Oct 31
If you were looking for an expert to evaluate the managers in baseball, who is the first source you would turn to? Maxim magazine of course! Maxim has released their list of “The Crappiest Baseball Managers” and the Rays own Joe Maddon comes in at #6.
Everybody loves ol’ Joe, and nobody questions that he walked into a situation only slightly less calamitously awful than the Middle East. But jeez, the D-Rays seem actually to have become more anarchic under his watch. B.J. Upton may finally be realizing his potential, but he and his fellow 2009[sic] supadupastars fail to hit the cutoff man, run out ground balls, or tuck in their shirts. There’s less organizational order here than in most communes, and the only place to point the finger for that is at the manager.
Of course we prefer to think of Papa Joe as the 25th best manager in baseball and considering the Rays were only the 30th best team in baseball for the second straight year, Maddon is clearly managing above his team. No wonder the Rays picked up the 2-year option on his contract.
The Crappiest Baseball Managers [Maxim]
Oct 31
Team USA 10 , Mesa 2.
Evan Longoria did not start, but he did pinch hit in the 5th and played third base, going 1-2 with a single and a walk. Justin Ruggiano started in left and went 1-4. Ruggiano also stole a base.
Peo Javelinas 4, Scottsdale 3.
Reid Brignac went 0-5…again. John Jaso was 1-4 with a strikeout.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- This shouldn’t even be newsworthy so we won’t bother to give it its own post. Curt Schilling did not list the Devil Rays among the teams he would consider playing for in 2008. And seeing how he pitched the last month of the season and the playoffs, no team should want him, unless he is strictly a post-season starter. When he needs to, he can still get by on guts, but no pitcher can keep that up over the course of an entire season. And don’t give us this crap about how great he would be for the young pitching staff. If that was the case, why spend $8-12 million for one season on an over-the-hill pitcher, when you could just hire somebody like Orel Hershiser or another recently retired, above-average, starting pitcher to be the pitching coach for a whole lot less. Of course, the best part of this, is we no longer have to read about the “possibility” of Schilling pitching for the Rays in 2008. And by “possibility” we mean “There was never a chance in hell”. [tampabay.com]
- Backup catcher Josh Paul filed for free agency. That leaves the Rays with starter Dioner Navarro and Shawn Riggans who saw limited action at the major league level in 2007 before succumbing to injury. Most managers prefer at least one veteran catcher, even more so with a young pitching staff. Look for the Rays to make an attempt to resign Paul or pursue another veteran free agent catcher this off-season. [tampabay.com]
- We weren’t the only ones that loathed the idea of another championship for the Red Sox. Raymond did not take it to well either. But on brighter news, Raymond is going to get a makeover to coincide with the new Rays logo and colors. [The Big Blue Blog]
- What are the chances of the Rays winning the World Series in 2008? Apparently the same as Dennis Kucinich becoming President in 2008. So you’re telling me there’s a chance! [A Large Regular]
