Author Archive

Jan 13

Flair, Faith, and the Zen of Zobrist

Barry Larkin, Ben Zobrist, Zorilla Jordi Scrubbings 4 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings is back with his latest…

There are very few Rays players more fascinating than Ben Zobrist. We in the Rays community know his story: marginally successful utility player tinkers with his swing and becomes one of the most under the radar versatile all-round all-stars in baseball today. I’ve even written about Zobrist before in regards to his fan base.

The problem with Zobrist is that he has a low “gut factor”, a term coined this week by acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski. Gut factor is the feel fans have for a player. In Posnanski’s article, new Hall of Famer Barry Larkin is said to have had a low “gut factor” in that he didn’t “feel” like a Hall of Famer while he was playing, but upon further look, Larkin’s career belongs in the class with other Hall of Fame shortstops.

Ben Zobrist suffers from low gut factor in the same way Larkin did. He doesn’t “look” like one of the best players in the American League, but upon further look, he definitely is. Interestingly enough as well, after their first three full seasons, Ben Zobrist actually had a higher Wins Above Replacement (WAR) than Barry Larkin did.

WAR:

Zobrist (2009-2011): 15.2

Larkin (1988-1990): 14.8

(True, Ben Zobrist was three years older than Larkin when he had his first three seasons. I’m definitely not saying Zobrist will continue to have a better career than Barry Larkin. The odds that Zobrist keeps up 10 more years of consistently high WAR as Larkin did are quite low.)

This past weekend, I watched the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Denver Broncos. I haven’t watched much football this season and when I have turned it on, it always seems the Bucs are down 35 to 0. But I watched this weekend’s playoff games. Which means I watched Tim Tebow. Although the Nole fan in me can’t root for Tim Tebow, I do understand he has done some pretty amazing things as a quarterback in the NFL.

What I don’t understand however, is the hype that surrounds Tebow. People cannot stop talking about him. Yes, he has made some Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 03

Jordi is Afghanistan-bound until 2013

Fans do silly things, Jordi Scrubbings, Nice little offseason, Out of our comfort zone, Sometimes cold isn't that cold, Stupid ideas, They asked us to do what?, Where we're going Jordi Scrubbings 7 Comments »

Here is the latest from our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings. And let me be the first to say, we’ll miss you, be safe, hurry back, and Godspeed…

Dear fellow Rays fans,

I am very sad to say that I won’t be joining you at Tropicana Field this season. I recently got a job working with the military and am going to Afghanistan in late January or early February.

For sure, a year is a long time to be gone. I’ll definitely miss going to see the Rays, watching them on TV, or listening to them on the radio. I’ve averaged going to 20 games a season for the last few years and now I’ll have to wait until 2013 to see live baseball again. For a year there will be no Longoria homers, no Price strikeouts, or no seeing BJ race into the gap for a flyball. There will be no Maddon ejections, no Jennings electricity, or no Shields mastery. No Raymond, no promo videos featuring Network and Rocky 2, and no getting dinner at the Boars Head Spaghetti Bar on the fourth floor.

Most importantly of all, however, and probably what I will miss the most, is the inability to be with other fans for a year. There will be no seeing the friends I go to games with, no seeing the friends I’ve made at the ballpark, and no chatting with other fans through twitter. There will be no meeting new people at Fergs, in the parking lot, or in the stands. No frolicking about with a three-foot afro on my head.

Way back in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were chasing Roger Maris’s single-season home run record, I was deployed to Bosnia. News of who homered when was a common conversation between baseball fans and even non-baseball fans as it was THE news story and news stories of home are great ways to pass the time. I’m sure following the Rays will serve the same purpose. Two weeks after I leave, by the time I get acquainted to my new environment, pitchers and catchers will be reporting. Two months after I arrive, the season will start and following baseball will carry me through the summer and into the fall.

Bart Giamatti once wrote that the end of the baseball season “leaves you to face the fall alone” and “when you need it most, it stops”. In 2012, however, I will use baseball to Read the rest of this entry »

Dec 16

Dwight Howard and Baseball Labor Etiquette

01. Players, Dwight Howard, Evan Longoria, James Shields, Jordi Scrubbings Jordi Scrubbings 3 Comments »

Here is the latest from our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings…

(It’s a slow time for baseball. It’s almost Christmas and the Rays are only making minor moves. This post might only be 40% Rays-related, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.)

Imagine you are a seven year-old boy or girl. Imagine the Orlando Magic are the first professional sports team you ever liked. Imagine your mother or father have taken you to several Magic games and you had the time of your life.

