Tomorrow will be McGowan (he of the absurd mutton chops) against Sonny. This is definitely a winnable game and I think the Rays are going to come away with the sweep.

News and Notes

Extra Innings was only showing the Toronto broadcast of the game. The damn Canadians must of called BJ Upton "Justin" at least ten times.

Apparently, in Canada they like to stick commercials in between at-bats. No, I am not joking.

This is completely unrelated to baseball, but I am watching Inside the NBA on TNT and Kenny Smith just made a "Kobe Bryant" like video of himself jumping a car. Hilarious. If you haven't seen it, you need to YouTube in right now. Honestly, it is the the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. They showed it to Kobe when they were interviewing him. Just fantastic.

The Morning After: Game 20

2008-04-23T00:56:00.002-05:00

Blue Jays 4 (10-11), Rays 6 (9-11)

This was a very big win for the Rays. This series against the Blue Jays and the one this weekend against the Red Sox are the two most important to date.

MVP: Eric Hinske

Highlights

Hinske had a big day. His first three at bats resulted in a double, a triple, and a homerun. He had one shot to get a single to complete the cycle, but he struck out on three pitches. He continues to be the most consistent hitter on the team.

Lonoria’s hit a long bomb to center to get the Rays on the board. I have been impressed with how well he works the count. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say he is already one of the Rays three best all around hitters.

Navi is a hit machine. He was tearing it up the minor leagues during his rehab stint and nothing changed during his first start for the Rays in nearly three weeks. He stroked three singles, two of which produced RBIs. He also managed to throw out a runner trying to steal second. So, yeah I guess he really is better than Riggans.

Shields did not have his best stuff, but he fought through it for his second win of the season. After Vernon Wells obliterated the ball to left field Shields really clamped down and worked efficiently.

Wheeler and Percival did their jobs. Combined they faced six hitters and all six of those Jays were retired. The bullpen has been shockingly good this season.

Lowlights

Hinske made another terrible defensive play. A grounder was hit to first and he bobbled it. Not only did he bobble the ball, but even after it was obvious that the runner was going to be safe he decided to make an awful toss to Shields which was uncatchable. This error led to two runs scoring. I can’t wait to get Pena's Gold Glove back out their at first.

The Rays tried a safety squeeze with Aki bunting and Haynes on third. It was a good idea but the execution was poor. Aki bunted the ball pretty much directly back to the pitcher who was able to throw out Haynes.

Analysis.

This was a big win for the Rays. The Rays are now 4-0 in Orlando. Maybe they should just play every game at Disney.

News and Notes

The Rays traded for CF Gabe Gross of the Brewers. They will likely send down Ruggiano to make room on the roster for Gross.

I’m not sure why everyone thinks this Blue Jays team is going to be so good. Their lineup imparts absolutely no fear in me.

Quick Update

2008-04-22T13:16:00.004-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts this weekend. I was out of town and only got a chance to watch a couple of innings. The Morning After will start up again tomorrow.

We are working on redesigning the site to reflect our new name "Rays the Roof." If you have any suggestions please let us know. The URL of the site will be changing soon too. Don't worry we will let all 10 of you loyal readers know ahead of time so you can reset your bookmarks.

Thanks

PA

The Morning After: Game 15

2008-04-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Rays 5 (6-9), Twins 6 (7-8)

I was too pissed Wednesday to bring myself to write a Morning After for Game 14. Edwin Jackson gets the LVP, although I did not think he pitched too terribly. He now has two MVPs and one LVP on the season. In general though the Rays bats really need to wake up or we are all in for a seriously long season once again. Overall, the pitching has been better than I expected. It's the hitting that is really bringing this team down. I really hate the Yankees and even if it is only a two game series, getting swept by them sucks.

Picking an LVP for last night's game is a challenging task. Really it comes down to Bartlett and Crawford. Do you go with the guy who made the physical error or the mental error. I am going to go with Bartlett in part because he hasn't hit for shit all season.

LVP: Jason Bartlett

Highlights

Coffee Can Reyes got put on the DL with a shoulder problem and Birkins was activated from the DL. Knowing that Reyes won't be pitching in a game for two weeks is a highlight in and of itself. To top it off, Birkins came in and faced four batters and pitched very well. He and Miller make a very formidable one-two left handed punch in the bullpen.

Crawford is finally starting to hit like we all expected him to. He crushed a homer in the third to right field and legged out a double as well.

Hinske continued to mash, crushing a homer to right in the 5th. He has really surprised me with how good his bat has been. Of course, he looks like the slowest man on earth running after fly balls in right. Not to mention that he throws like a girl. Otherwise, he is great.

Upton came through with a couple hits and a RBI. I really have no idea what his numbers are going to look like this season. He seems completely unpredictable up at the plate. Some at bats he looks amazing and other at bats he looks awful. Strange hitter.

Riggans came through with a two run homer to left. I've heard a lot of people clamoring for Riggans to be sent down and Defilice to stay once Navarro is activated. I disagree. Riggans is not a kid anymore. He is a 27 year-old catcher. It's time for him to be in the majors even if it as a backup. He does not need anymore seasoning. Somewhat unrelated, I am the only one who thinks it is debate-able that Navarro is better than Riggans? Riggans is a hell of a defensive catcher and he hits about as well as Navarro does. Honestly, I couldn't care less when Navarro comes back. Riggans works for me.

Lowlights

The Rays squandered quite a few opportunities to score. For instance, they had two runners on in both the 1st and 2nd innings and came away with no runs. Awesome. Also, two of the three steal attempts by the Rays resulted in the runners (Gomes and Upton) being easily gunned out. Not good. The Rays have got to start capitalizing on their opportunities to score. They aren't going to win relying on home runs.

Bartlett continues to be unimpressive with the bat. That is ok, but now his fielding has gone to complete shit. He had a routine throw to first and bounced it about 4 feet short of Pena resulting in the ball scooting by and the Twins scoring two runs. This is the fifth bad throw he has had in as many days. Usually Pena bails him out with an amazing pick, but not this time. Is Bartlett an upgrade over Harris? Harris is clearly a better hitter than Bartlett. It was his fielding that was setting him apart and since that has evaporated, I would have to say Harris seems to be better. Hopefully, Bartlett can turn things around. I think he has the ability to be better than Harris he just has not demonstrated it yet.

Crawford made an absolutely boneheaded play in the bottom of the 8th. There was one out and runners on 1st and 3rd. A fly ball was hit deep into left field foul territory. Crawford went sprinting over there and made a nice diving catch. All the while Iwas screaming NO! NO! NO! at the top of my lungs. Crawford caught it and Young tagged at third and scored easily. That was the winning run. Is Crawford paying any attention to the game situation out there??? That is simply terrible and inexcusable. Get your head in the game Crawford.

Analysis

Another very tough loss. This makes three in a row. The Rays desperately need to win tomorrow so they can have some momentum going into their home series against the White Sox over the weekend.

On an unrelated note, I really can't wait for Cliff Floyd to come back. He was hitting lasers left and right before he went on the DL. There has been a very noticeable decline in the offense since he went on the DL.

I really think this team would be better off with Ruggiano starting in right every night and Hisnke DHing against righties, while Gomes would DH against lefties. Ruggiano has showed that he belongs in the majors. I would also like Nathan Haynes to be cut immediately. He may be the worst player in the majors.

News and Notes

Dennard Span can't hit. Does this surprise anyone?

Our Favorite Rays Blogger

2008-04-15T14:49:00.005-05:00

It appears that Outs per Swing has become the new Rays blog for MVN (some sports network).

Why, you ask, is this important? Well, the old rays blog at MVN (Rays Anatomy) featured our boy Eric SanIndiana as the main writer. In case you forgot, we had a couple of issues with him. Well, it would appear on first glance that he is no longer one of the Rays bloggers at MVN. Maybe a spot opened up with a Yankees blog? Or maybe he wrote too many articles on Barack Obama?
Either way...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Eric SanAndreas,

If in fact you are really done as a Rays blogger you will be sorely missed by all. Perusing one of your extraordinarily verbose posts and then yucking it up to myself for a few moments was one of the highlights of my morning. Never again will I get the pleasure of reading a 2000 word post on a Rays blog that has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. Perhaps you should consider starting a new blog? You could entitle it "I like to hear myself type." I am certain it would be wildly popular.

It was a good run while it lasted,

PA

Update: It is sad, but true. Eric SanTorrento is done at Rays Anatomy. True to form, his final post was immensely long yet said almost nothing. I know few writers with such talent. But fret not Rays faithful, you can get your fix of Eric at his new blog which is certain to be a rousing success. He is now free to make as many posts as he wants about anything he wants. Skiing trips and Barack Obama are no longer off limits! Hot Damn!

Also, the title of his post is "New Name, Different Writers, Same Results." I can only hope this is far, far from the truth.

The Morning After: Game 13

2008-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yankees 8 (7-7) , Rays 7 (6-7)

First, I will start with an update on MVPs and LVPs from the weekend since we did not get a chance to post. Friday’s MVP was Carlos Pena (hit two homeruns) and Saturday’s LVP was Dan Wheeler (threw a meatball to the O’s terrible catcher).

Last night’s game was a tough loss. Longoria hitting that homerun to tie it at 7 was definitely the most excited I have been this season and one of the most euphoric moments for me as a Rays fan over the past ten seasons. I was running around my apartment screaming like a fool. Of course, Reyes came in and blew the game as he is prone to do. Accordingly, he is rewarded the LVP (his second of the season). In all honesty, this award could go to Sonny, but I really hate the way Reyes has pitched this season. Fat piece of crap.

LVP: Al "coffee can" Reyes

Highlights

CC is finally starting to get hot. After his two RBI performance yesterday he came through with a big two run homer to get the comeback started. Douche bag Yankees fans were chanting “overrated” during his at-bats. The Yankees are slowly becoming more hate-able then the Red Sox. Maybe that’s just because the Rays have not played the Red Sox yet this season.

Upton absolutely destroyed a ball to center. The funny thing is he was very late on the first three pitches of the at-bat. It was a silky smooth, effortless swing that resulted in a 420 foot bomb to center. The brought the Rays within 1 at 7-6

Longoria came through in a big way. He hit a nice double to the right center gap that looked like it was going to be an easy catch when it was hit. He obviously has a lot of pop and very quick wrists. Longoria went on to smack a ball into the left field stands to tie the game at 7-7. It was an excellent at bat and the crowd was going nuts after he hit it.

While Sonnanstine was completely ineffective in every possible way, Dohmann came in and pitched superbly. He went 3 and 2/3rds and gave up no runs. He got into a couple jams but was able to make pitches when he needed to. Excellent job – he was really starting to creep into the doghouse, but this performance kept him safe for at least a few games. He was throwing fairly fast, usually in the low 90s. But I am sure it looked like it was coming at about 110 after facing Sonny’s garbage balls.

Lowlights

Bartlett continues to struggle in the field. He made a bad play that allowed Jeter to reach on a grounder and he almost threw a ball away on another grounder. Luckily, Carlos “Gold Glove” Pena came through with an amazing pick.

Longoria also made an error. It was a pretty sharp hit ball to his left that he bobbled. Aybar definitely would have made the play. Of course, Aybar’s hitting is far inferior to Evan’s bat.

Sonny absolutely stunk. It was a like a home run derby in the first two innings. Even Morgan Ensberg hit a home run. Really? Morgan Ensberg? Awful. It didn’t stop there; after pitching a relatively uneventful third the Yankees started smacking him around again in the 4^th. He was throwing absolute meatballs up there. I am relatively sure I could have hit a home run off some of those pitches.

Dear Al Reyes,

Fuck You, you fat turd. I wish you would have gotten tased three times.

Love,

Does anyone have Al’s address? I would like to send him this note. The note will come in a brown package which also contains a coffee can. Said coffee can will contain not coffee, but feces. Reyes will open it and be disgusted. Would this be illegal? Probably not worth finding out. Seriously though, Cano absolutely obliterated that ball. It was just crushed. You have to give Cano some credit. I mean that was a seriously tricky 75mph change up right in the wheelhouse. Stop using Reyes in key situations. He has lost it!!!!! In other news, my new nickname for Reyes will be coffee can.

Upton got thrown out stealing third with no outs and the Rays down 7-2. Unbelievable. Why? It just made no sense. It ended up costing the Rays at least one run. A run that would have tied the game. I think it is safe to say that Upton is one of the least skilled base runners in the majors. Rarely does a night go by where he doesn’t have a gaffe on the base paths.

Analysis

This is the kind of game this Rays team will have a chance of winning this season. They have an explosive offense (even if has been relatively silent so far this season). At any time they are ready to explode with 5+ runs an inning. Rallies like this are what make the team so exciting to watch. While very disappointing, this game offered a glimpse into how exciting the Rays will be over the next few years. Now all they need is a decent bullpen.

News and Notes

The Indians had a four to three lead going into the ninth against the Red Sox. Borowski proceeded to come in and let the game tying run score and then let Manny drill one into the left field seats. Super.

If you did not see Dennard’s play in right field against the Tigers you need to check it out. He was going back on a deep fly and leapt at the wall. The ball was in his glove and then popped out and went over the fence for a home run. It would have hit off the wall if he hadn’t of gotten in the way. No wonder he hasn’t earned a starting spot even though he was drafted six years ago.

Rays the Roof now has three official nicknames for players: 1) Nathan "no hit" Haynes based on his inability to get a base hit 2) Al "coffee can" Reyes based on our desire to send him a coffee can with turds in it, and 3) Carlos "gold glove" Pena based on our feeling that he should win the gold glove.

April 13th: Rays vs. Orioles

2008-04-14T12:42:00.025-05:00

Score: Rays 6 - Orioles 2

Reported attendance: 16,748

Actual attendance: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 12,000

Number of those people who write for Rays the Roof: 1

Number of Rays the Roof writers who don't live in Tampa and attended the game: 1

Number of Rays the Roof writers who live in Tampa and attended the game: 0

Random thoughts:

Disappointing crowd for a sunday afternoon game against the current AL East division leader (admittedly, not even Orioles fans expect that to be the case for much longer).

It's clear that the Rays' ticket office uses the same formula for reported attendance as every other professional and college team: Season ticket sales + Sales for just that game + Player's and coach's guests + a random number that the supervisor throws in just for shits and giggles = Reported attendance. No, I'm not kidding.

A number of Rays fans left right after the 6-run 5th inning. That's after the Rays scored 6 runs, not the O's. Did they not watch a single game last season? Were they not aware of how bad our bullpen is capable of being? I don't even have a term for these people, fair weather only works when your team is losing the game.

Parking is no longer free, unless you have 4 or more in your vehicle. Luckily, we were rolling 5 deep in the Durango. Cha-Ching.

A significant number of fans still rocked the devil ray green, including myself, but the vast majority has gone out and purchased the new gear. Very impressive. My guess is that the $2 million price tag of the name/logo/color change has been more than made up by the spike in apparel sales.

The "Value Meal" at the concession stands advertises that you can get a hot dog, a drink, and a "snack" for $6. Right below you see the list for "snacks," which include soft pretzel, nachos, roasted peanuts, etc... Do not be fooled by any of this, the value meal "snack" = cracker jacks. I can think of one Rays the Roof writer who was none too pleased with this turn of events, maybe I should have sprung for the $10 cheesesteak sandwich. Maybe, except for the fact that my value meal came with....

.... a healthy amount of delicious karma. Let me set the scene for you: one of my friends at the game is an orioles fan, we went to get food at the same time, I was in front of him in line, he witnessed my cracker jack-related debacle, he says out loud "That doesn't look so good anymore, I think I'll just get the heater hot dog (a footlong chili cheese dog)", to which I respond "Don't you make me the f-ing guinea pig, you better order the f-ing value meal and be as miserable as me", he doesn't listen and orders the heater, we get back to our seats just in time to watch the Rays drop 6 on the O's. Justice is apparently a dish best served with cracker jacks and a normal-sized hot dog.

Number of times I yelled "That's karma, bitch" and "How's that heater taste now?" at my buddy: Incalculable.

I hadn't had cracker jacks in years, and they were actually really good.

Alright, on to the game:

MVP: Jeff Neimann

Neimann was just tremendous. He worked himself out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the 1st inning unscathed, scattered 6 hits over 6 innings, gave up only one run, and earned a win in his first major league start. Bravo you enormous hoss, bravo.

When a 6'9" pitcher throws a breaking ball that ends up as a called strike, I stand up and take notice. The downward break on that pitch is just plain silly.

J.P Howell, yeesh. He started the 7th inning and proceeded to load the bases without recording a single out. Super.

Dan Wheeler and Trever Miller, this tandem was worthy of game MVP considerations. Wheeler relieved Howell and wound up only letting one of the runs score, while recording 2 outs. Miller then came in and shut the door.

Bossman Junior jacked what looked like a pitch from batting practice into the left field stands and turned a nice 3-run inning into a 6-run pounding.

Crawford stealing a base never gets old. Crawford stealing 3rd base is especially fun.

Bossman Junior needs to learn to call his teammates off. I know the coaches have told him to go and get any ball he thinks he can get to, but he almost collided with Crawford and Bartlett during this game. His confidence and athleticism are impressive, but these near-injury causing plays have got to stop. We've got enough guys on the DL already.

Final Thoughts:

Any day the Rays spend .500 or above is a good day. The win got them their first home series (actually any series) win of the season, which is especially important. If we truly have dreams of rooting for a .500 or better team this year, they need to protect the Trop. Good win, fellas, can't wait to come back.

Al Reyes' Arrest: A "Sports Indeed" Exclusive

2008-04-11T21:24:00.008-05:00

As you've probably heard by now, Al Reyes was arrested early this morning at a currently undisclosed Hyde Park bar/night club after a scuffle with another patron while celebrating his birthday. If you want to know what the cops are reporting, go here. If you want to know the real story, keep reading.

What really happened:

Al Reyes was trying to enjoy his night at trendy South Tampa nightclub "McDinton's" alongside 4,042 douchebag Plant High School Alumni. Although there were a few attractive women, the girl-guy ratio remained 56.7:1. To his left was a recent FSU graduate wearing a black muscle shirt who looked strikingly like Chris Rix, on his right was "Chad" who won't stop talking about his Dad's company while spitting terrible game at the blonde female next to him. While ordering a $6.50 Bud Light, he feels a push and then lands on a ceramic pot adorned with an out of place "Adobe Theme." The rest of the police report is accurate...

“I just want to apologize again to my teammates, the whole organization … for what happened last night.”

Don't apologize, anytime I roll into a South Tampa nightclub, I want to spit some blood too.

So after being arrested and spending a night in jail what does he do? Retires Jay Payton and Ramon Hernandez in the 8th with a busted face and gets the win.

¡Viva Al Reyes!

The Morning After: Game 9

2008-04-11T00:15:00.003-05:00

Mariners 0 (4-6), Rays 7 (4-5)

MVP: Edwin Jackson

Highlights

E-Jack looked absolutely awesome. His slider was on and he was overpowering hitters with his fastball. Even with four walks he managed to throw less than 100 pitches in 8 innings -- efficient and impressive. He gave the bullpen some much needed rest. Perhaps the most impressive part of his outing was how well he pitched when runners were on base. Every time a runner was in scoring position he stepped his game up to another level. Finally, we saw the culmination of so much raw talent. Here’s hoping that he keeps it up. It would honestly not surprise me if he did.

After looking fairly horrible in left all season, CC made a great run-saving catch when he dove to scoop up a liner with two outs and a runner on third in the 4^th.

Hinske continues to mash (solo homer to right to give the Rays a 1-0 lead) and he even made a couple of decent looking plays at third base.

Aki was a great lead-off hitter yesterday. He got on his first four at bats. He had two walks and hit two line drive singles very sharply. He even stole a base. I never thought Aki was a classic lead-off hitter, but he really seems to be adapting and excelling in the role.

Defilice has three RBIs. Admittedly, both of the hits where he drove in runs were little bloops on which he broke his bat. None the less, any offense is a good thing when you are talking about Defilice. Speaking of which, does he really have to play once every three games? I wish Maddon would run Riggans out there a little more often.

The Gomer had a good game at the plate. He got on base all four times he was up. He had two walks, a single, and a well hit double to the gap in left-center. Gomes has been hitting pretty well this season. If only he could field.

Lowlights

Haynes continues to look absolutely awful with the stick. It is like a lesser of two evils. Would you rather watch Haynes bat or Hinske/Gomes play right? Shit.

Analysis

The Rays needed this win and they got it. Avoiding a long losing streak early in the season is critical for the success of this ballclub. Hopefully, they picked up a little momentum and the hot bats will carry into the weekend series with the Orioles. Speaking of the Orioles, they dropped both games of a double-header to Texas. Maybe they are coming back down to Earth; just in time for the Rays to capitalize with a homes series sweep.

Tomorrow will be an opening day rematch on the pitching front with Shields facing off against Guthrie. Hopefully, the results will be similar.

Jackson is the only Ray to have received two Sports Indeed MVP awards this season.

The Morning After: Game 8

2008-04-10T10:28:00.005-05:00

Mariners 7 (4-5), Rays 1 (3-5)

CC did not do anything particularly bad. This LVP somewhat reflects his body of work so far this season.

