Archive for the 'Troy Percival' Category

May 14

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss BJ’s Weak Swing, CC’s Bum Shoulder And ‘The Percy’

Andrew Friedman, Carl Crawford, Dioner Navarro, Kevin Kennedy, Pat Burrell, Troy Percival 15 Comments »

Rays Crawford Injured Orioles Baseball

Time to bring back 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: BJ Upton. We put Bossman here reluctantly. The 3 hits were a nice change, but he is still not hitting the ball with authority. A healthy Upton has the quickest wrists and amazing bat speed, neither of which we are seeing now…Jason Bartlett. Yes Upton was on base 3 times, but until he is healthy, would it kill Joe Maddon to have Bartlett’s hot bat at the top of the order? Three more hits. On base 4 times. And oh yeah, his 5th home run and 9th steal…Jeff Niemann. That was a decent workmanlike performance. The kind you hope a 5th starter can provide. He worked his way out of several tough jams and picked up his 3rd win…Carlos Pena. No home runs, but last night may have been his best night of the season yet. 2 hard hit doubles and 2 walks, scoring 3 times.

THE BAD: Troy Percival. Can we just rename this section “The Percy”? Any objections? We could give Percival a lifetime pass, kinda like the one he has to Piccadilly. By the way, can we assume that Percy is going to the DL sometime in the next week with a back “injury” to make room for Jason Isringhausen? In the meantime, we really want to punch Percy in the face. It would be ok. He is not pregnant in the face…Carl Crawford. CC had to be removed from the game after making a diving catch to end the 4th.

THE TELLING: The Rays played 23 games in April with one sacrifice bunt. They have 5 in the last 12 games including Dioner Navarro’s last night. Last year the Rays had the fewest sacrifices (23) in baseball. This year, Baltimore (3), the White Sox (2) and Boston (0) combined have fewer sac bunts than the Rays.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jason Bartlett.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Carl Crawford’s shoulder injury has been classified as a bruise and CC doesn’t expect to miss much time. [The Heater]
  • Pat Burrell left the team to go back to the Bay Area to have his neck examined by a specialist. It has been bothering him for several weeks. [The Heater]
  • Andrew Friedman was in Durham to watch Jonny Gomes tear apart the Bulls the past couple of days…OK, he wasn’t there to watch Gomes, but it was a little ironic. Also Watching Durham Bulls Baseball has an audio interview of Friedman in which he discusses David Price’s last start (he was impressed) among other topics. Scroll down about two-thirds for the link. [Watching Durham Bulls Baseball]
  • Can somebody please explain why Kevin Kennedy was doing color commentary for the Red Sox broadcast on Tuesday? We are not sure if this should bother us or not. Would it have been different if Dewayne Staats did the play-by-play?  [WEEI via Joe Maddon Sucks]
  • Well, now we know why Scott Kazmir gained so much weight in the off-season and why we now call him Beef-K. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Bill Chastain has a piece discussing Dioner Navarro’s struggles with passed balls this season…What is interesting to us is that we looked up the numbers and Navi has only been charged with 2 passed balls, but it seems to us that there have been at least 5. [MLB]
  • Rays the Stakes wonders when there is going to be a shake-up in the rotation and offers a glimpse at what it might look like. [Rays the Stakes]
  • Her Rays writes an ode to Jason Bartlett. [Her Rays]
  • Rays Revolutionary got their hands on the Evan Longoria figurine to be given out this weekend. [Rays Revolutionary]
May 07

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Return Of The Duke, CC’s Streak And Longo Being Longo

Andy Sonnanstine, Carl Crawford, Joe Maddon, Troy Percival 10 Comments »

Rays Yankees Baseball

Time to bring back 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: Andy Sonnanstine. That was vintage Sonnanstine. The Duke worked into the 8th, left the game with a 3-0 lead, struck out 4 and more importantly, he did not walk a batter…Carlos Pena. His major league leading 12th home run in the top of the 10th was the game-winner. And Yankee fans can scream all they want about a “wind tunnel” to right field, El Gato don’t need no stinkin’ wind tunnel…Carl Crawford. He has now stolen a base in 9 straight games and is 20-20 on the season. We never knew you could be in a zone when it comes to steals, but that is where CC is right now. And last night he also flashed the leather. A diving grab ended the 3rd and even bigger was the play he made on Hideki Matsui’s double in the 4th. With 2 outs and a man on first, Matsui doubled into the corner. The ball took a big bounce off the wall and over CC’s head. He leaped and grabbed the ball bare-handed, holding the runner at third, and saving a run…Evan Longoria.  Another night, another double and another RBI. His 14th double leads the big leagues and his 35th RBI does also.

