Sep 30
Archive for September, 2008
Sep 30
[HAPPY HOUR] Crawford To Start In Left Field In Game 1
Carl Crawford, Edwin Jackson, Eric Hinske, Fernando Perez, Joe West, Troy Percival 6 Comments »[Update: 9:58pm] And the Rays opponent in the ALDS will be the Chicago White Sox after their 1-0 victory over the Twins. This season the Rays were 6-4 against the Sox, going 4-3 in two series at the Trop back in April and May and taking 2 of 3 in Chicago at the end of August.
[Update: 9:05pm] Scoreless through 5 and a half. We are so confused every time they go back to the studio and Ernie Johnson is sitting there. We are expecting Charles Barkley to be there and tell us how ridiculous Nick Blackburn’s pitch selection is.
[Update: 8:49pm] Momentum turning play? With 1 out and a man on third, Michael Cuddyer tried tagging on a very shallow flyball to center. The ball was shallow enough even for Ken Griffey Jr who fired a 1-hopper to home to get Cuddyer at the plate and end the inning.
[Update: 8:01pm] They are underway in Chicago, scoreless in the second inning. Anybody else rooting for the White Sox to win in 17 innings, using all their relievers and a couple of starters?
[Update: 5:51pm] Jonny Gomes is telling the media he is not on the ALDS roster, but will travel with the team. We believe teams can add a player to the roster during a series if an injury occurs.
[Update: 4:35pm] Joe Maddon just announced that James Shields will be the game 1 starter and Scott Kazmir will go in game 2. Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine will follow in games 3 and 4, respectively. Edwin Jackson is telling reporters that he is not on the postseason roster for the first round.
[4:30pm] We now know Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster. That means the final roster spot could come down to Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez, unless Joe Maddon decides to use only six pitchers in the bullpen. That is not likely if Troy Percival is also on the roster. If Percy is on, we are guessing Hinske and Edwin Jackson are off. Check back throughout the evening as we will post roster updates here as well as updates on the Twins-White Sox 1-game playoff.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Joe Maddon told the press today that Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster and will start game 1 in left field. However, he will likely bat lower in the lineup. [Rays Report]
- Carl Crawford went 2-3 in this morning’s instructional league game, hitting a triple off the wall his first time up and adding a single later. He also struck out looking and was caught stealing. [The Heater]
- In case you missed it earlier, Modern West, Kevin Costner’s band, have recorded a song for the Rays’ postseason…And it is as bad as you can imagine. [Rays Index]
- Outs Per Swing is back with another list of pitching performances. This time it is the “Bottom 10″…It is good thing the Rays won the division. Had the Rays missed the division title or even the playoffs by 1 or 2 games, this list would have caused us to repeatedly pound our head on the desk, all while mumbling the name “Edwin Jackson“. [Outs Per Swing]
- The Dodgers “Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
- The books in Vegas stand to lose a lot of money if the Rays win the World Series and even if they just win the AL. [Vegas Watch]
- The Rays first round playoff series will be umpired by a crew led by Joe West. [Rays Report]
Sep 30
Wow. We thought the most embarrassing thing about being a Rays fan was Dick Vitale. Not anymore. Today we learned (via the St. Pete Times) that Kevin Costner and his band Modern West have recorded a song for the Rays playoff run. It is called “It’s All Up To You.”
Warning: The following song is not safe for people with a history of heart disease, pregnant women or anybody that has eaten in the last 24 hours.
Click here to listen to the complete song.
To think that at one point we actually wanted to name our first son “Crash”. Did we just type that out loud?
Kevin Costner loves the Tampa Bay Rays [St. Pete Times]
Sep 30
Last week’s Rays Confidence Graph results.
Below you will see two polls that ask about your confidence in the Tampa Bay Rays. We will present these same polls every Tuesday. The results will be presented in graphical form on Thursday, and will be displayed permanently in the sidebar. The goal of the Confidence Graph is to get a feeling of how Rays fans feel about the team and the franchise and track how that level of confidence changes through time.