LVP: Carl Crawford

Highlights

Sonnanstine allowed two runs in the third. That is not the highlight. The highlight is the fact that he had a runner on third with one out and that runner ended up being stranded. First he struck out Beltre then he made a great defensive play going to his left on Ibanez. One thing that has always impressed me about Sonnanstine is his resilience. He takes a lick and keeps on ticking. A very similar thing happened in the 6^th after he gave up a couple runs; he had no outs and runners on 1^st and 3^rd. He ended up getting the first out on a pop-up and then got the next hitter to ground into a double play.

Aybar had a good game at the plate and in the field. He was three for four with a couple doubles. In the field, he made at least four very good plays that I saw. His defense continues impressing me game after game.

Lowlights

Ruggiano did not look too good in the outfield. He made a crappy throw home on a sacrifice fly in the third. Then in the fourth he let a fairly routine liner go over his head in right for a double. It looked as if he may have lost the ball in the lights.

Howell did not pitch too well. He was alright except for the one long-ball he gave up, but his final line did not look too good.

Overall, Sonny’s outing was nothing to write home about. He went six and gave up four. A lot of guys hit the ball hard off of him. He looked like he had decent control and movement. On a lot of other days he might have been in the mix for the win, but the way the Rays have been hitting lately giving up any runs is going to result in a loss.

The bats were silent yet again. CC isn’t hitting, Pena didn’t hit, Bartlett and Aki continue to struggle. If you can’t get more than ten hits in a game you are rarely going to be competitive. Maybe Batista will wake the bats up tomorrow.

Analysis

This is now four losses in a row and I am starting to get a little worried. It’s especially bad for such a young team to have a losing streak this long early in the season. I think tomorrow is a big game. I am really hoping that everyone will start hitting and that E-Jack will get his second victory of the year. That would prevent the Rays from being swept in their home opener and it would give them a little momentum going into the next series.

News and Notes from the Game

Sonny went to Kent State of all places.

I thought it was interesting that Cliff Floyd really when out of his way to complement Maddon on how well he is managing this season. Floyd was interviewed by the announcers during the 5^th. It really sounds like the players respect Maddon.

The attendance looked pretty sparse on TV.

Fuck and No.

2008-04-09T14:34:00.003-05:00

Marc Lancaster is reporting that an MRI revealed that Cliff Floyd has a torn medial meniscus. He will need to have surgery and has been put on the 15 day DL. Ruggiano has been called up from AAA to take his spot on the roster.

This is just fantastic. The best pure hitter on the team is already out. I knew he was injury prone but I didn't expect it to happen this quickly. Looks like we will be seeing a lot of Gomes and Hinske in the DH spot. Hopefully, they don't let those guys play RF anymore. I would rather have non-hitting bats such as Haynes, Johnson, or Ruggiano in the line-up than have to watch another games with Gomes or Hinske in the outfield.

Also, according to Lancaster, Howell still is in the running to get Garza's next start - Niemann is apparently not a lock to be called up.

Rays Report

PA

Garza Update

2008-04-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Garza has been placed an the 15 day-DL. Apparently, this nerve has been bothering him for quite some time.

As for Garza, he was upset, frustrated, you name it. This is something he has dealt with in the past, including this spring, but has always been able to suck it up. Not this time.

“I’ve usually been able to get through it, just kind of pitch through it and wear the pain and get it right after the game and get my work in,” said Garza. “This time it was just real bad – I knew something was up.”

Awesome! It's unknown how long he is going to be out, but I am going to guess that it will be longer than 15 days. If you put a guy on the DL that quickly then you know he is definitely injured for a bit of time. Don't be surprised if this injury lasts two months.

The Rays have called up Ryu to fill in the bullpen for the next 4 days or so. It then looks like they will send him or someone else down and call up Niemann to take Garza's spot in the rotation. I am not particularly excited about Ryu, but I am quite excited to see Niemann take the hill.

Apparently, they are not considering giving Howell some starts until Kaz comes back. I am not sure why?

Rays Report

PA

The Morning After: Game 7

2008-04-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mariners 6(3-5), Rays 5(3-4)

LVP: Matt Garza

Highlights

Riggans hit his first homerun of his career. It just made it over the left field wall. It couldn’t have cleared it by more than 5 feet.

Riggans made great stop after great stop in key situations. I think Garza must have thrown ten balls in the dirt when a runner was on third and Riggans just kept digging or blocking them. Very impressive.

Pena clobbered a ball into the right field bleachers in the third. It was such a high fly that I thought it might graze the top of the Trop. It is very nice to see Pena get off to such a good start this season.

Bartlett was exceptional in the field. He made two great plays in the hole. He and Aki also turned a nice double play. In general the infield defense has been superb this season. As crappy as Aybar has looked on the basepaths and at the plate this season, no one can deny that he has been exceptional with the glove. If Pena keeps his play at first base up he deserves a Gold Glove.

Both Wheeler and Percival pitched very well. Reyes also didn’t allow any runs in an inning of work but he didn’t look that great. I would say he looked adequate.

Lowlights

Nothing annoys me more than having a runner on third with no outs or one out and not getting that runner home. In the first, the Rays had runners on second and third with no outs and Upton is at the plate. He proceeds to strike out on three pitches. Then with two outs, Gomes grounds out weakly and the Rays end up with no runs.

Garza looked pretty bad for the 2+ innings before he left with the injury. Some, if not most, of his struggles may be attributable to the nerve injury. Everyone seemed to be making solid contact against him and he couldn’t find the plate in the third to save his life. That is two straight starts where I have been unimpressed by his performance.

In the 5^th inning with one out Aybar steps to the plate -- runners on first and third. He proceeds to sky a pop out to second base. Absolutely brutal. Is it really that hard to just get the damn runner home? Luckily, the Rays pulled off a double steal (Gomes stole second and Upton stole home) and were able to get a couple runs out of the inning. None the less, Aybar has to get that runner home.

Elliot Johnson looked terrible at the plate. I would say he even looked worse than Nathan Haynes. And that’s saying a lot

Glover didn’t pitch all that poorly. A lot of the hits off of him were bloop jobs. Why didn’t Maddon bring in Howell in this situation?

Just an extremely odd play on the Upton double down the line to right. He lost his shoe immediately as he got out of the box. He looked like he was going maybe three quarters speed until he got to second and then he turned it on. He was called out sliding into third. He got very upset and argued and then Maddon came out and argued and got the boot. He was definitely safe, but it was a close bang- bang play. Beltre should have got a chunk of his leg taken out then way he was blocking the bag. That was the end of the line for the Rays. They did not get another hit the rest of the game. Infuriating. It seems to me like this is the second time Upton has lost a shoe this season. What’s the story? Double-knot that bitch Bossman Junior.

Why is Pena batting 3rd and not 4th. This makes no sense to me. Upton is a classic number three hitter and Pena is a classic clean-up hitter. In the ninth, we had the top of the order up and it was three lefties in a row. They were promptly sat down 1,2,3. Do you think maybe it would be a good idea to have Upton in their at 3rd to break up that lefty, lefty, lefty?

What's with the intentional walking of Ibanez. It's Raul Ibanez, not Ken Griffey Jr. Seriously, this may have been a little bit of over-mamanging by Ibanez. I'm not in favor of intentionally walking guys when my pitcher can't throw a strike to save his life, but maybe Maddon feels otherwise. Thank God he got run in the 8th or he may have called for some more intentional walks.

Analysis

This was a tough loss to take. The Rays had opportunities to win this game and they just did not get the job done. The crowd was fired up and everyone was cheering for them. Hopefully, there will be another big crowd tomorrow and the Rays can break this three game losing streak. At this point I am not too worried about the three losses in a row, but I am worried about this streak getting extended. That would not be good. The team may slip back into that familiar losing way from the past ten seasons. Nobody wants that. Let’s hope that Sonnanstine can pull the Rays out of their rut. I have a lot of confidence in him for some odd reason.

This loss of Garza could be quite bad if it is for an extended amount of time. This would mean that Hammell would have to stay in the rotation even longer (ugh) and Neimann may need to be called up from triple A to make some spot starts. Or perhaps they will just let Howell fill in as the fifth starter until Kazmir comes back. This is all assuming that Garza will be out more than a month, but I have no idea if that is the case. For the sake of the team let’s all hope not. Seeing Hammell start every five days is not going to be fun.

The Morning After: Game 6

2008-04-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

Rays 1 (3-3), Yankees 6 (4-3)

Highlights

Gomes ripping a line shout over the left field fence in the third. He absolutely hammered that ball. However, I still probably would have preferred Floyd in there against Mussina. Floyd had already had two days off in the first six days. I am hoping he will be able to play a little more regularly as the season goes on.

Hinske made a good play on a ball in right early on. He made it look like a great play because he is so damn slow. But really it was a play that every right fielder should make.

Pena’s defense at first has been excellent all season long. He made a great pick on a throw from Aybar.

Lowlights

The Rays got three hits. Yes, you read that correctly. And one of them came from the 38 year old catcher the Rays called up two days ago.

While the Rays announcers seemed pleased with Hammell’s performance, I was not. He gave up four runs in six innings. That is an era of 6.00. That simply is not going to get the job done. He only had two innings where he looked really effective (the fourth and the fifth). Every other inning he either gave up runs or came damn close to giving up runs. It seemed like every time a left hander came up against him they hit the ball hard. Lefties just seem to murder him. Come back soon Kaz.

Although Hinske made on good play early on he also made an awful play in the 6^th on Abreu’s triple. Just awful. He got back to the wall in time and then did some weird half jump and the ball went under his glove. The ball then proceeded to ricochet off the wall and bounce away from both Hinske and Upton (who was backing the play up). It still seems to me that Upton has no clue how to play a ball of the wall. Can we just send him out to center and have someone throw balls of the wall for a couple hours?

Dohmann stunk just like he stunk all spring. He gave up two runs in just one inning of work. Not many of the balls were hit that hard against him but they all seemed to drop in.

I am not sure if Aki is going to hit a homerun this season with the way he is swinging. It looks like he is trying to slap everything for a base hit into left. He can foul pitch off all day long but can he really drive the ball? I remember him driving it last year.

Analysis

Not a great game for the Rays. This is the second game in a row that the hitting has stunk. I’ll give Wang some credit but Mussina simply isn’t good enough anymore to make the Rays look that bad. On the other side the Rays pitching was bad all around with the exception of Glover who looked quite good.

Now the Rays have played two road series and they have split them both. That is acceptable for this team. They are young and young teams tend to not always play that well on the road. In both series they were up and then let the leads slip away. The real test will come will be the upcoming homestand. The Rays need to leave Tampa with an above .500 record.

Tomorrow is Garza against Bedard. I have always been a big admirer of Bedard. He is a really solid pitcher and I think the Mariners were smart to go after him. It will be a tough game, but I think it is one that we can win. Hopefully, Garza will pitch better than he did in his first start against the Orioles. (Anyone else notice that the Orioles have been winning a lot of games? I think we were all counting on the Orioles being the one weak team in the AL East. It may still end up that way, but they have definitely looked good so far).

The Rays announced that the game tonight is a sell out. No one wants all those people to go home disappointed. Let’s go Rays!

Sonny and E-Jack will go on Wednesday and Thursday.

News and Notes

Mussina is just a right handed version of Glavine. He tries to nibble on the outside corner all day long. He did it quite effectively.

Kyle Farnsworth looks like an enormous douche. I have always hated him but he seems even more douchey than he used to.

I’m sure our boy Eric StIgnacious over at Rays Anatomy was thrilled with the game.

On the ground in Tampa

2008-04-07T10:51:00.001-05:00

As PA mentioned in the first post under our new format, all of the contributors to this site are Tampa natives. That being said, I am actually the only one living in Tampa at this time. I plan on posting periodically to comment on random Rays-related issues, as well as commenting on the local attitude regarding the team for you Rays fans living in other locales.

New Uniforms and Name:

Excellent post by PA and DN on the issue.

Two interesting things I happened upon in the 11/12/07 Sports Business Journal regarding the name change:

-The “name change” is apparently the closest any MLB team has come to changing names (except in cases of relocation) since the Houston Colt .45s changed their name to the Astros before the 1965 season.

-Matt Silverman said that the name change will end up costing “a couple million” dollars overall when all costs are taken into account. We couldn’t have spent this money on player payroll?!?!? I have a feeling that most fans would rather have seen the Rays spend a couple of million dollars on the product on the field. I realize that I am oversimplifying the finances involved in this situation, but, I just think it looks bad to the fans.

Local Attitude

Well, my co-workers in my office are certainly fired up for Tuesday’s home opener. I know that many of them are attending the game and most of them are very optimistic and are looking forward to this season. They range anywhere from “casual Rays fan because they live in the Bay area” to “Tampa native serious Rays fan.” I don’t think I will be attending Tuesday’s game, but hope to get to a game soon and will have my thoughts on the atmosphere and possibly some photos.

In an unrelated note, I also hate the Yankees.

-ER

The Morning After: Game 5

2008-04-07T05:00:00.003-05:00

I wasn't able to do a "morning after" yesterday because the game was not on EI. I did get it on gameday audio, but I was too tired to pay decent attention. I am going to go with the consensus of the readers over at DRaysBay and give thew MVP to E-Jax.

Rays 0 (3-2), Yankees 2 (3-3)

LVP: Willy Aybar

Highlights

Upton looked great in center. He seems to always get a good jump on the ball. He made a great diving catch and then threw out a runner trying to advance from first to third. He has a cannon of an arm. There are still times when he shows his inexperience in center, but it is obvious he is an exceptional defensive talent and with time I really believe he will be one of the better defensive center fields in the majors.

JP Howell looked magnificent. He came in with no outs in the sixth and a runner on second and absolutely shut the Yanks down. He struck out Posado and then got the next two guys to ground out to the left side. In the 7^th he sat the heart of the Yankees order down 1-2-3. In the 8^th he only gave up a hit to Matsui. Great Job by Howell. Scott over at RoL must be thrilled.

Shields labored a lot and had to get himself out of a number of jams, but he pitched pretty well overall. I was pleased with his performance. It would have been nice to get a few more innings out of him, but 5 innings and 2 runs allowed against the Yanks is a good performance in my book.

Lowlights

The Rays had one out and runners on the corners. Aybar was at third and he obviously thought the suicide squeeze was on as he took off when Wang started towards home. Bartlett made a half-assed attempt at the bunt and Aybar was stuck in a rundown. Either Aybar or Bartlett missed the sign

Hisnke’s defense in right field is not good. He can’t get to anything and he just looks slow out there. Luckily, he is still mashing with the bat so his shoddy D can be easily overlooked.

Aybar was up in a big situation in the seventh. There were no outs and runners on the corners after Floyd and Hinske both singled. Aybar came up and faced Joba Chamberlain and looked awful (he struckout). It was a critical out. It is absolutely necessary to score runs when you have a runner on third and no or one outs. If we had done that both times the game would have been tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. Sickening.

Upton really got annoyed at a low ball that was called a strike in the 9^th inning. After he struck out he continued bickering at the umpire. His immaturity is shining through. Just shake it off, no reason to get so upset at one borderline strike call.

Analysis

No one on the Rays really played that poorly. You just have to hand it to Wang. He pitched well, mixing speeds and locations with skill.

It would be really nice to see the Rays win this series 3-1. Let’s hope Hammell can get the job done tomorrow. He will be going against Mussina. I can’t say that I am overly optimistic, but hopefully he will surprise me. It would be a big victory for the Rays to finish their first road trip with a winning record and win a series at Yankees stadium. Win or lose tomorrow I think the Rays have shown that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season. They should be able to go .500 if they can play well at home.

News and Notes

Matsui is a ridiculously tough out. That guy can just flat out hit.

After being in the “Joba is overrated” club for a while, he may have made me a believer after those two innings. Damnit.

Jeter is simply not that good of a defensive shortstop anymore. He still has great at bats, but he just doesn’t look that good over there at shortstop.

I hate the Yankees.

The Morning After: Game 3

2008-04-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

Rays 13 (2-1), Yankees 4(2-2)

MVP: Shawn Riggans

Highlights

Aki had a breakout day. I am sure Scott over at Rays of Light still thinks his swing looks ugly, but it was effective. He got on base his first four times up (two singles, walk, and an error). He was caught stealing once (badly). But that caught stealing can be somewhat attributed to Molina’s rocket arm behind the plate.

Riggans pinch hit in the third for Navi after he cut his throwing hand. Riggans came in with the bases loaded. It was his first career at bat with the bags full and boy did he deliver. He ripped a liner into right field and drove in all three base runners.

Hinske continues to impress me with the bat. He had a nice opposite field double to increase the lead to 6-0. Then in the 8^th he hit another nice double to left. Very impressive.

Floyd had a good day. He had an RBI single early on and then just murdered a ball out to right off of Hawkins in the 8^th to extend the lead 7-4.

Sonny’s first time through the lineup was very good. He gave up no runs and looked like he had good command. Because he does not throw hard he must have good command to be successful.

After struggling in the 4^th Sonny came back and got through two more innings without giving up another run. These were critical innings by Sonny. His mental toughness was admirable.

Wheeler was extremely efficient in the 7^th. He went 1-2-3 and did it very quickly. He has looked awesome since he got that extension. Hopefully, he can keep this up and be our setup man later in the season.

PENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3^rd Deck!

Lowlights

Absolutely awful call in the 8^th. Upton hit a grounder to Jeter in the 8^th and his throw was weak and pulled Giambi off to the home plate side. Giambi attempted to apply the tag and missed by about two feet. The umpire obviously was not in a good position to see the play and called him out. Beyond this the umpiring was fairly brutal. The home plate umpire was horribly inconsistent for both teams.

Nathan Haynes is useless with a bat. I would rather not see him bat again this season unless the Rays are up by more than five.

Upton once again played a ball horribly off the wall. It gave Jeter a triple instead of a double, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. He would have scored anyway. It is in little situations like these that Upton’s inexperience in the outfield shines through.

Crawford displayed somewhat feeble looking attempt to catch a deep fly in left center. It was a tough catch and everything but he didn’t look too good going after it.

Sonny’s second time through the lineup. They just absolutely crushed him. Balls were flying all over the stadium. The Yankees got all 4 runs in that 4^th inning.

Analysis

This was a very fun game to watch. The Rays played excellent. The starting pitching was good, the bullpen was good, and the fielding was good. It’s nice to start this series out with a win. Hopefully the Rays can win or at least split this series. My optimism for this season is steadily increasing. The defense up the middle has been great. I am excited to see Aki and Bartlett work together for the rest of the season.

News and Notes

Yankees announcers don’t believe the Rays will win 80 games much less 88 games.

Sonnanstine is a fast worker. I love fast workers.

The Yankees announcers were pretty brutal. They said a load of nonsensical crap and gave the Rays no respect. I guess I should have expected as much.

Tomorrow’s game won’t be on EI due to blackout of all games during the day. So my recap will be based off of the radio. Thus, it likely won’t be as detailed as it could be, but I will do what I can.

The Morning After: Game 2

2008-04-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

Rays 6 (1-1), Orioles 9 (1-1)

When you are watching a game on Extra Innings you often will only get the “feed” from the opposing team, For these first two games the only broadcast available has been the Orioles feed. I thought I was going to hate these Orioles announcers – Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer. But Thorne has been very competent and even handed, while Palmer often dispenses some pretty insightful comments. I have been pleasantly surprised.

LVP: Al Reyes

Highlights

Cliff Floyd smashed a three run homer in the first to right center. He has been hitting the ball hard in these first two games.

The base running was excellent. Crawford and Haynes both easily stole bases in the first and second innings. The Rays were aggressive stretching balls that could have been singles into doubles and advancing bases when they could. A big improvement over last week.

Pena hit a ball that looked like a pop-up, but went about 400ft. And it was a pop-up – he just has enough power hit pop-ups out of the ballpark.

Wheeler looked pretty good. He allowed a base runner, but was able to escape the unscathed. It is only a matter of time until he replaces Reyes as the setup man.

Lowlights

Not a good omen when the first batter you face as a Ray hits a bomb. This is what happened to Matt Garza. Brian Roberts took him deep on the second pitch of the game. It was Roberts tenth career lead-off homer. Garza struggled in the third too. He gave up some line shots to center and didn’t have very good command. Het got pulled in the sixth after he had given up 5 runs. Overall, a poor start to his Rays career.

Reyes was awful. Just horrendous. Everybody hit the ball hard off of him. Sickening.

Huff continued to butcher the Rays hitting a key homerun and ripping a game winning triple in the 8^th.

The outfield defense once again did not look good. Upton bobbled a key ball when he had a chance to throw a runner out at home. He then misplayed Huff’s triple let it ricochet over his head. To top it off Haynes (the defensive specialist) then bobbled the ball allowing Millar to easily score and Huff to get a triple. Based on this game I would have to say that Haynes looks useless. At least Gomes and Hinske can hit a homerun every now and then.

Analysis

Remind anyone of last year.?The Rays first loss of the season can be blamed on the bullpen. My high came way down during that 8^th inning. From the very start I just felt like something was going to go wrong. This could start out bad real quickly. Hopefully Sonny can win the one tonight, but then the Rays will be running out E jack and Hammell at Yankee stadium. It is important that this team start out well. A poor record in the early part of the season may lead to a trend. Tonight’s game is important.

This game was a battle of bullpens. The Orioles bullpen was better than the Rays. Damnit.

News and Notes from the Game

According to Jim Palmer, Greg Lemond – the cyclist – had a very similar disease to Rocco. Greg had to retire. Rocco was hoping that because baseball requires less physical exertion he might be able to still play.

