Jul 10
Long Beach State University’s mascot is the “49ers”. However, as those of you that follow this site regularly already know, the baseball team has it’s own moniker, “The Dirtbags”. As a former member of Long Beach State’s baseball team, Evan Longoria, the new face of the Tampa Bay Rays, embodies everything that “Dirtbags” symbolizes. This is why we always refer to Longoria as “Dirtbag”.
Well, Jack Curry of the New York Times ran a fun little piece yesterday morning about Longoria and Jason Giambi and their ties to Long Beach State University.
Evan Longoria did not merely call Jason Giambi a fellow Long Beach State 49er. The baseball team goes by a different nickname, a grittier, sloppier handle, so that was how Longoria referred to him. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Giambi swiftly said.
And that was it. Nowhere in the article does Curry actually use the word “Dirtbag”. Is “Dirtbag now a “bad” word? Would the New York Times face a fine for the use of what is the mascot for a collegiate baseball team?
We honestly cannot come up with a single reason why Curry would tiptoe around the use of the word “Dirtbag”, and yet he will freely use the word “Yankees”, which clearly should have been one of George Carlin’s “7 words you can’t say on television“.
Giambi and Longoria Share Root and a Battle [New York Times]
Jul 10
THE GOOD:
Edwin Jackson after the first inning. He seemed to gain a few inches on his fastball and settled down to hold the Yankees scoreless for the next 5+ innings after allowing 1 run in the first…
JP Howell was once again his masterful self pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 3…
THE BAD: The Offense. 1 run, 9 hits in 2 games. 3 walks, 17 strikeouts, in 2 games…We love that every announcer says that Carl Crawford is a “tough guy to double up” and yet CC has 7 GIDPs this season…Edwin Jackson struggled in the first inning, in which his fastball was in the 90-92 range. It was as if he needed about 15 more pitches in the bullpen before the game…How many running, leaping catches did the Yankees outfielders have to make in this series? First it was Melky Cabrera on Tuesday and then it was Melky (again) and Bobby Abreu yesterday, and all came in crucial situations.
THE TELLING: The Rays have now lost 3 in a row. It is the first time they have lost more than 1 consecutive game since June 10-11.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- With voting ending today, Evan Longoria still enjoys a slight lead for the final spot on the AL All-Star squad. If you haven’t voted yet, or want to vote again, get your arse over there. [MLB]
- Evan Longoriawas named AL Rookie of the Month for June. [Yahoo! Sports]
- Fangraphs has been running a regular series looking at the most valuable players in baseball. Topping the list is the Rays’ own Evan Longoria, based in large part on his team-friendly contract extension signed earlier this season. (Thanks Shawn) [Fangraphs]
- Are the Rays the new Atlanta Braves?…It is certainly a fair comparison and we would definitely take 14 straight division titles. [The Blue Workhorse]
- It is a good thing that Jason Hammel has not been in many games recently as he would most likely only be called upon when a starter exits a game early. And while it must certainly be a tough situation to be in, he is saying all the right things. [MLB]
- How much have some Minnesotans soured on Delmon Young? One writer for a local paper wants the Twins to trade Young and another player for…wait for it…wait for it…An 8th inning set-up man. Seriously. And this guy has more legitimacy than us just because he writes for a mainstream media source? [Rochester Post-Bulletin]
- The Rays once again sit atop Bugs and Cranks power rankings. [Bugs and Cranks]
Jul 10
Norfolk 7, Durham 2. Jeremy Cummings gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 4.1 innings on 9 hits and a walk…Scott Dohmann gave up the go-ahead 2-run home run in the 9th inning for the loss…Dan Johnson finished 3-4 with his 13th home run and 2 RBI…Joel Guzman was 2-4 with 2 doubles.
Montgomery 5, Mobile 1. Wade Davis picked up his 9th win, striking out 6 and walking 2 in 6 innings. He gave up 1 run on 7 hits…Ryan Reid pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief with 1 K and 1 walk…John Jaso was 1-3 with a walk and a solo home run…Gaby Martinez was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI…Chris Nowak had a double in 3 at bats with 2 RBI.
Ft. Myers 6, Vero Beach 1. Wilton Noel made just his 2nd start, giving up 2 runs in 4 innings. Both runs came via solo home runs…Vero Beach had just 4 hits, 1 of which was a solo home run from Nevin Ashley.
Kannapolis 6, Columbus 1. Alex Cobb dropped to 7-5 and was pulled after 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 home runs…Stephen Vogt had 3 of the Catfish’ 7 hits…Chase Fontaine had the lone RBI on 1-3 hitting.
Hudson Valley 7, State College 2.
Princeton v Bristol (pps rain)
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
- One blogger shows that David Price’s numbers compare favorably to Roy Oswalt and Justin Verlander. [The Prospect Corner]