THE BAD: The Rain. Who knows what would have happened, but we have to at least feel that the Mark Teixeira double would have been different if the umps called for the tarp a batter earlier. Based on the previous pitches, JP Howell did not have his usual control in the monsoon…BJ Upton. His swing looked good on the single, but in the other 4 plate appearances he struck out 3 times and nearly got ejected in the top of the 9th for arguing a called third strike…Plate Discipline. Don’t expect the Rays to win too many games when they strike out 14 times and walk only twice…Pat Burrell. C’mon. Give us something. Anything. The .343 OBP is nice but we were, you know, expecting a little more.

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon used every reliever except Lance Cormier…9 straight games with a steal for Carl Crawford. That streak will be severely tested tonight with Andy Pettitte on the mound, who possesses one of the game’s best pickoff moves.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Sonnanstine. Without the downpour, there is no 3-run double and there are no extra innings. We would only be talking about how great The Duke was.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Goodness. We have been linked a lot of places in the past, but yesterday was the first time that our server crashed. We were actually down for about 5-10 minutes. But thankfully, we called somebody. They did something.
  • Great article in the New York Times yesterday about Carl Crawford and his ability to steal bases. (thanks Connie) [New York Times]
  • Stuart Sternberg was on hand in the Bronx last night and answered questions about new Yankee Stadium and what it means for the Rays new stadium. [Rays Report]

“If it were up to me we’d be in a different building today. We tried, we felt we’d be somewhat along the road to getting something done, but right now I’m not thinking about it, really.

  • David Chalk comes to the defense of Troy Percival in a way that only Chalk can do (warning: Percivilian language ahead). [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Jim Caple has 10 questions for Joe Maddon, about Joe Maddon. [ESPN]
  • John Romano and Gary Shelton have a new blog at the Times that looks like it could be entertaining. Up first is a discussion about the Rays reaction to Sunday’s fan “interference.” [The Point After]
  • If you love “Family Guy,” you will love this post at Rays the Stakes. [Rays the Stakes]
  • John Heyman ranks Joe Maddon as the 9th best manager. Of course, we knew the list was flawed as soon as we saw Tony LaRussa at the top. LaRussa is a very good manager, but he is severely flawed. He is the classic “overthinker.” [SI.com]
  • Former Rays pitcher Juan Salas was released by the Indians. [Biscuit Crumbs]
May 06

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Garza Complex, The Return Of Navi And One-Out Closers

Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Troy Percival 19 Comments »

Orioles Rays Baseball

Time to bring back 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: Matt Garza. Strange day for The Garza Complex. Only 4 hits in 8 innings, but 2 of those were home runs to guys that entered the game with 3 total…Old Fashioned CC Run. Carl Crawford singled in the first. He then stole second, moved to third when the catcher’s throw went into center and then scored when Adam Jones’ throw went in the dugout…Pena’s Glove Is Golden Again. A line drive double play to Carlos Pena ended the first and then he picked an errant throw from Jason Bartlett out of the dirt to end the second…Bossman and Navi. They were only a combined 3-7, but that was about 3 more hits than they have been getting in most games…MVP! MVP! MVP! Evan Longoria hit his league leading 13th double and drove in 3. He also leads the league with 34 RBI.

THE BAD: No Batting Practice. The Rays did not take BP prior to the game and it showed. Carl Crawford’s first inning single was the only baserunner allowed by Koji Uehara in the first 5 innings in which he only needed 51 pitches…Not back yet. BJ Upton struck out in the 6th with the bases loaded and nobody out. A situation in which any contact would have scored a run with the D playing back.

