Charlotte 6, Durham 3. Ben Hendrickson gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings and dropped to 3-3…Dan Johnson was 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI…Reid Brignac did not play.

Tennessee 3, Montgomery 2. Richard de los Santos allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings…Ronnie Merrill had 3 singles in 4 at bats…Rashad Eldridge was 2-4 with a double…Rhyne Hughes and Chris Nowak had RBIs.

Tampa 5, Vero Beach 1. Heath Rollins picked up his 3rd loss in 5 decisions, getting touched for 4 runs in 7 innings on 5 hits and a walk…Wade Townsend face 4 batters in his first action since being demoted to Columbus to work on his mechanics. He allowed one hit…No batter had more than 1 hit and Matt Fields drove in the only run.

Augusta 13, Columbus 2. Glenn Gibson drops to 1-6 after allowing 5 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings. He did not strike out a batter…Greg Sexton was 3-4 and Mike McCorkick hit his 2nd home run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Andy Cannizaro cleared waivers after being DFA’d by the Rays and has accepted his assignment to Durham.

THE GOOD: We know the numbers and we know there are other players that need playing time, but we hope that it kills Papa Joe Maddon to keep Jonny Gomes on the bench when he does. The first run of the game was all-Gomes. Started with a single, after which he stole second off of a lefty and then scored on a 2-out single by Dioner Navarro. He would later steal third base just before scoring on Jason Bartlett’s triple and moved to third in the 7th inning on a pitch in the dirt that barely got away from the catcher. He would score during that at bat on a ground out…Speaking of Jason Bartlett’s triple, how often are you happy when a player can’t get a bunt down? Bartlett appeared to be attempting a safety-squeeze in the 4th, fouling off one attempt and pulling back on the second pitch. He would then hit a triple to left-center that would score 2….A solid game from Evan Longoria. The opposite field double off the top of the wall in the 4th was a good sign as it was only his 3rd hit this season off a lefty. He also started a huge double play in the top of the 6th to quell a Yankees rally that had 2 runners on with only 1 out. Dirtbag gets rid of the ball faster than any third baseman we ever remember and his throws to second base are pinpoint.

THE BAD: Knowing that Jonny Gomes has to sit against righties. We understand. But we don’t like it.

THE TELLING: Cliff Floyd sat against the lefty while Jonny Gomes got the start at DH and Eric Hinske got the start in right…The Rays will have to earn tonight’s victory. Edwin Jackson takes the mound for the Rays while the Yankees will counter with their Ace, Chien-Ming Wang…The Rays remain 1 game up in the loss column over the Angels in the Wild Card standings. The Rays are 3 games up on the next teams, Baltimore and Cleveland.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Don’t forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven’t voted yet today, go NOW! For those that haven’t done it yet, once you have voted for the first time, it takes a matter of seconds to vote a second time. The ballot stores all your info. So you have ZERO excuses. C’mon, let’s make sure C.C. is in NYC in ’08. VOTE OR DIE! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• We will have the Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo on Wednesday night for game 3 of the Yankees series, with James Shields going against Mike Mussina. The Live Blog-A-Baloo will be held right here.
• Anybody want to take bets on what substances Her Rays was under the influence of when writing their post-game recap? Not that there is anything wrong with that. Much of the best writing in history was done “under the influence”. Just ask fans of the Beatles or Hunter Thompson. [Her Rays]
• Jonny Damon said that the scoreboard gun that had Matt Garza at 92-93 last night, must have been low. [New York Times]

Before we knew it, he was jamming us and making us pop out. That’s what happens when you’re late on the fastball, and it seemed like we were late all day. It just seemed like we couldn’t catch up to it.

