With the season over, there is little new info on the Rays MLB site.  The organization is still at work, but most of that work is being done behind the scenes.  In one bit of new information, BJ Upton is the team’s nominee for the Hank Aaron Award, which goes to the best offensive player in the league.  It’s always a plus to be represent a team in any such award, but the chances of Upton bringing home the trophy are slim – Miguel Cabrera, Triple Crown winner, rookie Mike Trout, who did just about everything a player could do offensively except win a Triple Crown are also nominated.

That being said, Upton put up some pretty good numbers:  twenty-nine doubles, twenty-eight home runs, seventy-nine runs scored, and seventy-eight ribbies.  His OPS of .752 was well above the league average, and he stole thirty-one bases in thirty-seven attempts.  During his hot streaks, he carried the team.  In what was possibly his last at bat with the franchise as he tests the waters of free agency, he singled.  After being removed from the game, he sat in the dugout, his emotions getting the better of him, tears in his eyes.  While there’s no telling where BJ will end up next year, it is obvious that the probability of leaving the Rays’ organization is not an easy call for him. » Continue reading “Upton Nominated For Hank Aaron Award As Postseason Hits Full Stride”

Today, St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster and Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg met for two hours. But more on that later…

First, the fun stuff. David Price, BJ Upton, and Burke Badenhop each avoided arbitration by signing with one-year deals with the Rays. Jeff Niemann’s 2012 salary will have to be determined by an arbitrator.

Price inked a contract worth $4.35 million for the 2012 season and Upton will make $7 million next season. Badenhop, the righty reliever the Rays acquired from the Marlins earlier this offseason, will earn $1.075 million in the coming year.

Price took to Twitter to share his feelings.

Even with a couple million more coming to him over the next year, he still seems like the nice guy I’ve enjoyed following for years. Tonight, he’s hanging out with Leigh Dittman and her parents at the Lightning game. Leigh suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta and has broken 29 bones, but hasn’t let that stop her from being a big fundraiser for Shriners Hospital for Children.

Ok, so now back to that meeting of the minds that took place in the Rays’ offices today between Stu and Mayor Foster.

Well, according to the Tampa Bay Times, Foster declined to comment following the meeting saying he wanted to brief city council members prior to speaking publicly.

Foster said the meeting was “nothing dramatic.”

The Tampa Tribune cut right to the chase with a headline that read: Rays, St. Pete no closer on new stadium, Sternberg says

Womp. Womp.

Still, Sternberg says he believes the Rays will see an increase in attendance in 2012. So, yay?

Now that we are into December, it is officially the Christmas Season. Or Hannukah Season. Or Kwanzaa. Or, if you want to be politically correct, it’s the Holiday Season. No matter what , it is a time of celebration, and hopefully giving. Oh, I know receiving is always fun, but giving is what it’s all about. I’ll start with my Christmas wishes for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Please let Andrew Friedman stay with the club. He has the knowledge, insight, personality, and energy that any club could use. But being a small-market club, Tampa Bay needs him pulling the strings.

That being said, I wouldn’t want him to stay if there was something better out there for him. Ultimately, he will make the best decision for himself – I hope that bodes well for the Rays.
Health for Kyle Farnsworth’s elbow. I have read that he appears to be in good health, and hope that is the case. He had a great year for the Rays in 2011, and whether or not he is ever officially named the closer doesn’t matter. He brought a lot to the table for Tampa Bay last year. I like to see people like that do well. He certainly fits well with the club.

A continued upswing for B.J. Upton. Last September, his O.P.S. was 1.038, which is ridiculous. Team O.P.S. is usually around .725, give or take a little. B.J. More than carried his weight as the Rays made the stretch run, and if he could put that together over an extended period of time, the Rays would be well on their way to added offense. Without having to go outside the organization to get it.

A return to health for Evan Longoria. Even fighting multiple injuries, he had 99 ribbies in 133 games to go with 78 runs scored and 31 home runs. Although his average dipped to a career-low .244, his PRODUCTION was great! If healthy, I think expect the average to rebound greatly and the RBIs, runs scored, and home runs to improve. That would mean he could have a season of monster proportions.

Fill the DH and 1B slots with minimal shuffling of players. I know the Rays will make the moves necessary, and also make as few moves as possible. Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman are still on the radar. Friedman and the Rays’ Brain Trust know that success means not only having the right players, but just as importantly, having the right people! Check out Mark Topkin at www.tampabay.com for his take on the Rays needs, especially his 12/1 and 12/3 posts.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will try to add a few more wishes for the Rays. Now, on to some reasons for the season…

Yesterday, I went to a fundraiser for Madison Hurdle, the daughter of Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle. Madison suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome. Although there are numerous symptoms, possibly the most significant is an insatiable appetite that can lead to life-threatening obesity.

Madison is now nine years old, and Clint is the national spokesman for the condition. To see Madison, and her younger brother Christian, along with their mother Karla and Clint at a small-town benefit for PWS was moving. On a beautiful day in Cocoa Beach, Florida, friends, family, and softball teams came together to raise money for the study of Prader-Willi. Check out PWS at www.pwsausa.org. While the syndrome might not be well known, the need to find a cure is great, and we need to get the word out!