Raysiverse events of the past week that could impact confidence levels…
- The Rays finished the regular season 97-65 2 games ahead of the Red Sox and 8 games ahead of the Yankees to win their first AL East Championship. They are only the 10th team to improve at least 30 games over the previous season.
- The Rays still do not who they will play in game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday. The White Sox and Twins will play a 1-game playoff tonight.
- Carl Crawford is participating in Instructional League games without pain and could be activated for the postseason roster.
- For the first time in its 3 years of existence, the Rays did not win the David Price Sweepstakes.
- Both Troy Percival and David Price looked solid in their final regular season appearances in a bid for postseason roster spots. Edwin Jackson did not.
Sep 30
[THE HANGOVER] Rays May Have To Choose Between Crawford And Percival
Andrew Friedman, Carl Crawford, Elliot Johnson, Joe Maddon, Josh Beckett, Tony Dungy, Troy Percival 20 Comments »DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, we ran a bunch of “Webtopia” links in the evening “Happy Hour” feature. [Rays Index]
- If the Rays decide to carry Carl Crawford on the postseason roster, they could choose to go with only 10 pitchers (6 relievers)…Although Andrew Friedman has not indicated as much, this could end up being a decision between Crawford and Troy Percival. If they want Percy on the roster they almost certainly will want an 11th pitcher in case he is unable to work back-to-back games. [St. Pete Times]
- Despite a report on one Rays blog, Joe Maddon will not announce his game 1 starter until today. While Shields is the likely game 1 starter, all we know for certain is that Shields and Kazmir will be the first 2 pitchers. The exact order is not known. The blog referenced an ESPN report that is likely based on the probable pitchers listed on the team’s website. It is not unusual for MLB.com to guestimate probable pitchers, but they are wrong quite often. [Ed. note: we would love to link to the "Rays blog" but then we would get pounded for picking on them too much] [MLB]
- 8,000 fans showed up at Straub Park in St. Pete to celebrate the Rays first playoff appearance…Can’t say we have a huge problem with it, but this reeks a bit of “just glad to be here.” [Tampa Tribune]
- The Cubs “Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
- Baseball Analysts say the Rays have only a 36% chance of winning the first round (based on tendencies in previous playoffs). When we saw that, we didn’t even bother reading the rest. [Baseball Analysts]
- John Romano compares Joe Madddon to another former Bay Area head coach, Tony Dungy and wonders what success the Rays would be having now if the front office had not taken a chance on Papa Joe. [St. Pete Times]
- Although we never wish ill will on others, today we link to the latest batch of Fennellyisms. If only because we agree that the tone of the team and the fans changed in Spring Training when Elliot Johnson collided with the Yankees’ Francisco Cervelli, breaking his wrist. The Yankees proved they don’t like getting dirt on their pinstripes and the Rays, for the first time, punched the bully right in the face. [Tampa Tribune]
- Josh Beckett injured his oblique muscle on Friday and will not pitch in the ALDS until game 3. [Boston Globe]
- Marc Lancaster is now Twittering. For those of you that follow us on Twitter, you may want to also follow Marc. [Rays Report]
Sep 29
[HAPPY HOUR] Crawford Participates In Instructional League Game, Reports No Pain
Carl Crawford, James Shields, Jeff Niemann, John Higgins, Juan Salas, Matt Garza, Mitch Talbot, Paul Azinger, Reid Brignac 4 Comments »[Update: 8:24pm] The White Sox put away the Tigers 8-2. The Rays post-season opponent will now be determined tomorrow at 7:30 ET in a 1-game playoff.
[Update: 7:26pm] Gary Glover’s first pitch was a grand slam for Chicago. About right. 6-2 White Sox.
[Update: 7:24pm] White Sox have tied the game at 2-2 and Detroit just brought in Gary Glover with the bases loaded, which should just about a guarantee a White Sox win and a 1-game playoff tomorrow with the Twins.
[Update: 6:08pm] Game announcers just said the Twins are in Minneapolis with a charter ready to bring them to Chicago.