• Ben Zobrist has been activated from the DL with Andy Cannizaro being DFA’d…Ahh Andy Whatever-your-name-is. We hardly knew ya. [Rays Report]
• Alex Rodriguez will not play in this series…Also, Marc Topkin says that Al Reyes could be activated as soon as today, although there is no clear indication who will be let go. Scott Dohmann and Gary Glover seem like the only options to be removed from the roster. Both are out of options, meaning they would have to be DFA’d. Of course, we could see another “Willy Aybar” injury by tomorrow afternoon. That is Dohmann or Glover could come down with a mystery ailment that would normally keep a player out for a week or so, but still need to go on the DL, just in time for a needed roster move and 2 months later, they are still MIA…Just sayin’. [The Heater]
• Gary Shelton says the Rays are not “fluky” and are here to stay. [St. Pete Times]
• Yet another positive piece on the Rays in the New York Times…That is 2 this season and 2 more than the Yankees have had. [New York Times]
• Here is a neat graph that compares payrolls to performance. [Benfry.com]
• Always in love with the underdog, Joe Maddon said that if he were to name MVPs for the first month and a half, it would be JP Howell and Jason Bartlett. [MLB]
• An early proposal for a ballpark in St. Pete circa 1983, looks an awful lot like the new proposed waterfront stadium. [Ballpark Frankness]
• Seriously, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Yahoo! Sports has the Rays ranked 5th in their power rankings. [Yahoo! Sports]

Supposed to be that the Rays would do well generally, but struggle against the AL East powers. They’re now 15-11 against their own division.

• The Rays will make public their financing plan for the proposed waterfront stadium on Thursday. [Ballpark Frankness]

THE GOOD: Evan Longoria made yet another great defensive play in the first inning. These plays seem to happen on a daily basis now and Dirtbag probably should be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year based on his defense alone…After the 5th inning, the Rays trailed 5-4. It could have been worse if not for the arm of Gabe Gross who saved a run by gunning a runner down at the plate…Darren Oliver, the Angels only lefty in the ‘pen was unavailable after pitching 1.2 innings on Saturday. Mike Scioscia could have used him on Sunday. Scioscia pulled Ervin Santana from the game with 2 outs in the 6th inning with the top of the order due up. The next two batters were lefties. Aki Iwamura doubled followed by a Carl Crawford 3-run home run that would be the difference in the game…JP Howell was simply terrific shutting down a very good offensive team for 3 innings, giving up only 1 hit. In particular was getting Vlad the Impaler to end the 7th. He wasn’t a threat at the time with the bases empty and the Angels down 3, but Vlad never looked comfortable during the at bat and that does not happen very often.

THE BAD: This is Andy Sonnanstine. Although it does appear that these versions of Duke are fewer and farther between recently. When he is hittable he is very hittable…Granted the Rays had a 3-run lead at the time, but if a team gets the bases loaded with no outs as they did in the 8th, 1 run should be automatic and a team has to try pretty darned hard not to score at least twice. The Rays did not score.

THE TELLING: A miscommunication play in the 9th between Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett led to a pop up being dropped and an error charged to CC. That was the first error charged to the Rays since the previous Sunday in Boston…The Rays are starting to get more efficient on the base paths. We haven’t seen a serious branfart in a while and in the last week the Rays are 8-10 (80%) in steal attempts. Prior to this week, the Rays were only 28-42 (67%)…With no runs allowed in the first 2 innings, the Rays had set a record with 24 consecutive scoreless innings from the pitching staff…Cliff Floyd was back in the lineup for the first time in over a month. He had 2 hits and and 2 RBI…The Rays have now swept the Red Sox, the Angels and the Jays at home and now sit at 13-7 at home…Despite playing in a dome, Rain was not kind to the Rays yesterday. The Yankees game in Detroit was postponed. Without the rain, the Rays would have likely faced Kei Igawa and Darrell Rasner in games 3 and 4 of the series. Now the Rays will face Andy Pettite in game 1 with Rasner bumped to game 4 and Igawa will be skipped…Despite being swept in Boston, the Rays have earned at least a little respect from the Sox. They have yet to earn any from the Yankees. And to be honest it would probably take a sweep to get some. But if the Rays can win 3 of 4 we can at least shut them up for a while…Oh yeah, if the season ended today, the Rays would be the American League Wild Card representative.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Gary Glover has been activated off the DL and Kurt Birkins has been optioned to Durham…Marc Lancaster also indicates that Ben Zobrist could come off the DL as early as today, with Andy Cannizaro sent back to Durham. If that happens that would leave only Willy Aybar on the 15-day DL. [Rays Report]
• Ben Zobrist is to have the pins removed from his left thumb today and has been told that he will be cleared to play immediately after the procedure. [MLB]
• Troy Percival says that defensively, this is the best team he has ever played with. [MLB]
• Roger Mooney notes that the Rays starting pitchers have grown up and are holding themselves accountable for the first time. Mooney notes that the most impressive feature has been their ability to rebound from bad starts. [Bradenton Herald]
• The St. Pete Times has a new blog dedicated to covering the progress of the Rays’ proposed waterfront stadium. [St. Pete Times]