While in the mood of caring and sharing, check out several causes that the Rays stood up for last year:

Johnny Damon at www.uncorkforacause.com. Held last July, it was a wine and food tasting event, and proceeds went to the families of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in St. Pete.
Evan Longoria held a yoga fundraiser for the Moffitt Cancer Center. Click here for photos.

Last, and certainly not least, Joe’s Thanksmas has become a major event on the west coast of Florida. Joe Maddon, his staff and members of the Rays’ organization provide meals to the needy from the Tampa Bay area south to Fort Myers. The state of Florida had over 49,000 homeless students alone in 2010. With the economy as it is, Maddon and his lieges provide a tremendous service, not only in the shopping for, cooking and serving of meals, but also in leadership of caring for the community. Check out the cause at www.joesthanksmas.com.

Last year, Fan Fest at Tropicana Field drew 25,000 people – which included Sarah and me – and raised $100,000 for Rays’ charities.

So take a few minutes, look up your favorite players and the benefits they support, and make the season better for everyone. It’ll even make it better for you!

It’s time for a holiday themed edition of This Week in Rays’ Twitter! I swear I’m still recuperating from the traveling, the eating, and the traveling.

While the case can easily be made that Evan doesn’t need to shop on Black Friday because he can afford to pay the usual retail price for items, I have to agree with him. I’ve shopped once, maybe twice, on Black Friday in my life and it wasn’t really worth it.

Evan started off his pre-Thanksgiving celebration with a drink instead of sorting through store ads.

And like a good Twitter celebrity, he wished his followers a happy holiday.

Skipper Joe Maddon did the same.

David Price wished his followers a happy Turkey Day in his typical light-hearted manner.

Price’s pup, Astro, is probably very thankful for his owner.
Price comes off like a prince more often than not, and a story about Price and a very special girl named Leigh who suffers from brittle bone disease but is still a fundraising force for Shriners Hospital ran in the Tampa Tribune on Thanksgiving Day reinforced the “good guy” feeling I get about him. If you missed it because you were too busy looking for those Black Friday ads, be sure to click the link above.

I’ll just ignore the fact that Price, a Tennesse native, is a Titans fan since his team beat my Bucs today…

Now after days marked by the consumption of copious amounts of food, I need to take a page out of BJ Upton’s book.

 

 

 

 

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”

Well, it’s back to Tampa Bay with the ALDS knotted at one game apiece. I can live with that. Sure, the Rays wanted to head home with two wins under their belts, but that’s often not the way baseball works. If you had told the Rays they would split in Texas before they left the Sunshine State, they would have taken it.

Yes, they would have wanted to come home in need of only one victory to take the series, but in baseball, a split on the road is generally considered OK. It’s just that when you win the series opener, you tend to get greedy. And that’s as it should be.

However, as a friend of mine, Art Pollock, used to say, baseball is “a 60% game.” Basically, if you win 60% of the time, you make the post-season. And in a five-game series, you need to win 60% to stay alive. The Rays can get that done.

James Shields suffered through a bad fourth inning, and was lifted after giving up back-to-back singles to Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz to start the seventh. After pitching effectively for the first three innings, it looked pretty good for the Rays. In the top of the fourth, Matt Joyce absolutely torched a high fastball from Texas started Derek Holland, and Shields had a 3-0 lead. Then, it fell apart. Shields took full responsibility for the inning:

“I hit Andrus and things really started rolling there for me. I made some bad pitches and they capitalized.”

Even great pitchers have rough outings once in a while. He’ll be back and pitch well. That’s my prediction.

» Continue reading “The 60% Rule And “Keep on drivin’ ‘em””

Ladies and Gentleman,

Let’s give a collective pat on the bag to “Big Complete Game” James.  Our Shieldsy threw his 11th complete game of the season on Monday against the formidable Texas Rangers (80-62).

I love, love, love that Shields said complete games aren’t “routine” for him (even though the numbers might not jive with that.)  He’s a workhorse and it seems like he’ll stay that way.  When Shields walked Elvis Andrus in the top of the ninth, it was good to see that he was ticked off about it.  Unfortunately, that walk set the wheels in motion for the Rangers’ only run of the day.

The Rays offense supported Shields and Tampa Bay jumped ahead early with a solo shot by Evan Longoria in the first inning.

Tampa Bay made the most of a bad inning by Texas starter Scott Feldman.  In the fourth, Feldman loaded the bases on walks setting up Casey Kotchman’s two-run single and John Jaso’s double-play ground ball that sent Sean Rodriguez home.

BJ Upton tacked on one more run for the Rays with a homerun in the seventh.

And to add one more ray of sunshine to the end of a holiday weekend, Monday’s victory was manager Joe Maddon’s 500th career win.

Tampa Bay continues their series against Texas tomorrow with a 7:10 game.  Jeff Niemann will square off against CJ Wilson for the second time in just six days.

 

-Catcher Jose Lobaton’s time behind the plate will increase during the last month of the regular season which means we’ll be seeing less of Kelly Shoppach and his beard.  Skipper Joe Maddon said of Lobaton:

“Going into next year, he’d definitely be a candidate. And that’s why it’s vital we see him right now.”

