Archive for September 18th, 2008

Sep 18

[SHOWER-SHOE FUNGUS] Playing A Little Pepper: Minnesota Twins

Pepper Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

FIRST INNING
A look back…
Every time the Rays lose just a single game to the Red Sox, the so-called experts predict inevitable doom for the Rays. And yet the Rays have now won the season series against the Red Sox (10-8) and have won 4 of the last 5 including the final 2 games last week in Fenway…How many games must the Rays win against the Sox to shut up the naysayers?

At least one more and possibly 4 more in the ALCS, should the Red Sox get that far. Brace yourselves RAYSHEADS, because it is coming. Just last week the Red Sox spoke openly about how important it was to win the division. Now, all we will hear from the Red Sox and those so-called experts is that winning the division does not matter. They will remind us that Wild Cards have won the World Series before. And if the Rays face the Red Sox in the ALCS and the Rays have home field advantage, the Sox will still be a heavy favorite…WHAT IS RESPECT?

SECOND INNING
Headlines…
One of the biggest surprises of the past 2 weeks is the emergence of Fernando Perez. Last night he hit his second home run and once again played a stellar center field…Has Perez earned his way onto the post-season roster?

We will address the full post-season roster once the Rays clinch a playoff spot. But in the case of Perez it is a good question. This may depend on how healthy Carl Crawford is for the playoffs. Remember, the Rays can change the roster prior to each series. So there is a good chance that CC is not ready to start in left in the first round. If that is the case, with the second-half struggles of Eric Hinske, it would not surprise us to see Perez starting in left field once Upton returns from his latest injury. And if that happens, it will carry over to the playoffs…YES

THIRD INNING
Headlines…
Joe Maddon insists that the Rays will celebrate when they clinch a playoff spot, even though the division will still be up in the air. He even went as far to say that he will “go freaky.”…Should the Rays wait until they win the division before celebrating?

This has been one of the unwanted consequences of the wild card. We don’t mind the celebrating but maybe it should be muted just a tad. We don’t want to take away from a potential division championship celebration. Where we do have a problem is when teams put up banners for being the wild card team. Banners should be saved for when teams actually win something. A wild card team has not won anything…NO

FOURTH INNING
Headlines…
Joe Maddon has one. Evan Longoria, BJ Upton, Fernando Perez and Edwin Jackson have one. Many fans were seen in the stands with them…Prof, when are you going to go with the mohawk?

I presented the idea to Mrs. Professor and she looked at me like I had just asked if it was OK to date Salma Hayek…UMMMM

FIFTH INNING
Headlines…
The Rays released their ’09 schedule and for the 4th straight season they will open on the road, this time in Boston…Got a problem with that?

Normally we wouldn’t make much of a stink about schedules. More away games early means more home games late. But the Rays are the biggest story of ’08 and are on their way to their first playoff appearance. For a team that is struggling to show the rest of baseball that St. Pete deserves a baseball team, this would have been a good opportunity for the league to reward the Rays with a true home-opener. A chance to show that the Rays can draw well for 3 straight days early in the season. Not to mention the weather in the northeast, you know, kinda sucks in early April. The Rays play in a dome. Everybody hates it, and yet here is one time when it would certainly come in handy…BIG PROBLEM

SIXTH INNING
A look outside the box…
With the Rays facing the Twins…what other series should RAYSHEADS watch closely?

The Rays schedule has been especially tough recently and the Red Sox have enjoyed some easier opponents, most of which have been at Fenway. But now the Red Sox are in Toronto. Unfortunately the Jays may finally be admitting to themselves that they won’t be playing in October. Still, Friday night’s match up has us feeling giddy. Paul Byrd versus the Jays’ ace AJ Burnett who is in search of 20 wins and pitching for an off-season contract. Afterwards, the Sox have a quick turnaround and must face 18-game winner Roy Halladay on Saturday afternoon. One win is likely, and two is not out of the question…RED SOX @ BLUE JAYS

SEVENTH INNING
Oddsmakers…
Odds Scott Kazmir is still with the Rays next season:

Earlier this week, for the sake of stirring discussion, Outs Per Swing wondered aloud if the Rays should at least consider trading Scott Kazmir. If somebody came to the Rays and offered a package including 3 top prospects and 2 young major leaguers with all-star potential, then maybe the Rays should listen. But that is not going to happen…100%

Odd the Rays win the AL East:

The Rays’ magic number to win the East is now 9 with a 2 game lead (3 in the loss column) and 12 games to play. With the tie-breaker, it is like a 4-game lead in the loss column. Even if the Rays only win half of their remaining games, the Red Sox would have to go 8-2 in their final 10 which includes 3 in Toronto and 3 at home against the Yankees…100%

Odds the Rays clinch a playoff spot against the Twins:

The magic number to clinch at least a wild card is now 3 over the Twins and the Twins just happen to be in town for 4 games. So the Rays need only split this series to pop the bubbly. So you are basically asking us what are the chances the Rays win 2 games in this series. They say that momentum in baseball is only as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher. And that pitcher for the Rays is James Shields…100%

EIGHTH INNING
On deck…
With the Twins coming to town for their first and only trip of 2008, it marks the return of Delmon Young to the Trop for the first time since he was traded…Rays fans will boo the former top pick, but should they boo?