There was absolutely nobody at the game!!! It looked like there were about 2,000 people there. Empty seats everywhere.

Every time Huff comes to bat or makes an out the Orioles fans boo him. If you remember, he said that he basically hates the city of Baltimore this winter. Can you blame him? Baltimore sucks.

If you rank all the pitchers under 25 in terms of ERA, Kaz, Shields, and Garza are 3 out of the top 6 in the majors.

PA vs DN Part 1: The New Uniforms and Name

2008-04-02T11:42:00.001-05:00

In what is likely to be a regular series two of our writers will argue about something Rays related. One guy writes the "pro" argument and sends it to the other guy and he writes the "con" argument.

Although the topic has already been delved into on some Rays message boards and blogs, we have yet to discuss the recent name, color, and jersey change of the Rays here at Sports Indeed.

Making the argument that the change is good thing is PA:

Namoli should be remembered in the same context as Culverhouse for generations to come by Bay Area fans. His stewardship saw the team finish in last or fourth place every season of its existence. We all remember the disaster that was the “Hit Show.” My personal favorite blunder was the signing of Wilson Alvarez, who I think finally came off the books this past year. The current executives needed to set themselves apart from the old group. They want fans to think about the Rays in a “new” way, precisely because they will be a “new” organization under the leadership of Sternberg, Silverman, and Friedman. Baseball fans in the area have become lethargic to say the least. Changing the name, color, and uniforms symbolizes the revitalization of a rundown franchise and will hopefully spur some excitement in the fan base. This is a new team and there is reason to be optimistic. These aren’t your “Dad’s Rays” as the saying goes.

Specifics about the name, colors, and uniforms: Frankly, I didn’t mind the green, but I don’t dislike the blue either. I suppose one could say the blue looks more professional. Exchanging the Devil Ray for a “Ray of Sunshine” on the logo is definitely a step in the right direction. I mean what is a Devil Ray? I fish all the time and I have no idea what a Devil Ray is. The only Ray that I ever catch is a Sting Ray. Sternberg and company realized that they could capture the essence of one the main good things about the Tampa Bay area (the sunshine) without completely changing the name. When you think of Tampa do you think of beaches and sun or of devil rays? I think it was a savvy business move by an organization that clearly knows what it is doing. Those are words I never could have spoken during the Namoli era. The have reignited the passions of the long time fan, while also taking critical steps towards extending the fan base. This was only made possible by distancing themselves from Namoli & Co.

The only reason I think they should have not have changed is that (1) the old uniforms were unique, and (2) it would have been nice to win in the old uniforms and stick it to the all the media that has made fun of us by saying “we look and play like a minor league team.”

We all remember what happened a few years after the Buccaneers changed their uniforms. Let’s all hope that this becomes a trend and the Rays win a world series in the next five years!

Making the argument that the change is a travesty is DN:

So where do I start?

With the crying shame that the Rays had finally settled on a simple design with an underrated and infrequently used color (forest green), only to trade it in for a color (blue) that is featured in no less than 17 (yes, you read that right, 17) teams’ logos? If I wanted to root for the Mariners, I’d move to the Pacific Northwest, spend half my salary at Starbucks, and learn to live with my local teams toiling in relative obscurity. Hey, at least they included that sky blue color as well right? That’s not a ridiculously trendy color is it? It’s not like they joined the ever-growing list of teams re-working their color scheme to include it (see: Denver Nuggets going from this to this and the Utah Jazz from this to this AND the Memphis Grizzlies from this to this). Oh wait. My bad. I swear, the first time I see someone wearing a sky blue rays hat, not because they’re a fan, but because it matches their “fit,” I’m going to dropkick a small animal.

With the inevitable struggle of trying to convince fans to buy new merchandise for a team that, albeit has promise, still finished with the worst record in the majors last year? A task made all the more difficult when said change isn’t universally regarded as an improvement? I’m looking forward to seeing how many people wear their green gear to the first few series at Tropicana Field. I know I will.

With the “Ray” no longer representing a devil ray, but a ray of sunshine? Could they have chosen a softer mascot? Let’s just complete the transition and call them the Tampa Bay Super Happy Sunbeams Hooray!!! (note: the 3 exclamation points are part of my fake, mocking name). Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t mascots supposed to be either somewhat fearsome (lions, tigers, bears, etc…) or something applicable to that city or area (san fransisco 49ers, san antonio spurs etc…)? The last time I checked, devil rays are at least exclusive to places with an ocean or sea, while every other MLB city has an excellent view of the sun. Plus, a devil ray has a heck of a stinger, whereas the ill effects of the sun can be warded off with all-powerful products like sunscreen, or maybe a hat. Dear skin cancer, you don’t faze me, love always, grant.

With the conundrum that is the Rays (of sunshine) playing their home games in a dome? Sure, there’s a plan in the works for an outdoor stadium, but tell that to the throbbing sensation in my brain.

With the very enjoyable and unique addition of the rays’ tank just above the centerfield wall now being rendered irrelevant and confusing?

With the brainless, nausea-inducing belief that changing a team’s name, colors, or mascot somehow changes the “culture?” What happens if the Rays (of sunshine) lose 90 games this year and finish last in the division? What will the new “culture” be then? Losing and unrealized potential, losing and bland uniforms, losing and Grant looking like an idiot for proclaiming 2 years ago that the “Devil Rays will be in postseason contention in the next 4 years?” Fantastic. Here’s a thought; how about changing the uniforms only when the current ones look as atrocious as this.

I can’t even explain how much I would respect an owner if they cited that as the reason for a color/jersey change. When your best reason for a change is “culture,” you end up with the horror that is the 6th picture down.

With the fact that Uni Watch doesn’t like them? An excerpt from Mr. Lukas’ thoughts on our beloved Rays’ new threads:

Reactions continue to pour in about those crummy new ~~Devil~~ Rays uniforms. The most frequent comment is something along the lines of, "Well, they play like a minor league team, so they might as well look like one," but that's unfair -- to minor league uniforms. Minor league teams look fun and playful -- the Rays' new look is just boring.

But let’s be frank for a moment, does it not seem like Mr.Sternberg, Mr.Silverman, and Mr.Friedman (the owner, president, and executive vp of baseball operations, respectively) are spending an inordinate amount of time making decisions that don’t directly affect baseball operations and the overall talent-level of the team. And while most have been welcomed with open arms (free parking, fans allowed to bring in outside food and drink), they may have been a little too drastic this time. Personally, I’d prefer they focus more on keeping our farm system well-stocked with young pitchers to prepare for the inevitability of Kazmir’s arm falling off.

All kidding aside, I leave you with a sight we will probably never see again. Sad, but true.

New Name

2008-04-01T07:00:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all 25 of you who voted in our "new name" poll. We are strongly considering going with the name "RaysTheRoof". This change should take effect in the next week or so. Wade Bloggs still has an outside chance, but RaysTheRoof seems just a little too good to pass up. Absurd yet great.

We will even have a shortened name: RTR. Great news all around.

Hopefully we will be able to design some logo to go along with the new name. We have an expert in those types of things on "staff", but he is currently studying to be a dentist or something and is always complaining about being busy. yada. yada. yada. We all have hard lives. Man Up.

Also, we will be posting a debate between two staffers about the new uniforms tomorrow. Please be sure to check it out. Wednesday will be an otherwise slow Rays news day since they have the Tuesday off.

PA

Around the Rays Universe April 1st

2008-04-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

Cork live blogged the game while he drank in Texas. He also somehow had access to MLB EI while in Texas. Good times. Of course, I couldn’t read it since I was DVRing the game (Rays Index).

DraysBay had an absurd amount of comments in their game thread post, most of which appeared to lack humor, but I only really looked at like ten of them (DRaysBay).

It seems unlikely that Zobrist will rejoin the team in on April 5^th. We are probably looking at a week or so after that (Rays Baseball).

Sternberg made the trip to Baltimore to watch the Rays’ opening game (Rays Baseball)

"I think it's about the players. We try to focus on that, and not the dollars spent. But about the quality of the players we have on the field, and as we said last August, most teams really didn't look forward to playing us at the end of last year. And I think they're looking forward to it even less this year. And it's clear, regardless of how our record goes the first week to month, that we're no laughing stock anymore."

John Romano analyzes the possibility that the Rays can win 88 this year. He looks at historical precedent in analyzing the Rays chances. A good read (The St. Pete Times).

Joe Henderson talks about how the Rays new additions stepped up on opening day (The Tampa Tribune).

Orioles bloggers appear quite a bit less enthusiastic than Rays bloggers (CamdenChat) (Orioles Hangout).

The Morning After: Game 1

2008-04-01T05:00:00.001-05:00

That's what I'm talking about!

Rays 6 (1-0), Orioles 2 (0-1)

The combination of MLB Extra Innings and a DVR is perhaps the greatest thing in the world for baseball fans outside of their favorite team's home city. Not only do you get the games, you can record them if you have to work (make sure not look at the score all day whereas this will ruin the viewing) and come home and watch them while fast forwarding through all of the commercials. What a great experience. Modern technology how I love you.

MVP: James Shields (see flattering picture below)

Highlights

Hinske crushed a homer to right in the 4^th extending the lead to 4-2.

Jason Bartlett. He looked very good in the field and got on base 2 out of 4 times. Had a nice slide to take out Roberts in the 6^th preventing a double play.

Navi. He threw out Brian Roberts once. He had a nice RBI single in 6^th to extend the lead to 5-2. And he was safe at home on that double steal. But when you are beat by that much they tend to call you out. Then he ripped a double down the left field line to lead off the ninth. Awesome.

Shields’ 2^nd through 7^th innings. He didn’t pitch spectacularly but he went seven and didn’t give up any runs other than in the first. He labored through a couple innings but worked more and more efficiently as the game went on. Excellent opening day start.

Willy Aybar. He didn’t do anything spectacularly but he was solid at third and looked good with the bat. I especially appreciated his ability to move the runner over when he had to.

The bullpen was excellent and efficient. Reyes struck out the only hitter he faced and Wheeler looked very solid and efficient in the 9^th.

Lowlights

Crawford’s Fielding. He definitely should have come down with that fly ball on the warning track in the first. That cost the team one run. I also thought he got a bad break on the shorter fly that Markakis hit in the first inning. In the third, he didn’t call Bartlett off on a short fly ball and almost caused a collision. He looked much better later in the game tracking down a long fly ball to the wall and also making a great play on a line shot hit by Markakis. Overall though it was a rather uneven performance.

Shields’ first inning. He labored and his control did not look good at all. He can’t be throwing that many pitches per inning. That will lead to shorter outing and kill the bullpen.

Baserunning. Bartlett was forced out going from first to second on a Iwamura liner to right that he did not get a good read on. In the third, Navi took off for home on Crawford’s weak grounder to Mora at third base. If Mora would have fielded it cleanly he would have had Navi at home. Luckily he bobbled it and allowed both Navi and Crawford to be safe. Finally, Iwamura had a very poor read on Pena’s fly ball single to right in the third and failed to make it home from second. Luckily, this didn’t cost the rays a run. I did like aggression that Maddon showed putting the double steal on. He knew that even if it didn't work he would still have CC leading off next inning so all was not lost.

Analysis

The newcomers were excellent in their debut. I have a feeling that Bartlett’s defense is going to pay dividends this season. Navi appears to be in “second-half 2007” form. Shields came out and did what an opening day starter is supposed to do. Awesome first game. I don’t think Rays fans could be any more pleased with the opening. Next game is Wednesday night at Baltimore.

Extra News and Notes from the Game

According to the O’s announcer Gary Thorne Maddon said before the game that Longoria will be up in about a month. This runs entirely contrary to what Friedman said about the likelihood of Longoria being down for the whole season.

Brian Roberts is a good baseball player. He could help a lot of teams out.

According to the O’s announcer Gary Thorne oak bats are now more expensive so most players are using maple bats that shatter more easily. Infielders don’t like this.

Separated At Birth?

2008-03-24T08:54:00.008-05:00

AG,

I've found who Shelley Duncan reminds you of. Did you happen to watch the hit movie from our childhood, The Goonies, recently? You're welcome.

Personally, I think Shelley Duncan would have been better as an actor.

Nice Hair Douche

2008-03-17T09:00:00.001-05:00

Not only is Kevin Hench (see below) a horrible writer, but he is also ugly. I think the super tall spiked hair went out of style...wait a minute it was never in style. Also, he looks like an alien. In all seriousness, this guy is butt-ugly, dumb as a rock, and has the personality of a doorknob.

Apparently, he produced some awful movie in 2007 and appears to be employed by/friends with Adam Corolla. Corolla hasn't been funny since Win Ben Stein's money. Perhaps because he has ass dumplings like Kevin Hench write for him. I mean who doesn't find humor in making fun of someone with a debilitating disease. Why stop at Rocco? Why not go after children with leukemia? What a colossal asspie.

To complain to FoxSports.com about this idiot go here.

Until this guy is fired or he apologizes I will not be reading Fox Sports and I suggest you do the same.

PA

Around the Rays Universe March 17th

2008-03-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

Kazmir will more than likely start the season on the disabled. There has been a setback in his rehab, whereas he was not even allowed to play catch on Sunday -- the day he was scheduled to make his first start. This is not good. The Rays and Kazmir are definitely trying to convince everyone that this is no big deal though (St. Pete Times):

Quote 1: "We're just going to take some time to make sure everything's strong going into the season," Kazmir said. "It's a long season, and we want to make sure of that. I don't want to go three or four starts and go back on the DL or something like that. We just want to make sure we get it right."

Quote 2: Maddon said: "It's just something on the backside of his arm. It's not bad. It really is not bad. We're being really overly cautious right now. He threw the other day, and he threw really well, actually. He came out of it and we were just not satisfied that the arm strength was built up, and we want to make sure any kind of discomfort is gone out of there."

Quote 3: Indeed, there was chatter among scouts at Sunday's game that Kazmir had a more serious elbow problem than was being reported, which Kazmir flatly denied: "Not at all. None of that." And he admitted he has learned to take such talk as a challenge. "I'll just keep proving people wrong," he said.

As expected Shields is likely to get the opening day start in Baltimore (St. Pete Times).

"It feels great knowing the team has enough confidence in me to take Kaz's spot in that situation," Shields said. "I've always said he's going to be the ace on this staff no matter what. I'll be happy to be able to take his spot if it happens."

Riggans just has a bruise, while Birkins, Orvella, and Cannizaro will remained sidelined for the near future (St. Pete Times).

Marc Lancaster reports that Rays are looking to bring in outside help for the outfield. They want someone who can play right, but can also back up Upton in center. Apparently, they are willing to give up one of their young arms -- perhaps Jackson or Hammell could be dealt for an outfielder. Some possibilities brought up by Lancaster include Reggie Willits or Juan Rivera (Angels), Coco Crisp (Red Sox), Reed Johnson (Toronto), and Ryan Freel (Cincinatti). (The Tampa Tribune).

"As Rocco's situation started to become clearer, we expedited some conversations to try to bring someone in from the outside," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Saturday. "We're always looking to upgrade, and if we can upgrade over what we have internally, we'll do so. If we can't, obviously we won't."

Fennelly wrote a nice piece about how Percival's presence is helping out the Rays. I only hope he can stay healthy all season. We need him in the clubhouse and on the field (The Tampa Tribune).

Kevin Hench, some moron who "writes" for Fox Sports, makes humorless jokes at the expense of Rocco Baldelli and then gets ripped to shreds by Fire Joe Morgan and Rays Index.

The Morning After: Rays Beat Tigers

2008-03-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Rays 7 (12-3-1), Tigers 2

It was a nice weekend for out of town Rays fans. Both of the Saturday split squad games were on gameday audio. WHNZ had a broadcast team at both of the Saturday games and switched back and forth between games depending on the action. It was a good idea that was also executed well. One highlight was Silverman and Friedman stopping by the booth. Yesterday's game against the Tigers was also on gameday audio.

It is just two weeks until the Rays season starts in Baltimore. The Rays don't play any games tomorrow. It will be their first day without a game since the grapefruit season commenced.

Highlights

Shields went 4 and 2/3 and gave up no runs. He allowed a number of base runners, but was able to get out of it all unscathed.

Sonny pitched the final three innings of the game and gave up only one run (his first of the spring). He had five strikeouts in three innings. His strikeout rate is amazing for someone with such mediocre velocity. I am excited to see him pitch this season.

Defilice continued his hot spring going 2 for 3 with a double. His is definitely making the most of his chance with Riggans out for the moment. He is batting .455.

The Rays continued their aggressive base running. Gomes stole his second base of the spring and Upton stole his third.

The Rays won. Again. What an enjoyable spring this has been.

Lowlights

Percy gave up his first hit and run of the season. He went one inning and gave up one.

Analysis

Other than Edwin Jackson, the Rays starting pitching candidates have had phenomenal springs. Shields and Sonny continued the trend. Below are the ERAs, WHIPs, and IPs of the five (Kazmir of course has not pitched yet) major candidates for the starting rotation.

Shields -- 14.2 IP, 1.84 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
Jackson -- 11.0 IP, 7.36 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
Garza -- 9.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
Sonny -- 9.0 IP, 1.00 ERA, .56 WHIP
Niemann -- 8.0, 1.13 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

Every candidate except Jackson has an ERA less than 2. I know it is just spring training and that this is a very small sample size, but it is, nonetheless, very encouraging. True to form, Jackson has looked good it all but two innings, where he got absolutely rocked resulting in his high ERA. Right now I would try Jackson in the bullpen and move Neimann into the starting rotation. Some have suggested that Jackson should be traded, but I doubt the market will be very good. Moving him to the bullpen seems like a reasonable action. If one of the starters struggles or gets injured he would be the first guy to take over. I doubt the Rays will handle it this way, but thats my opinion of what should be done. It is likely though that the Rays will give Jackson a chance to prove himself during the first quarter or half of the season. If he stinks the joint up then Niemann will be called up from Durham. If Kazmir starts the season on the DL, then maybe both of them will get a shot to start the season in the rotation. However, it is possible that they will just have a long reliever (i.e. Howell) fill in for Kazmir until he returns.

PA

Shelley Duncan Looks Familiar

2008-03-14T23:28:00.003-05:00

This picture is bothering me. He looks like someone else but I can't quite place who. I thought I hit on it with "Hadley" or "Bogs" from Shawshank Redemption, but that wasn't it....

Any ideas?

AG

Suspensions, Fines, and a Nonsensical Explanations

2008-03-14T22:17:00.008-05:00

It looks like the fallout from the most recent Rays-Yankees Incident has come to fruition. I am pleased.

Suspensions and Fines
Rays- Jonny Gomes (2 Games)
Yankees- Shelley Duncan (3 Games), Melky Cabrera (3 Games)

Fines
Yankees- Coaches Joe Girardi, Kevin Long, and Bobby Meacham (All fines undisclosed)

Duncan thinks the suspension was unfair...

Quote #1: "I spent six years in the Minor Leagues scratching and clawing to get where I am today, I've worked as hard as I can every single day and left my heart and soul out on the baseball field every single game."

Quote #2: "I've been completely drained when I go in the clubhouse. I never let a single player or team out-hustle me on the field. I take pride in my work ethic and how I play this game. I'll continue to play as hard as I can."

Quote #3: "For some reason, people assumed I made retaliatory remarks, which I never did, not one time did I ever make a comment about retaliation, or foul play or about playing this game dirty or malicious. Someone asked how I was going to play the game. I told everyone who asked me, 'I was going to play the game hard. I was going to match their intensity, or even exceed it."

Wow, he hustles. It's not like anyone else in Major League Baseball gives his all every game. However, when one makes a statement like "I'm going to match their intensity" after a controversial play, and then goes in spikes high in the second inning the next time the two teams meet, a suspension is on the way, premeditation, first degree. Obviously, there's a difference between "hustle" (running through a catcher blocking the plate in the 9th) and "cheap shot" (sliding into second base with your cleats 3' in the air).

Also, it's funny that Gomes got less days than both Cabrera and Duncan, being that his retaliation caused the benches to clear.

The next two Rays-Yankees games should be fun to watch.

Around the Rays Universe March 14th

2008-03-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, Brian Anderson's injury was not just some scar tissue breaking loose. He tore a ligament and a muscle. His career is over. Here is hoping he makes it as a sports broadcaster (The Heater).

David Price will start his Rays minor league career at Class A Vero Beach (Rays Report).

Kazmir is on schedule to start Sunday against the Tigers (Rays Report).

In breaking news, Girardi is still ugly even when covers his hideous haircut with a hat that does not fit (St. Pete Tim es).

As Joe Henderson reports, Kazmir is keeping to the pace set for his rehab. He isn't trying to be cavalier. In the long run, this is the good approach. We want Kaz healthy for the years to come. However, it does mean he likely won't start opening day (The Heater).

"Could he pitch Opening Day barring any setbacks? Probably. Will he? Probably not," Hickey said. "There's no reason to push it. Opening Day is simply one game in 162 games. In the end it doesn't mean that much."

The Prof revisited the Barry Bonds issue, but from a new perspective. I chipped in my two cents in the comments section. I should have a post up later today going into more detail on the arguments I started to formulate in the comments (Rays Index).