THE TELLING: Gabe Kapler got a rare start in right field against a right-handed starter…Dioner Navarro was back behind the plate with Matt Garza on the mound despite Garza’s well-documented performances without Navi on the other end of his pitches.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria. This was a tough call between Longo and Matt Garza, but the home runs given up to light hitters tipped this in favor of the leading candidate for the AL MVP award.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • We try to moderate all comments, but unfortunately some fall through the cracks. If you see somebody leaving a vulgar or inappropriate comment or even pretending to be me, please let us know at the TIPS email address above. Those people will be redirected to a very unpleasant website. This is an unfortunate consequence of having a comment system that you don’t have to register for. Thank you.
  • If you missed it yesterday, we started tracking the 2009 attendance. [Rays Index]
  • Evan Longoria was named the AL player of the month. [The Heater]
  • Carl Crawford is taking a bigger lead off first base this season and Joe Maddon says he is going to use Troy Percival in more situations like yesterday. That is 1 out saves. So while Mo Rivera and Jonathon Papelbon can get 4 and 5 out saves, Maddon’s guy can’t even be trusted with 3-out saves. [St. Pete Times]
  • John Romano writes that yesterday’s game was vindication for Joe Maddon for sticking with BJ Upton and Dioner Navarro…We never advocated their removals (Upton from the leadoff spot and Navi from the lineup) but we also need to see more than one game before we declare them “healed.” [St. Pete Times]
  • Fangraphs thinks Evan Longoria Scott Kazmir is broken. [Fangraphs]
  • The Yankees placed Jorge Posada on the DL and called up Francisco Cervelli. If that name is familiar it is because that is the catcher that Elliot Johnson plowed through in spring training last year that led to the Shelley Duncan spike-high slide on Aki Iwamura that led to Jonny Gomes going caveman. [ESPN]
  • The columnists at the St. Pete Times are finally using video for good. John Romano discusses whether Carl Crawford can steal 100 bases. [The Heater]
  • The Rays Party says Grant Balfour has not been as bad the numbers indicate. [The Rays Party]
  • Rays the Stakes puts the Rays involved in Sundays fan-related incident on notice. [Rays the Stakes]
May 05

Troy Percival Should Be Suspended

stupid is as stupid does, Troy Percival 76 Comments »


[Ed. note: the son of the fan in question is six years old]

This morning we gave Troy Percival a bit of a pass because we were not certain that his antics following Sunday’s game were directed at a fan. However, several sources informed us that Percival was indeed directing his rant and obscenities at the fan.

To recap: With two outs in the ninth inning, Evan Longoria leaned into the stands to catch a foul ball that was ultimately caught by a fan sitting in the third row. While we understood Longoria’s frustration, we thought his reaction was a little over the top.

But what is absolutely inexcusable was the behavior of Percival. Several moments after the final out, Percival gestured toward the fan and yelled at least one obscenity in a fit of rage.

No matter what you feel is the proper etiquette of the fan in that situation, keep in mind that the fan did nothing illegal, and he did not intentionally interfere with the game. It may have been wrong, but it was at worst, an innocent mistake.

Under absolutely no circumstances is it acceptable for a major league baseball player to scream obscenities at a fan.

It is definitely unacceptable to scream obscenities at your own fans.

And it is downright unforgivable to scream obscenities at a fan who is standing with his young son.

While Longoria’s actions could be considered, “in the heat of the moment,” Percival’s came a couple of minutes later and were clearly premeditated.

If Percival is not suspended or at least fined by Major League Baseball or the Tampa Bay Rays it sends the wrong message to the fans and it will leave an ugly taste in our mouth.

And to Mr. Percival: You are an embarrassment. You haven’t done squat for this team in almost a year, so don’t think your hall-of-fame career has earned you any free passes with us. And last time we checked YOU have cost the Rays a hell of a lot more wins than that one fan.

Apr 18

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Zorilla!

Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Rays Foundation, Troy Percival 4 Comments »

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Time to bring back 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: Zorilla. We talked to several Rays fans during and after last night’s game. Based on the recent struggles with the bats, every single one thought the game was over when the Rays fell behind 5-2. It is amazing how much our feelings about the team can change with one swing of the bat. And last night, that one swing was Ben Zobrist’s pinch-hit grand slam. The third grand slam of his young career…BJ Upton’s Golden Glove. Another night, another amazing catch by Upton in center. If you haven’t seen it yet, click on the score above and that link has the video. If Bossman doesn’t win a Gold Glove this season, we’ll be angry. Very angry…Dan Wheeler. Looked like the Wheeler of old. It is amazing how much different he is in the 8th inning as compared to the 9th (the numbers aren’t even close). Last night he came on with the tying run on first and 1 out. He struck out Jermaine Dye and then got Paul Konerko to get out of the inning.

THE BAD: James Shields. His one weakness is that at times his changeup hangs a bit and when it does, he is susceptible to the long ball. Last night he gave up 2 home runs at the worst time, with the score tied 2-2 in the 6th inning…Troy Percival. Yes, he got the job done. And yes, he has some velocity, even reaching 93 at one point. But as one commenter pointed out, Percy was almost exclusively fastballs around 88-90 with no movement. That’s not going to get it done very often.

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon has been planning on giving Ben Zobrist more starts in right field against righties. Zorilla’s grand slam came off of a lefty…Evan Longoria was back in the lineup after missing two straight.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ben Zobrist. Was there any doubt?