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

• The Good: To quote a commenter from last night: Akinori Iwamura… you beautiful, beautiful small little Japanese man. Although I might worry a little for Aki’s safety today. He did a nice little bat flip and walked the first few steps down the line to admire the blast. Don’t get me wrong. I loved it. And in reality the Sawx are the last team in the world that could ever complain about something like that as long as Manny Ramirez wears the Scarlett Hose. But still. Aki might get a little buzz this afternoon if a pitcher gets an opportunity…Oh yeah and the bullpen, Again. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the bullpen. That’s right. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the Tampa Bay Rays relief corps.
• The Bad: Jello Shots. Seriously? Who the hell thought Jello Shots was a good idea?
• The Telling: This worked yesterday, so I will try going to the well one more time. The last time the Rays won 6 in a row was August 3, 2005. The winning pitchers during that streak were Scott Kazmir, Casey Fossum, Doug Waechter, Mark Hendrickson, Seth McClung and Travis Harper. No shit…Also if the Rays win today they will be 3 games over .500 after 25 games. It looks like that would be the latest in a season that the Rays have ever been 3 games over .500. In 2004 they were 40-38 but never got to 3-over. The latest they have ever been 3-over was way back in 1999 when the Rays were 11-8 after 19 games.
• Today: Huge matchup of Aces as the Rays go for the sweep. It is Josh Beckett versus James Shields.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Only surprise here is that Andrew Friedman didn’t make this move sooner. Elliot Johnson has been sent to Durham and Andy Cannizaro has been called up to take his place. With Jason Bartlett’s shoulder problems, Joe Maddon undoubtedly would prefer to have a natural shortstop on the bench to back him up. [Rays Report]
• There is speculation around the Rangers that new team President Nolan Ryan may ask Gerry Hunsicker to come on board as the new GM. [ESPN via Lone Star Ball]
• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays surplus of starting pitching and comes to the same conclusion that many including The Professor have been saying for a while, Andy Sonnanstine is likely the odd-man out and could be headed to the bullpen with Scott Dohmann being DFA’d. Even with the 3-hit shutout, Duke is just the better option in the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
• Red Sox skipper Terry Francona is impressed with what he sees in the Rays. [MLB]
• What a difference a year makes for the Rays bullpen, where Gary Glover is the only reliever that was with the Rays at this time last year. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays rank first in affordability in the major leagues. [MLB]
• I am amazed at how many stories have been written that say giving Evan Longoria a long term deal so early is very risky. All these stories make the same argument: Prospects flame out all the time. They will then go on to list all the top prospects that never panned out. Only they only list pitchers. The only top hitting prospect that anybody ever mentions is Rocco Baldelli and he has what appears to be a rare genetic disorder. His had nothing to do with miscalculated scouting. Top hitting prospects *never* fail. They may not turn out to be all-stars, but they never fail. There is basically ZERO risk in the Longoria deal. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (2 days until opening day)

DRG here again to get you through the weekend…

Yesterday: Reds 6, Tampa Bay Rays 3.

• The Good: Carl Crawford was 3-4 with 2 doubles…Carlos Pena hit a ball so hard off the top of the wall in right field that he was held to a single…Dioner Navarro continues to hit, adding 2 more hits and is at .366 in March…Matt Garza went 5 allowing only 2 unearned runs…Jason Bartlett and Aki Iwamura combined on yet another picture-perfect double play.
• The Bad: Miscommunication in center field with BJ Upton allowed a routine fly ball to drop, leading to 2 unearned runs, after Matt Garza cruised through the first four frames.
• The Telling: Joel Guzman had a great game in the field getting several tough plays and handling them well including throwing a runner out at home. With the addition of Nathan Haynes, Eric Hinske is probably out meaning the third baseman is either Guzman or Elliot Johnson if Willy Aybar is not ready on opening day…Oops. Just found out this morning that Guzman is out, Hinske is in.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• A total of 8 players were cut yesterday. Other than Grant Balfour, the biggest names were Mike DiFelice, Josh Paul and Andy Cannizaro meaning that Shawn Riggans will indeed be the backup catcher and Elliot Johnson will be the backup-whatever. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Word just came down that the final roster spot will go to Eric Hinske with Joel Guzman being optioned. [The Heater]
  