-Jeff Niemann gets the nod for the Rays on Tuesday.  He’ll try to put his last start against Texas behind him.  On September 1, Niemann lasted just five innings in Arlington and gave up five runs on six hits.

-The wives of Rays players will hold a “Mystery Ball” event before Saturday’s game against Boston.  Proceeds will go to St. Petersburg’s All Children’s Hospital.  Of course when I read “Mystery Ball” my mind first jumped to a masquerade ball…but the event that will actually occur on Saturday sounds like a lot of fun too.  Fans can purchase a wrapped, autographed baseball for $30.  The wrapping will conceal which player, or players, signed the souvenir, hence the mystery.

The Rays fell to the Rangers 2-0 in Arlington last night.  If you relied only on MLB sources, you’d think starter Jeremy Hellickson was absolutely abysmal.  The Tampa Bay recap from MLB.com was titled “Hellickson stumbles as Rays get blanked” with the sub-heading “Tampa Bay manages just three hits in 13th shutout loss.”

MLB posted this little beauty from their Facebook page during the game:

I’m sure that the fact that the Rays were losing when this photo popped up in my newsfeed didn’t help, but I was really miffed.  I wasn’t annoyed that MLB ran an unflattering photo of Hellickson, it was the lack of context.  Put in a caption like “Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson feeling the heat in Texas. Rays down 2-0″ and then ask for your fans’ input.

From that photo alone, you’d think Hellickson had just served up a grand slam.  I don’t even want to get into what hundreds of people had say about the post and I haven’t looked at it today to see how many hundreds more climbed on the Caption THIS bandwagon.

Hellickson was not perfect (duh, he gave up two runs) but let’s not completely pin the loss on his shoulders. Only BJ Upton, Sean Rodriguez and pinch-hitter Sam Fuld showed signs of life at the plate.

The other night my dad and I were talking Rays baseball and what do you know, the lack of offense came up.  Dad was a pitcher through college and can empathize with the Rays rotation.  When you can’t count on your team for a few runs each night, it makes stepping on the mound a more daunting task than usual.

Feeling like you need to be perfect wears on you after a while, whether you’re a baseball player, a student, or in the working world.

Yes, Hellboy struggle.  He lasted six innings, gave up six hits and two earned runs with four walks and four strikeouts.  Over the course of the night, he threw 112 pitches, 69 were strikes.

James Shields, who has 10 complete games under his belt this season, will look to turn things around for his team, and himself, when he’s on the bump tonight.  Shields is 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA at Arlington.

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]

The Rays didn’t get a hit against Carl Pavano and the Twins until the fifth inning last night.  Heading into the ninth, Tampa Bay was down 2-0 so you’ll understand when I was driven to the fridge to commence a little stress eating.  It seemed that the Rays’ bats, which had been incredibly active against the Red Sox, had been given one of those famous Boston curses before returning to the Trop.

I sat down at the top of the ninth with Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt  in hand.  Cesar Ramos got the Rays out of the inning without allowing the Twins to inflict any more damage. Minnesota’s manager Ron Gardenhire sent Joe Nathan in to save the game.  BJ Upton grounded out to open the bottom half of the inning and it looked like the only enjoyment I’d get during the game would come from froyo.

Then, Felipe Lopez doubled.  Ben Zobrist was walked.  And Matt Joyce was at bat. Joyce had two hits earlier in the game, but had been picked off once.  This time around, he doubled, allowing Lopez and Zobrist to cross home plate.  Dan Johnson and John Jaso each flied out to force a 10th inning.

Ramos struck Jim Thome out to start the extra inning before Kyle Farnsworth was called upon to close the game.  Delmon Young grounded out and then the Twins showed signs of life when Matt Tolbert singled.  A passed ball by John Jaso during Danny Valencia’s at bat allowed Tolbert to move to second.  And again, I found comfort in Cherry Garcia.  Valencia singled and Tolbert scored.  Now the Rays would have to score two to get their third straight W.  David Butera grounded out to end the top half of the inning.

Matt Capps came on the mound for Minnesota in the 10th.  Reid Brignac flied out to kick off the inning with a less than dramatic flair. Uh-oh.  The Ben and Jerry’s was gone.  But I still had a little hope, the Legend otherwise known as Sam Fuld was at the plate.  Fuld singled and the tying run was on base.  Designated hitter Johnny Damon was up next.  Damon was 0-for-4 on the night so I debated watching his fifth at bat.  I shook off the urge to channel surf and watched Johnny hit a home run to give the Rays their first home win of the season.  I stayed glued to Sun Sports to see Johnny’s post-game shaving cream pie, courtesy of BJ Upton.

Final Score: Twins 2, Rays 4 [Box Score]

Notes: Rays started James Shields threw 116 pitches, 72 were strikes.  Sam Fuld stole his seventh base of the season. Minnesota’s Joe Mauer did not play on Thursday night.  After the game it was announced that Mauer had been placed on the 15 day DL with “bilateral leg weakness.”