I remember the morning Sarah was born very well.  The temperature was just above freezing, and it was during baseball’s spring training and my own junior college season.  I wore jeans, running shoes, and my long-sleeved baseball undershirt into the delivery room.  That was almost twenty-five years ago.  This year, to celebrate her twenty-fifth birthday, we will be together as a family enjoying a Rays game in Port Charlotte.

When I was younger, I went to a number of spring training games in Vero Beach’s Dodgertown.  Vero was only forty miles from home, and you could always get a ticket, even though Dodger games were well-attended.  Today, spring training games are a happening, and it’s not unusual to find them sold out.  So we managed to procure our tickets early, and will be heading to Port Charlotte.

While some people want to see all the stars play, I enjoy getting a chance to see the young kids on the way up just as much.  It’s great to see who the big league club has waiting in the wings.  My plan is to get to the park early and walk around the minor league complex as much as I can.  Old names will be offering instruction, and new names will be taking in the information.  It will be great to hear the crack of the wooden bat and the pop of the glove!  Click here for more information about buying tickets for spring training in Port Charlotte.

• If we get lucky, we may be able to see Don Zimmer, who will be around spring training in a limited capacity.  When I say lucky, I actually mean fortunate.  Zim is not only a baseball classic, but a class act as well.  Here’s to wishing him the very best as he starts his 65^th game in professional baseball.
• Four Rays will be playing in the World Baseball Classic.  Jose Molina will play for Puerto Rico, Fernando Rodney and Joel Peralta will take the ball for the Dominican Republic, and Ben Zobrist will be representing the Rays while playing for the United States.

Seven games. That’s the win streak that the Rays have going right now. Tampa Bay took down the Mariners last night, 4-1. Maybe Evan Longoria’s the good luck charm this team needed or maybe the Rays have just hit their stride. Whatever it is, I hope it continues so they can secure a spot in the postseason.

The Rays hope to extend their streak to eight tonight when Matt Moore (9-7, 3.73) faces Kevin Millwood (4-10, 4.38). It’s a 10:10pm  ET first pitch out at Safeco field so once again, the glow of my phone due to score updates will likely wake me up.

Ben Zobrist, who has been playing as short, looks pretty comfortable out there. Of course he does. He’s the kind of player my dad calls “human spackle” because he can fill almost any hole in a lineup. Skipper Joe Maddon said of Zobrist’s position:

I’m almost thinking, he’s back home, that’s where he began.

And last but not least, because the folks at DRaysBay like pointing out the awkward moments of Sun Sports Rays broadcasts as much as I do, here’s This Week’s in Sun Sports, complete with a blond girl seeming a little weird around Todd Kalas.

Editor’s note: After reading Wayne’s latest post, I decided that it was time to give out the 2011 Golden Cowbells.

On April first, I put out my Fearful Prognostication for the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays. I made it clear that I wasn’t much for predictions, and now I’m here to let you know how poorly I foresaw the season.

About 1/3 the way through the season, I made some adjustments to those predictions, and fell short there as well.

I have often asked myself, “What in The Wide, Wide, World of Sports Were You Thinking???”

Wins –

• April 1st-David Price,with 16
• 1/3 of the way through the season-David Price
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-James Shields, 16

E.R.A. -

• April 1st-David Price, 2.90
• 1/3 of the way through the season-David Price
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-James Shields, 2.82

Ks –

• April 1st-David Price, 235
• 1/3 of the way through the season-David Price
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-James Shields, 225

B.A. -

• April 1st-Manny Ramirez, .305
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Matt Joyce
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Casey Kotchman, .306

R.B.I. -

• April 1st-Evan Longoria, 96
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Matt Joyce
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Evan Longoria, 99

Homers –

• April 1st-Evan Longoria, 31
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Evan Longoria
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Evan Longoria, 31

Pitching X-factor –

• April 1st-James Howell
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Jeremy Hellickson
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-The bullpen – good job!!!

