One of the problems with having a baseball stadium in St. Pete is that the games often go well past the bedtimes of many fans. Take this guy for instance, who “fell asleep” during the game. And of course, by “fell asleep,” we really mean “passed out.” And if you are going to pass out during a Rays game, make sure you don’t do it near Raymond. He shows no mercy, even if you are a Rays fan…
Well, um, actually a pretty nice little day, we’re going to check out Dolman Law Group and Paradise Worldwide Transportation and then head over to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.
Won’t you check out our sponsors?
The Professor, Cork Gaines, will make an appearance on “The Fabulous Sports Babe Show” on ESPN 1040 AM at about 12:30 pm today.
You can listen via the station’s website.
On September 2, Joe Maddon will receive an “Honorary Doctor of Letters,” from his Alma Mater Lafayette College…
Maddon, who was inducted into the Maroon Club Hall of Fame last November, will return to the College Sept. 2 to receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters. After giving a public address at 4 p.m. in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights auditorium, he will receive the degree in a private ceremony at 6 p.m. in Pfenning Alumni Center.
A native of Hazleton, Pa., Maddon majored in economics at Lafayette where he played baseball and football and attended until 1976. He signed as a free agent catcher with the Anaheim Angels in 1975. He played for Class-A affiliates in Quad Cities (1976), Salinas (1977-78), and Santa Clara before switching his career to scouting and managing. He batted .267 with five home runs in his minor league career.
And for those wondering, September 2 is an off-day between a series at home against the Blue Jays and a series in Baltimore.
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: Hellboy IV. Tonight, the immovable object meets the unstoppable force. The Rays are 2-13 in their last 15 Friday games. But the Rays will send Jeremy Hellickson will take his 3-0 record to the mound. Great pitchers prevent losing streaks. It’s time for Hellboy to be great…Evan Longoria. Dirtbag continues to rake, picking up 2 more hits and his 17th home run. He now has 8 hits in the last 3 games and 17 in the last 10.
THE BAD: CooCoo Crisp. Damn we hate that guy. With 1 run already in and the Rays holding a 3-1 lead. Crisp robbed Matt Joyce of a 2-run home run that would have likely put the game out of reach…Going Cold. This offense sure picks some terrible times to go cold. After Oakland took the lead in the bottom of the 6th, BJ Upton led off the 7th with a single. Reid Brignac then swung at the first pitch without giving Upton a chance to steal second, and grounded into a double-play. Upton would end up being the Rays last baserunner…Dan Wheeler. We’re not going to rag on the guy too hard because usually he gets the job done. But you have to kinda expect the occasional implosion. You just hope those don’t cost the Rays wins. Last night it did…Dan Johnson. In 12 games, Johnson is now 4-35 (.114). He does have 14 walks which is nice. But we warned you not to get too excited.
THE TELLING: BJ Upton’s 10-game hitting streak matches a career-high…Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis will pitch in a simulated game today…Chad Qualls is absent from the team due to a death in the family…The Pepsi Refresh Project awarded the Rays a $5,000 grant for the Moffitt Cancer Center. The Twins won the big prize.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 74-47, 1 game behind the Yankees and 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox. After 121 games in 2008, the Rays were 74-47.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Damn what a sad loss. The Rays had the win slip through their fingers, specifically Dan Wheeler’s fingers.
[Full disclosure: Joe watched the game from The Venue with a Duke grad student, a classy, shapely, wine-drinking chick named Barbara-Ann. Yes, Joe was way out of his league. Joe's a shot-and-a-beer, state university kinda guy.]
Can’t pin this loss on Andy Sonnanstine. Dude gave five strong innings, which is about his limit. No, the problem was Wheeler and perhaps Merlot Joe.
This Joe was under the impression that Wheeler was only a good pitcher against righties, that lefties often tagged him. That’s what happened in the fifth inning when he got lit up, and lost the game for Sonnie and the Rays.
Friggin’ Coco Crisp. Bad enough he tried to take out James Shields a few years ago at Fenway Park. Now he robs Matt Joyce of a blast to center field that made the difference in the game.
The worst thing about this loss is what happens in the next game.
Uh, oh. It’s Friday. We all know what happens on Fridays for the Rays.
