[THE HANGOVER] Jonny Gomes Demoted, Rocco Will Have To Wait
Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett, Joe Maddon, Jonny Gomes, Rocco Baldelli August 5th. 2008, 4:00pm
THE BAD: We were orignally planning to bring back the Live Blog-A-Baloo of the week on Wednesday. We are long overdue for an installment and Wednesday could be the ’08 debut of Rocco Baldelli. But, when the casting director for a very popular NBC drama calls and asks if you are available on Wednesday to film a scene, you guys get shafted…Sorry.
THE TELLING: With Jason Bartlett limited to pinch-runner availability, Willy Aybar made his first major-league start at SS. Eric Hinske started in LF in place of Carl Crawford. Shawn Riggans made his first professional appearance in the OF after pinch-hitting, and replacing Hinske in LF…
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- In a move that could have a big impact on how soon Rocco Baldelli is activated, Jonny Gomes has been demoted to Durham and Ben Zobrist has been recalled. Clearly, Joe Maddon was not happy with Willy Aybar starting at SS. Gomes was expected to be demoted when Rocco was ready. Now Rocco will have to wait until Jason Bartlett is ready to be inserted back in the lineup. At that point, we expect Zobrist will be demoted and Baldelli will be activated. [SI.com]
- Sixty Feet, Six Inches recaps an interview with Rocco Baldelli in which he addresses various topics including the fate of his beard. [Sixty Feet, Six Inches]
- Carl Crawford missed last night’s game with a sore hamstring and could be out again tonight. [The Heater]
- Tom Verducci of SI.com tells us why the Rays are here to stay…Of course, you would think a 3-game lead in August is enough evidence to show that the Rays “have what it takes to stay in AL East race.” Just shows you how little people outside of the Bay Area think of the Rays. Even if the Rays took a nose-dive over the next 3 weeks, they would at worst be 2-3 games out of the division lead with a month to go. And that alone is “still in the race.”[SI.com]
- Not the first time we have heard this one…Buster Olney compares the ’08 Rays to the ’69 Mets…Olney is hidden behind the evil password wall called “Insider” at ESPN, but Marc Topkin has the details. [ESPN via The Heater]
- BJ Upton may or may not have met the president of his fan club. [Her Rays]
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Sad day for Jonny, but he has to see that they stuck with him much longer than most would have. Hope he rights the ship in Durham and can come back and contribute.
Jonny Gomes is the man.
That said, I will support any decision the Rays make that allows him to be a part of the organization, whether it’s at the MLB, AAA, or even Class A Advanced level with the V-Rays.
We haven’t seen the last of Jonathan Johnson Gomes at Tropicana Field.
whoa whoa whats this about an NBC drama? Am I missing something…
Yeah, I thought you were a scientist? Or do you just play one on TV?
let’s just say i have a lot of hobbies…and yes, Science still pays the bills.
I am assuming that we will be duly informed when it’s time for this show to air. Wouldn’t want to miss it.
Is there anyway to have a Blog-a-baloo without you moderating it? What am I supposed to do this afternoon?