Imagine Dwight Howard is your favorite player. Imagine you have a Dwight Howard jersey or t-shirt and Dwight Howard poster on your wall. You haven’t known an Orlando Magic team without Dwight Howard. He has been there your entire life. He is what got you into the Magic.

Then imagine you woke up one morning and the Magic traded Dwight Howard, perhaps to Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps to the New Jersey Nets, perhaps to the Harlem Globetrotters. It doesn’t matter. Your favorite player is no longer on your favorite team.

Players get traded, get released, and their contracts run out and the sign on other teams. That’s part of sports and every kid has to learn that one day. But what happens to the heart of a child when this conversation occurs:

“Mommy, why is Dwight Howard not on the Magic anymore?”

“He didn’t want to play in Orlando anymore, dear.”

“So, he left?”

“Yes dear, he plays in New Jersey now.”

“So he didn’t like Orlando?”

“I guess not, dear.”

“Why didn’t Dwight like it here, Mommy? I like it here. You and Read the rest of this entry »

Dec 06

The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 is now available

Alexander Colome, Book Review, Charlotte Stone Crabs, Jordi Scrubbings, Kes Carter Jordi Scrubbings No Comments »

Cork was kind enough to allow me to make this announcement here, and you folks have been really nice to me since I started here and I’m pretty sure you are all baseball fans, so I hope you don’t mind.

When I am not writing here, I also write for a site called Bus Leagues Baseball. We write about the minor leagues and one of the areas we take the most pride in is our interviews. We have interviewed top prospects, coaches, front office officials, media, and even fans. We try to leave no corner of the minors uncovered.

We have taken the best of our interviews this year and put them in a book. From a Rays perspective, we have interviews with top prospect Alexander Colome, former Devil Ray Mark Hendrickson, recent pick Kes Carter, Jim Donten of the Charlotte Stone Crabs blog Claw Digest.com, and former Devil Rays and Tampa Tarpons employee and current Tampa-area blogger Clark Brooks.

Please check out The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2.

I’m biased, of course, but I think it would make a great gift for the baseball fan on your holiday list.

Thanks!

Dec 02

The Art of Acquiring Intangibles

01. Players, Andrew Friedman, Cheap is as cheap does, Jordi Scrubbings, Jose Molina, Josh Lueke, Lifestyles of the rich famous and good looking, Things that don't end well Jordi Scrubbings No Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbing is back with his latest take on all things Rays…

With the annual baseball winter meetings almost upon us (and no, I am not going this year as I did in 2006 and 2010), the Rays are looking to tweak, twist, and trade their way into a better roster than they had last year. Anyone who watched them last year knows they had problems. Even though they won 91 games, they were far from a perfect team.

But before talking about future acquisitions or who the Rays might part ways with, I want to talked about who the Rays have already added to the team this offseason. It is usually rare for the Rays for pick up players in the early days of the offseason. And the two players the Rays have added to the roster so far couldn’t be more diametrically opposite. One is a pitcher who hopes his personal past doesn’t affect his potential, and the other is a catcher who hopes his on-the-field contributions can merit keeping his knowledge.

The last time I wrote here I wrote a letter to Rays owner Stu Sternberg. I wrote about the need to market the team better. I mentioned how the organization could better use social media, how they could better push their personalities, and a few ideas for theme nights and other brainstorms that I thought may increase ticket sales.

One of the ideas I didn’t mention because I thought it was common sense was to stay away from problem children – those players who have somewhat nefarious backgrounds. I get that some problem children have very good stats or very good potential and they usually come cheap. But one slip up could mar public perception of the team and give the organization a deeper black eye than the same action would for the Yankees or the Cubs or any almost any other team.

So far the Rays have had success with players who might be considered “behaviorally risky”. And they’ve shimmied off players such as Elijah Dukes and Al Reyes after their misdeeds. For example, they took a risk on Matt Bush, he of the infamous drunk police dispute and so far Bush has been a success.

Although each player brings his own set of conditions and drama, I think the organization is playing with fire by taking chances with players with nefarious backgrounds. The Rays have to fight against a very difficult environment. For whatever reason the Tampa area is a hotbed for athlete misbehavior and unfortunately I think it’s just a matter of time before the Rays get burnt.

