Archive for March 9th, 2007

Mar 09

Jorge Cantu’s Job Is In Jeopardy; May Force Trade

Uncategorized Cork Gaines No Comments »


Jorge Cantu, everybody’s favorite Jedi baseball player, may be on the verge of losing his job to Ty Wigginton. Tonight, Papa Joe Maddon is starting all of his regulars (minus an injured Dioner Navarro) with Wigginton at second base and Cantu on the bench for the second time in the past three days. We considered the possibility that Cantu may be moved from second base to first base, but we never really considered that he would be removed from the lineup all together.

It is no mystery that Cantu is not the best defensive second baseman, but it is generally believed that his offense can make up for any deficiencies in the field. With Greg Norton in the lineup at first base again, the real question then becomes, what happens to Cantu if he is not the starting second baseman? We can’t imagine that Papa Joe would have a use for him on the bench, with his limited defensive abilities. More likely, the move would force a trade of Cantu for prospects or relief help.

The other interesting aspect of this move is that Papa Joe is leaning towards Wigginton as the replacement and not B. J. Upton, Akinori Iwamura or to a lesser extent Brendan Harris. Even if Wigginton is Maddon’s first choice, everybody knows that Wigginton can play second. So it is revealing that none of the other players are getting any work at second base.

Mar 09

The Devil Rays Universe And Everything In It

Bubba Trammel, Rays Universe Cork Gaines No Comments »

Yes, it is the second time we have used this graphic this week, but we can’t help it. He is so cute and cuddly and Mary-Kate Olseny. You just want to reach out and straighten his fat tie, give him a pat on the back and say “go get ‘em”. It’s Manny Stiles and his new blog is up and running. The New York Yankees have their Evil Empire. The Boston Red Sox have their Nation. Now the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have their Universe! Manny Stiles…or Man-Ray…not to be confused with Man-Ram (Manny Ramirez)…is now fully on board and bringing his non-conformist ways to Rays fans everywhere. So go on over and give him some love. You won’t be disappointed.

First up is a poll asking readers to vote for their favorite Ray. We are not going to reveal our vote. OK, we forgot to vote (we were getting a manicure). But we just want to know why Bubba Trammell is not on the ballot!

Mar 09

Peter Gammons Is On Board With The Rays Way

Outfield is crowded, Peter Gammons, pitching is not crowded Cork Gaines No Comments »


At times he can be a bit of a Pink Sox homer, but for pure baseball writing, nobody does it for us the way Peter Gammons does. And in an arena where everybody has an opinion, we trust his above all else. Last season Gammons nearly died after suffering a brain aneurysm. Well he is back in full force (you can’t stop Peter Gammons, you can only hope to contain him) and Tom Jones of the St. Pete Times caught up with him to ask Gammons his thoughts on the 2007 Rays.

He touches on a number of topics, including the surplus of outfielders (they have to trade on of the big three soon for pitching), Delmon Young (“could be on of the best players in the league”), Joe Maddon (he is a big fan and thinks he has the perfect style for this young team), the rotation (it is getting better, but the team needs to trade for one or two pieces), Jeff Niemann (needs to show he can stay healthy), the Trop (the team needs to be in Tampa to succeed), the new ownership and front office (impressed).

We know it is only Spring Training, but with a 1-6 record, damn we needed something positive.

Thanks Peter, and its good to have you back.

An expert’s take on Rays [St. Pete Times]

Mar 09

The Hangover: Joe Maddon Is Hunting Wabbits

Dioner Navarro, Elijah Dukes, Jason Hammel, Lou Piniella is bat shit crazy, Matt Silverman, Papa Joe Maddon, Scott Kazmir, Shawn Riggans, The Curse of LaMar-Naimoli Cork Gaines No Comments »

  • The Rays lost again. This time to the Pirates 5-2. There were two big story lines. What may be three-fifths of the rotation after the all-star break, Scott Kazmir, Mitch Talbot and Jeff Niemann all struggled and surrendered runs. The other big story was Dioner Navarro who strained a hamstring running the base paths. It doesn’t sound serious but let’s hope that the Curse of Lamar-Naimoli is not rearing its ugly head.
  • 22.50…The amount Matt Silverman paid us to blog about the Rays this year? No. Actually it is the ERA for Jeff Ridgway so far.
  • Scott Kazmir may be a bit rusty on the mound, but he feels good at the plate. That’s important in the AL.
  • Shawn Riggans is beating himself up pretty good in his effort to supplant Josh Paul as the team’s backup catcher. We still say it is a long shot, at best.
  • Cubs pitchers issued 10 walks in one game. Afterwards, Rays pitchers sent sympathy cards.
  • So if Matt Silverman bought each fan for $535, how much would it cost to fill the Trop? $24,075,000…Or about the same amount as the Rays opening day 40-man payroll.
  • Its a good thing Jason Hammel is a professional baseball player. If not, he would be unemployed.
  • Now that the Rays are in bed with Bugs Bunny and Co., does this mean that if they ever make a movie about Elijah Dukes life, he will played by the Tasmanian Devil? And who would play Papa Joe Maddon? Elmer Fudd of course.