Boo? Boo?!? The Rays should retire Delmon Young’s number! They should have “Delmon Young Night” and give him a key to the city! If it weren’t for Delmon Young the Rays don’t have Matt Garza and the Rays don’t have Jason Bartlett. Without those two players, the Rays are not on the verge of clinching their first post-season appearance…HE DESERVES A STANDING OVATION

NINTH INNING
Putting out the fire…
In last night’s game against the Red Sox a fan was wrestled to the ground and arrested after jumping on the roof of the Rays dugout and apparently trying to get on the field…Were you surprised to learn it was a Red Sox fan?

Is this a serious question?…NO

The Cowbell Kid has supposedly retired…Will you miss him?

We might be in the minority here, but The Cowbell Kid was a recognizable figure as a Rays fan, when many outside of the Bay Area think the Rays do not have any fans. Of course, if we had seats near him, we would probably be throwing a party right now…YES

Drink of choice for the Twins series?

Obviously we can’t go with Coors Light. It is the weekend, with guests coming, so we will definitely cook up some blue and yellow jello shots. For beer, we choose Sunshine Wheat Beer. Both teams play in a dome, but only the Rays have a sunburst. And of course, the champagne will be on ice…BLUE AND YELLOW JELLO SHOTS, SUNSHINE WHEAT BEER AND OF COURSE CHAMPAGNE

Sep 18

[ANTI-PENNANT RACE] 3rd Annual David Price Sweepstakes

San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, The Anti-Pennant Race, The David Price Sweepstakes, Washington Nationals Cork Gaines 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 this marks the first time the Tampa Bay Rays are not in contention to win. 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.

The first year this feature ran (2006), the top pick was not a sure thing, but David Price was the clear favorite. Last year, without an obvious favorite for 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!

Notes on the Anti-Pennant Race…

  • Colorado and Cincinnati were eliminated last night.
  • 8 teams are still alive, but right now it appears to be a 3-team race between Seattle, San Diego and Washington. We just assume the top pick go to the NL, so we are rooting for either San Diego and Washington.
  • Obviously a lot can happen between now and next season (a player could sign with Scott Boras or lose a limb or Michael Phelps could declare for the baseball draft) but here is a list of potential top picks. Back in February, Baseball America projected Kyle Gibson from Missouri to be the top pick next summer.
Sep 18

[RI CONFIDENCE GRAPH] The Rays Index Confidence Graph: Week 25

Confidence graph Cork Gaines No Comments »

The Rays Confidence Graph will appear every Wednesday and is a look at how much confidence Rays fans have in the Tampa Bay Rays. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The “confidence” in the team is an inexact measure of how fans feel about the team’s current strength as well as how much confidence fans have in the franchise for the next 3-4 years. Notes on this weeks agida-level can be found after the graph..

Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…

  • The most common response for “Confidence in 2008 Rays” was 9 with 37.8%.
  • The most common response for “Confidence in future of franchise” was 10 with 60.9%.
Sep 18

[THE RAYSHEAD ARMY] A Seven Nation Army Can’t Hold The Rays Back

Seven Nation Army, The RAYSHEAD Army Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

Last night was a landmark moment in the history of Rays Index. Three weeks ago we called on the Tampa Bay Rays to institute the use of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes as a late-inning rally song to pump up the crowd.

According to numerous comments and emails, last night the Rays used the song during Red Sox pitching changes at least once and possibly twice.

So we went to the video tape. And sure enough, as the Rays broadcast comes back from commercial during a pitching change in the 8th inning, we heard the unmistakable riff of Jack White’s semi-acoustic guitar.

The song is already popular at many European soccer events. Watch the following video and imagine how intimidating the Trop would be with 36,000 fans chanting in unison inside an enclosed dome…

The Rays are in first place with a chance to lock up their first-ever playoff spot. Just imagine how the Trop will rock in the playoffs once the fans catch on to the rhythm chanting of this song. We have never been more proud to be a member of THE RAYSHEAD ARMY.