I’m not saying some players can turn over a Read the rest of this entry »

Oct 21

A Letter to Stu Sternberg

Fans do silly things, Feed your mind, Stuart Sternberg, Tampa Bay Rays, Things that make us giddy, This bait tastes so good Jordi Scrubbings 26 Comments »

Dear Stu,

You might not know me. My name is Michael Lortz (aka Jordi Scrubbings) and I write here occasionally. I have also shared a season ticket package with friends or owned my own season ticket package every year since 2008. I’ve probably been to approximately 100 Rays games since 2008 and consider Game 162 of the 2011 season as one of the greatest moments of my life as a baseball fan. You and your operations people have done a fantastic job of transforming the on-the-field product since you came aboard and I commend you for that.

But I am not writing you to talk about baseball. I am writing you in regards to your connection with the fan base. I’m writing you because as a concerned fan it appears not enough people enjoy your product like I do. I believe you and the Tampa Bay Rays organization are not capturing the hearts and minds of the Tampa Bay area as well as you should.

Before I begin, let me address the elephant in the room and the inspiration for this letter. I know you are often asked by members of the media about the lack of attendance. Few writers in the mainstream can talk about the Rays without talking about us, the fan base, and those comments and questions eventually reach you. That they repeatedly ask doesn’t bother me. What bothers me are your answers. You have often spoken in a detached manner about us. Maybe enough of us haven’t met your expectations. But that doesn’t mean those who do go to the games, who do buy the merchandise, who do watch telecasts regularly deserve to be lumped in with those whose hearts you haven’t yet won over.

How about telling the media that the Rays have “the greatest fans in the world”, even if you don’t think it’s true? Like a woman, we respond well to compliments. Hearing from you that not enough of us go to games and that you might eventually move the team if we don’t get our collective butts to the ballpark is like telling your wife her dress actually does makes her look fat. It might be true, but you shouldn’t say it.

Although I am not privy to your behind-the-scenes discussions with players, coaches, and other personnel, I doubt you talk about them in the manner you discuss us. Have you ever said publicly that if BJ Upton or Evan Longoria or even James Shields don’t perform up to your expectations they will be moved out of the Tampa Bay area? If you don’t talk about your employees like that, please don’t make those comments about those who are supposed to buy your product. You don’t attract bees with vinegar, Stu.

Second, I would like to talk to you about Read the rest of this entry »

Oct 07

For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, Time Marches On

Cowbells, Jordi Scrubbings, Tampa Bay Rays, Too early to open a beer?, We need more Cowbell, Your thoughts please Jordi Scrubbings 13 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings is back with his latest take on all things Rays…

I’ve been mulling over how to eulogize the Rays this year. It’s tough to write about a team that was so inconsistent yet overachieved. One that was so baffling yet pulled out one of the greatest runs in baseball history. How can one accurately summarize the 2011 Rays?

Before the season if you would have asked me if the Rays would have won 90 games, I would have definitely taken the under. If you would have asked me how many games the American League Wild Card team would need to win, I would have said 93 or above. There were too many good teams in the AL. Maybe the fact that the Rays made it into the postseason with 91 wins is a testament to a growing parity borne of front offices catching up in decision making with some of the more traditionally successful franchises. Maybe it was because a few traditionally smart teams made some really bad decisions that equaled lower wins – looking at you, Carl Crawford, John Lackey, and Adam Dunn.

So were the Rays good, magical, or just plain lucky?

Maybe I follow the team too closely, but before September, I would have called them maddening. Of course, we all knew they weren’t going to lose 100 games, but six in a row to begin the season was frustrating. Then Manny, then Longo was Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 29

Joy, Jubilation, and the Sheer Exuberance of Victory

Baltimore Orioles, BJ Upton, Boston Red Sox, Cheap is as cheap does, Chicks dig the longball, Cowbells, Dan Johnson, David Price, Evan Longoria, F*ck the Heck?, Feed your mind, Insane in the membrane, Jake McGee, Joe Maddon, joel peralta, Johnny Damon, Jordi Scrubbings, Karma is a bitch, Lifestyles of the rich famous and good looking, Magic Number, Memories, New York Yankees, Other teams envious of Rays payroll, Pink Hat Nation, Pink Sox Nation, Playoffs?, Putting us in our place, Rays look good in glass slippers, Tampa Bay Rays, there are no rules, Things that make us giddy, Too early to open a beer?, Victory!, Walk-off win, Walk-off wins make us giddy, Your thoughts please Jordi Scrubbings 6 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings was at the game last night. Here is his report. You can also here Jordi tonight on “The Sully Baseball Show” which can be heard HERE…

When I was a younger, I rooted heart and soul for the New York Mets. My dad was a Mets fan and I followed in his footsteps. One of my fondest memories of my dad and I’s shared fandom was when Mookie Wilson’s grounder rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the World Series. Being young and skinny, my dad gave me a big hug and swung my around the living room. Although I was a happy new fan, he was overjoyed. The Mets lived to see another day.