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Rays the Stakes wants to know what you think of Kevin Kennedy. [Rays the Stakes]
  • Comcast has reached an agreement with Sun Sports to broadcast the remaining Rays games. [Naples Daily News]
  • Troy Percival says he was trying to overthrow in his first two outings and felt better last night, reaching 93 on the gun. [St. Pete Times]
  • MLB.com has the complete list of 29 not-for-profit organizations that received donations from the Rays Foundation. [MLB]
  • The Rays added a couple of more acts to the Summer Concert Series. [The Heater]
  • The Rays are giving away replica AL championship trophies tonight. [The Heater]

Apr 11

Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Week 1

Akinori Iwamura, Andy Sonnanstine, Evan Longoria, Gabe Kapler, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Pat Burrell, Troy Percival 10 Comments »

[table id=3 /]

Mar 12

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Some Top Prospects, Percy’s Role And Something About The Cowbell Kid

Joe Nelson, Troy Percival No Comments »

Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • We participated in a round table discussion over at Rays Prospects discussing which prospect not named David Price would have the biggest impact for the Rays this season. You will want to check it. [Rays Prospects]
  • We also participated in a second discussion on Matt Moore and Nick Barnese. [Rays Prospects]
  • We should get an update today on the extent of the injury to Fernando Perez’ wrist. [St. Pete Times]
  • Marc Topkin says that it doesn’t matter what Troy Percival thinks or what the trainers say or what Joe Maddon hopes, it comes down to what Percy does on the field over the next few weeks that will determine if he is ready to resume his role as closer for the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
  • The AP has a story this morning on the Rays struggles to sell tickets. [USA Today]
  • Newcomer Joe Nelson won the Rays charity golf tournament yesterday. [St. Pete Times]
  • And we can’t even believe we are going to type this…The Cowbell Kid is going to make his FCW debut tonight. We think that is Florida Championship Wrestling, but we don’t care enough to look it up. [Video]

Mar 03

Izzy And Percy, Separated At Birth?

Jason Isringhausen, Troy Percival No Comments »

php5xwtqwDerrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Troy Percival campaigned on behalf of the team to bring Jason Isringhausen on board and also campaigned with team on behalf of Izzy. Now that the two closers with a combined 645 career saves are wearing the same uniform, Joe Maddon sees a lot of similarities.

Seeing him and Percy side by side is quite interesting. You could consider them separated-at-birth-kind of guys. There are some similarities there.

Maddon does feel that the two pitchers are good for each other. And Percival says he wants to help Izzy get the 7 saves needed for 300 in his career. When told about this, Maddon was amused.

“Percy is always writing checks his body can’t – what’s the old phrase? – cash,” Maddon joked. “Percy’s good at that.”

(…)
Read the rest of Izzy And Percy, Separated At Birth? (167 words)

Feb 28

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Rays On TV And Percy’s Pending Return

Troy Percival No Comments »

Sorry. Not GBT sandwich today. But a quick reminder, that the Rays spring game today will be televised on the MLB Network.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Troy Percival says he is ahead of schedule and his spring debut has been moved from March 17 to March 12…Sounds like we need to update our 25-man roster projection. [MLB]
  • Big League Stew writes about Rocco Baldelli’s reunion with the Rays and includes a sobering pic of Rocco in Red Sox colors. [Big League Stew]
  • The Rays head trainer Ron Porterfield, looks back on his team handling Rocco Baldelli’s condition. [Providence Journal]
  • The Rays Party updates their 25-man roster projection. [The Rays Party]
  • The Press-Enterprise has a picture of Troy Percival’s ‘56 Ford Pickup that was stolen. The truck is valued at $100,000. [The Press-Enterprise]
Feb 20

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Dirtbag’s WBC Hopes, Percy’s ‘55 Ford No More And Nelson’s First Opening Day Roster

Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Troy Percival No Comments »
2008 AL Championship Trophy2008 AL Championship Trophy

Just a little reminder this morning from Rays Index to all of our friends in Red Sox Nation and the Evil Empire of exactly who is chasing whom this season.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Although he has yet to receive official word, Evan Longoria is proceeding with the assumption that he will not be included on the final 24-man roster for the US in the World Baseball Classic. That leaves JP Howell and Akinori Iwamura as the only Rays that will participate in the WBC despite having 8 players included on the provisional rosters. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Troy Percival had his home in California broken into with the thieves taking some TVs and his ‘55 Ford Truck that he had restored…And Carl Crawford found his $10K diamond earrings several hours after shoving them in his back pocket and subsequently dropping them in the batting cage. [St. Pete Times]
  • Evan Longoria says he has modeled his workouts after former Ray Eric Hinske. [St. Pete Times]
  • Joe Nelson has overcome many obstacles and is about to make his first opening day roster in 14 years as a pro. [St. Pete Times]
  • The Rays Party takes a look at the moves the Red Sox made this off-season. [The Rays Party]
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