The White Sox and Tigers are currently in the 4th inning with the White Sox leading 1-0. A Chicago win will force a 1-game playoff tomorrow at home against the Twins…Interesting question: Are the Twins in Chicago today? Today’s game was delayed by rain for 3 hours. Would the Twins wait until after the game to travel? Can’t imagine they would fly in tomorrow morning.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Carl Crawford went 0-4 in 5 plate appearances during an Instructional League game today. He reported no pain and indicated he was playing at 100%. Crawford also says his hamstrings “feel good”, no doubt benefiting from the time off. [Rays Report]
- Reid Brignac is healthy and playing in the Fall Instructional League. Andrew Friedman said he would not hesitate to put Brignac on the postseason roster should an injury necessitate the addition of a middle infielder…Marc Lancaster also reports that Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Juan Salas have been told they will not be on the postseason roster. [Rays Report]
- Ben Zobrist was named co-player of the week. He is the 4th Ray to win the award this season. [Rays Report]
- Outs Per Swing has a nice list of the Rays’ top 10 pitching performances this season. A testament to this year’s squad, all 5 of the Rays’ starters make the list at least once. However, 7 of the outings came via Matt Garza (4) or James Shields (3) with the other 3 starters each appearing once. Our only argument might come with #1. We probably would have gone with Garza’s 1-hit, 10-K performance against the Marlins (#2 on the list). That was the most dominating performance we have ever seen by a Rays’ pitcher. Still, 1-hit shutout by Shields is hard to argue against. [Outs Per Swing]
- Sorry we missed this one yesterday…Baseball Digest Daily spoke with Buster Olney of ESPN.com during their weekly podcast. Among the topics covered were the Rays. You can catch the Rays segment at about the 35 min mark. [Baseball Digest Daily]
- The Angels “Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
- The first pitches for games 1 and 2 will be thrown out by senior VP John Higgins, the Rays’ first-ever employee and Paul Azinger, the captain of the recent US Ryder Cup team, and Bradenton resident. [The Heater]
Sep 29
[2008 AL EAST CHAMPIONS] MLB Shop Still Not Sure Rays Are For Real
First-place Tampa Bay Rays, Playoffs? 3 Comments »
[Update: 4:45pm] The link has now been fixed and displays a Brewers cap.
As of 3:25pm, the above hat could still be found at the MLB Shop. The hat in question is supposed to be a Brewers wild card cap.
We have to wonder why MLB.com has the image laying around at all. It has been three days since the Rays clinched the AL East title. It has been 75 days since the Red Sox were in first place in the AL East.
We are not surprised that some refuse to admit the Rays won the AL East this season. Hank Steinbrenner probably thinks the Rays wouldn’t be in the playoffs if they played in the AL East. And of course the Red Sox allowed the Rays to win the division.
Over/under on articles this week with the title “The Rays are for real”: 86.5
Sep 29
[ANTI-PENNANT RACE] 3rd Annual David Price Sweepstakes
San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, The David Price Sweepstakes, Washington Nationals No Comments »It is time for one of our favorite annual features, the Anti-Pennant Race, the race for the worst record in baseball. The reward for the “winner” is the first pick in next year’s amateur draft. This year is extra special as it marks the first time the Tampa Bay Rays are not a contender. In fact, last season the Rays became the first team to ever be awarded with the top pick in consecutive seasons (until recently, the top pick alternated between leagues), winning the Anti-Pennant in 2006 and 2007.
In the first year of this feature (2006), David Price was the clear favorite to be the top pick. Last year, without an obvious favorite for the top pick of the 2008 draft, we decided to name this feature after the inaugural namesake.
Without further ado, we present the 3rd Annual David Price Sweepstakes and the race for the top pick in the 2008 draft!
Just when we thought Seattle had rolled over and died down the stretch, they go and win their final 3 games. Meanwhile the Nationals went out over the weekend and lost their final 3 games, turning a 1-game deficit into a 1.5 game margin of victory.
Congratulations (?) to the WASHINGTON NATIONALS, winners of the 2008 David Price Sweepstakes.
Sep 29
[THE HANGOVER] What Is This October Baseball You Speak Of?