Here I am today the roughly same age my dad was in 1986.  The Rays have in many ways replaced the Mets as my true heart’s desire. The Mets are my first fan love and I will never forget them, but since 2007 day-in and day-out I’ve ridden with the Rays.

Although the Rays have made the Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 23

The Continued Struggle for the Soul of the Florida Sports Fan

Attendance, Fans do silly things, Feed your mind, Minor League Affiliates, New York Yankees, Season Ticket Sales, Statistical projection, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa vs St Pete, The Trop, Things that make us giddy, Things that shine a little less, TV Ratings, We are mad as hell, We need more Cowbell, Your thoughts please Jordi Scrubbings 12 Comments »

Jordi Scrubbings is back with his take on Rays attendance…

Last year, I wrote an article for this site entitled “The Battle for the Passion of the Florida Sports Fan”. In that article, I explored how the Rays were at the short end of a fight to get attention in a rapidly expanding Florida sports scene.

This year I have continued to track attendance and viewing trends. I have saved almost every post I can find from this site, other Rays sites, Bucs sites, Florida Minor League Baseball sites, and anywhere else that talks about the comings and goings of Florida sports fans.

Before I begin to dissect the year in attendance trends, I first want to share an interesting tidbit I recently discovered.

Did you know that in 2010 the Rays drew 95% of the combined attendance total of the Bulls, Gators, Hurricanes, and Seminoles last year?

Attendance of every 2010 home game of Florida State University, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of Central Florida, and the University of South Florida at their respective stadiums was 2,087,026. This number excludes only UF’s bowl game in Tampa and the UF vs. Georgia game in Jacksonville, as they were not true “home” games.

According to Baseball-Reference, the 2010 Rays drew 1,864,999 people to Tropicana Field in 2010. And another 112,854 during the playoffs. That’s 1,977,853 people and a 95% correlation. Which means almost the same amount of people that went to Rays games last year went to see a game at one of the five major college football programs in Florida.

There is no doubt Florida is still a college football state.

A lot of people would point to the above statistic and say it should be Exhibit A why the Rays should move from Florida – they can’t possibly compete in the Florida sports culture landscape. Baseball will regarded as a novelty especially as the University of South Florida grows in popularity and prominence and Florida State gets back on track, loses to Oklahoma withstanding.

I, of course, disagree.

Last year I argued that there was an oversaturation of Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 20

Jordi Talks Rays With a Red Sox Fan

Blog O War, Boston Red Sox, Exagerated headline, Fans do silly things, Feed your mind, Jordi Scrubbings, Other teams envious of Rays payroll, Out of our comfort zone, Things that make us giddy Jordi Scrubbings 1 Comment »

Jordi Scrubbings is back with a special announcement…

Since I started writing here last year I have noticed something: people actually take me for somewhat of a Rays expert. Ha ha, the joke is on them.

Seriously though, in all honesty, it is always very humbling when someone contacts me to get my opinion on the Rays. It has happened on twitter and now, for the first time, it happened on a podcast.

A few months ago, I started a correspondence with California-based Red Sox fan and comedian, filmmaker, and television producer Paul Francis Sullivan. Being that I consider myself a writer/blogger/comic, I look up to Sully and the things he has done. But anyway, Sully and I started following each other on twitter and reading each others’ blogs – it was all very e-migo-ish and blog-bro-tastic of us.

Yesterday, while watching the Red Sox-Orioles game, I received a message from Sully asking me if I would interested in being interviewed for his podcast. Of course, I said yes. So after a few minor technical difficulties (no podcast I ever done goes 100% smooth), Sully and I connected and talked. And talked. And talked.

We talked for almost an hour about the Rays, the Red Sox, my soft spot for Tim Wakefield (we went to the same high school), the brilliance of Joe Maddon, baseball managers and the Hall of Fame, the 2008 Rays, relief pitching, and this year’s playoffs.

So please check out Sully’s podcast featuring me. We come on at the 60:00 mark. Thanks.

Mike Lortz (aka Jordi Scrubbings) Joins the Sully Show

And a big thanks goes out to Sully for the invite. It was fun talking with a Red Sox fan. They are an interesting breed.

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