• Scott Kazmir threw in the outfield yesterday and all reports were that he looked and felt good. [Tampa Tribune]
• Willy Aybar and Cliff Floyd are both on track to be ready for opening day while Rocco Baldelli was officially transferred to the 60-day disabled list opening a spot on the 40-man roster. [St. Pete Times]
• Baseball Prospectus looks at the leading candidates for the top pick in the June amateur draft, with hot shot high school shortstop Tim Beckham looking like the odds on favorite these days. Sweet Fancy Moses! I am drooling just reading the scouts takes. Better than Justin Upton? Sign me up. [Baseball Prospectus]

Beckham is without question the toolsiest player in the draft, and he’s lived up to expectations this year, if not exceeded them. A true shortstop with outstanding hitting skills, power potential, plus speed, and good fielding skills, most insiders agree that no position player comes close to his overall upside. “He looks like Justin Upton to me, only Upton had the throwing problem in high school and this kid doesn’t,” said one scouting director. “He’s also a lot stronger than I thought he was,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure of the power before, but I’m pretty convinced now.” Another scouting director agreed that he was one of the elite players in the draft. “He’s a guy who has proven it at every event and every showcase, he plays up the middle and he doesn’t have to move,” he said. “It’s hard to classify high school players as safe, but this one is about as safe as it gets.”

• The Wall Street Journal grades the managers in three categories and then ranks them. Joe Maddon comes in at #14. Interestingly, he is tied with his former boss Mike Scioscia. [Wall Street Journal]

Tampa Bay Rays (14 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 7, Tigers 2.

The Good: James Shields was..well…he was James Shields. 2 hits, no runs in 4.2 innings. Andy Sonnanstine continues to lay claim to one of the final two spots in the rotation striking out 5 in 3 innings allowing 4 hits, no walks and 1 run.

The Bad: Actually James Shields was a little off allowing an uncharacteristic 3 walks while striking out 4. He also hit a batter. The only error was committed by Ronnie Merrill who is not even a member of the Rays organization.

The Telling: Elliot Johnson once again saw action in center field trying to earn a spot as Joe Maddon’s utility player and backup center fielder. While in the field he made a highlight reel diving catch that certainly earned him some bonus points and some ribbing from teammates about not being able to stay on his feet.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• In what must be encouraging news for the Rays front office, yesterday’s game drew 6,755 fans. That is a franchise record for a spring training game. It is only spring training. And yes, it is still only 6,755. But positive trends are still positive trends. We would have expected a record on the first day of spring training, not the middle of spring.[Tampa Tribune]
• With Scott Kazmir now likely to miss opening day, the team appears to be leaning towards placing Kid K on the disabled list. Joe Maddon said the team was being overly cautious and made it clear that there is nothing wrong with Kazmir, rather he just wants the young ace to build strength back in his arm. Kazmir agreed stating he would rather miss two starts at the beginning of the season rather than two months later. [The Heater]
• James Shields will now get the opening day nod with announcement likely to be made on Tuesday. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• X-Rays on Shawn Riggans hand cam back negative and he should be back in the lineup in a few days. Andy Cannizaro is still a few days away from returning. The more time he misses, the better chance there is for Elliot Johnson to be on the opening day roster. [Rays Report]
• Bugs & Cranks is still cranking out their team previews in which each team is compared to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in their “”Your Team Ain’t $#!T Compared To The Devil Rays” series (The are up to #22, The Mets). We had wondered aloud previously how long it would take before the comparisons were no longer believable (David Chalk started with the worst teams and will finish with the best). What really surprises us is that it took so long for another site to get offended. It comes from the site All Dodgers and they don’t seem to happy. It is humorous to read how serious they think this is. And does anybody have any idea why they keep using the word “remotely” (or some variation) and highlight the word? [All Dodgers]
• Martin Fennelly says the Rays have never had a player like Troy Percival. [Tampa Tribune]

This clubhouse brims with young talent. That doesn’t make it a team. That’s where a chemistry professor like Percival comes in. He knows situations, he knows hitters, he knows teaching.