Offensive X-factor –

• April 1st-B.J. Upton
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Johnny Damon
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Damon/Upton

Bounce-back –

• April 1st-Ben Zobrist
• 1/3 of the way through the season-James Shields
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Zobrist/Shields

Overall W-L –

• April 1st-83-79
• 1/3 of the way through the season-87-75
• End of the season-91-71

M.V.P. -

• April 1st-Joe Maddon
• 1/3 of the way through the season-Joe Maddon
• Golden Cowbell winner at the end of the season-Joe Maddon

» Continue reading “The Golden Cowbells: Rays’ Prognostications Revisited And A Future To Look Forward To”

It’s less than a week after the end of the season for the Rays, and I am suffering from withdrawal. Oh, sure, there are the playoffs. Even though Tampa Bay isn’t involved anymore, I will enjoy them greatly.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t miss the Rays on the field until spring training begins. This season, a most improbable season, got right to the heart of the game for me. From an 0-6 start to 91 wins during the regular season, from “No team has ever started 0-6 and made the playoffs” to “Guess who’s the first team to make the post-season after starting 0-6?”

Over this past season, I have written a piece on the Rays roughly once a week, usually on Sunday. Generally, there was a wrap-up of the previous day’s game and a preview of the Sunday game. But I also tried to look at the big picture.

Baseball, like anything else, is about the big picture. With social media, the MLB Network, ESPN, and every other way in which we learn about every subtlety and nuance not only of every game, but also of everything anyone has said or done, plus being told exactly the meaning behind everything anyone has said or done (it amazes me part of journalism today is that the journalist must also be prescient), from throwing a hanging curve ball to tossing out an ill-advised tweet, we sometimes lose the big picture.

Manager Joe Maddon and the Rays didn’t forget about the big picture. After the horrendous start, losing six straight at home, Maddon took out a bottle of whiskey, gave the team paper cups, and toasted the best 0-6 team in baseball. From that point, the Rays faced the uphill climb of a potential post-season that ended with Evan Longoria lining a home run over the short “L” in the left field wall to realize another year in the playoffs for the Rays.

Along the way, Kyle Farnsworth became the closer many always thought he had the potential to be.

Longoria overcame two injuries, missed 29 games, and still played hard on a daily basis and put up 31 home runs along with 99 ribbies. His defense may have suffered briefly while dealing with his ailments, but no one plays a better third base on a day to day basis than Longo, and he constantly made the routine play, and dazzled with many great ones.

James Shields went from “Big Game James” to “Complete Game James” while striking out 225 and posting a 2.82 ERA in what was a remarkable season, Shields showed the mental and physical toughness that defines the best who take the ball every five days.

Ben Zobrist had 46 doubles, 20 homers, scored 99 runs, and generally showed everyone what a true professional he is by playing several positions over the year,and playing them all very well.

B.J. Upton, while enduring being on the trading block, came up with a fantastic September, and was a major cog in the success of the team over the last month of the season. Without his offense, it is highly unlikely the Rays would have made the playoffs.

And what about Johnny Damon, whose soul seemed to keep the club afloat when times were toughest?

» Continue reading “Looking Back To Look Forward”

Let’s go with the good news first.

David Price (11-10) pitched beautifully on Wednesday.  No, it wasn’t another complete game, but it was eight shutout innings against one of the beasts of the AL East.  The southpaw allowed just three hits and walked three en route to his 11th win of the season.

Price spoke to Sun Sports’ Todd Kalas following the game.

When Kalas noted that it seemed the Rays starters were able to feed off each other (James Shields and Jeff Niemann each threw complete games on Tuesday) Price responded:

I watched the two performances in front of me and knew I needed to step up.

Price spoke about the Rays chances to reach the playoffs twice saying:

We’re in this thing.  We know we are.

And:

We’re playing good baseball right now.  If we continue to do this and everyone can continue to do their part, we’ll be all right.

Price certainly did his part on this most recent road trip.  He began it with a win over the Yankees on Friday and ended it with Wednesday’s W over the Red Sox.

Ben Zobrist went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the 4-0 Rays victory. Each of those hits was a double.  Zorilla now leads the majors in two-baggers with 40 on the season.