DRaysBay asks the question who is Jon Weber? Now that he has a shot at making the team, I was asking myself the same question. Of course, I was too lazy to do any research. Luckily, RJ stepped in and got the job. Apparently, he has had a pedestrian minor league career (DRaysBay)

The Morning After: Rays Tie Sox

2008-03-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Tampa 3 (9-3-1), Boston 3 (I hate hockey)

Back when I was a little kid there were no professional baseball franchises in Florida. All we had was spring training baseball. These were the only "pro" games I got to attend and thus they held a special importance for me. Well, one time I went to Clearwater with my Dad to watch the Phillies play. The game was tied at the end of the tenth inning and there were about 100 people left in the stands. To my amazement, everyone walked out and started shaking hands. I didn't even realize what was going on, so i asked my Dad. He told me that the game was ending in a tie. I was, understandably, pissed. 1) These games were important to me so I assumed they were important to everyone else (despite seeing players jog around the warning track), and 2) it was way past my bedtime and I had envisioned an amazing scenario in my head where I was up past midnight, defying the laws of the bedtime, watching live baseball. Both of my fantasies were crushed. Ever since that day I have detested the spring training "tie" ballgame.

Tie games: ruining kids childhood innocence since 1988.

Highlights

Garza looked good for the second outing in a row. He went 4 and two thirds and allowed no runs. His spring era is now below 2.

Howell also pitched well. He went 2 and a third inning and gave up no earned runs. I really think he has a good shot of making the bullpen as a long reliever.

Lowlights

The game ended in a tie (see above).

Bartolo Colon pitched decent for the Red Sox. Just what the Red Sox need: a rejuvenated Colon. The starting pitching was the one question mark I saw on their team. If Colon regains his form of three years ago that question mark turns into a strength. Seriously, I don't know if I can take another Red Sox championship.

Not to be outdone by Longoria, Joel Guzman made his first error of the spring.

Analysis

Can we just start the season already? What do we have left? Let me check. Two weeks plus a couple days. It is getting harder and harder to try and extract meaningful information from these games. Especially since none of them are on TV. But I suppose they are helping the players round into form. Practice is a good thing, especially for a young team.

It sure seems like Longoria is playing a lot. At this point, it would be a surprise to me if they sent him down. The starting rotation is rounding into form and the everyday lineup is pretty much set now that we know Rocco is going to start the season on the DL. What about backup catcher? It sure seems Riggans has that locked up. There are really only two topics of interest anymore: 1) the race for the last couple of slots in the bullpen and 2) whether or not the Rays are going to sign someone to play right field. I'm guessing not, but who knows.

PA

The Afternoon After: Rays beat Yanks in a Close One

2008-03-13T17:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry the Morning After had to get changed to the Afternoon After. The internet at my apartment crapped out last night and I had to find time to make this post at work. By now it is pretty tough to find anything original to say about the brawl and Shelley "the douche" Duncan. It got the Rays some good national exposure and it seems to be uniting the team and it is definitely uniting the fan base. Regardless of the merits of Duncan and Gomes' actions the attention and excitement it has brought are certainly good.

I would also like to point out that this "feels" different from all the fights the Rays used to get into (remember Joey Gathright)? Those guys just seemed like they wanted to get into a fight just to get into a fight. The team was embarrassing. Probably because this team seems more talented the fans have reacted in a positive and supportive way. Some have argued that the difference in fan reaction has to do with race (Gomes and Elliot being white). I don't think this is true. If had been Upton instead of Elliot running into the catcher and CC instead of Gomes, I believe the reaction from the fans would have been the been just as supportive.

Highlights

We won. Now 9-3 on the season and leading the Grapefruit league standings.

The team had a slew of hits (14), 5 of which were doubles.

Sonny made the most of his first and shut down a respectable Yankees lineup. It was very encouraging and cements his status as front runner for a spot in the rotation.

Percival pitched another hitless inning, his third of the spring.

Glover closed the game out in the ninth with a one run lead. Repaying the confidence that Maddon has expressed in him this spring.

Lowlights

Longoria had an error and so did Josh Paul. Although this was his first official error of the season, it has been noted that there were other times he could have been charged.

Anderson got shelled in less than an inning of work and may have re-injured is TJ elbow. Not good times.

Although he got the win, Wheeler did not look sharp. He got hit around a little. In his case, his track record is good enough to make spring training woes only a very small concern.

Analysis

Overshadowed by all the fighting was the fact that the Rays won a close, competitive game against the Yankees. The Rays lineup looked a lot like it likely will on opening day, except for the fact that Difelice (not Navarro) started at catcher. I know it is still spring training, but the winning attitude is being instilled and I could not be happier with the results.

PA

Benches Clear in Rays-Yanks

2008-03-12T14:21:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Shelley "the douche" Duncan came in spikes high on Aki when he was trying to stretch a single into a double. Gomes came in and tackled Duncan and was ejected along with Duncan and a couple of Yankees coaches. You don't want to mess with Johnny Gomes. Also, in the first Longoria was hit and the Yankees pitcher was tossed.

I wish this game was on tv.

Gambling on the Rays -- Over/Under

2008-03-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

Odds that we could find:

Over/Under on number of games Devil Rays will win: 74 (Bodog)

We think this is a good bet. Of course, we are the jackasses that bet an over/under of 80 with two people. It seems like a fair line and is in fact pretty optimistic.

If you look through the odds we are actually ahead of quite a few teams:

Nationals -- 71.5
Giants -- 71.5
Pirates -- 68.5
Athletics -- 73.5
Twins -- 73
Marlins -- 68.5
Royals -- 72.5
Orioles -- 66

So we are projected by Vegas to have a better record than 8 teams. Not bad. Certainly, not good, but that seems fair.

As for the two bets we made against a Blue Jays fan and Brewer fan:

Jays -- 85
Brewers -- 84

Ouch. Gotta stop drinking that Rays Kool-aid.

PA

It's Official: Baldelli to Start Season on DL

2008-03-12T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Rays have announced that Rocco will start the season on the DL. In Rocco's own words:

Baldelli said he had some type of "metabolic, and/or mitochondrial abnormalities, basically along the lines my body isn't making or producing ATP the right way, and therefore not allowing my muscles to work as they should and recover like they're supposed to on a day-to-day basis."

Friedman stated that the team is unlikely to pick Rocco's option in 2009. This means they will give him a 4 million dollar buyout and perhaps try to resign him if his health improves.

We really feel for Rocco. His condition could be quite serious and is likely taking a tole on him both on and off the field. This is the kind of condition that may not necessarily need exercise to manifest itself. It could be that he is fatigues and sore everyday that he gets up. Here is hoping that Rocco can find out exactly what is wrong and also find a treatment. Wishing you the best Rocco

PA

Around the Rays Universe March 12th

2008-03-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Rays of Light shares some interesting Rays stats from Bill James' most recent book (Rays of Light).

Jayson Stark is reporting that the Rays have interest in signing the ageless Kenny Lofton. RJ Anderson seems to think it would be a good idea and he argues for playing Lofton in right on an everyday basis and going with a Gomes/Floyd rotation at DH. He makes a good point: do we really want to see Gomes in right field everyday? I know I don't (DRays Bay).

Rays Index talks with a Yankees blog about the Elliot Johnson hit (Rays Index).

David Price was reassigned to minor league camp. Maddon had nothing but praise for him. I especially liked this insight. (Rays Report).

“You know what I like more than anything? The low strike,” said Maddon. “Here’s a young man that comes out with a lot of adrenaline going on and probably some form of nerves – although I’m not even sure that he has those things – and he’s throwing low strikes. Not just strikes, they’re quality strikes. It’s not like he’s all over the zone; he’s in one area.

Ryu and Ruggiano were also cut. Maddon said Ryu looks better now than last year. Apparently, they did not want to give Ruggiano a shot at Rocco's roster spot because they don't want someone his age sitting on the bench. Also, the team would prefer a left handed bat (Rays Report).

Rocco is scheduled to reveal something about his medical condition tomorrow. I have a feeling he will just throw out some vague descriptions and Friedman will tell everyone he is starting the season on the DL (St. Pete Times).

Apparently, Delmon young had no idea about Shields as a pitcher when he was on the Rays. Just shows how much attention he paid to himself and no one else (Tampa Tribune).

"He said, 'I didn't know you had that much bite on your curveball,' " Shields said.

"I was putting some slow-pitch softball swings on it," said Young, who went 0-for-3 in his first game against his former team.

Girardi continues to be a douche, big surprise (Newsday).

John Donovan takes a look at the Rays new stadium plan for Sports Illustrated (si.com).

The Morning After: Rays beat Twins 7-1

2008-03-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Rays 7 (8-3), Twins 1

The Rays faced the Twins for the second time this spring. Carl Crawford did not make the trip, so there were no fireworks between CC and Delmon. I doubt anything will happen when they do meet for the first time. I don't expect a handshake, but neither do I expect a confrontation. Ex-Hillsborough and Tampa Catholic star Denard Span played again for the Twins. I wonder what would have happened if Span had gone to Florida and played wide out instead of signing with the Twins? He was a ridiculous talent at wide receiver and he could have done great things under Spurrier. Would he be in the NFL? I'm guessing not, but you never know. Nice beard Denard.

Highlights

James Shields pitched five scoreless innings giving up 4 hits and a walk while striking out one. Shields appears to be rounding into form as we get closer to the start of the season.

David Price pitched a scoreless inning in the ninth, allowing no hits or walks. Unfortunately, he didn't strike out the side this time.

Birkins and Munter also pitched scoreless innings, while Ryu (who aspires to be Chan Ho Park) gave up one run in his inning of work.

Longoria went 1-2 with a pinch hit solo homerun. He is now batting .391 for the spring.

Navarro had a solo homerun as well; it was his first of the spring.

Not to be outdone by Evan, Willy Aybar had a double which drove in two runs.

Elliot Johnson had three hits. If he is nervous about facing the Yankees tomorrow it has not shown yet.

Lowlights

None. It was a good performance all around. I guess you could call out Ruggiano and Rodriguez for there 0 for performances at the plate. They certainly aren't doing much to win a spot on the roster if Rocco starts the season on the DL. Ruggiano is batting .091 and Rodriguez is batting .045. Awesome. Fernando Perez checks in at a solid .125.

Analysis

It was nice to see the Rays win before they got into a "real" losing streak. More importantly, Shields pitched well and the bullpen held the lead. Not too many of the regulars played in the field, but it is nice to see the younger (relatively) players perform well.

Tomorrow the Rays face the Yankees. A lot of people are wondering if there will be any retaliation for the Elliot Johnson incident. I have serious doubts that anything out of the ordinary will occur during this game. I think the story has died down and I doubt the players themselves on the Yankees really think that Johnson was in the wrong, but who knows. Anything can happen.

Sonny gets his first start of the spring. I was beginning to wonder why they had not given him a start all season. I guess they just didn't have enough to go around. My prediction about him being in the bullpen will go down in flames tomorrow if Sonny pitches a good game. Here is hoping he does.

PA

Around the Rays Universe March 11th

2008-03-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Our post yesterday about a Rays Anatomy writer drew a lot of interest. Eric SanAntonio gave it back to us (in his own special, odd way) over at Rays Anatomy. Please feel free to ignore the absurd exaggerations in his post: i.e. "I was chided and nailed to the cross." Nice to see you comparing your plight as a Yankees fan writing a Rays blog to Jesus being crucified. Good simile. Did you major in creative writing? Hopefully, we will have another post on the subject later today (Sports Indeed, Rays Anatomy).

DRG over at Rays Index had a hilarious edition of "this week in pictures." My favorite is definitely the Rocco one (Rays Index).

Tommy over at OPS posted some nice photos he took at Spring Training. Thanks for sharing (Outs per Swing).

Zobrist is out for four weeks with a fractured thumb. Andy Cannizaro will likely replace him as the backup shortstop. A lot of the anti-Zobrist guys out there think Cannizaro will be an upgrade. I can't say I disagree (St. Pete Times)

The Rays made their first round of cuts this spring. Jaso, Houser, and Perez were optioned to the minors, while McGee, Davis, and Matt Spring were reassigned to minor league camp (Rays Report).

Kazmir threw for the first time off a mound yesterday. He is thinking he will make his first spring training start Sunday against the Tigers. He also seems to be thinking more pragmatically about his opening day start (Rays Report):

“Sure it’s a goal for me, but I’m not going to rush anything,” said Kazmir. “Whatever happens, happens. I realize that it’s not going to be that big of a difference going from Opening Day to maybe game two or game three. We’re just going to take our time and make sure that everything’s strong and we stretched it out and didn’t rush it.”

Friedman seems to be saying in this quote that Badelli needs to stop being day to day. The team needs to know this week whether or not he is going to be able to contribute (St. Pete Times):

"The point's coming pretty soon where we're going to need to get him out on the field and get a clear sense of what we can expect in April and beyond," Friedman said. "We're not there yet - we still have 18 days of spring training left to figure these things out - but it's fast approaching."

The Morning After: Rays beat by Indians 12-10

2008-03-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Indians 12, Rays 10 (7-3)

I did not get a chance to listen to this game. The box score was entertaining enough in and of itself.

Highlights

Bossman Junior hit his first HR of the season. A three run job to center field

Longoria had what appears to be a pretty good game. He went 2-5 with a rbi and run scored. He even stole a base. Wonder why Joe played him the full nine yesterday?

Reyes, Miller, Balfour, McGee and Davis all pitched one inning. The only one to give up a run was Balfour.

Lowlights

Hammell and Houser both got hit pretty hard. Hammel gave up nine ( yes nine!) earned runs in just over three innings of work. This does not bode too well for him making the 25 man.

It was a loss. This is the first two game losing streak of the spring for the Rays.

Analysis

I am not quite sure what to think of Longoria's extended playing time today. In general, one would have to believe that it is a good sign. I am starting to believe that Niemann is going to break camp with the team if he has two more good outings.

Here are my current projections for the pitching staff:

Starting Rotation

Kaz
Shields
Garza
E-Jack
Niemann

Bullpen

Percival
Reyes
Wheeler
Sonny
Glover
Howell
Miller

Brian Anderson would be the first to be called up to the bullpen if someone struggled or got injured.

Rays face the Twins today. I wonder if Delmon will be in the starting line-up?

PA

We Are Calling Out Rays Anatomy

2008-03-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

One of the bloggers (Eric SanInoncencio) from Rays Anatomy, another Rays blog, wrote in the comments section of Rays of Light that he agreed with Girardi's assessment of the play and that it was out of line. I could hardly believe what I was reading.

I respectfully disagree. This is spring training, not the regular season. What this time is viewed as is a a month to prepare for the season, and in no way compares to the rigors of a regular campaign.

Players rarely play nine innings, and pitchers are far from the finished product. This time is used for nothing more than to get ready for the season. The main point in doing this is avoid injury, and while that’s not always possible, in this case it was caused by at best a reckless play that had no business being made in a exhibition.

Mind you, I’m not a fan of barrelling the catcher at all, but to do it in spring training isn’t necessary. A “trained professional” should know when to run through a catcher, and this is not one of thsoe cases. He isn’t a machine, he can react based on the situation, like we all can.

Girardi has every point to be upset. In the end, it caused a major injury to a young player that costs him 2 months of the season. Reverse the players, and Rays fans would be clamoring for retaliation from the “dirty” Yanks. This is homerism, and I expect subjectivity from people in this case.

This was, literally, the first time I heard a Rays fan agree with Girardi. I have read comments from plenty of Yankees fans agreeing with Maddon and Zimmer, but not a single other one where a Rays fan agreed with Girardi. I was shocked. But then I went to the Rays Anatomy page and checked out the info section on the author Eric SanInoncencio. He does not really say anything about being Rays fan or being from Tampa. Then I thought I remembered that he was one of the many new Rays bloggers who are not Rays fans or, at least, were not when they began writing about the Rays. So I went back to the beginnings of Rays Anatomy and found the following interesting tidbit:

I was born in the Bronx, NY, and for most of my adult life I have been a fan of the New York Yankees. In all honestly, my interest peaked right as the Bronx Bombers morphed from perennial losers to a championship juggernaut, thus my getting accommodated to winning every season.

He then on goes to basically say that he wanted to cover the Rays because he was becoming too much of a fanatic about the Yankees. Are you kidding me?????? Are you serious???? Is this some kind of a joke??????????

We have got a Yankees fan writing a Rays blog. Need I say more. Clearly, he is still a Yankees fan. It's not even like he is a fan of some national league team. He is a fan of the Yankees; of all teams. My God.

The last thing we need is guys who like "good" teams trying to feel sorry for the Rays and come write about them. Sure, they'll be fine analyzing prospects and getting interviews, but when it comes to a controversy they will always be loyal to their "first" team. Who do you think our boy Eric will be rooting for in the second series of the season when the Rays visit the Yanks. Get that crap out of here. I don't want to read the opinions of a Yankees fan about the Rays. We don't need you.

So, let me correct myself, I have yet to hear about a Rays fan who agrees with Girardi. It does appear, however, that Yankees fans who write Rays blogs agree with Girardi.

Only the long suffering fans can really appreciate this spring and particularly the Elliot Johnson incident. For so long we have been the doormat of the division and of baseball. Everyone routinely mocks us. This spring we are making a statement and that statement is being echoed by all Rays fans. I think a commenter in yesterday's Heater summed up that statement perfectly:

This is OUR turf. Tampa is OUR town. And the Rays will role your sorry team from now on. This is a new day in Tampa Bay.

And that goes especially to Eric and all other Yankees fans. You can only really understand and appreciate this different feeling if you have been here since '98. If you endured those 100 loss seasons and all the mockery. Only then would you understand the excitement Rays Universe is feeling right now.

GO RAYS!!!!!

PA

The Morning After: Rays Fall to Reds

2008-03-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Reds 6, Rays 4 (7-2)

Highlights

Percy, Wheeler, Glover, Talbot and Mason combined to give up no runs and no hits from inning 5 through 9. This is a far cry from the disaster that was the bullpen last year.

Zobrist continued his hot spring going 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. He is batting .421 on the spring.

Longoria only got one at-bat but he made it count banging out a double and scoring a run.

Lowlights

E-jack gave up six (five earned) in the third inning. This is a lot like the E-jack of old. He can pitch well most of the time but can't avoid those implosions in certain innings. We were hoping this would be a thing of the past after Maddon praised his mental game the other day.

The defense stunk. Four errors is not acceptable in a major league baseball game even if it is spring training. Richard contributed two and Brignac (he of the many errors in the minors) and Ruggiano (the defensive specialist) each threw in one.

Analysis

Will it be more of the same from E-Jack this year? After looking so good in those first two starts, this outing represented a major reality check. How poorly will he have to pitch the spring to not make the rotation? How many bad outings before he is on the trading block? These are likely questions that Silverman and Freidman have discussed, but are only issues we can speculate on. Given his raw talents we think he will be given a huge cushion before he is pulled from the rotation or put on the trading block. However, if Neimann continues to pitch well the situation could change.

It is very discouraging to see the Rays commit so many errors. The horrendousness of the defense last year has been well documented and a repeat performance in that category could lead to another long season. However, all of the errors made yesterday were by guys who won't be on the 5 man roster so it is unclear how much can be extrapolated from these poor performances.

PA

Rays Fans Unite

2008-03-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Marc Topkin wrote a little piece about Girardi being a girl in the Heater after the game. Well, the Rays fans came out in droves in the comments section. Things really are starting to feel like they may be turning around here. Here were some of my favorite comments:

Awwww, poor Girardi. What a crybaby. You've always known that you don't do it in spring training? Really? Who taught you that? Cecil Cooper didn't have a problem with Crawford running over his catcher. He spent a few days in the bigs too, Joe. In fact, he said he expects his guys to do the same thing. I think you just don't like getting spanked by the Rays, do you Joe? Get used to it. Little boy.

I was listening to the game on the radio and the announcers said that A-Rod went into second base against Bartlett with high spikes up. That could hurt Bartlett and its spring training. Joe Girardi and Yankees fans need to shut their mouths! A bunch of whiners! I didn't want to see their catcher get hurt, but that stuff can happen when you block the plate. If spring training doesn't matter, don't block the plate! Yankees and their fans expect to have wins handed to them. They are pathetic!

Lighten up Joe. Not every team has an overpaid 25 man roster and a bunch of stiffs that show up for spring training. Some teams have players who are trying to make their team on hustle and grit.

It was a perfectly clean play. It was a bang-bang play at the plate. Johnson was running full speed trying to score from 2nd. If the buy is blocking the plate that is what is going to happen.
Either way. This is OUR turf. Tampa is OUR town. And the Rays will role your sorry team from now on. This is a new day in Tampa Bay. Move to Arizona and get the heck out of our town during March.

If this is ANY indication of how the Rays will play, this season will be very fun. Red Sox and Yankees...finally, welcome to RAYS COUNTRY!!!

Intensity Part 2: Girardi is Soft

2008-03-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Apparently Elliot Johnson fractured the wrist of Yankees catching prospect Francisco Cervelli when he bowled over him at home (see above collision in the picture from the St. Pete Times).

Girardi proceeded to cry about the play and take some swipes at how the Rays have been playing during Spring Training.

"I think it's uncalled for," Girardi said. "It's Spring Training. You get people hurt, and that's what we've got -- we've got Cervelli hurt. I know they had an incident four or five days ago. I'm all for playing hard, but I don't think it's the time when you run over a catcher in Spring Training."

