Archive for October 8th, 2008

Oct 08

[HAPPY HOUR] Rays Fans Need Workouts On Off-Days

Uncategorized Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

We are starting to get antsy. As it was pointed out over at Her Rays, what are we supposed to do with our days right now? At least the team had workouts today. Are we supposed to practice for the ALCS?

And we are getting nervous. The Rays still have never lost a truly meaningful playoff game. They lost game 3 of the ALDS, but the series still wasn’t in doubt. How will we react if the Rays lose a tough game that puts the series in doubt? How does this work in baseball? Will it be as bad as the Bert Emanuel game in 2000? The first loss probably won’t be, but how bad will it be? Will we be able to sleep? Will we watch the game over again? Will we yell at the dog? Will we drink a fifth of Jack and howl at the moon?

Based on the pitching matchups, we feel very good about games 1 and 4, not good about game 2 and feel game 3 could go either way, with the edge to Boston. In other words, the key to the series appears to be games 2 and 3. If the Rays can split games 2 and 3 they will be in a good position. If they lose both, we will probably see a situation where the Rays are coming back to St. Pete needing to win both games 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Are you kidding us? A 12-year old got a Rayhawk and got suspended even though there is nothing in the code specifically outlawing mohawks? Since when did middle school become the NFL? Zachary Sharples has vowed not to get rid of the Rayhawk and will continue to serve his suspension. Good for him. [Bradenton Herald]
  • “Rays Index on Amphetemines” is back. This time we recap the ALDS for The Hardball Times. [The Hardball Times]
  • Outs Per Swing breaks down the rotation matchups for the ALCS. [Outs Per Swing]
  • Jon Heyman breaks down the final 4. The only real negative he can come up with for the Rays is their lack of experience. [SI.com]
  • An ALCS preview with the delicate touch of Will Leitch. [Deadspin]
  • 14 reasons to jump on the bandwagon. Of course, one reason is Jenn Sterger. That is soooo 2006. [Nextround.net]
Oct 08

[THE HANGOVER] Crawford To Remain In 5th Spot Of Lineup

Andrew Friedman, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Joe Maddon, Michel Hernandez Cork Gaines 4 Comments »



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

THE GOOD: The Rays have won 4 of the last 5 against the Red Sox under playoff-like atmospheres.

THE BAD: Those games no longer count.

THE TELLING: Our best guess on the 25-man roster is that Troy Percival will be added to the roster and either Eric Hinske (more likely) or Fernando Perez (less likely) are removed for the ALCS.

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]
  • Joe Maddon hinted that he would keep Carl Crawford in the 5-hole of the rotation noting that he didn’t want to break up the top of the order especially with the way BJ Upton is swinging the bat…He also emphasized that in a 7-game series it is more important than ever for the players to play one game at a time. [MLB]
  • In response to Gary Shelton’s assertion that the Red Sox are “the entire cast of Bond villians“, Bugs and Cranks breaks down which Bonds villian each player represents. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Nice story about backup catcher Michel Hernandez and his family. [St. Pete Times]
  • Outs Per Swing breaks down the Rays ALDS victory over the White Sox. [Outs Per Swing]
  • Why is it newsworthy that the Rays “believe they can knock off” the Red Sox? Do we get a lot of cases where a team has survived a 162-game season, won their best-of-five first round series and doesn’t think they can win a seven-game series against a team they took the season series from? Of course not. But this is the Rays. Apparently they are eating at the adult table and some think it is time the rest of baseball noticed. [NY Daily News]
  • Gary Shelton breaks down what Andrew Friedman means to the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
  • A Braves blogger jumps on the Rays’ bandwagon…The more the merrier. [The Launching Pad]
  • John Lott says the key to the Red Sox success is their depth. [National Post]
  • Roger Mooney is the latest to run down his list of the Rays’ biggest games from the regular season. [Bradenton Herald]