• Marc Topkin explores how good BJ Upton can be. [St. Pete Times]

An All-Star? (“Hands down if he didn’t get hurt last year,” pitcher Scott Kazmir said.)…A Gold Glove winner? (“There’s capabilities,” manager Joe Maddon said…A 30-30 man? (“Hell yes,” leftfielder Carl Crawford said.)…”He’s definitely all the above,” pitcher James Shields said. “He can do everything. He hits for power, he moves guys over, he steals bags, he does it all. And he gets great jumps in the outfield. He’s just an athlete. I definitely think he’s going to be one of the best in the game.”

• The Redbird Blog thinks the Cardinals and Rays match-up well as potential trading partners as the Cradinals have a surplus of outfielders and need starting pitching. [The Redbird Blog]
• We actually found a blog that still thinks it is a good idea to contract the Rays. Seriously. A) Why would baseball contract any teams when they set revenue records last year? B) Why would you contract the Rays, a team that is the media darlings of 2008 and a team most think will breakthrough in 2008? On the other hand, if the internet is really headed for a slow down, then there might be a good reason to contract some blogs. This one is named Vitamin Z. The name alone should be enough reason to contract the blog. Just goes to show you that we don’t discriminate. We will even include links to ignorant bloggers. [Vitamin Z]

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (16 days until opening day)

DRG here again to cover my Devil Dogs while The Prof is covering competitive sledding in Canada…

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 8, Blue Jays 4. I know it is only spring training but it is a nice feeling to see the Rays with a winning record after 14 games (10-3-1) and in first place without haveing to turn the newspaper upside down.

• The Good: Evan Longoria hit his second home run of the spring, a 2-run shot in the 8th. John Rodriguez was 2-3 with 2 singles and 2 RBI in his bid for the 4th outfielder spot. Grant Balfour faced 6 batters, retiring 5 and walking 1, while striking out 3. Balfour is fighting for the final bullpen spot.
• The Bad: Edwin Jackson had his second straight tough start and now is fighting for a roster spot that once looked fairly secure. 4 runs in 5 innings is bad enough, but 4 walks and no strike outs is exactly what Joe Maddon is not looking for.
• The Telling: Will Aybar got the start at third base as Maddon continues to alternate Aybar and Longoria on a regular basis. Eric Hinske played first base as he tries to convince Maddon he can be a utility player. Hector Gimenez caught the second-half of the game and now has received more playing time (17 innings) in the spring than Josh Paul (11) and Mike DiFelice (16). Shawn Riggans is going to make the team.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• The Prof got some serious airtime on ESPN.com yesterday as Rob Neyer debated Prof’s recent post exploring the impact of Barry Bonds. [ESPN]
• Consider that yesterday Jayson Stark of ESPN.com debated the worst team in baseball, and the Rays were not even considered. Baby Steps. Stark does mention that as part of Troy Percival’s contract, the Rays provided him with a 1970 Chavelle that “runs like crap”, which is OK, because he and his dad restore classic automobiles. [ESPN]
• Hugging Harold Reynolds is jumping on the Rays bandwagon, which is starting to move forward with a head of steam. And yes we welcome you with open arms. Although it is tempered a bit by the news that HHR loves the Phillies. Considering the general disdain for all things Philadelphia amongst Tampa Bay fans, we are willing to overlook it this one time. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• For those that are curious, Delmon Young is 10-28 (.357). In typical Young fashion, 8 of the 10 hits are singles. In non-typical Young fashion he has 2 walks and only 3 strikeouts. He does have 1 home run.
• Joe Girardi still won’t admonish Shelley Duncan but it sure sounds like he teammates will behind closed doors. [New York Post]

“A lot of veteran guys have talked to him,” Johnny Damon told The Post yesterday. “We are telling him to keep playing hard, but keep the spikes down and the shoulders in (when sliding). This way people see you are playing hard, but no one can question you.”