Sorry, Joey. Sorry, we have players who are actually trying to win games in the spring. Maybe your catcher should not have been blocking the plate, you ever think of that? This is reminding me a little of Jason Varitek who likes to stand about 10 feet up the third base line and then whine and cry every time he gets his clock rung. You play the game to win even when it is spring training.

Maddon appears to agree with our viewpoint:

"I loved the hardball," Maddon said. "We're playing it hard, we're playing it right. It was a bang-bang play at the plate. I couldn't tell exactly where the catcher was in regard to the plate. He was trying to score a run right there, and that was part of the game."

As for Elliot Johnson, he says that the play was well received in the dugout and that he was just trying show some hustle and score the run:

"I'm not trying to hurt anybody, especially in a Spring Training game," Johnson said. "I hope he doesn't lose his job. But I'm trying to show these guys what I can do. I'm just trying to score the run. Looking back on it, I'd have to say I'd probably do the same thing." "With the time that I had there, the instinct was to slide and be out, or hit him and see if I could pop the ball loose."

Nobody wants someone to get hurt, but the Rays are trying to establish a winning attitude. To get that winning attitude they have to come to the park ready to play everyday and give 100% effort the whole 9 innings. That goes hand in hand with being a professional. In conclusion, Girardi is soft and yips too much. If he did not like it then maybe he should have had one his pitchers throw at us in the first game of the regular season. Solve it on the field. Don't go mouthing off to the media.

Dear Joey G,

Nice Haircut

Love,

PA

rays.mlb.com

Around the Rays Universe March 9th

2008-03-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Make sure to vote for what we will name our new Rays blog here. If you think you have a better idea please leave it in the comments or email us. DRG gave us a couple of suggestions over at Rays Index (Sports Indeed ).

Baldelli is "confident" that that he will be ready for opening day according to Marc Topkin. However, he remains vague about his obtuse leg injury. And, apparently, he does not plan on starting the season playing in the outfield, that will come only at "some point." If you want the truth, in terms of DHing, I don't know how much better Baldelli will be than Floyd. His real value to the team is his combination of defense, speed, and hitting. If we aren't going to see any defense or speed let's just put Floyd in there and see what he can do (St. Pete Times).

It is becoming apparent that Maddon sees things a little differently than Baldelli. He needs to see Baldelli play some full games before spring training is over (The Heater).

"It's not like we're not worried about it right now (but) over the course of the next week something's probably got to give in a positive direction to know that he's going to be able to to get out there with any kind of regularity,'' Maddon said. "You're looking to get nine innings, whether it's as a DH or an outfielder so I'd say the next week is going to be very vital or important to determine that.''

Rocco tells Carter Gaddis that his health is good and at the same place it was when the spring started. So why isn't he playing??? This situation just keeps getting more odd (The Tampa Tribune).

"Nothing's changed since spring training's started," he said. "My body's in the same condition it was when it started, and it's relatively good."

Maddon says Price will have no fear in facing A-Rod because he is a "different cat" (The Tampa Tribune).

"It would not faze him in the least. I totally believe that," Maddon said. "This guy's a different cat. He's got a lot of self-confidence. ... That guy's really motivated and directed. He's got a tremendous poise about him. It's unusual for a man of that age to be that mature."

The Morning After: Rays Outpitch Yankees???

2008-03-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Rays 4 (7-1), Yankees 1

The headline is correct. Welcome to the exclamation point edition of the Morning After! Listened to the game on gameday audio again. The Yankees have a female announcer. For some reason this shocked me. She was pretty decent though. Had the whole "calling them the Devil Rays, oops they are the Rays now, unnecessary laughing" thing again. Not having to hear this during every away broadcast may have been reason enough to not change the name.
Anybody go to the game? How many Rays fans compared to Yankees fans?

Highlights

Garza! Although he got into some trouble in the first he escaped unscathed and ended up going three without giving up any runs.

Price! We all got out first look at Price and it was good. Although he hit the first batter, he went on to strike out the side. His fastball was consistently 95+. Even the Yankees announcers were impressed.

Gomes! His solo homerun gave the Rays the first lead of the game. I am legitimately excited to see him play everyday. Or even 3 out of 4 days with Ruggiano starting 1 out of 4 in right and also coming in as a defensive replacement in the late innings.

Anderson! Brian Anderson made his first appearance in 17 months and gave up no runs and one hit in his inning of work. I think he could be a major help if someone in the bullpen falters or gets injured (assuming his doesn't break camp with the team.

Aybar! Willy had a double and drove in a run.

Baserunning! Once again the Rays were aggressive on the basepaths early on in the game. Crawford swiped two off Mussina in the first.

Intensity! Elliot Johnson bowled over Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli. Although Cervelli held onto the ball for the out.

Lowlights

Longoria let a ball go right in between his legs although it was not counted as an error. However, he did have a hit and scored a run.

Analysis

How can you not be excited about this start? The thing that gets me most excited is the pitching. There have been very few poor pitching performances this spring -- the starters are looking good and there are plenty of quality candidates in the bullpen. If I had to guess right now, I would say that Longoria starts the season in Durham and Aybar starts at third. However, Aybar may make the team anyway if Rocco starts the season on the DL.

PA

Around The Rays Universe March 8th

2008-03-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Kazmir is progressing quickly from his elbow strain. He should be making his first spring training appearance on March 14th of 15th (St. Pete Times).

"By doing that we could get him on task, or back on, possibly for the opening day of the season," Maddon said. "We'll be able to build back from the moment we know he can pitch in that game. ...
"From what I saw today I'm pretty optimistic. He looked normal, and he was not holding back, and I think it could be right about that time he's going to be ready to go."

The news is not so good for Rocco. 1) he still looks goofy and 2) his "mysterious" ailment is back. This is starting to look a lot like last season. I would not be surprised if we don't see him suit up for the Rays in '08. Apparently he is just as frustrated as all the fans, It's hard to be mad at the guy. Really, I just feel bad for him (Rays Report).

But, he said, as frustrating as it is for the people out there who want to know exactly what’s wrong and exactly how long he’s going to be out, it’s 1,000 times more frustrating for him. He’s not one to give updates on every little medical test he’s given, mostly because they haven’t been conclusive. So, the mystery continues.

If Rocco starts the season on the DL we agree that his roster spot should go to Justin Ruggiano. We are not sure how much Ruggiano would play though. Seemingly, Gomes would get a shot to be the everyday right-fielder -- something he has been pining for not just this spring, but his whole career (Rays of Light).

The Prof takes a detailed look at what the Rays options are next year and in the future with Rocco. We tend to think that if he doesn't play a single game this year they should just give him the 4 million dollar buyout. No reason to spend any extra money on someone who is dead weight (Rays Index).

John Romano writes up a good piece about the positive influence of Percival in the clubhouse. He is quickly becoming one of four favorite Rays (St. Pete Times).

The Morning After: Rays Hammer Phils

2008-03-08T10:23:00.001-05:00

Rays 9 (6-1), Phillies 1

Another day of the riveting live box score.

Highlights

Niemann (see large red-head above) pitched three innings of no hit ball, although he walked two. From all accounts he looked pretty good. In other news, there is a scary picture of him on the the front page of the Rays website.

Sonny came in in the 9th again and and pitched another perfect inning. Maybe they are thinking of using him in the bullpen and making Niemann the fifth starter? An interesting scenario.

Cole Hamels started for the Phillies and the Rays were able to get to him for three runs in three innings. We are not huge Hamels fans after his recent public complaining about his 500K renewal.

The offense looked good all around with Bartlett and Hinske driving in two apiece.

The base running was very encouraging The Rays stole 4 off Hamels in his three innings of work.

Lowlights

Not much to report here: Howell gave up one run in three innings.

Analysis

From all the quotes I have read it seems that the Rays want to win and are taking spring training seriously. I am very encouraged. The groundwork for a successful regular season is being laid.

PA

New Name Coming Soon

2008-03-08T00:24:00.003-05:00

As you know, we are looking to launch a whole new domain for the Rays Blog and we need your help! Please give us your opinion in our new poll (right column ------>).

If you vote "other", please send us an E-mail at Sportsindeed@yahoo.com, with any sweet ideas. Thanks and go Rays!

Representing in the Mountains

2008-03-07T23:45:00.009-05:00

Working and living in a ski town (Breckenridge, CO), one is pretty isolated from the sports world. However, many tourists come into town rocking the gear of their favorite teams on the slopes. Collegiate attire is commonplace (In the span of one day, I told Florida State, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio State, Kansas, Iowa State, Colorado, and Slippery Rock fans that they were Gator Bait).

Anyway, while I was in one of our restaurants on the hill taking a break from work this week, (for those of you who don't know me, "work" basically entails riding around on my snowboard, see below) I spotted a young lass sporting an old school purple Wade Boggs D-Rays T-Shirt Jersey. After pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I started a conversation and she told me she went to Freedom High School and makes a frequent appearance at the games. After a minute of small talk and a few chili fries, I told her to keep up the representation, be safe, and "shred the gnar."

In conclusion, we don't need a huge payroll, trendy jerseys, or songs by Ben Harper to let 'em know the Rays Universe is alive and well.

-AG

Around the Rays Universe March 7th

2008-03-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

Maddon thinks Kazmir will be ready to pitch on opening day (Rays Report).

“From what I saw today, I’m pretty optimistic,” said Maddon. “He looked normal, and he was not holding back. It could be right about that time he’s going to be ready to go.”

Ok, I am officially worried about this Baldelli situation. I am not even sure how to interpret this quote, but it definitely does not sound good (Rays Report).

“He just wasn’t up to speed and I’ve just got to make sure with Ronnie again, being the vague situation that it is,” said Maddon. “I’m just really not sure that he’s going to be able to play tomorrow based on the recovery after the last time out.”

The Prof posted some awesome photos of Joe Maddon from back in the day (Rays Index).

Rays Anatomy projects Longoria to start the season in the minors with Aybar and Hinske making the team (Rays Anatomy).

This Philadelphia Inquirer article got me thinking about something: How much credit does Chuck Lamar deserve for all the young talent we have now? Are we overlooking his contribution? (Philly Daily News)

The Morning After: Rain Again

2008-03-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Rays 6 (5-1), Phillies 4 (5 innings)

Another day, another game on gameday audio. Phillies announcers were fairly good. But they kept calling them the Devil Rays and then going "oops, I mean the Rays" and laughing hysterically. That got old quick.

Only got five innings in before the rain came, but that is all that is needed to make it official. Apparently, one of the grounds crew got caught beneath the tarp when they pulled it out. The Phillies announcers yucked it up for a good minute about the misfortune of this poor girl. Gotta love spring training games on the radio.

Highlights

The Rays beat up on Adam Eaton. Aki led off the game with a homer. Crawford and Gomes hit doubles and Bartlett legged out a triple. By the time Eaton was done the Rays were up 4 to 0.

Crawford hit a triple and then Pena drove him in with a homerun -- his first of what will hopefully be many this season.

Percival made his first appearance of the season and pitched a perfect inning.

Lowlights

Shields got roughed up just a bit, giving up a two run homer in his second inning of work.

Balfour gave up a two run homer to Utley. The announces said the ball landed right on the the top of the wall and then bounced into the bullpen.

Analysis

Everything is looking good so far. The bats are clicking and pitching has been ok. Hopefully, we don't get too many more rainouts, the Rays are, of course, very young and need all the work they can get.

PA

Intensity!

2008-03-06T11:52:00.003-05:00

Marc Lancaster posted a nice photo of Crawford barreling over Humberto Quintero (Rays Report).

Around the Rays Universe March 6th

2008-03-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

Kaz has entered into the "3rd Phase" of his rehab. In other words, he is playing catch now (Rays Report).

Is it odd we have not seen Baldelli in the field yet? Reading this Joe Maddon quote I am starting to sense there may be some kind of problem. But maybe I am reading into it. It is just spring training after all (Rays Report).

“The conversations up to this point, I’m just not comfortable getting him out there [in the outfield],” said Maddon. “We would like to do it, but it just does not seem it’s appropriate right now.”

Apparently, Sonny got an ear infection from listening to his iPod. He fell asleep with the earphones in which clogged his pores and gave him an ear infection. Weird (The Heater).

The Prof thinks we should prepare ourselves for a deluge of articles about Fernando Perez overcoming his "disability." A good read (Rays Index).

The Morning After: Rays Lose First of Spring

2008-03-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

Astros 8, Rays 4 (4-1)

Yesterday's game was on gameday audio, albeit only the Astros broadcast. The announcers were actually half-way decent. Not bad "homers," maybe because it was just a spring training game. The Hawk would be disappointed.

Highlights

Bossman Junior ripped a double down the left field line for an RBI in the first. He then went on to hit another double to left that drove in Crawford in the 4th. Upton scored on an error on the same play.

Crawford bowled over Humberto Quintero, the Astros catcher, to score on Upton's double in the 4th. Cliff Floyd was telling him to get down. Gotta love Crawford's intensity in spring training.

Zobrist continued his hot spring. I am trying not to get too encouraged. As a commenter on Rays of Light said the other day "Zobrist hits everywhere except Major League Regular Season." A reference to his very good numbers in the minors and spring training last year, but barely .200 average for the Rays.

Lowlights

Navarro made a error on a pickoff throw that led to an unearned run in the first.

The defense in general did not seem very sharp. The Rays had one of the worst D's in the league last year. Hopefully, they can use spring training to work out the kinks.

Dohmann, although not helped by the D, did not pitch well. He gave up four runs in one inning of work.

The Rays left 13 men on base. Eight of which occurred in the first three innings.

Analysis

Well, we all knew the Spring winning streak would not last forever. Upton looked to be in midseason form, he has to play well for the Rays to have a chance this year. It is somewhat discouraging that the defense played so poorly. But, after all it's just spring training.

PA

Around the Rays Universe March 5th

2008-03-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

David Price and Brian Anderson are slated to pitch for the first time on Saturday at Legends Field against the Yankees. Hopefully, some rays will show up and the stands won't be dominated by annoying NY transplants (The Heater).

Maddon is getting me fired up. I especially like the fact that he does not care what the general public thinks (rays.mlb.com):

"Within the group, we're going to have a very high level of expectations, Maddon said. "It really doesn't matter what the general public thinks, I know what the guys think. I'm really going to refrain from stating any numbers. All I know is that what we want to see is progress. That can be measured in so many different ways, but primarily it has to be measured through wins -- no question, you've got to get more wins."

Aki has no problem switching to second. He just wants to help the team. Having guys like him around remind me why I am so glad Delmon is gone (Tampa Tribune)

Another reason to hate Red Sox fans. Some idiot Red Sox fans put a guy wearing a Yankees cap into the hospital for the simple reason that he was wearing a Yankees cap. Of course, they all jumped him at once. We wouldn't want a fair fight or anything. God, I hate Red Sox fans. (Wicked Local via The Big Lead)

The Morning After: Rain Out After 4 Innings

2008-03-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

Another day of excitement following the "live" box score on mlb.com. Although Delmon Young didn't make the trip, two formers area high schoolers -- Dennard Span and Boof Bonser -- played for the Twins. Span batted leadoff and went 2 for 2 off of E-Jack with a double and a single. Bonser shut down the Rays for three innings allowing only two hits while striking out three. As most of you know we went to high school for a while with Span. I still remember him having to come into Mrs. Wilson's English class because he got booted out of his own class. Then he transferred to Tampa Catholic, played great in the state tourney, got drafted in the first round by the Twins, and held a big party at Club Joy. This was a long time ago. I am glad to see that he finally made it to the Majors. He was also a pretty good wide receiver too if I remember correctly.

Highlights

E-Jack scattered three hits in three innings and gave up no runs.

Lowlights

Reyes struggled after replacing E-Jack. He gave up three runs in the 4th

Analysis

Jackson pitched well. It seems increasingly likely that the rotation will be Kaz, Shields, Garza, Sonny, and Jackson. I am pretty sure this would be the first time that the Rays started a new season with the same rotation with which they ended the last season. This stability is a good thing for the Rays and is a direct result of using young, mostly homegrown talent.

PA

Gambling on the Rays

2008-03-04T14:49:00.001-05:00

We have made the following bets with friends about the Rays upcoming season:

1. Rays will win 80 or more games

Actually, we have two of these bets out there. One is with a Red Sox fan who found the claim preposterous that the Rays had a shot of winning 80 games. He laughed and mocked and then told us how there was no way the Rays could win 80. Like most Red Sox fans he thinks he knows about all of baseball, not just the Red Sox. Of course, he knows absolutely nothing about the Rays. He didn't even know about the Garza trade. This type of ignorant arrogance has become a hallmark of Red Sox fans and is one, of many, reasons to hate them.

The other bet was with a Tigers fan. We told him we thought the Rays could win 80. He proceeded to laugh. We told him that, of all people, Tigers fans should understand that teams which have been very bad for a very long time can become good. Of course, he agreed. But then went on to tell us that there was no parallel with the Tigers because the "Rays don't have any pitching." He is an idiot.

2. Rays will win more games than the Blue Jays

This was a risky bet, whereas the Blue Jays have quite a bit of talent. But we will be going head to head with them quite a bit, which should help to put them below .500. Plus, the Blue Jays are overrated, right? Note: we will still be rooting for the Jays if they play the Red Sox or Yankees.

3. Rays will win more games than the Brewers

Also a risky bet. The Brewers were fairly good last year. They play in a weaker division than the Rays. This bet was made mostly because we are drinking the "Rays Kool-aid." Delicious.

Throughout the season we will be back updating the standings of these bets and any trash talk that may occur.

PA

Around the Rays Universe March 4th

2008-03-04T10:54:00.002-05:00

Outs per Swing takes a detailed look at Fernando Perez. His Ivy League education and blazing speed have always been an interesting combination (Outs per Swing).

Cole Hamels thinks he and Scott Kazmir are pretty comparable pitchers. Kazmir got less than the Phillies have decided to renew at with Hamels. So maybe Cole should shut his pie-hole. He's got a gorgeous wife (see above) and is making 500K a year (Philly Inquirer).

From the recent comments of St. Pete's mayor it seems like he would support the new stadium proposal if the Rays changed there name to the St. Pete Rays. A nice analysis of the of this request by the Prof follows the quotes. No chance in hell. Let's hope this is not a sticking point for getting this thing built (Rays Index).

Excellent article from a Korean news service translated into English. "I want to be like Park Chan-ho" says Ryu. At least he's aiming high (Donga).

-PA

The Morning After: 4 Game Winning Streak

2008-03-04T09:09:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, for those of us outside of the Bay Area the audio for the game was not available through mlb.com's Gameday Audio. The live stream of WHNZ 1250's website does not include major league games as stipulated by the MLB so we were out of luck. But how can we complain, we got a "live" box score. The thrill cannot be overstated.

Highlights

We won. Four in a row.
Sonny came out to pitch in the ninth with a one run lead and shut the door on the Tigers. He was facing minor leaguers, but it is good he looks sharp early on regardless of the competition.
Gomes got two hits. One of which was a solo homer. If he wants significant playing time this season it is important that he play well in the spring or he could just wait for Rocco to get hurt.
Iwamura had a triple and scored a run.
Zobrist kept up his hot start - getting on base two out of his three plate appearances.

Lowlights

Garza faced ten batters, five of which reached base. It also took him 35 pitches to get out of the first inning . Neither of those things is a good sign. Let's hope he can get things turned around. Maybe he was trying to hard to impress his new team?
Willy Aybar made an error at third .
A number of other pitchers besides Garza pitched poorly.

Analysis

A win is a win. We definitely would have liked to see a better outing for Garza, but it's early and we presume that he may have put a lot of pressure on himself. This game goes to show that the Rays can hit with anyone on any given day. If the pitching is not as consistent as we are all hoping it will be (as is often the case with a young staff), the offense should be able to pick up the slack a lot of the time. E-Jack is scheduled for the start tomorrow against Tampa's own Boof Bonser and the Twins.

PA

Around the World: Goofy Looking White Guys That People Love

2008-03-03T21:23:00.022-05:00

The Avenger's comments below about goofy looking white athletes (in The Obsession with Rocco Baldelli) really got me thinking. Here are some other athletes that deserve mention:

The Manning Brothers: The love fest for these two started way before they both had rings on their fingers.

Shaun White: Best Snowboarder in the World. The "Flying Tomato" has appeared in commercials ranging from Target to Hewlett Packard. I think he was hitting on my girlfriend, but that's another story...

Larry Bird: John Mellencamp says Kevin McHale and Larry Bird Smoked Weed! Nahhh!!
Gheorge Muresan: Anyone remember the cologne commercial? "Is that cabbage Gheorge?"

Steve Nash: White MVP in the NBA, really, what's not to love?

An anonymous "Sports Indeed" insider: White, goofy, and adored. Get Some!

