Feb 25
Wade Davis has switched from the #58 he wore with the Rays last season to #40 this year. The obvious reason is that Davis must actually like the craptastic nickname “WD-40.” Oh, yay.
We don’t care, we’re still calling him “Big Dub.” Unless of course he sucks. Because as they say, only “the squeeky wheel gets the WD-40.” Or something like that.
Feb 25
Joe Maddon spoke about what he expects from BJ Upton…
When you’re coming in injured or off of surgery, you have all those questions in the back of your mind. You have to break all those mental adhesions to get yourself going again. It was a tough year for him last year—he didn’t really have a spring training and really had to get himself in shape during the major league campaign. So now he’s coming off a full offseason with good health, and he’s had a chance to work with Shelty [hitting coach Derek Shelton] for a couple months now. I know he’s coming in here with a different feeling and attitude. I think he looks really good—he looks a little bit stronger, bigger. And I know he’s going to really get it going. The meeting we had was very informative and good.
We know it is unusual for JoeMa to sing one of his players praises. Wait. Reverse that. Still…oh mama.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Rays released part of their Summer Concert Series which is a who’s who of AARP acts. [St. Pete Times]
- Willy Aybar came to camp and reported that the wrist injury he suffered during winter ball was completely healed. Well, he didn’t even last one workout as he has been shelved for a week after he felt pain when hitting. [The Heater]
- Joe Maddon on Rafael Soriano: “Just think of him as Troy Percival…He resembles Percy in his game planning and how he wants to get ready for the season”…Oh, great. [Tampa Tribune]
- David Brown writes about what Matt Joyce did this off-season to make the team. [Big League Stew]
- The Good: Carlos Pena calls Tampa Bay “the best place on Earth to play baseball.” The Bad: Pena says he knows it won’t last forever. [Tampa Tribune]
- Gerry Hunsicker says it would take “extraordinary measures” for Desmond Jennings to make the jump to the big leagues this season. He also stated that it would be difficult for the Rays to keep Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. While it is a bit surprising that Jennings has little shot at a promotion, even in September, the second part is akin to saying women are attracted to Evan Longoria. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- Big League Stew previews the Rays. [Big League Stew]
- What is more strange about this story? Evan Longoria eating by himself at a bar, or Joe Maddon happening to walk into the same restaurant by himself and deciding to join Dirtbag for dinner? [St. Pete Times]
- Rise of the Rays makes a case for trading Carl Crawford before the season starts. [Rise of the Rays]
- Matt Silverman spoke on several topics including the recent developments in the search for a new Rays stadium. Silverman says he is “encouraged that the regional dialogue is taking place.” He must have missed the part where St. Pete threatened to sue anybody that even thinks about building a new stadium in Tampa. [The Heater]
- Meanwhile, if Tampa wants to keep hosting Super Bowls, the city will need a new football stadium in the near-future. [Joe Bucs Fan]
- The developer that wants to put a new Rays stadium in the Channelside area of Tampa originally wanted to put the new stadium in the Tampa Heights area. [Tampa Tribune]
- Ben Zobrist’s position this season will be decided during spring training and will likely depend on what other players do. But if you are keeping score at home, Zorilla worked out with the infielders on the first day. [Rays Plays]
- Does Ben Zobrist have the best nickname in baseball? One writer thinks so. [Tauntr]
- Not sure why, but there is something creepy about this post and what may or may not be a young fan’s crush on Evan Longoria. [Big League Stew]
- Bill Chastain writes about what may be Elliot Johnson’s last shot to make the Rays roster. [MLB]
- Roger Mooney has 5 questions for Dan Wheeler. [Rays Report]
- Derek Jeter calls Tampa “home.” [Tampa Tribune]
Feb 24
Just a few links today. Let’s get to it.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- We already saw Baseball America’s list of the top 30 Rays prospects. Now we have their Top 100 overall and it includes 7 Rays prospects. [Baseball America]
- One writer thinks Joe Maddon’s recent comments on Willy Aybar shed some light on who has the inside track for the final bench spot. [DRays Bay]
- Marc Topkin writes about Ben Zobrist, his off-season whether he can repeat his 2009 performance. [St. Pete Times]
- Roger Mooney has 5 questions for RJ Swindle. [Rays Report]
- Marc Topkin has some thoughts from Evan Longoria following yesterday’s workout. [The Heater]
- After last season we noted that the Rays had set up the starting rotation so that entering 2010 there wouldn’t be any restrictions on the starters like there was with David Price last year. Joe Maddon reiterated that point by stating his goal for the rotation in 2010 is 1,000 innings. [Rays Report]
- Here is another Top 10 prospects list for the Rays. [Bleacher Report]
Feb 23
Two years ago on Rays Index we found footage of Andy Sonnanstine showing off his ping-pong skills.
