Archive for March 22nd, 2007

Mar 22

Could The Devil Rays Surprise in 2007?

FoxSports.com Cork Gaines No Comments »

Dayn Perry of FoxSports.com in the midst of a series of Top 10 lists and his latest is “ Ten days of Top 10s: Teams who could surprise“. Coming in at #9 are those lovable losers, our very own Bad News Bears Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Now this isn’t quite the same as Aaron Goldstein predicting the Rays to win the World Series last year (seriously) but it is something.

Our first thought was glee, as it is not often that we read love for the Rays. But then we looked a little closer. It would be one thing if he wrote an article about two teams that could surprise, but how much does it mean when he picks one third of the teams in baseball as teams that “could surprise”? Is this the equivalent of picking every double-digit seed to win their first game in the NCAA tournament and bragging when one or two actually come through?

Let’s look a little closer…

First let’s eliminate teams that everybody expects to at least contend for the playoffs.

  • New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disney Land, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

That is 16 teams. One of those teams is actually on Perry’s list (Phillies). Philadelphia finished 3 games back in the wild card race in 2006, so how would they be a surprise in 2007? We are throwing up the BS flag on that one.

There are 30 teams in baseball. 16 teams are legitimate playoff contenders to begin the season and therefore can’t be considered a potential surprise. That leaves 14 teams that could potentially surprise. But which teams? Dayn Perry attempts to answer that question by narrowing the remaining 14 teams down to 10 (or 9 if you eliminate Philadelphia as not surprising). Way to go out on a limb with those bold predictions! In other words, he is saying that if you are not a legitimate contender, it would be a surprise if you do contend. Deep.

But wait! Look a little closer. He is not even saying that a team needs to contend to be a surprise. In the case of the Rays, they will “surprise” if they win 71 games. Another of his “could surprise” teams, the Baltimore Orioles would be a surprise if they finish third in the AL East. Bold predictions indeed!

So is Dayn Perry really making any grand statement with this article? We envision that Dayn Perry is one of those guys that brags about winning his office pool and then you find out he submitted 20 different brackets. As Rays fans should we get excited about being one of Dayn Perry’s teams that could surprise? Of course not, unless you consider that the Rays were not one of the four teams left off the list. Hey, that’s something.

Ten days of Top 10s: Teams who could surprise [FoxSports.com]

Mar 22

First Ever D-Rays Live Game Blog Coming Soon To A Computer Near You

Uncategorized Cork Gaines No Comments »

Now that the Rays have rediscovered that it is easier to win games when you, you know, actually score runs, we are getting excited for the regular season. We are 11 days from opening day and we are here to announce that we will be in the heart of the lion’s den. The arrangements have been made, the Ts have been dotted and the Is have been crossed (reverse that). We will be in New York City for the opening series of the 2007 season when the Rays take on the Evil Empire also known as the New York Yankees. But don’t worry, we will not be abandoning you during this crucial time.

In fact, quite the opposite…

We will be watching opening day from the comfort of a couch in front of a television. That’s right, we will be bringing you the first ever Devil Rays Live Blog (we refuse to call it a Glog). We have had a number of requests for live blogs in the past, especially for weekday day games. Until now we have resisted the temptation mainly out of a feeling of inadequacy. But we are ready to give it a shot.

So, if you are one of the unlucky bastards that is required to be at work on opening day (are your bosses un-American?) we will be here to comfort you and hopefully entertain you a little, as the Rays begin their march towards the 2010 World Series Championship!

And if you aren’t lucky enough to be in NYC with us, but have found your way to a TV, feel free to join us as we chat up the game, and the Rays last look at .500, in the comments section.

Mar 22

The Hangover: Break Up The Devil Rays!

Akinori Iwamura, James Shields, Jayson Stark, Jeff Ridgway, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines No Comments »

  • 16 runs and 29 hits in two days after the Rays 9-2 victory over the ‘Stros, and all of the sudden the Rays have won 4 of 6. James Shields struck out 6 in 5.1 innings but struggled with his control, walking 4. Seth McClung looked better, giving up only 1 hit to the five batters he faced. Chad Orvella pitched yet another scoreless inning. At the plate, Carl Crawford, Ty Wigginton, Delmon Young, B. J. Upton and Elijah Dukes all had multiple hits. Don’t look now but Dukes is all of the sudden hitting .314 and with Rocco Baldelli’s tender hamstring, he is just about a lock to break camp with the Rays.
  • Rocco Baldelli is day-to-day at this point. Does that mean that his hamstring is not serious and we will see him soon? Not necessarily. Here is a telling tidbit from the piece:

Since Baldelli’s had so many different issues with his legs over the last couple of years, he has a hard time analyzing the extent of his leg problems. So when Baldelli was asked whether he feared missing a significant amount of time time, he shrugged his shoulders

  • Interesting news here…Papa Joe announced that Akinori Iwamura will probably only start against right handed pitchers basically dropping him into a platoon situation, B. J. Upton and Ty Wigginton getting the starts versus left-handed starters.
  • Unless the Rays make a trade in next 10 days, the Rays will open the season without a lefty in the bullpe. The Rays optioned Jeff Ridgway to Durham, the only legitimate left handed candidate to make the roster. And, no, we do not consider Jon Switzer a legitimate candidate.
  • In 2006 the Rays lost 61 games in which they held a lead. To quote Jim Leyland…If you want to win, have a good bullpen. If you want to lose, have a (bad) bullpen.
  • Jayson Stark in his latest “Rumblings and Grumblings” lists James Shields as one of 12 players that scouts have mentioned as a player that is “ready to explode to a whole new level.” Stop teasing us Mr. Stark.