-AG

The Obsession with Rocco Baldelli

2008-03-03T17:03:00.002-05:00

If you have ever been to a Rays game you know that the fans love them some Rocco Baldelli. One can still see more Baldelli jerseys then any other jersey, although Kazmir is definitely catching up. This got us thinking: why is Rocco Baldelli so popular? It's not like there aren't significantly more productive players on the team (i.e. Carl Crawford) or players that stay relatively healthy (see rest of team). Well here is our take on why Baldelli is so popular:

He is goofy looking (see above). If there is one thing people like. It's a goofy looking guy. He is not so goofy as to look weird/repulsive, but is more in the "hey, this guy looks like that nice odd kid who lived down the street and ate paint chips" category. Yes, that is a good thing.
He is white. Most of the people who watch baseball are white and they like to root for a white guy. This is the only way to explain Baldelli's continued popularity over CC, who seems to have much more personality and is a better baseball player than Rocco. I mean, he's a goofy-looking Italian American from Rhode Isalnd who is 6-4, runs a 4.4 40, and has a 40 inch vertical. Could there be a more appealing combination to the average baseball fan?
He is young. In fact, he was only 22 when he first made it to the show in 2003. Everyone likes to root for the guy who shot up through the minor leagues. It's much more fun than rooting for the guy who spent 8 years in the minors.
He is oft-injured. After three early seasons where he showed great promise, Rocco has been hurt. This has only caused his popularity to increase. You remember him being good and then daydream of how good he could be if he stayed healthy for a whole season. If he was actually playing everyday you wouldn't like him as much because you would be constantly reminded that he is not an all-star and has yet to put up any numbers that would suggest he will be one.
He was one of the first signs of hope. The first years of the franchise were marked by managing ineptitude and horrific free agent signings. After the Hit Show disaster, the presence of Baldelli gave fans hope that this thing could get turned around by developing talent through the minor league system. We believe that this year will be the first where that initial hope sparked by Baldelli and others begins to be full filled.

Around the Rays Universe March 3rd

2008-03-03T11:09:00.001-05:00

Kazmir has moved to phase 2 of his "rehab." Basically, this means he has stop just sitting around and has begun to do exercises (Marc Lancaster at tbo.com)
Devil Ray Guevera currently thinks that Longoria will be on the opening day roster and that Maddon will be back next year (Rays Index).
A detailed look at Chad Orvella (Outs per Swing).
They love Rays farm prospects Ryan Royster and Mike McCormick in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon (The Register-Guard).
Roger Mooney (and apparently the Rays staff) agrees with Cork that the key to making the starting rotation is to throw strikes (Bradenton Hearld)
Some D-Bag radio hosts in Tampa had Scott Kazmir on a few days ago. Two pieces of important information: Kazmir thinks the Rays should be playing in October and that he should win 20 (You Tube).
Guy who is from David Price's hometown makes a "priceless" video about Price (You Tube).

The Morning After: Rays Start Spring Training 3-0

2008-03-03T07:45:00.000-05:00

I was sitting around the apartment here in Northern Indiana doing nothing yesterday. In case you forgot, let me remind you that there is very little to do in Indiana so this is not what one would label a rare occurrence. Well, it was about 2 pm and I decided to look to see how the Rays were doing against the Pirates. I went to check out the "live box score" at mlb.com. While promoting a live box score is bad enough, the box score is, in fact, rather far from "live." Often there are no updates for 30 minutes at a time. "Watching" the live box score is not what one would call scintillating action. Thus, I remained bored. Until I saw a link to "audio" for the game. Now I debated whether or not to buy mlb.com gameday audio since I have already decided to get Extra Innings so I can watch the games on TV. This internal debate lasted about five minutes, at which point I decided it would be worth 15 dollars not to have to watch the NBA for the next three hours.

Spring Training basbeall on the radio. We all know spring training isn't exactly an enthralling event in and of itself. Then trying to follow everything on radio -- well, let's just say that I dozed off a few times. But at least I got my Rays fix in and didn't have to watch basketball. Perhaps the most annoying part was how the announcers for 1250 whnz kept talking about what a beautiful day it was -- 80 degrees with 20% humidity I kept hearing. It was 30 degrees here yesterday, which may seem bad, but is actually the warmest it has been in about two months. I miss Tampa.

At any rate, the Rays won 7-5 (3-0).

Highlights.

Bossman Junior got two extra base hits. Of course, one should have been a flyout, but whatever loser was playing center for Pirates lost the ball in the sun. Apparently, it fell about a foot away from him.
Navi got a hit in his first action of the season
Even though he pitched only one inning Neimann allowed no runs.
Believe it or not, Ryu pitched well allowing no runs over two innings.
Houser came in and shut things down in the ninth after Wade Davis let things get a little dicey (see lowlights).
They won -- third in a row. I know it's spring training, but small victories are good things as a Rays fan.

Lowlights

Evan Longoria came back down to earth going 0-2 with a walk.
Navi got caught going from first to third. Apparently, he would have been safe except for the fact that he "overslid" the bag. Maybe he should just take it easy for the first couple weeks of spring training. We need him over the long haul.
Joel Guzman injured his thumb, but apparently it is only a bruise.
Wade Davis got shelled and had to get pulled in the 9th because he was about to lose the game for us. He and McGee have both had a rough time during their first outings this spring.

Analysis

Does it really matter that the Rays are 3-0 to start the spring? No, it does not really matter. But being a winning ballclub takes a certain attitude. That attitude is being instilled into the rest of the team by two of our veteran free agent signings -- Troy Percival and Cliff Floyd. But at the same time, just hearing about it from teammates is not enough. The young Rays need to learn how to win and experience what it feels like to win. Spring Training is a good time for them to get used to the idea of winning and learn how to keep it up. For veteran teams (Yankees) or teams that have had recent success (Rockies) spring games hold almost no import. But for the Rays, I think it is nearly critical for them to continue their winning ways and set a precedent going into the opening series against Baltimore.

PA

Our Very Own Tampa Bay Rays!

2008-03-02T22:18:00.007-05:00

As you scant readers may have noticed this blog has mostly focused on football at both the collegiate and pro level. A variety of angles (from humor to reporting to analysis) have been used in our discussion of football. While we plan to continue writing in diverse styles, we have decided to switch focuses to the Tampa Bay Rays. This will of course be a huge disappointment to our loyal readers who eagerly away our monthly post. However, we feel that our original, interesting take on all things Rays will keep these readers while hopefully attracting new ones.

Why the Rays? Well, all of us met at Hillsborough High School in Tampa. We have been baseball fans our whole lives (still remember the day they said we were getting the "Tampa Bay Giants."). More importantly, we have been Rays fans from day one of the franchise and will continue to be fans. Thus, the writing will often be biased because it is from the perspective of long term fans. We feel there is enough objective baseball analysis out there. We need more sites for and by Rays fans (no slight to RaysIndex or Rays of Light). The new owner group has infused optimism in the long time fans and its time we shared this feeling with other Rays fans throughout the country and world (any international Rays fans out there)? Some of us still live in Tampa, while others have moved to disparate parts of the country. We hope this multi-regional analysis will bring about some interesting insights into the state of "rays universe." Universe>Nation therefore Rays>Red Sox. Foolproof.

PA

Super Bowl Pick

2008-02-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Conference championship weekend was good to me. Both of the road dogs covered. So at 6-4 I am guaranteed to finish with a winning record regardless of my super bowl pick. I have tried to ignore the Super Bowl hype these last two weeks and I have done a pretty good job of it. I just can't take that much yipping about the patriots.

At any rate, I am taking the Giants. I don't think any team should be favored by 11.5 over a team that has one three straight road playoff games. Even if it is the first 18-0 team in the history of the league, yada, yada, yada. I have confidence that Giants can keep this close and they may just be able to win it. I don't smell a blowout as some are predicting. The Patriots have looked fallible the last 4 weeks of the regular season and in both of their playoff games. Brady has not been sharp when he gets pressured. The Giants defense is played inspired football. It's fun to gamble on the team who you want to root for as well. I will be making crab and shrimp bisque. MMMM

PA

Conference Championship Picks

2008-01-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I was feeling pretty good about my "take all the home favorites" last Saturday as Green Bay dismsantled Seattle. Then I preceded to lose the next 3 games. Not good times.

So this week I am taking both the road dogs. Pats as a 14 point favorite over the Chargers is just silly. Fourteen Points? There is no team in the history of the NFL that should be a 14 point favorite over the Chargers. Second, I think Green Bay is overrated. In conclusion, the Chargers and the Giants to cover.

Last Week Record: 1-3

Overall Playoff Record: 4-4

PA

Divisional Playoff Picks

2008-01-11T14:04:00.000-05:00

Well last week was a pretty good week. I went 3-1. The only game I got wrong was the Bucs game and I got it horribly wrong. After the first quarter I was about 100% confident in my pick and then they just fell apart. It was sad to watch. Garcia played awful, refusing to throw the ball more than 10 yards in the air. It was like watching a high school quarterback. I think the Bucs need to draft a franchise quarterback next year or trade for Donovan McNabb. I would prefer the latter. Knowing Gruden's penchant for veterans it seems like Mcnabb could be a good fit. He is also mobile and could play the Rich Gannon role to perfection in Gruden's offense.

On to this weeks picks.

Seattle at Green Bay (-7.5)

Seattle's defense looked solid last week. But the offense looked really bad. Hasselbeck was woefully inaccurate and Shaun Alexander has lost everything. Maurice Morris is serviceable but that is about all you can give him. They have to travel to Lambeau and play a Packers team that had a week off to rest and possesses better talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Packers corners should be able to contain Branch and Hackett. I just don't see how this team could beat the the Packers in Green Bay. I mean they barely got by a mediocre Redskins team with a 40 year old QB in Seattle. It' possible that Seattle loses by less than 7.5 but that is much more unlikely than the Packers winning by 10 or more. So although I hate the Packers I have to take them to cover.

Jacksonville at New England (-13)

Brady is going to carve up the Jacksonville secondary. I could see him putting up 5 TDs on them. I do wish this line was a little lower though. New England has been playing way too many close games lately to justify a 13 point line. On the other hand, they are rested and the game is at Foxborough. Jacksonville, however, has a really good power running game. So basically I think Jacksonville could cover, but not win. I could see it being a close game and I could see it being a blowout. This makes it a really tough pick. In the end, you have to go with Belicheck and Brady to cover.

San Diego at Indianapolis (-8)

I don't see San Diego making this a close game. Indy is getting Harrison back and it's at the RCA Dome. Without Gates San Diego has absolutely no shot. LDT looked very pedestrian against Tennessee last week. Now I know Indy's run D is not as good as Tennessee's but it is a respectable unit. No chance Rivers outplays Manning. Thus, the Colts to cover.

New York at Dallas (-7.5)

No one wants to take all the home favorites, but I don't see how I can help it. The Giants must be worn out at the point. Whereas, the Cowboys are well rested and the game is in Dallas. Can the Giants really win two playoff road games in a row? This seems highly unlikely. Owens should play, which to me puts this game over the edge to Dallas who has already beaten New York twice this season. Some people seem to point to Dallas's two wins this season as a disadvantage because "it's so hard to beat a team three times in the same season." This seems like complete nonsense to me. The giants have had two tries to prove they are as good as the dallas and they failed both times. You think the Cowboys are going to let this game slip by and not be prepared? Ridiculous. The cowboys to cover.

PA

Wild Card Playoff Picks

2008-01-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

It's playoff time. I am happy because the playoffs are wildly entertaining, but sad at the same time because it signals the beginning of the end. I am going to have take up fantasy baseball to make the 8 month off-season bearable. Maybe if the Rays can have a decent season. Kazmir-Shields-Garza baby.

Washington at Seattle (-3.5)

Washington has been good the last four weeks, but at the same time they haven't really played anyone. They beat a mediocre (at best) Bears team, beat a brutally inconsistent Giants team, beat the overrated vikings, and then beat a Dallas team that was not trying. Furthermore, they have a senile old man as coach. I give him zero credit for their resurgence. If this game is close he may very well find a way to screw it up. Seattle has not been playing amazing over the last part of the season, but they had everything sealed up so you can't read too much into that. The two most important factors are that they have a lot of playoff experience and the game is at home in what is supposedly the loudest stadium in the nfl. There defense has been good most of the season and Hasselbeck is having one of his best seasons. The only thing that worries me is their poor health at receiver -- Hackett is out and Branch is questionable. Well, that and there non-existent running game. But all in all, I think the Seahawks are a much better team than the Redskins especially in Seattle. Seattle to win and cover.

Jacksonville (-3) at Pittsburgh

While I think Jacksonville could very well win this game, making them a three point favorite at Pittsburgh is a little much. Pittsburgh is a good team with a lot of playoff experience. I know they have suffered some recent injuries (Parker and Aaron Smith), but they still have a decent offense. davenport isn't that much of a downgrade from Parker and Big Ben is a solid NFL starting QB. The only thing that worries me is the pathetic pass protection of the Pittsburgh offensive line. How do these guys keep making pro bowls when Big Ben is getting pressured every time he drops back? Spicer and Stroud may each register a couple of sacks. Jacksonville has been great lately but other than Freddy Taylor they lack a lot of playoff experience. Furthermore, they will be coming into a hostile environment where the field conditions will be suspect at best. Both of these factors favor Pittsburgh who has a more of a power running game than Jacksonville. Garrard may have to win this game for Jville and I am not sure if he can do it. Don't get me wrong I am huge Garrard fan, but he is unproven in the playoffs. My heart says he can do it, but my head says to play it safe and take Pittsburgh. So I'll take Pittsburgh and the points.

New York at Tampa (-3)
I am, of course, a big Bucs fan. I don't think they are particularly good this year, but I don't think I can pick against them when they are at Tampa. Gruden is a super bowl coach, the defense is playing well, and garcia has been good in the playoffs. That is enough for me to pick them over the horrendously inconsistent Giants who have a bevy on injury problems. Eli will get pressured and he will make some bad decisions and the Bucs will capitalize. On a slightly unrelated note, did anyone else see that Peter King names Jeremy Trueblood to his all pro team. This absolutely shocked me. I know the guy has been decent, but an all pro. Wow. I'm guessing he's not going to get to many other votes. Bucs to cover.

Tennessee at San Diego (-10)
This is a very large line. Tennessee is of course awful. They have an awful quaterback be it Vince Young or Kerry Collins. There running game is mediocre and there defense is decent, but it seems like haynesworth isn't at full strength. San Diego is peaking. I think Turner did a good job not running LDT to death in the regular season. He looks fresh and I expect big things from him. It's in san Diego and these two teams appear to be headed in opposite direction so I will take the Chargers to cover.

PA

East Coast Bias or East Coast Truth?

2007-12-16T01:38:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles, California. My new home. The instant gratification capital of the world. You can find almost anything you want… except for clean air and intelligent sports conversation.

Before this football season, there was a lot of hoopla surrounding the PacTen. In typical PacTen fashion, they flopped. Only a fool would argue that the PacTen is better than the SEC in football, and yet I get into this argument on almost a weekly basis. This year alone, the SEC finished the regular season with 6 teams in the top 25. The Pac10 managed only two. The PacTen has one dominant team, USC, while rest of the conference takes turns being decent or horrendous. Take USC out of the conference and it’s weaker than the Big East. Even lowly Notre Dame finished 2-1 against the PacTen.

Let’s take a look at the last couple years of NCAA football championships. (I’ll consider split national titles to a half.)

Last 5 Years: SEC – 1 ½, PacTen – 1 ½

Last 10 Years: SEC – 2 ½, PacTen – 1 ½

Last 15 Years: SEC – 4 ½, PacTen – 1 ½

Last 30 Years: SEC – 7, PacTen – 2

Interestingly, the University of Florida has won as many football titles in the last 11 years than the Pac 10 managed in the last 29 years. Also, in the last 30 years, schools from the state of Florida have won 8 titles outright and 1 split title... while the Pac 10 has won only 1 outright and 2 split.

As for all of this talk of the Pac 10 being a premier basketball conference, they’ve actually been pretty mediocre in recent memory. (The only thing more overrated than PacTen basketball is Notre Dame football, but I digress.) Let’s take a look at the most recent NCAA hoops championships.

Last 5 Years: SEC – 2, PacTen – 0

Last 10 Years: SEC – 3, PacTen – 0

Last 15 Years: SEC – 5, PacTen – 2

Last 25 Years: SEC – 5, PacTen – 2

Last 30 Years: SEC – 6, PacTen – 2

Sure, you can go back to the glory days of UCLA more than 40 years ago, but isn’t that a little desperate if you are trying to make an argument about the current strength of a conference?

The Heisman “Controversy”

As if they didn’t have enough causes célèbres out here in LaLa land, many folks out here have adopted the “Colt Brennan for Heisman” campaign. Because the PacTen’s best hopes John David Booty and Dennis Dixon proved unworthy, some folks out here on the Left Coast latched on to Laguna Beach’s native son. In case you’ve been living in a cave for the last couple of years, Brennan has managed to rack up absurd stats in a pass-happy offense while playing creampuff schedules. He’s a slightly better version of the previous fraud at Hawaii, Timmy Chang..

So for those "East Coast Bias" conspiracy theorists that think Colt Brennan should’ve won the Heisman over Timmy Tebow, here are 6 reasons why you are wrong.

1. Strength of Schedule

Hawaii’s strength of schedule ranked 118 out of 119 Division I-A schools. That is correct. They played the second easiest schedule in the nation. Florida’s strength of schedule ranked 8^th. Needless to say, its easier to rack up gaudy statistics when you play a patsy ever week.

2. Raw Statistics

Colt Brennan’s 2007 Season

Passing: 337 of 472 for 4174 yards. 38 TDs and 14 INTs.

Rushing: 73 rushes for 65 yards. 8 TDs, 0 Fumbles.

46 Total Touchdowns, 4239 Total Yards

Timmy Tebow’s 2007 Season

Passing: 217 of 317 for 3132 yards. 29 TDs and 6 INTs.

Rushing: 194 rushes for 838 yards. 22 TDs, 0 Fumbles.

51 Total Touchdowns, 3970 Total Yards

So Timmy Tebow had more touchdowns, fewer turnovers, and comparable total yardage… this while playing the 8^th toughest schedule in the country.

Some people have made the comment “well, Colt was hurt for a couple games.” While that is true, it’s just proof that Colt Brennan is fragile. If he were to play a touch schedule against even average d-lines, who knows what would’ve happened. Meanwhile, Timmy Tebow played both the Kentucky and Georgia games with a severely bruised right shoulder… and played for the majority of the Florida State game with a broken hand! (As an aside, he finished a high school game in Florida with a broken leg, scoring on a 60 yard TD run.)

3. Quarterback Rating/Passing Efficiency:

Congratulations to Colt Brennan for finishing third in both the Heisman voting, as well as nationwide passing efficiency. Unfortunatly for him, he finished behind Timmy Tebow in both. Yes, that is correct. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford ranks #1 in the country, Timmy Tebow is #2, and Colt Brennan is #3. And honestly, numbers 1 and 2 on that list are more impressive considering their schedule strength.

4. Character

The following is an excerpt from Colt Brennan’s bio. Needless to say, he is NOT a role model for our nation’s youth.

Brennan originally joined the University of Colorado football team in 2003 as a walk-on. He spent the year as a redshirt. On January 28, 2004, Brennan entered the dorm room of a University of Colorado coed uninvited and, according to the coed "exposed himself and fondled her." Brennan, who was intoxicated at the time of the incident, was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and trespassing, but a guilty verdict for unlawful sexual contact was vacated by the court for lack of evidence. After the incident, which was caught up in the middle of the time when CU was flooded with other accusations of sex crimes and revelations of wild recruiting parties involving Colorado football players, Brennan was almost immediately kicked off the team.

If you have a daughter in college, remind her to lock her doors at night to keep douchebags like Colt Brennan from making unannounced visits.

Meanwhile, Timmy Tebow is a model citizen…

It is Tebow’s off-field exploits that have perpetuated his legend throughout the state. Born in the Philippines as the son of a missionary, Tebow returns there nearly every year to preach. He plans to go back during spring break, a trip that would include spending time at the orphanage his father’s ministry set up. “We go into medical clinics, hospitals, prisons, marketplaces and schools,” Tebow said. “You preach and help out. I love going every year and I can’t wait until I go back.”

I don’t think anything else needs to be said here.

5. Darren McFadden

Let’s be honest for a second… Timmy Tebow was the #1 player in college football, and Run DMC was #1A. Mentioning Colt Brennan in the same breath as either McFadden or Tebow is blasphemy.

6. His name is “Colt”

In 2006, the most popular baby names in America were Jacob, Michael, Joshua, and Ethan. In Orange County, California the most popular names were Skyler, Lundon, Colt, and Trae. Yeah…

An Inquiry

2007-11-16T02:14:00.000-05:00

First, two big losers from the Oregon-Arizona game (other than, you know, Oregon fans):

1. Dennis Dixon. It sucks to see your championship hopes disappear in the hands of Brady Leaf after an injury where nobody hit you. Especially when your suspect defense actually showed some backbone in the second half and kept you in the game. But hey, at least you might still win the Heisman, and if that's not a recipe for future happiness, NFL success, and good character, I don't know what is. Except for that Chris Weinke guy. What an asshat.*

2. The father of Ryan and Brady Leaf. Good lord, you sire not one but two scholarship D-I quarterbacks, and the lasting memories of both will be ineptitude and failure. Odds this guy is going to send a package bomb to Archie Manning are hovering around 3:1.

Second, the inquiry. Say Oregon won this game despite losing Dixon and won at UCLA and in the Civil War, and say Dixon's injury is one that knocks him out for the season. Further assume that Kansas doesn't go undefeated and LSU wins out, leaving the BCS standings, in theory, largely the same.

Would you still put Oregon into the National Championship game? On the one hand, it's kind of shitty to punish the entire team for an injury to one player, especially if they continued to win despite that loss (though beating Oregon State and Karl Dorrell isn't all that much to write home about). On the other, does anyone really think Oregon would have a snowball's chance in hell of beating LSU in New Orleans without Dixon?