• Jonny Gomes will appeal his 2 game suspension. [The Heater]
• Most in the Rays clubhouse agreed that Jonny Gomes’ suspension and Shelley Duncan’s suspension were too similar considering what occurred. [Herald-Tribune]
• Andy Cannizaro returned to the Rays after missing time with a recurring back problem. His return hurts the chances of Elliot Johnson making the squad as the backup shortstop. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Yesterday The Prof wrote about when we can expect the All-Star game to be held in St. Pete. Now comes word that they Rays have bid on the 2010 All-Star game. I have to imagine this is just a formality for the Rays as everybody expects the Angels to get the game. The Rays may want to just familiarize themselves with the process and possibly receive some feedback on their proposal to better utilize in the future. [LA Times]
• In keeping with the All-Star theme, last July The Serous Tip predicted that Florida would not host the All-Star game until at least 2016 noting that the AL parks get the game in the even years. Between this report and Prof’s assessment, we can expect a Tampa Bay Rays hosted all-star game in 2016 or 2018. [The Serious Tip]
• A blogger talks to one of Andrew Freidman’s assistants about fantasy baseball advice? OK. [Sports Judge]
• In light of recent events, The Cape Cod News wonders why baserunners are allowed to intentionally collide with catchers. [Cape Cod News]

Tampa Bay Rays (19 days until Opening Day)

Not the best day in the world to be a Rays fan. We just reported about the cheapshots thrown by the Yankees in the today’s spring games (we apologize, for the excessive profanity). This came after this morning’s press conference to announce that Rocco Baldelli will start the season on the DL with a still unidentified muscle condition.

Baldelli said he had some type of “metabolic, and/or mitochondrial abnormalities, basically along the lines my body isn’t making or producing ATP the right way, and therefore not allowing my muscles to work as they should and recover like they’re supposed to on a day-to-day basis.”

Andrew Friedman noted that the Rays will continue to help Baldelli, but that at this point it is unlikely that the team would pick up his 2009 option ($6 million). Declining the option will cost the Rays a $4 million buyout.

At this point we need to seriously consider the possibility that Rocco has played his last game for the Rays and possibly his last game as a major league baseball player. If this is the case, it will be a sad end to a once promising career.

P.S. Shelley Duncan is still a little bitch.

Baldelli headed to the DL with fatigue [Tampa Bay Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• As far as the Rays in-house options to replace Rocco Baldelli as the Rays’ fourth outfielder, Joe Maddon will have to decide between Jon Weber, whom Maddon says is the better defensive outfielder and John Rodriguez, whom Maddon says is the better offensive option. Both will get considerable playing time in the near future and the decision may be based on who can handle center field better. [The Heater]
• Outs Per Swing does not like the idea of bringing Kenny Lofton on board, when the Rays have a suitable solution in-house with Justin Ruggiano…We tend to agree. We don’t see Lofton as a difference-maker this year and think Jonny Gomes can handle the everyday right field job with one of several candidates good enough to step-up and be the Rays fourth outfielder (Eric Hinske?). Of course one thing going for Jon Weber is that he has played on a championship team six of the last seven years and just missed his seventh straight last year with the Bulls. [Outs Per Swing]
• To continue with the injury-news, Andy Cannizaro is being treated for a recurring back problem. With the regular backup shortstop, Ben Zobrist out 4 weeks already, it now appears as though Elliot Johnson’s hot spring has earned him a shot to be the backup shortstop. He will likely get some time at short this week. [Rays Report]
• Elliot Johnson says he is a hard-nosed player and expressed no regrets for the collision at home plate this past weekend. The Rays hoped that Johnson would enter camp and cut down on trying to hit home runs and lower his strikeout totals. So far it is working and Joe Maddon has taken notice. [Tampa Bay Rays]

“He’s a very good athlete and I think there’s a lot of positions that he could play,” Maddon said. “I want him to become more involved defensively, because this guy is very gifted, you can see that…He’s handled himself extremely well, and I’ve told him so,” Maddon said. “He’s out here playing hardball every day and that’s what he’s all about.”