Andy Sonnanstine Is Proud Of His Ping-Pong Ball Mad Skillz [Rays Index]
Feb 23
Carl Crawford was asked yesterday if he would be willing to give the Rays a home-team discount. His answer was a less-than-emphatic “you never know,” in which he deferred to his agent.
Maybe more telling was this quote from the St. Pete Times in which CC was asked about his next contract and getting paid…
That’s what you go there for, to free agency. You go there to get paid like the guys who play against you. Pretty much, it speaks for itself.
Does that sound more like a guy that will give a home-team discount or a guy that is more concerned with a contract that shows respect and reflects his abilities? We have said this before, it is not about what a player can live with. For many of these guys it is about being shown respect and being paid as much or more than players they are clearly better than. And if that is important to Crawford, there will be no home-team discount.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Pat Burrell is saying all the right things heading into the 2010 season. He also revealed that he suffered from “some slight herniations” in his neck last year and that he did not treat them properly. [Tampa Tribune]
- Jon Heyman writes that the Yankees “love” Carl Crawford and that he might have been the real reason the Yankees wouldn’t give Johnny Damon a two-year deal and maybe why they passed on Matt Holliday. [SI.com]
- In the same piece, Jon Heyman writes that the Rays and Marlins “are believed to have some interest” in Hank Blalock. [SI.com]
- Roger Mooney has some quotes from Carl Crawford on the distraction of his contract year, his future with the Rays and whether the Turf will be a factor in his next contract. [Rays Report]
- Carl Crawford worked out with Scott Kazmir this winter. Crawford also refuses to reveal his new full-arm tattoo. [St. Pete Times]
- Tony Fabrizio has some quotes from Randy Choate on Phil Jackson, football, Tommy Boy and his favorite minor league city. [Tampa Tribune]
- Cliff Floyd has a neg gig, broadcaster, although it sounds like he hasn’t given up on his baseball career, or even a coaching career. [The Palm Beach Post]
- Here is another “there is no money to build a stadium in Tampa” article. [St. Pete Times]
Feb 22
One year ago on Rays Index we were a little miffed that Jason Isringhausen took Brian Shouse’s number and James Shields’ locker. Isringhausen’s career with the Rays lasted exactly 9 games with zero saves.
Jason Isringhausen Thinks He Is Mariano Rivera [Rays Index]
Feb 22
Two years ago on Rays Index we were never more proud of Carl Crawford when he smacked Delmon Young around a bit in the press.
Carl Crawford Just Went ‘Boom, Bitch!’ [Rays Index]
Feb 22
Much has been written recently about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays and if that future includes a move across the bay to Tampa. These reports have already led to threatened litigation from the city of St. Pete and what appears to be the first steps in a looming battle between the two cities to be the future home of the Rays.
This past weekend, Stuart Sternberg indicated that he was surprised by the lack of unity between the two cities and left us wondering why the two sides cannot work together to come up with a solution that is good for the Rays and will keep both Tampa and St. Pete happy.
Seem impossible? Maybe not.
Below is our proposal for the Rays to split their home schedule between The Trop and a new stadium to be built in Tampa.
The proposal…
- A new privately-financed stadium built in Tampa. Without going into the details, our gut says the Channelside-area is the best spot for a new stadium.