Ed. Note: Mostly sarcasm. Although anytime your grandkids attend the Heisman ceremony, you really should feel like an asshat on your own.

Week 10: NFL Lines

2007-11-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a while. We are hoping we can make this a weekly Friday feature for the rest of the season. A small caveat: I have never made money betting on football. In fact, I often lose money. With that said, here we go:

Jackosnville (+4) at Tennessee

This is a tough one. Tennessee wins games even though the team appears to be composed exclusively of players who are not good at football. Very puzzling. Alas, Jacksonville is not good either. Also, Jack del Rio is a moron and refuses (to the dismay of Jags fans and fantasy owners alike) to use his best weapon -- Maurice Jones-Drew -- on a consistent basis. The game is at Tennessee which means nothing to me. So let's see...I'll take Jacksonville. Based on the assumption that Garrard will be back, which seems to be better than 50/50 right now. If Gray starts I'll take Tennessee. Either way, I don't like this game. Stay away from it. (Confidence: None).

Denver at KC (-3)

Denver is really bad. They no longer have a good running game. When did this happen? Couldn't someone have told me this before I wasted a first round pick on Travis Henry. Maybe there chop blocking O- line is getting old? Who knows. I think they miss McCaffrey. I mean, who doesn't? Ramsey actually looked better than Cutler last week. It is never good when Patrick Ramsey looks better than your starting quarterback. They are facing the Chiefs who would have an equally pathetic offense except that they have one good player -- Tony Gonzales. The Chiefs actually have a decent defense now under Herm Edwards. To top it all off, the game is at Arrowhead. Making the obvious pick the Chiefs. (Confidence: Some).

Buffalo (-3) at Miami

Really? Buffalo is only three point favorites. Really? The Bills have a good defense, great special teams, and a decent offense with Losman back to his late 2006 form. With Lynch and Lee Evans coming on strong the last few weeks this team can now be considered semi-dangerous. On the flip side, the Dolphins are pathetic in every possible respect. They actually bear an uncanny resemblance to Grant's fantasy football team. The Bills will win by a lot more than three. (Confidence: A Lot).

Cleveland (+10) at Pittsburgh

I'm surprised this line isn't higher based on the way the Steelers just dismantled the Ravens Monday night. That was ugly. Luckily, Cleveland's offense is approximately 100000x better than the Ravens offense. If you haven't gotten on the Derek "HorseBalls" Anderson bandwagon yet, then let me tell you brother, it is time to join. Spots are filling up quickly. Kellen Winslow is the best tight end in the game and Braylon Edwards is a top-5 receiver. I remember Pittsburgh being not that good early on in the season. Thus, the pick is Cleveland. (Confidence: Very Little). I like this to be a high scoring game so I am going with the over (47.5). (Confidence: More than in the Browns).

St. Louis at New Orleans (-12)

Jesus. Twelve points is a lot. I know St Louis is bad, but twelve points. Jesus. Steven Jackson is back, but word is he won't get a full workload. I don't like that. That means we will be seeing some Brian Leanord. There are no white starting running backs in the NFL for a reason and that reason is not reverse racism. New Orleans offense has been clicking and St. Louis's D will offer no resistance. Also, the Rams O-Line is terrible and New Orleans has some good pass rushers (see Grant, Charles). I doubt Bulger survives the whole game. The pick is the Saints at home. (Confidence: Not that much). I like the over here as well (46.5). (Confidence: High if Bulger finishes the game). On a somewhat unrelated note, is Jim Haslett still the defensive coordinator in St. Louis? I bet as he is watching Brees and Colston lite up his secondary, he will really be wishing the Saints hadn't fired his ass. And also hating Katrina. Bitch.

Atlanta at Carolina (-4)

Holy crap. What a terrible game. I mean, seriously, I pity anyone who is getting the game on Fox and doesn't have Sunday Ticket. Brutal. Which offense is worse? I'm going to say Atlanta. Testaverde>Harrington, Steve Smith>Roddy White, Foster/Williams>Dunn (Norwoood appears unlikely to play). Also, the game is at Carolina and the Panthers have Peppers, who should get to Harrington a couple times. The pick is Carolina (Confidence: Some).

Philadelphia at Washington(-3)

Are there any good teams in the NFL. Another awful game. Despite their record, Washington is not good. Don't be fooled. On the other side, this is Philadelphia's worst team since the mid 90s. I don't understand all the McNabb haters. I mean look what this guy has to work with: Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis. Are you kidding me? Yeah, Westbrook is good, but give the guy a decent WR before you run him out of town. I'll take McNabb on the Bucs anyday. I suspect Clinton Portis will have a good game and Jason Campbell will throw his first TD to a WR. Why? The Eagles defense is bad. Which is very odd. Jim Johnson usually fields a reasonable squad. The pick is Washington at RFK (Confidence: In the Redskins? You must be kidding).

Minnesota at Green Bay (-6)

Man this is difficult. Now I understand why it is so tough to make money gambling and why the Sports Guy can never go over .500 with his picks. Well you know a reason other than the whole him being a colossal douche bag. I'm scared to pick against the Vikings and Purple Jesus after that performance against a respectable Chargers D. But Green Bay is, and I can't believe I'm saying this, actually good at football. I know they don't have a running game , but that is okay because it cancels out Minne's great running D. Farve will throw for three and Brooks Bollinger (why are there so many awful Wisconsin QBs in the NFL) will get sacked by Kampman at least 2 times. And its at Lambeau, I'll take the Packers (Confidence: Pretty Decent). The Vikings must have some bad karma after that whole Troy Williamson fiasco. What a classless organization. Fuck you Zygi Wolf or Wilf or whatever your stupid ass name is. Also, Childress looks like a used car salesman.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-4)

Cincinnati is really bad. The gain of Chris Henry from suspension is offset by the possible loss of Chad Johnson (neck injury). Does anyone remember when Rudi Johnson was good at football? Me neither. Oh wait, it was just last year when I took him fifth overall in fantasy. As for the Ravens, their offense is spectacularly bad. I am on the "it's time to start Troy Smith bandwagon." However, the Cinci defense works wonders for bad offenses. I know the Ravens D looked bad on Monday, but they have a lot of pride and I expect them to bounce back against Cinci. This pick is Baltimore (Confidence: Not too much).

Chicago (-3.5) at Oakland

I know Chicago is down from last year. But we are talking about Oakland and Josh McCown here. This is an absolutely horrendous football team. Fargas is a huge upgrade over Lamont Jordan , but it won't be enough. Plus, Lane Kiffin has already said he is going to kick to Devin Hester (not a good idea). Ill take Da Bears. (Confidence: Mediocre)

Dallas (-2.5) at New York

Marion Barber may be my new favorite player. You have to love the way he runs. Its impossible not to like Romo and somehow Wade Phillips and crew have kept TO in line. This is a good Dallas team. I know New York has won six in a row, but I just can't see them beating Dallas. In fact, thinking about their roster I am shocked they are 6-2. Burress is good and Jacobs is a better pure runner than Barber was, but I just can't get to the point of declaring Eli good. I think Eli loses a close game with a stupid mistake. Nick Folk will make the clutch kicks. The pick is the Cowboys (Confidence: Decent)

Detroit (pick em) at Arizona

Really? Pick em? I don't understand this line. Marinelli has the Lions defense playing really well. Yes, they still give up a lot of yards sometimes but they are extremely opportunistic. They remind me a lot of Jim Johnson's old Philly defenses which never looked that good stat-wise, but always managed to get a timely turnover. Martz has really turned this bunch around on offense. They have the best WR core in the NFL (yes that includes the Pats) and with Kevin Jones healthy they have a nice dual threat at RB. I watch a lot of Lions games because I live in the midwest and they are always on TV, so I speak with some knowledge here. Kitna was bad last year -- so bad in fact I was quoted as saying that Lions would be 12-4 in 2006 if Brady Quinn were their quarterback. I know Kitna's numbers weren't that bad, but he ALWAYS made a stupid play that cost the team the game. Always, always, always. This year he still has the same confidence, but has decided to stop making that one stupid pass that gets taken back for a pick 6. It really is amazing what Martz has done with him in one year. On the other side, Warner is awful. Just god awful. Look for Shaun Rodgers to get at least a sack. I would take the lions even if this were a 10 point spread. The pick, of course, is the Lions. (Confidence: Possum Avenger Guarantee of the Week).

Indianapolis (-4) at San Diego

Is this team about to quit on Norv Turner. It would seem that way. Why doesn't he run Ladanian and Michael Turner more? I am pretty shocked at the regression of Rivers under Turner considering how well Turner coached up Alex Smith last season. On the other hand, Indy is really good. I mean they almost beat the Pats without there left (or is it right) tackle and Marvin Harrison. They should have no problem with the sinking ship that is the Chargers. I like Indy (Confidence: Good)

San Francisco (+10) at Seattle

Seattle isn't good enough to be 10 point favorites over anyone. Even if it is the lowly 49ers. I'm genuinely surprised at how bad this 49ers team is. Mike Nolan's job security is fading fast. I think they step up on the Monday Night stage and make a game of it. (Confidence: Low).

In review, it seems I took a lot of the favorites. That's what they say "lay" people do. And trust me, I am no expert.

So here is the parlay of the week: Detroit to win and Buffalo and Indy to cover. It pays 6:1 at Bodog.

PA

breaking news

2007-10-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

Report: WNBA awards Atlanta franchise for '08 season

Expansion? Really?? I mean, apparently it doesn't matter that most of our major sports leagues are already bloated due to overexpansion - at least they regularly make money. Here I was under the impression that businesses generally expanded when they were doing well and the market wanted it. Congrats to you, Atlanta - now Hawks games will seem even more appealing.

Lemme just say this - when you're deciding who makes the Championship by a best of three series, you know you're not important. Nothing gets resolved by a best of three contest. At the very least, it's expected to play best of five rock-paper-scissors for the last piece of pie.

in case you missed it

2007-10-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

STANFORDSTANFORDSTANFORDSTANFORDSTANFORDSTANFORD!

oh right, other things happened this weekend in college football. here's a few that may have slipped through ESPN's mind-controlling tendrils:

1. Mississippi State beats UAB, 30-13. No, this is not news because of the result of the game; UAB is a one victory team and an obvious cupcake on the MSU schedule. What makes this noteworthy is it brings the Bulldog record to 4-2, currently tied with Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Granted, they now have to play the meat of their schedule, and bowl eligibility is still very much up in the air.

BUT DID YOU KNOW - Mississippi State has not won 4 games in a season since 2000, when they went 7-5. That's an astonishing streak of terribility (definitely a word), and they've already broken it with five games left to play. Maybe Sylvester Croom knows what he's doing in Starkville.

2. Mizzou is apparently a force to be reckoned with, after proving they're not just paper tigers - see what I did there? See? Go back and check.

They didn't just beat Nebraska, they thwomped them. The only thing Chase Daniel didn't do in this game was pluck a giant radish, Mario 2 style, and throw it at Bill Callahan. The Tigers racked up over 600 yards of offense and held the Huskers to six points. Funny, it seemed like their week one victory over the Fighting Zookers was just a glorified cripple fight - now it'd be a big game between conference leaders.

3.
Honestly, Kyle - you've attempted over 700 passes in your college career. You've started about 25 games. Coming into this game you'd only thrown 21 interceptions to 32 touchdowns.

And you turned in maybe the worst performance of any big program starter I've seen in a while. The stats don't really reflect how putrid you were, mostly because the bulk of your yards and one of your touchdowns came on long, heaving prayers where you somehow managed not to overthrow the receiver or put the ball 6 yards out of bounds on a sideline fly pattern.

These interceptions were terrible and came at the worst possible times. Maybe the Tar Heel linebackers looked like All-Pro receivers because the only check down you made was to make sure your testicles were still there (fact: they were not).

But I will say, it was a helluva lot of fun to watch a Miami game and root for Butch Davis with a clean conscience.

character, dammit!

2007-10-04T08:39:00.000-05:00

so apparently we are all terrible about posting to the site. that should change, and i encourage you to email adam and grant mercilessly until they do something about it.

i had the unfortunate honor of being at the uf-auburn game with adam, a disappointing loss in any number of ways. personally, for all the shit our defense takes, i think they were the unit that had the best overall performance in the game. but i digress.

as my fellow posters would probably attest, this was not nearly UF's worst loss or even the worst loss we attended. shit, pick any one of our losses in 2003. that year still leaves an awful taste in my mouth.

but all those losses are good for a football team in the long run, and they're good for the fan base as well. these are what i like to call character losses. granted, losses are never fun, and not all losses are character losses; for instance, the 2003 FSU-UF victory remains the absolute worst officiated game i've ever seen. there's nothing to gain from that except disdain for ACC officials and chris rix, and we really didn't need any more of either.

the beautiful thing about character losses is they make you appreciate big wins and championships all the more. the success of the gators last year doesn't really mean the same thing to you if you hadn't seen these same players struggle and choke and sputter to losses in games they could have won. losses like the auburn game test your fan loyalty, because it's easy to root for a team that wins and wins and wins but harder to support them wholeheartedly when they play a really crappy game. i can still remember the 2002 UF-Miami game in gainesville where it seemed like 1/4 of the student section had sold their tickets because it looked like we were gonna get waxed (coincidentally, we did). that's fucking awful and those are probably the same people buying "gator peat" t-shirts for their kids.

so, oklahoma, texas, rutgers, west virginia, and florida fans, buck up. you may have all lost last saturday, but it's good for your fans. football teams that don't struggle just aren't that interesting.

Do the Raiders wish they did not draft Jamarcus Russell?

2007-08-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

Jamarcus Russell's holdout is now the longest for a number 1 pick since Bo Jackson held out the entire 1984 season so that he did not have to play for the Bucs (by the way: Super Bowl titles for Bo = 0, for the Bucs = 1, suck it Bo). It has been reported on profootballtalk.com that Jamarcus is in no hurry to get a deal done since he does not really want to play for the Raiders anyways. It is beginning to look like Russell may hold out well into the season. Even if he does report soon, he will have virtually no chance of starting this year -- the season is lost for Jamarcus and the Raiders. Seeing what has transpired do the Raiders wish they had picked someone else? Here are two interesting candidates.

Brady Quinn:

Quinn held out for a bit with the Browns so there is no guarantee he would have signed with the Raiders by now, but it certainly seems likely. The Raiders, particularly Al Davis, were higher on Russell because he had a big arm and Davis loves to throw the ball downfield. But if Lane Kiffin is installing a similar offense to the one he co-ran at USC it would seem like Brady Quinn would be a better fit. He is much more in the mold of Leinhart, who obviously excelled in this offense, than Russell is. Not only that but Quinn has looked very impressive in his first two preseason games for the Browns. If I were a Raiders exec I would definitely be wishing I took Quinn at this point.

Adrian Peterson

Culpepper has looked very good running the Raiders offense in the preseason. He does not appear to have all his pre-shredded knee mobility back, but even 75% of what he was would be pretty good. Let's not forget that just three years ago he had one of the greatest season's for a quarterback ever with Nate Burelson as his primary target. If the Raiders had Adrian Perterson in the backfield with Culpepper (as opposed to the perennially under achieving Lamont Jordan) they would be looking half-way dangerous at this point. This possibly explosive offense paired with their young talented defense would really have made them a pretty decent team. If they had drafted Peterson, they could have worked out a trade earlier for Culpepper and he would have been around for the entirety of training camp and would be running the offense much more proficiently at this point. I think this would have been the ideal (and cheaper) situation for the Raiders and they must really regret having taken the no-show Russell.

PA

Comments

The Unnamed Victims of Michael Vick

2007-08-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

the other day i saw a teenage kid walking down the street wearing a michael vick jersey. he was probably just being a smartass, but this got me to thinking - there are people out there who own a jersey that is totally worthless. over the years i have owned hardy nickerson, warrick dunn and john lynch jerseys, and it was always a sad day when those players left the bucs. but i could always wear the jersey without being a total jackass, a luxury once proud owners of vick's jersey do not have.

but the people who are REALLY screwed are the people who have michael vick tattoos. i actually know a lot about this, despite the fact that i myself have no tattoos. why, you ask?

because, when i was twelve, i was dead set on getting a shawn kemp tattoo.

shawn kemp was a fantastic basketball player at the time, a ferocious dunker, seemingly with room to develop, paired with gary payton in his prime. i probably played with that sonics team 3/4 of the time on NBA Live '95 (a game so great it deserves its own post) and i pulled hard for them in the '96 Finals. so, because all people from the age of eleven to sixteen are pretty much total idiots, i decided i needed to have this man inked on my right arm. i never really planned it out in detail, but i imagine it would have looked like this:

actually, maybe the basketball should be a flaming skull.

point is, after the lockout, the reign man gained almost 150 pounds, the label of malcontent, and roughly 14-58 illegitimate children. he was never again even marginally relevant as a basketball player. AND I ALMOST HAD HIS FACE PERMANENTLY PLACED ON MY ARM.

that's the position anyone with a vick tattoo is essentially in now, and there's no going back. the safest course of action is clearly to never get any person tattooed on you, be it mother teresa or tony dungy or even, god bless his salty self, ole ball coach. say jarvis moss never finds the strength of thor and doesn't block that kick in the south carolina game - wouldn't you feel a little shitty taking a shower the next day and looking down at the visored one tatted on your left pec?

i thought so.

(but grant should still get the box scores of every florida-georgia game inked on his back if he ever wants to be respected as a true gator fan.)

Comments

So You Own A Personalized Jersey....

2007-08-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

First things first, I'm deeply sorry. Second things second, I don't know if we can be friends anymore. Why, you ask? Because jokers who put their own name on the jersey of their favorite team bother me. A lot. They bother me more than bandwagon fans, more than fans who boo their own team (much more on this in an upcoming post), more than unknowledgable fans who don't know that they don't know anything; even more than fans of miami-area teams (essentially the first 3 types of terrible fans all rolled up into one loud-mouthed package, but I'm not gonna let myself go off on a tangent here).

What iritates me so much is that no self-respecting, normal male sports fan would ever, ever, EVER buy one for himself. These things are almost always forced on to people; whether it be by family members, significant others, or insanity. Think about your most common personalized jersey-wearer:

1) The 1o-and-under crowd who doesn't really have a choice in the matter and doesn't want to throw a temper tantrum and risk not getting to go (for the record, this will be the last time I mention this group; Sports Indeed doesn't take cheap shots at the kids),

2) The fanatical, borderline nutjob who'd probably run over an opposing team's player with their car if given the chance, and

3) The guy who got it from his girlfriend/wife and only wears it when she decides to come to a game with him.

Side note about #3: Ladies, if you're thinking about buying that special guy in your life a jersey with his name on the back, please ask his friends first, for his sake. If they say no, don't get it. If they say yes, and start laughing or look like they're trying not to laugh (be very aware of this response, it's the most likely), don't get it. If they say yes, ask your boyfriend/husband, screw the surprise, some things are more important, like his pride. If they say yes, and he says yes, break up with him.

Now if you are stuck with a personalized jersey, all hope is not lost, there are levels of acceptablitity, meaning that unless you fall into the last category, there are still some poor saps out there that even you can chew on. In order from most acceptable to least:

1. Your name matches the name of an actual player on the team. This makes for an easy explanation: "We were good friends as kids, we have the same last name, and now he plays for my favorite team. It was too crazy not to do." This is, of course, a lie, but when it comes to personalized jerseys, all bets are off. The only pitfall is that the number probably won't match; but this can be explained away by saying your "friend" was one of the last guys to make the team and thus has had his number switched multiple times. No one's going to do near the research necessary to find out if that's a lie, so you should be in the clear.

2. Your name, random number that has no connection to you at all. As you can see, there's really only one option that can have a positive spin. This is the first, and least severe, of the terrible ones.

3. Your name, number that you wore in your high school "playing days." Dear this person, you weren't good then, and you're worse now. Please stop doing this to yourself.

4. Your name, number of the team's star. Unequivocally, undeniably, irrefutably the worst of all the personalized jerseys. This is the turkey wearing the Pats #13 jersey with the name Garcia on the back. You know who you are buddy, although you probably aren't reading this.

That's all I've got for now. Make sure to check for my next opinions column in a week or so or month or year or.......

GPR

Comments

"2 Live Crew Style"

2007-07-31T19:29:00.000-05:00

Last week, the new University of Miami Football Coach, Randy Shannon welcomed back rapper Uncle Luke (Luther Campbell) to the program. Luke had been "banned" from the Hurricane program since the early '90's when Miami was put on probation for excessive NCAA violations. One alleged violation was Luke's "bounty" payments to players for touchdowns, interceptions, big hits, and even knocking opponents out of games (Luke denies the allegations til this day). Unfortunately for kickers, field goals or touchbacks were not a part of his alleged policy. As you can imagine, Randy Shannon has been under fire for the invitation, but says that Luke has turned things around and deserves a break.

After reading this interview on Black Sports Network, it is quite obvious what Luke's appeal to the Football Program is. Not only has he been extremely involved with youth philanthropy throughout Miami, he also claims to produce 30% of the University's Football Players. Not a bad recruiting pipeline. Donations to Luke's Optimist club have come from athletes like Chad Johnson, Edgerrin James, and Antonio Bryant, all of whom were involved with Campbell at a young age.