• We mentioned previously that the PECOTA projection system predicted a 22-win increase for the Rays in 2008, and now SI.com’s Nate Silver looks at that number and the Rays roster and sees the 1994 Cleveland Indians. [SI.com]

Forget about the ’87 Indians; the relevant team to consider here is the ’94 Tribe, which reversed a string of seven consecutive losing seasons by going 66-47 in a strike-shortened season. Like those Indians, who went on to win five straight division titles behind such rising stars as Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, the Rays have plenty of young mashers.

• Somebody else suggested we use THIS JOKE on our site. We think it is a little rough considering we are talking about a guy who has what is apparently a genetic disorder and may never be able to play again. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• CNBC is running a bracket-style tournament to find the best minor league baseball logo. The Montgomery Biscuits were up on DAY 1, while both the Columbus Catfish and the Durham Bulls are in the running on DAY 2. [CNBC]

Tampa Bay Rays (38 days until pitchers and catchers report)
Will everybody please shut the hell up about Scott Kazmir? This has been going on all off-season and it is approaching ludicrous levels. The original source for all the stories and speculation was a New York Post article written by the idiot Joel Sherman. Here is the original line…

An executive familiar with Tampa’s thinking said if the offers for Santana grow to a substantial level, then the Rays would test to see what they could get for Scott Kazmir.

“An executive familiar with Tampa’s thinking…” His source was not even a Rays’ executive. Hell it may not have even been a baseball executive. He might have talked to the executive at his morning coffee shop.

Now we have been inundated with dozens of stories and blog posts speculating that the Rays will trade Kazmir because he has not signed a long-term contract and does not seem to have any interest in doing so.

SO WHAT?!?!

He is still three years from free agency. Three friggin’ years! 2008 marks Kid K’s first year of arbitration eligibility. Our best guess has Kazmir and the Rays agreeing to a one-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million. If Scott Kazmir was a free agent pitcher today and he approached the Rays and said he would sign with Tampa Bay for one year at $4 million, the Rays would throw a party. Kazmir is going to pitch for the Rays in 2008. He is going to pitch for the Rays in 2009 and there is at least a 50/50 chance he pitches for the Rays in 2010.

If and when the Rays decide to move Kid K, it will not happen until after the 2009 season at the earliest. Why do it before then? There really is no incentive.

And so what if there is a chance the Rays trade Kazmir after the 2009 season? We have absolutely ZERO idea what the Rays’ rotation will look like entering the 2010 season. What if David Price, Wade Davis and Jake McGee are all fullfilling their promised careers and two have already joined James the Greater, Matt Garza and Kid K in the rotation? If the Rays have five young and talented starting pitchers at the major league level, and Kazmir is entering the final year before free agency the Rays better trade Kazmir. They would be stupid not to.

That’s right. We said it. And we will repeat it now for the cheap seats. If the Rays rotation entering 2010 is some combination of Kazmir, Shields, Price, Davis, Garza and McGee and all look to be above-average starting pitchers and the Rays have failed to lock Kazmir into a long-term deal…THE RAYS BETTER TRADE KAZMIR. And they will. Make no doubt about it. It is the smart move.

And if Kazmir continues to develop at his current pace, the Rays would be fools not to trade him. While he is not Johan Santana, look at the packages that are being offered for his services. Even if a proposed trade was slightly less than one of the Santana packages, it would still be a sweet bounty that would include 3-4 top prospects/young major leaguers. Add that group to Shields/Price/McGee/Davis/Garza/Upton/Longoria and the Rays will continue to have a very strong core of young players.

Kid K is the type of player that we covet. We may not get his peak years but we will get at least 5 seasons of top-level pitching and then he is moved for a number of pieces that will replenish the cupboards. Kid K is the type of player that keeps a team like the Rays competitive over the long-term.