Sep 18

[THE PINK HAT NATION] Stay Classy Red Sox Nation

Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines 13 Comments »

Sep 18

[THE HANGOVER] Joe Maddon Pushes All The Right Buttons As Rays Clinch Tie-Breaker

Cliff Floyd, Delmon Young, Joe Maddon, Justin Ruggiano, Troy Percival, Wade Boggs Cork Gaines 1 Comment »



Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…

THE GOOD: The Rays have now won 4 of their last 5 versus the Red Sox…Joe Maddon. With the Rays up 8-3 in the 5th with 2 on and David Ortiz due up, Papa Joe treated the situation like it was the 8th inning, calling on Grant Balfour. Balfour got Big Papi to fly out to end the threat…Before the series we predicted that Papa Joe would find a start for Willy Aybar in this series and that it would likely be in the final game. We also figured Aybar would bat right handed as many switch-hitters prefer against a knuckle-baller. Sure enough Aybar started and homered in the bottom of the first to give the Rays lead. Fernando Perez also batted right handed and homered. Speaking of which. Perez needs to slow down his home run trot. When the camera came back to Perez after watching the ball land in the stands, Perez was already rounding third…Joe Magrane. Magrane predicted a “big night” for Gross against Tim Wakefield only moments before Gross homered…Two wins in this series against the Twins and the Rays will clinch a playoff spot.

THE BAD: David Ortiz. First home run. Fine. Second home run? We have never seen a ball hit farther at the Trop. Hit Tracker Online is a website that uses mathematical models to project how far a ball would have travelled had the path not been impeded by things like Catwalks and human bodies. They project that Ortiz’ second ball would have only travelled 428 feet. No way. That ball was 475 at least. They claim it wouldn’t have travelled as far as the Gabe Gross shot back on August 6 that did hit the back wall and was measured at 463 feet…Grant Balfour worked in parts of 3 innings, and likely will not be available for the first two games of the Twins series…Wade Boggs threw out the first pitch. Tell us again why his number is retired?

THE TELLING: The Rays have now won the season series and will have the tie-breaker should the two teams tie for the division lead at the end of the season. Last night’s win essentially knocked 3 off of the magic number to win the division which is now 9…The Rays are only 1 game behind the Angels in the loss column for the best record in the AL and home field advantage throughout the playoffs…According to Baseball Prospectus the odds of making the playoffs is now 99.99% percent, and 80.2% to win the AL East…Last night’s game was the Rays’ 6th sellout of the season…Tonight marks the return of Delmon Young to the Trop.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • BREAKING NEWS! The Cowbell Kid called a local radio station to announce his retirement…Wow. In the middle of a pennant race? Just before the playoffs? Do you know the kind of air time that guy would have gotten on Fox during the playoffs? Color us shocked. Of course we never sat behind the Cowbell Kid during a game. If that had happened maybe our feelings would be different. [97xonline]
  • Troy Percival was unavailable last night after receiving a shot for his back. Percival will require off-season back surgery, but will be available Thursday for the opening game of the Twins series. [MLB]
  • Justin Ruggiano got the start last night and Brittany Ghiroli reports that Joe Maddon was rewarding the rookie for his improved approach recently. [MLB]
  • Cliff Floyd says he still hasn’t decided whether or not to retire after the season, noting that at the beginning of the season he was sure 2008 would be his last season. He credits this roster with making baseball fun again and feels he does have “something left in the tank.” [Tampa Tribune]
  • Wait. What is going to fly? [Tampa Tribune]
  • A fan got arrested last night trying to jump over the Rays dugout and possibly onto the field (he never made it to the field). We have mixed reports as to whether or not the fan was tasered. The police say no. And surprise, surprise, it was a Red Sox fan. [The Heater]
  • Gary Shelton says that Joe Maddon is “either smarter than most, luckier than most or a guy who is having the combination platter.” [St. Pete Times]
  • It happens a lot. Somebody in the national media refers to the “Tampa Rays” or when referencing a home game or the Trop, they mistakenly say one or both are “in Tampa”. But the crossword puzzle editor for the St. Pete Times, an official sponsor of the Rays? Yikes. [St. Pete Times]
  • Jayson Stark notes that dramatic wins are becoming the norm for the Rays. [ESPN]
  • The Rays released their ’09 schedule. The season begins on April 6 in Boston and the home opener is April 13 against the Yankees…How sweet would it be to hand out World Series rings to all the players in front of the Yankees and their local bandwagon fans. [MLB]
  • Even if the Rays want to play a series in Orlando in ’09 (and there is little indication that they do) they may not be able to unless changes are made to the schedule. [Orlando Sentinel]
  • Everybody thinks they have a sense of humor…Even Red Sox fans. [Boston Score]
  • There is something amusing about the idea that Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels he needs 400 words to explain how tie-breakers work to Red Sox fans. [Boston Globe]