This video, of what appears to be a pilot for a reality show and is definitely not for the kids, looks deeper into the life of the rap legend, and his "unique" coaching style:

"...Just Remember! Come every Saturday, my black ass is out here, that's $15 Thousand I could be gettin' up in a club somewhere, doing what I do!"

Good Luck to The U. College football seems better when they're near the top.

AG.

Comments

Livin' Large

2007-07-30T20:30:00.000-05:00

Hopefully, David Beckham can succeed in making soccer a more popular sport in the USA, because Americans need to run, alot. Check out this CNN graphic showing the obesity rate state by state over the last 20+ years.

Looks like the SEC is the Champ yet again.

AG.

Comments

Jerry Reese is a Moron

2007-07-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

On Thursday Jerry Reese, the new GM of the Giants, basically stated that Luke Petitgout, whom the Bucs signed this off-season from the Giants is not good at the game of football:

People act like Petitgout was the second coming. He never made the Pro Bowl, and I don't think he ever was a first alternate. Now all of a sudden he's the savior? That's ridiculous. I don't think we're that bad off without Luke Petitgout. He was not a star left tackle. He was a solid left tackle on some occasions and other times he wasn't. Luke has been a marginal player for a long time.

This seems like a pretty stupid thing for a GM to say. What is the point? Why not just say you have confidence in your new left tackle? It does not really seem necessary to ridicule the player who just left. First off, I can tell you right now that if Jerry Reese ever has to deal with Petitgout in any capacity there are going to be some problems for Reese. It is not unusual in the NFL for a GM to have to deal with a player later on in the player's career or even after the player has become a coach. Why burn your bridges? Furthermore, we are sure Petitgout's agent is non too happy about Reese's comments. This may come back to bit Reese in the ass if he ever has to deal with a another player represented by Petitgout's agent.

Reese's inexperience is showing. He reminds us a lot of Matt Millen when he first started out with the Lions. We would not have much confidence in our team's future if we were Giant's fans.

But as Bucs fans we would like to thank Reese for giving Petitgout a little inspiration

I don't know why he [Reese] is talking about me. I really have no comment, but it's going to be a nice thing to hang in my locker all season.

Giants fans can't be happy with the fact that their ex-left tackle handles the media better than their GM. Or with the fact that Eli Manning is their starting quarterback.

PA

Comments

Notes from the Friday D-Rays - Red Sox Game

2007-07-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

1. We started talking about the possibility of J.P. Howell throwing a no-no in the second inning. When he still had not given up a hit after three innings we seriously wondered if it was the longest a D-Rays pitcher had carried a no-no all season.

2. There were substantially more Red Sox than Devil Rays fans. Many of them were wearing absurd, green Sox paraphernalia which made us hate them even more. Some took it the full nine yards, and had the green Sox jersey along with the green hat which was propped on the head in some sideways fashion. We can say with confidence that every single one of these guys is a douche bag.

3. Women love them some Red Sox. Female Sox fans outnumbered female D-Rays fans at least 5-1. We are fairly certain that none of these women actually like or know anything about baseball they just enjoy being trendy. We vowed to never date a girl who says she likes the Red Sox.

4. When Maddon came in and took out Howell we were not happy. What were the chances that the bullpen could hold that lead at 1-0? Maybe 1 in 50? Probably more like 1 in 100. We found out later Howell was on a 90 pitch count, but still couldn't Maddon have used some flexibility when he had only given up one hit through 5+? Kevin Youkilis parked one into left field 4 pitches later.

5. Manny Ramirez does not hustle down the line. Perhaps because he is weighed down by his extraordinarily long hair. But he does hit the ball just ridiculously hard.

6. It is really easy to tell that BJ "Bossman Junior" Upton is new to centerfield. He took the worst path possible to the ball on Ramirez's double. And trust us, it takes Manny a while to make it to second.

7. Brendan Harris has the best intro song of any D-rays hitter by far - GnR's "Welcome to the Jungle".

8. They cover up the devil ray "touch tank" in the eight inning. But why? Are they trying to simulate night for the Rays. Seemingly light can still get through the sides of the tank. Very odd.

9. We decided that D-Rays chances of coming back in the bottom ninth down 7-1 were somewhere between 1-1000 and 1-100,000. Probably closer to the latter.

Gotta love the Rays.

PA

Comments

Friday Love: College Football Comparisons

2007-07-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

College Football Teams and Blockbuster Movies
::Bring Out Your Dead::

Oklahoma Sooners - The Boondock Saints: Really trendy to support about 5 years ago. Rumors of a return to glory persist but never seem to come to fruition. Something you think you might tell your kids about one day, but you'll realize better when you get a job and your daughter starts dating the maintenance guy at the local putt-putt.

College Football Teams and Rappers (An Oldie)
::HeavyLite::

Penn State/KRS-One- They'll be the first to tell you how important they are in the scheme of things and new jacks need to give them respect, but that doesn't shake the fact that they haven't been relevant in years.

AG.

Are Our Three Major Sports Invincible?

2007-07-26T14:40:00.000-05:00

There have been a number of recent articles and reports on how all three of the major sports in the US are facing a significant challenge: the NFL has the Vick fiasco, the NBA has the Donaghy stuff, and baseball has steroids. Speculation about which story is going to do the most damage to its respective sport has been rampant. The Big Lead makes the argument that none of the events are going to have a significant negative impact on the fan base of any of the sports.

We agree with them and would go as far as to say that the NFL, MLB, and even the NBA, have arrived at a state of invincibility. We are hard pressed to think of a single story that would turn fans away from any of these three leagues in droves.

NFL

The NFL has been littered with player arrests this summer (see profootballtalk), they have been repeatedly accused of not taking care of their retired players, and most recently there has been the Vick indictment. But, it does not matter. The NFL will still grow in popularity this season. But Why? Why don't we care that many of the players in the league are thugs and possibly taking steroids? Two words: Fantasy Football. The NFL has always had its hard core fans and always will, but fantasy football has turned the casual fan into a serious fan who watches games, reads articles, discusses outcomes, and even buys merchandise. The effect of fantasy football on the popularity of the NFL may be unquantifiable. It also appears to be nearly irreversible: we could find out that ten players were suspended for taking steroids, 30% of ex-NFL players die prematurely due to injuries sustained during their playing careers, or even that multiple referees were involved in gambling. We would still tune in every Sunday and Monday.

MLB

Baseball has been plagued by the steroids problem for some time now. It also went through its own nasty gambling crises with the whole Joe Jackson and Pete Rose things. But none of these have been able to derail the game's popularity. In fact, according to the most recent issue of SI the average attendance at last Saturday's games was 39,977 -- the highest single-day average ever. Certainly, fantasy baseball has helped out the popularity of MLB, but we believe that its invincibility stems from its position as the historic national pastime of America. Baseball fans have die-hard allegiances to particular teams. These allegiances tend to be passed on from generation to generation establishing families of baseball fans. Most everyone I know roots for a particular team because that is team that their Dad liked. Turning one's back on baseball, and in particularly your team, is paramount to sacrilege for many. Baseball's position as a rite of passage from father to son has solidified its position in our culture.

NBA

The NBA could lose its popularity in the US. In fact, since the end of the Jordan Era its popularity has been declining fairly steadily. Its place in our culture is not permanent like that the NFL or MLB. However, due to its strong international contingent of players and ever increasing popularity in South America, Europe, and Asia the NBA is here to stay. In other countries, homegrown NBA stars are not perceived as thugs, but more along the lines that we perceive players in the MLB. America's fall from dominance on the international stage has only increased the popularity of the NBA in other countries. There is nothing these countries like more than beating us at one of our own games. We are hard pressed to think of any scandal that could seriously effect the popularity of the NBA as it continues to put a stranglehold on the entire globe.

Perhaps the invincibility of these sports should not shock us. Soccer long ago attained a similar position in the rest of the world. It is often rocked by scandals far worse than any of our three major sports have faced, but continues plugging right along. The only difference is that MLB, the NBA, and the NFL have become brand names inextricably associated with their respective sports. As long as the sport continues to have success so will the leagues.

PA

Comments

Update: UCLA coaching salaries

2007-07-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Earlier we quipped that UCLA assistant coaches must not be making very much if they are engaging in petty residential burglaries. Apparently, there is some truth to this statement. Writing for espn.com in March, Ivan Maisel reports that Dorrell has had problems retaining assistant coaches

Yet as [Dorrell] begins his fifth year in charge of the Bruins, Dorrell has gone through assistant coaches like he buys them at Sam's Club. Some he fires. Some leave for better jobs. Some leave for different jobs.

As for why UCLA football goes through coaches so quickly, Maisel offers up a number of reasons including poor compensation.

UCLA scares off plenty of candidates because of the high cost of living in the Los Angeles area coupled with the state-run university's tradition of lagging behind the national market in coaching salaries. Take Dorrell. He is guaranteed $850,000 with incentives for another $505,000. Why, USC coach Pete Carroll has to work darn near till the end of May to make that kind of money.

In conclusion: high turnover rate of coaches + poor salaries = residential burglary arrest.

PA

Comments

UCLA Coaches Need A Pay Raise

2007-07-26T06:38:00.000-05:00

When running one on one drills in High School against our Defensive Backs, my Wide Receiver's Coach used to inspire us by yelling "Beat him like he stole something." Now, I wonder what kind of inspiration UCLA Receiver's Coach Eric Scott gives his players.

CBS2 reported that L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call to a residence on the 1100 block of Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk yesterday and found Scott and two other men engaged in burglarizing a house. All three were arrested. Scott was released on $50,000 bail.

I don't know what UCLA is paying their coaches, but it's clearly not as much as the Defending Champs are paying theirs:

Yeah, that's a Running Back's Coach making $135,00/year.

AG.

Comments

An Open Letter to LSU coach Les Miles

2007-07-25T07:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Miles,

Let me first say that your ability to put down numerous teams and conferences in such a short time span is both impressive and admirable. Your recent diatribe concerning USC, the Pac-10, and the Big 12 was the most entertaining rant this side of the ol' ball coach.

Furthermore, the reason I'm writing is not to criticize the content of your statements. I've read them numerous times, and I, literally, haven't found one point with which I disagree. No sir, the reason I felt the need to write is not because of what you have said, but because I'm not sure you should have said it. Quite frankly, I don't think you've earned the right to run your mouth to that degree, at least not yet. Just because you're in a position where people put a mic in front of you and ask for your opinion, doesn't mean you should always give it (see: Ben Affleck's reaction to the Yankees trading for A-Rod (scroll to "Ben Is At It Again) a few years back).

Sure, your LSU teams have gone 11-2 in each of your two seasons there, but all that did was push your career record to 50-25. A quick review of arithmetic reveals that you were a pedestrian 28-21 (at Oklahoma State) before inheriting this talent rich Tigers squad. It seems just a tad bit premature to be calling out entire conferences when you've been mired in mediocrity for the majority of your coaching career.

And speaking of inheriting talent, how many of the major contributors to your Sugar Bowl-winning squad did you bring to Baton Rouge? Any players that have been in college for 3+ years seemingly were all recruited by you predecessor, Nick Saban. More specifically, the juniors and redshirt sophmores from this past year's team were brought in after LSU won a share of the national title. Now I may not have much, or any, experience with recruiting, but something tells me that being the defending national champs serves as a decent draw to the top high school talent.

As to your comments on the Big 12, once again, I agree. It's OU, Texas, and a bunch of teams that don't matter. Your exact words, in case you've forgotten, were: "The Big 12 is a conference that might have two really pretty good teams, maybe four." But that's just the thing, your OK State teams were part of that group that didn't matter, the "maybe four" as you put it. A review of your in-conference records in 4 years there shows that your teams never did better than 5-3 (2-6, 5-3, 5-3, 4-4; respectively). So you were .500 in a conference that has "two really pretty good teams." Nice. Next time, instead of adding unnecessary superlatives to your quotes, you should stop and think about what you're saying.

Seriously though, did you learn nothing from Tommy Tuberville? Last year, he too came out and made such a convincing case for the strength of the SEC, that his own team seemed to believe him (Auburn got drubbed by Arkansas 27-10 the next week, at home). Have you any idea what kind of message this sends to your team? It's not a positive, confident one, I can tell you that much. Think your guys might be checking out how easy USC's schedule is when they're in the middle of a particularly brutal stretch (Florida, @Kentucky, Auburn, and @ Alabama in the span of 5 weeks)? I'll bet they do. And just when they start feeling sorry for themselves, that's when they're going to lose, which will allow a 1-loss Michigan team to sneak into the title game. Truly good work, Lester.

Look buddy, I'm not saying you don't have the support of nearly every SEC fan, because you do. All I'm saying is that you and your team have the best chance at keeping the Sears Trophy here in the South, where it belongs, so don't muck it up.

Sincerely,
GPR

Comments

Fame vs Infamy

2007-07-25T00:07:00.000-05:00

Even though his name now seems to be in every piece of the sports multimedia world, mikevick.com has not achieved the popularity levels that peytonmanning.com achieved during Manning's super bowl win last year or even the popularity that mikevick.com itself achieved during Vick's run to the NFC championships in 2005. In other words, doing something criminal, even if it gets your name in the news, does not bring the notoriety that doing something positive (i.e. success at football) does. Perhaps Vick should have been trying to learn how to pass a football instead of training dogs to kill each other. But the thrill of gambling .00000001% of your salary on a dog fight offered just too much excitement to allow him to focus on becoming a better quarterback. Keep up the good work Vick. For more interesting website popularity comparisons visit Alexa.

PA

Comments

Michael Vick -- A Bad Human Being?

2007-07-23T23:23:00.000-05:00

Although it is best to try not to pass judgment on the character of others, particularly those whom you have never actually met, sometimes neutrality is an impossible task. The recent actions of Mike Vick have pushed us to really question whether or not he has inherent character flaws that make him unfit to be a member of society.

Incident A: Knowingly Exposing a Partner to Herpes

Certainly having herpes or any other STD does not make Vick a bad person. One of the kindest people I have ever met died of HIV. Poor decisions about one's own health are in no way indicative of character. However, deliberately putting at risk the health of another person makes us wonder whether Vick has any consideration for anyone other than himself.

Allow me to refresh you on the details of this case. Vick was well aware of the fact that he had genital herpes. He sought treatment at a clinic under the alias of Ron Mexico. The fact that he used an alias should not be overlooked: such an attempt to hide the fact that he had contracted herpes confirms that he did not find it some small "nuisance," but understood the general embarrassment and personal shame that those infected with STDs often feel. Vick seems to have been acutely aware of the stigma that society attached to the contraction of an STD, particularly an incurable one like herpes.

With this knowledge in hand, he made many pleas to convince a female companion to have sex with him without a condom. They had previously had safe sex multiple times. She resisted, but he kept begging and eventually she relented. Within two days she had to go to the hospital to be treated for symptoms stemming from her infection with Herpes type 2. What kind of a person begs someone to have unprotected sex with them when they know they have a disease which can be transmitted sexually? This virus seems to have had a substantial effect on Vick's quality of life, so he purposefully exposed another person -- a companion he supposedly cared about -- to the virus? I wonder what he would do to someone with whom he did not have an ongoing relationship? Good God.

Incident B: Cruelty Towards Animals

Although not yet convicted, I am convinced that Vick participated in the fighting and killing of a number of dogs. Breeding and training dogs for aggression is not only detrimental to the dog, but also puts people at an undue risk. Overly aggressive pit-bulls can and do attack people. Whether the dogs responsible for these attacks were deliberately bred to fight is besides the point. Breeding any "race" of dogs with the intent to make them more aggressive will have a negative effect on other dogs of this same "race." Puppies that result from the breeding of "fighting pit-bulls" sometimes do not show adequate aggression and are either sold as pets or given to the pound and adopted as pets. The aggression may come out later in their lives or it may come out in subsequent generations. This puts the owners of these dogs, their families, and others in their community at high risk. I would not be surprised to learn that many pit-bull attacks stem from dogs descended from pit-bulls bred for fighting.

Dog fights result in very painful injuries for the dogs. It is a cruel practice. Perhaps even worse is the alleged murder of dogs that did not perform adequately by Vick and his friends. Acts included electrocution, drowning, and blunt force trauma (i.e. they slammed the dog against the ground multiple times). Why? Why not just humanely kill the animal by lethal injection? What is the point of punishing the dog for performing poorly? It will never be fighting again so it won't be "motivated" by the cruel treatment. Other dogs don't know what is going on, you aren't going to intimidate them. It seems that Vick just has a plain disregard forthe value of life.

Vick has a lot money. Multiple millions of dollars. So why did he risk his livelihood to fight dogs? No single fight has a purse higher than $30,000. Clearly, he was not in it for the money. It was an act of sport and he did it for enjoyment. This is all the more condemning of his personality.

Conclusions -- Does Vick Have an Inherent Character Flaw?

Since he was a high school star in Newport News Vick has been surrounded by yes-men. They agree with everything he says; they tell him how great and infallible he is. It now seems obvious that this "star" treatment has gone to his head. He thinks he is above the law and does not really care about how his actions effect other people. However, it must be noted that many stars, be they in entertainment or sports, are treated in the same manner. Nearly all of them show respect towards the lives of others and value the lives of animals. Vick does not. It may be that deep down he is a decent person and that this quality has only been buried by the narcissism brought about his huge success. We suppose that only the time will tell the truth about Vick. He will likely be going to jail where he will have both the time and incentive to really turn his life around and decide if he wants to be a contributing member of society. Only after this will we really know whether his actions arose out of a matter of circumstance or whether he indeed has some inherent, permanent character flaw. While we hope the former is true, we unfortunately believe that time will show that Vick is nothing more than a compassionless criminal.

PA.

Comments

Pray For The NBA

2007-07-23T11:33:00.000-05:00

Every hour, it seems more details are unfolding around the Tim Donaghy scandal (including the fact that I live 5 minutes from this guy). I can’t really say it any better than this Bill Simmons article, but the NBA could be in a real mess. If Donaghy starts talking, which is a real possibility...

talk + write a book + make public apology = Pina Colada's in the Bahama's

vs.

stay quite + prison Bruce = long nights in the slammer

...and other refs or players are involved, this thing could get real ugly. After all, there’s nothing that middle class / blue collar America would love to hear more than NBA players, who are already make ridiculous six and seven figure minimums, point shaving games for a little dough on the side.

Tim Donaghy- Game 3, 2007 Spurs vs. Suns

AG.

Everything I Say Is Important

2007-07-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

These videos are a very insightful look at the world of Stephen A. Smith (and his passion for cheese doodles). Check out these videos of what seems to be slightly "influenced" early 20 year olds trying to identify with the legend. The crew had a year to prepare for 2007, and the "The Stephen A. Smith Heckling Society of Gentlemen" made it count. This is one of the rare times where the sequel gets stronger.

2006 NBA Draft

2007 NBA Draft: Featuring your NBA Lottery Picks

"Spencer Hawes is gonna be a bust!"

AG.

U.S. Meteorologists Have Nothing On The Chinese

2007-07-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my Father always taught me that if you are going to do something "half-ass", don't do it at all. And it seems there is no better example of this than the Chinese Olympic Committee. In past weeks, concerns about the rainy season in China has prompted China to guarantee good whether for the Olympic Games it will host in August '08.

The details of this prediction weren't released until yesterday. But apparently, it's simple, just fire rockets into the sky to scatter any possible rain clouds.

See More on this story: More Credible - Run For Your Lives!

See the latest Chinese Fishing Strategy: BGC Today- Fishing Has Become Much Easier In China

AG.

Steroids Is Something You Shoot In Your Butt

2007-07-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

In light of Gary Sheffield's recent allegations against baseball and the New York Yankees, (while not really being in the mood to discuss this seriously, though I think it should be), we draw an interesting parallel to one of his better quotes:

"In a million years, I don't care what anybody says, steroids is something you shoot in your butt. I do know that. ... The bottom line is steroids is something you stick in your butt — period."

This argument somewhat reminds me of the scene in the infamous teen movie, Roadtrip. You see, it's not cheating because it's YOUR DOG!

AG.

The British Are Coming

2007-07-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

Today, David Beckham appeared in his first press conference with the L.A. Galaxy, and the U.S. sports scene has since taken notice. Many questions arise about the arrival of one of the most recognized athletes in the modern era of sports to a place where no one seems to know him. The most interesting of which seems to be: Can David Beckham ignite a fire of soccer in the hearts and minds of America?

Personally, I've never really been a huge fan of soccer. And though I'd like to become more of an afficionado, I have to admit that if the World Cup isn't being played, I'm unaware of it's existence. However, I hope that whatever it is with the Beckham's, the U.S. (and myself) take notice.

When it comes to self assurance in sports, America has it. Me, like all my fellow countrymen, know that the U.S. produces the best athletes. We have the Michael Jordan's of basketball, Barry Bonds' of baseball, and the entire sport of football, and hold almost all world records in track and swimming. But when it comes to the world's most popular game, we have Landon Donovan, who's been a well known disaster on the international stage. The fact is, we know we have the best athletes in the world, but unless we start to dominate soccer on the global scale, we will never get the respect we deserve, and rightfully so. I don't know if Beckham's arrival will do much to help, but I hope so.

The Google Trends Matchup of the day: David vs. Victoria.

It seems that even though David still gets more searches, wife Victoria is gaining ground quickly. Will the unpopularity of soccer in the U.S. swallow up Beckham's celebrity and bring Posh to the forefront? More on this question at BGC Today.

AG.