- After completion of the new stadium, Tampa Bay Rays home games will be divided between the new Tampa stadium and The Trop as follows:
- In years 1-5, home games will be split evenly, with 40 or 41 games played in Tampa and the remaining in St. Pete.
- From year 6 until 2027 (the end of The Trop’s lease) the Rays will play 7-9 series a year at The Trop (20-30 games), with the majority of the schedule played in Tampa.
- Until 2027, any home playoff games in even-numbered years will be played in Tampa. Any home playoff games in odd-numbered years will be played in St. Pete.
- If the city of St. Pete builds a new multi-use stadium prior to the expiration of the current lease at The Trop (2027), games would once again be split evenly between the new stadium in Tampa and the new stadium in St. Pete.
Financially, the city of St. Pete would take a direct hit from the reduced number of games at The Trop. According to the Trop’s lease, and based on the Cost Price Index, the Rays currently give the city of St. Pete approximately $.654 per ticket sold (~$1.2M in ’09) . To compensate for the reduction in games (and tickets sold) at the Trop, we propose that the Rays double this amount in years 1-5 to $1.30 per ticket. And after year 5, that number will triple to $1.95 per ticket.
The benefits…
- The Rays get a new stadium in Tampa without having to fight a lengthy legal battle.
- Total attendance for Rays games hosted in both cities would likely be higher than if played in just one city. In addition to bringing the Rays closer to a larger percentage of the local population, the reduced number of games in each city, will increase demand for tickets in those games.
- Tampa gets 41 major league baseball games a year in years 1-5 and up to 61 games a year after that.
- St. Pete gets to keep the Rays, without having to build a new stadium at this time.
- The Rays can potentially get a second new stadium in 2027 or move to Tampa full-time after the expiration of The Trop’s lease.
A franchise using more than one home in the same season is not unprecedented. Several teams have implemented a similar strategy with success, including the Green Bay Packers (1930s-1990s), Cleveland Indians (1932-1946), Boston Celtics (1975-1996), KC/Omaha Kings (1972-1975) and Montreal Expos (2003-2004).
Having Tampa and St. Pete share the Rays seems like a natural transition. The jersey already says “Tampa Bay.” Ok, actually they don’t. But the team name is “Tampa Bay.” Tampa and St. Pete should be working together. If they choose to fight, both could lose, and the new jerseys will say “San Antonio.”
Feb 22
If you spent much time around these parts last year, you know we were big fans of The Rays Party over at the now-defunct MVN.com. Well, to no surprise, RZ has landed solidly on his feet and will now be writing over at DRaysBay.com. We are looking forward to what his magical charts and graphs offer this season.
Feb 22
Our occasional disappointment in BJ Upton is often misconstrued as a dislike for the player. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are huge Bossman fans. So you can understand our excitement when we read Marc Topkin’s piece on Upton. A few of the bigger points…
- Upton added 7 pounds of muscle this winter.
- Upton…”realizes the indiscretions of his past, such as the lack of hustle and lackadaisical play, and he’s ready to reform.”
- He attended many of the off-season workouts and spent a lot of time with new hitting coach Derek Shelton.
But maybe the most exciting statement from the article comes from Joe Maddon:
Eventually this guy is going to be a superstar.
Yes. Yes he will.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Be sure to scroll down if you missed the Hangovers from this weekend. Much more action than usual.
- Marc Topkin writes about Evan Longoria’s concerns about the Trop’s turf (sore hammys), Pat Burrell’s new shape (less round) and more ABs for Willy Aybar. [St. Pete Times]
- Willy Aybar reported to camp and says his wrist is healed with “no restrictions.” Aybar injured his wrist during winter league ball. [Tampa Tribune]
- Roger Mooney spoke with Wade Davis about fishing, movies and early childhood memories. And is THIS movie really one of Big-Dub’s favorite baseball movies? Never even heard of it. [Rays Report]
- Dennis Maffezzoli notes that fan attendance at the Rays workouts have been surprisingly low so far. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