Carl Crawford, David Price, Edwin Jackson, Jason Bartlett, Jonny Gomes, Rocco Baldelli, Troy Percival 7 Comments »
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…
THE GOOD: With several pitching roles still up in the air, Troy Percival looked healthy in 1 inning of work and will likely be on the post-season roster. David Price looked solid coming in with the bases loaded and 1 out and not allowing a run…The Rays first round opponent is still undecided. The White Sox will play a make up game today versus the Tigers. A win will force a 1-game playoff against the Twins tomorrow. With the possibility of a both teams playing tomorrow, the Rays’ potential opponent will not have a fresh bullpen and will not be able to setup their rotation for the ALDS. With the Twins likely to start Nick Blackburn, the first two pitchers in the ALDS figure to be Nelson Liriano and Kevin Slowey. The White Sox have been working with a 4-man rotation. Gavin Floyd will start today and John Danks would likely go tomorrow. Javier Vazquez and Mark Buerhle would be the starters for the first 2 games of the ALDS.
THE BAD: With Joe Maddon wanting to see how Edwin Jackson would look in relief, Jackson, blew a 2-run lead in the 9th and may have pitched his way off the post-season roster…The Rays will open the ALDS series at 2:30 on Thursday and will play game 2 at 6:00 on Friday. Yes, it sucks. But really, did you expect anything different? Nationally, this series has the least draw. There are just too many big market teams in the playoffs.
THE TELLING: Starters for the first 2 games will be James Shields and Scott Kazmir, although the exact order is still undecided as is the rest of the post-season roster which will be finalized this afternoon…The Rays are the first team not from Boston or New York to win the AL East since 1997. The Rays finished the season having spent 111 days in first place. In the first 10 seasons they spent 20 days in first place combined. The Rays are just the 2nd MLB team and only 7th team from one of the four major sports to finish in first place the year after having the league’s worst record. They are the first team ever to win 97 games in the first season following a streak of 10 consecutive losing seasons. They are only the 10th team to improve at least 30 games over the previous season.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- On Friday we linked to a report that claimed Rocco Baldelli had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. While Baldelli’s condition is one of the 43 diseases covered by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Rocco has done a PSA for the MDA, mitochondrial myopathy is in fact not a form of muscular dystrophy…We are not a real doctor. We just play one when we are teaching undergrads. [The Heater]
- Carl Crawford was reinstated from the DL and appeared as a pinch runner on Friday night. He has had two successful batting practice sessions and will participate in an instructional league game today. Crawford still has hopes of being ready to return to the lineup in time for Thursday’s game 1 of the ALDS. [The Heater]
- David Price has reworked his warmup routine so that he can get ready quicker for work out of the bullpen…Also, Jason Bartlett continues to battle a cold. [Tampa Tribune]
- The Rays were happy they will play game 1 on Thursday, receiving the extra day of rest before the start of the series. [St. Pete Times]
- David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks has started his playoff edition of “Your Team Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays…Chalk took a lot of heat for this series prior to the season. Only 2 teams finished with better records than the Rays and the Rays went 9-3 combined against the Angels (6-3) and Cubs (3-0) [Bugs and Cranks]
- We love the title of this piece. Apparently the Red Sox conceded the division title as if they decided they did not want it. [Bugs and Cranks]
- Outs Per Swing has a collection of quotes from the players in reaction to winning the AL East. [Outs Per Swing]
- 1,200 fans greeted the Rays upon their return to St. Pete-Clearwater airport…Anybody else surprised the Cowbell Kid hasn’t cut that blue afro into a mohawk? [Tampa Tribune]
- Want to see a picture of Jonny Gomes drinking beer out of an athletic cup? Neither did we. [Bugs and Cranks]
- Bill Chastain says the Rays are built for postseason success. [MLB]
- When somebody tries to rip apart Marc Topkin’s subjective column by starting their own piece with a subjective statement like “Posnanski – best sportswriter in the world”, which is then followed up by several more opinions, it takes away any credibility from the rest of the argument. [DRays Bay]
Sep 27
One year ago on Rays Index, we saw that the Rays were still 2 games “behind” the Kansas City Royals, with only 5 games to play, in the race for the rights to draft David Price.
The Anti-Pennant Race [Rays Index]