Tampa Bay currently sits eight games back from second-place Boston in the AL East.  But playoff hopes, that light at the end of the 162 game tunnel, remain.  History isn’t entirely against us. Joe Maddon told MLB.com:

“Crazy stuff happens as long as you stay engaged. And as long as you believe, stuff can happen. Once you disengage, disconnect and don’t believe, at that moment it is over; go home. So you have to remain engaged and believe it.”

Now for the not so great stuff.

The damn stadium saga.  I knew better than to get excited when I read about the St. Petersburg City Council meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The outcome of the meeting?  It’ll make your head spin.  St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster said he has a “detailed plan” that will keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg.

A plan other than staying in the Trop through 2027? Hey, that’s a step in the right direction!

Not so fast my friend.

 

He wouldn’t say if that plan involved a new stadium.  When pressed for more information, Foster wouldn’t give reporters any of the details from this detailed plan.  Instead of commenting, he went into a private office.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, several of the city council members aren’t sure what plan Mayor Foster is talking about.

“He’s got something, but he won’t say what,” said Jeff Danner.

“I have no idea,” said Herb Polson, “but I would like to know.”

” I haven’t heard anything about it,” Karl Nurse said. “Maybe the mayor really does have a secret plan.”

Council members Steve Kornell, Wengay Newton and Leslie Curran also said Foster had not discussed any detailed plan with them.

St. Petersburg’s City Council voted to hold a workshop to get more information.  Seems…uhh…pretty necessary.

Mayor Foster, a plan revolving around the Rays stadium issues does not involve national security. There’s no need to go all covert ops here and keep people, especially St. Pete’s other elected officials, out of the loop.

All of the secrecy could make one wonder: Does this detailed plan exist?

Michael Sasso of the Tampa Tribune even begins one paragraph of his article regarding the city council meeting with the phrase: “If there is such a plan.”

If. There. Is. Such. A. Plan.

The full sentence reads:

“If there is such a plan, Thursday was the first time Foster or anyone else had mentioned it. St. Petersburg City Clerk Eva Andujar said she knew nothing of it Thursday.”

I’m laughing, but it’s that kind of laugh that could easily turn into a sob.  If there is such a plan, please share it Mayor Foster.  Many Rays fans around the region are desperate to know how we can get our team out from under the dome.

And if the plan is simply to keep the Rays at Tropicana Field…well…that’s not very “detailed.”

 

 

It only took Alex Cobb 83 pitches to negotiate seven innings as Tampa Bay salvaged the final game of a three-game set in Kansas City. The young righty gave up six hits and struck out two while allowing no walks in running his record to 3-0 on the season. Keeping the Royals off-balance with his second and third pitches, Cobb rolled ground balls, and even when allowing the first two hitters of the sixth and seventh innings, escaped unharmed.

The Rays got the only run they would need when Evan Longoria singled Johnny Damon home in the top of the third. Matt Joyce then knocked in Ben Zobrist, who had reached base on his 31st double of the season, with a sacrifice fly.

In an inning that would drive pitching coaches and manager crazy, the Rays tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. After a lead-off single by Sam Fuld, Royals starter Felipe Paulino and reliever Blake Wood combined to hit three batters and walk one, resulting in an RBI on both a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Tampa Bay would send three relievers to the hill to close things out after Cobb was forced to leave the game with a blister on his throwing hand. Jake McGee slammed the door shut on the Royals in the ninth, striking out two in the process. The Rays improved to 53-47 on the season, but remain 9.5 games behind division-leading Boston an 6.5 games behind the Yankees in the race for the wild card.

Tampa Bay headed west after their win for a four-game set with the Athletics.  Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.17) will take the hill in Oakland this evening, against Guillermo Moscoso, who is 3-5 on the year with a 2.96 ERA.

» Continue reading “Cobb Dominates As Rays Take Royals, 5-0″

I don’t really like writing about a game in progress.  But right now, I’m hoping that throwing this out into the universe can bring about some change.  And if not, I can at least let my fears out.

James Shields, recently selected as an All-Star, is struggling with his delivery.  Ruh-roh.

