Archive for March 12th, 2007

Mar 12

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Fans do silly things Cork Gaines No Comments »


The Tampa Bay Devil Rays just announced a new business partnership with AlphaTrade. As part of the agreement, fans will be able to send text messages that will appear on the Rays new scoreboard this season.

We have been unable to confirm whether the Rays have also hired the ESPN intern in charge of comment deleting. We have a funny feeling that whoever is in charge of filtering the messages will be very busy, especially when the Rays are in the process of losing 10-2 to the Rangers in mid-August. Let’s face it fans do silly things when they are drunk and angry.

Some messages that we are bound to see…

Hey you. The one girl sitting in section 206. You’re hot.

Who wants to see a picture of Sean Salisbury’s Lil’ Friend?

Delmon, would you please throw your bat at Dick Vitale

Rays suck!

Has anybody seen my cell phone?

Matt Silverman. Buy Me! Buy Me!

When does football season start?

Any other suggestions?

Mar 12

Devil Rays Roster And Lineup Projections Redux

25-man Roster Cork Gaines No Comments »

We are a few weeks, two intra-squad games and eleven official games into Spring Training. Now is a good time to take a look at our 2007 25-man roster projections. Over the course of the next month we will update these projections once or twice a week.


A couple of notes on these projections…

  1. The only real question among the fourteen non-pitcher roster slots, is who will fill the final two spots on the bench. One of those spots most likely belongs to B. J. Upton. One of those two spots must go to somebody that can play second base and short stop. The only perceived threat to Upton would be Brendan Harris. While his defense has been more consistent, his OBP is only .261 in 23 Spring at bats.
  2. Elijah Dukes appears to have a slight lead in the race to be the fourth outfielder. His stats have not been as prodigious as his 2006 Spring numbers but he has been consistent with five hits and three walks in 22 plate appearances. Dukes spot could potentially go to non-roster invitees Hee-Seop Choi or Carlos Pena, with Greg Norton shifting over and becoming the fourth outfielder. However, both of those players have struggled going a combined 3-28 so far this Spring.
  3. The rest of the lineup is only conjecture at this point as Joe Maddon is likely to utilize a number of different lineups with the bench players (minus Josh Paul) receiving considerable playing time.
  4. We refuse to consider Josh Paul’s position on the 25-man roster to be at risk. Shawn Riggans is the Rays feel-good story and he is having a solid, if unspectacular Spring, but we haven’t seen anything to indicate that he is seriously competing for a spot.
  5. The fifth spot in the rotation is very much up for grabs. Last week we had Jae-Kuk Ryu penciled in, and this week we give the nod to Brian Stokes who has been outstanding so far. In 6.2 Spring innings, he has yet to allow a run on four hits and only 1 walk. Still, all of the pitchers vying for the final spot are having solid Spring campaigns so far and this is likely to change on a day-to-day basis and could go down to the final week of Spring Training. Keep in mind that Edwin Jackson mus be on the roster or he would have to be offered through waivers. This could give Jackson an edge for this spot to begin the season.
  6. Last week we had Seth McClung’s role as closer listed as “secure”. This week we are not even sure he is guaranteed a spot on the roster. We have the final two spots in the pen going to Al Reyes (who is almost in the “secure” position) and Chad Orvella, due to his strong Spring performance. If anybody falters, Juan Salas could be the first one to jump up into the picture.
Mar 12

The Hangover: Casey Fossum Makes First Start Before Next Injury

Casey Fossum, James Shields, Ruddy Lugo, Seth McClung Cork Gaines No Comments »

  • Another day…another loss. James Shields was shaky in the first, but settled down and retired nine of the final ten he face. He struck out five in four innings.
  • Seth McClung had a rough outing and Joe Maddon made it clear that he has not decided who the closer is yet. If McClung continues to be inconsistent, Al Reyes is going to start getting some serious consideration.
  • Ruddy Lugo is blaming his rough start to Spring Training to rust from not pitching in winter ball during the off-season. Seven hits, one walk and four runs in four innings, is a lot of rust.
  • Oh boy! It’s the day we have all be waiting for. Today is like Christmas morning and what has Santa brought for us? Casey Fossum! Fossum returns to the mound today against the Tiggers. We are setting the over/under on his “hardest” pitch at 82 miles per hour. By “hardest” we of course mean “least soft”. Let’s face it, Fossum is the only major league pitcher whose arsenal does not include a fastball.
  • Papa Joe Maddon is having some t-shirts printed (for the players?) that will read “No regurgitation – Tell me what you think, not what you heard.” No regurgitation? Maybe he should have some printed for the fans. Only problem is they will tell you what they think and they will regurgitate (not necessarily in that order).
  • Just an interesting tidbit we picked up listening to yesterday’s game on WHNZ 1250. Yesterday’s opponent, the Houston Astros, are the only team the Rays have never faced during the regular season. We are too lazy to look it up, so we will take their word for it. Can anybody verify that for us? For example, have the Rays already faced all of the NL West teams during interleague play?