As Rays fans we cannot be afraid to lose a player like Scott Kazmir. As a small-market franchise, the Rays cannot be afraid to trade a player like Scott Kazmir.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays have signed former Devil Rays catcher Mike DiFelice to a minor league contract. He will be invited to spring training with an opportunity to make the squad as the backup catcher. With the other option being Shawn Riggans, we give Difelice the edge, unless another catcher is signed. [TampaBay.com]
• Each week until the opening of Spring Training, Bill Chastain will preview a different position for the Tampa Bay Rays. The first week is catcher and a close look at Dioner Navarro. According to Joe Maddon, the team is not concerned with Navi’s bat, but are more worried about his development defensively. His throwing is above-average, but the team needs improvements in other aspects of his game. [DevilRays.com]

“He really came on offensively,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “But the quantum leap we want to see is defensively calling a game…”He does a pretty good job of blocking pitches. We like to see him receive balls on the corner better than he has in the past. Taking charge of the staff, communication wise, we have a ways to go. … It’s vital to the development of [Scott] Kazmir, [James] Shields, [Matt] Garza, [Edwin] Jackson, etc…We do lack experience (at catcher). No question. We have to accelerate the learning curve behind the plate. We talk a lot about it and we’re trying to address it.”

• Joe Maddon has placed on emphasis on making sure that Dioner Navarro arrives to Spring Training in shape and ready to take on a leadership role with the Rays. [TampaBay.com]

Maddon said he was in contact with Navarro this week, and he has been working out at the Naimoli complex trying to get into better shape for spring training. Last spring Navarro struggled as Maddon called the starting job open….”I really got a sense of urgency from him,” Maddon said. “I would be very surprised if he didn’t come into camp in much better shape and ready to play. I know he’s not going to forget what happened last spring, also because I’m not going to let him.

• Dayn Perry, of Fox Sports, who we have been very critical of in the past, has a feature story predicting a bright future for the Rays. [FoxSports.com]
• With Baseball America set to unveil their list of the Rays’ top 10 prospects and best tools list, Future Considerations makes their predictions for which Rays farm hands will be named in the “Best Tools” categories. We don’t see much to argue with, although we are not sure we would name Evan Longoria “Best Power Hitter and “Best Average Hitter”. Rhyne Hughes or John Jaso for “Best Average Hitter”? [Future Considerations]
• RotoAuthority lists the top 25 catchers. Not a single Dioner Navarro among the bunch. [RotoAuthority]
• Did Carl Crawford ruin the career of Matt Clement? [The Dugout]
• Michael Kalt, the Rays Vice President of Development, has been named by the St. Pete Times as one of “10 People to watch in 2008″. He is the man behind the plan to bring a new stadium to the St. Pete waterfront. [TampaBay.com]

After helping parlay other people’s needs and money into new homes for the Yankees and Mets in New York, Kalt cobbled a plan that would raise most of the cash to build a new $450-million stadium in downtown St. Petersburg by selling publicly owned Tropicana Field as site for a $600-million-plus mixed-use project.

• The Rays signed Andy Cannizaro and outfielder John Rodriguez to minor-league contracts. Both players will be invited to Spring Training with a shot at making the 25-man roster. Neither will. Rodriguez would have to beat out Jonny Gomes for the fourth outfielder spot. And even if Gomes is traded, there is still Justin Ruggiano. Cannizaro has a slightly better shot as the only real competition for utility infielder at this point appears to be Ben Zobrist, but as a switch-hitter, Benny Boo Boo has a strong advantage as the only available left-handed bat off the bench at this point. [TampaBay.com]
• Beyond the Boxscore interviewed Paul DePodesta. Why are we including this in the “Webtopia”? Because DePodesta confirms something we have been screaming at the top of our lungs ever since we read Moneyball…That is, a “Moneyball” player has NOTHING to do with a good OBP. It has everything to do with finding a player that is undervalued. Nothing more. Nothing less. At the time Moneyball was written, players with a strong OBP were undervalued. Nowadays, strong OBPs are on everybody’s radar so they are no longer undervalued. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• Reid Brignac has a rooting interest in tonight’s BCS Championship game between Ohio State and LSU. Probably don’t have to tell you which team The Cajun God of Baseball will be cheering for. [Stacy Long's Riverwalk Talk]
• The Rays will discuss their stadium proposal with members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association at 7 pm on Thursday at the Sunshine Center. [TampaBay.com]
• On Wednesday, The Rays will hold a meeting open to the public to discuss the new stadium. The meeting will be held at Tropicana Field at 6pm. City officials are requesting RSVPs but will not turn anybody away. [TampaBay.com]