And Matt Joyce, another 2011 AL All-Star, made his first error of the year, allowing the Twins to score an extra run.

Luckily for TB, Danny Valencia committed an error to allow Ben Zobrist, who is in the running for the Final Man position on the All-Star team, to score. You can cast your vote for Zobrist here.

Lefty David Price was also selected as an All-Star and took the loss last night.

Don’t get me wrong, our All-Stars deserve to be in that elite group. Unlike say….Derek Jeter who will START in the All-Star game even though he just came on the 15 day DL and is batting .259.  But I digress.  I just want to see our All-Stars look like All-Stars in Minnesota.

Looks like writing an in-game post may be helping already, or at least I can tell myself that.  James Shields just picked off his second base runner of the game.

The Rays are currently down 3-1 heading into the fifth.

And hey, if things get really ugly, I can just head over to Rays Index and take another spin through their latest photo gallery.  Some of the Rays might have a second career option in modeling.

Normally, I am not much of one for predictions. I chuckled at all the interest Y2K brought about, and I am not concerned that the world is coming to an end any time soon.

So why, on April 1st did I post Fearful Prognostication? Was it because it was All Fools’ Day? No, it was just for fun. Just something to look back on over the season to see where things were falling for the Rays.

Simply a few harmless guesses to check on after the season is over – and hopefully, the W-L prediction will fall short of reality. So, here’s a look back at what I had to say on St. Hugh’s Day – by the way, my first name is Hugh – maybe that’s why I go by my middle name.

Wins – David Price – 16

ERA – Price – 2.90

Ks – Price – 235

BA – Manny Ramirez – .305

RBI – Evan Longoria – 96

HR – Longoria – 31

Pitching X-factor – the return of JP Howell

Offensive X-factor – BJ Upton

Bounce-back – Ben Zobrist

W-L – 83-79

MVP – Joe Maddon

So, to update where I would stand on those predictions at this time:
» Continue reading “One-Third Down, And Where Are The Rays?”

The Rays won their FIFTH straight game last night thanks to a 9th inning solo shot from Ben Zobrist (I just can’t call him Zorilla this early in the season) and a walk-off single from Johnny Damon.  And no, I did not bring out the Ben and Jerry’s.  However, I was having dinner during the final two innings. Maybe I just need to eat any time the Rays are down.  With the victory, Tampa Bay improves to 6-8 on the season.

Final Score: Twins 3, Rays 4 [Box Score]

I don’t feel the need to question Joe Maddon very often, but I certainly wasn’t the only one wondering why John Jaso didn’t bunt with BJ Upton on third and no outs in the 9th last night.  I’m just glad Johnny was there to make the non-bunt (nearly) a non-issue. Joe Rays Fan echoes my sentiments. [Rays Index]

For some reason BJ looked confused (maybe he didn’t expect to win five in a row) while rounding the bases following Damon’s hit. Check out Upton’s expression around the :07 mark in this video Damon’s walk-off single.

Damon-sans shoulder towel-speaks about his recent heroics here.  He has the game-winning RBI in each of the last 5 games.

JP Howell’s long road to recovery from left-shoulder surgery seems to be progressing well.  The 27-year-old southpaw threw live batting practice before Saturday’s game. After throwing 34 pitches Howell said, “Feels good to have a little juice going in your body.”  While I’m glad you’re feeling good, JP, perhaps using the word “juice” in any context following Manny’s retirement is not the best idea.  Also, that hirsute look that Joe Maddon encouraged earlier this season doesn’t really work for you.  That said, can’t wait to see you come back! [Rays Baseball]

So far, Evan Longoria’s rehab for a strained left oblique is going well.  Longo is eligible to come off the DL on Monday, but is not likely to return to the lineup for another week.  The All-Star third baseman received his 2010 Gold Award before Saturday’s game against Minnesota. [Tampa Tribune]

Jeremy Hellickson is set to start against the Twins today.  Hellboy faced Minnesota in his Major League debut and picked up the win after allowing two runs in seven innings of work. Here’s to continued success for Hellickson and a sweep for the Rays! [Rays Baseball]