Oct 21
We wanna be sedated…
Lots o’ Linkety Goodness, so let’s get right to it.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- “Rays Index binging on caffeine” is back. This time we were asked by Deadspin “What the World Series means to us.” [Deadspin]
- Game will mark the first time this season that the Phillies played a game on artificial turf. [Beerleaguer]
- Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays will go with the same 25-man roster used in the ALCS. There is some speculation that Shawn Riggans and/or Eric Hinske could be added to the roster. Topkin says neither is likely. Also, as expected, Scott Kazmir will be the game 1 starter. [The Heater]
- Evan Longoria was named the AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. [The Heater]
- Tim Welke will be the crew chief during the World Series. [MLB]
- An in depth statistical look at the World Series by Baseball Prospectus gives the edge to the Rays. (thanks Scot) [Baseball Prospectus]
For all of the detail above, I keep coming back to one point: the Rays are a much better baseball team than the Phillies are. The gap between the leagues is real, and when you adjust for it and other factors—as third-order wins do—you find that the Rays were actually ten games better than the Phillies this season. They’ve also beaten better teams to get to the Series. Compare the rosters, and while the Phillies have their share of frontline talent, perhaps even more than the Rays have, the Rays have almost no dead spots on the roster, and are much stronger towards the bottom of the lineup, the back of the rotation, the bullpen, and the bench…Three of the last four World Series have been AL sweeps. The presence of Hamels makes that result unlikely, but even he won’t be enough. Rays in six.
- A solid piece on ESPN.com looking at how the Rays were built for success. [ESPN]
- The Phillies are putting all their hopes on rubber duckies…OK, may be not all. [The Fightins]
- David Chalk makes a guest appearance at Walkoff Walk and in his usual unbiased manor, predicts a Rays win. [Walkoff Walk]
- Some tales of “wretchedness” from the Rays fanbase. [Deadspin]
- Big League Stew has a cool video of fans at Raymond James Stadium gathered around TVs watching the final inning of the ALCS game 7. [Big League Stew]
- A Rockies fan will be rooting for the Rays for selfish reasons…The odd thing is we used the exact same logic last season when we were rooting for the Rockies. [Bugs and Cranks]
- Yet another Red Sox blogger throws their support behind the Phillies…We wouldn’t want it any other way. [Sully Baseball]
- In a classic example of “Like Team, Like Fan”, one fan tries to run onto the field at Fenway and fails miserably (video). [Home Run Derby]
- Big League Stew ranks the Mohawks found in the Rays’ clubhouse. [Big League Stew]
- Home Run Derby breaks down the Rays and Phillies cheer squads. [Home Run Derby]
- 31.5 reasons to watch the World Series…Our favorite is #31.5. [ESPN]
Apr 25
Every once and a while we like to stroke our ego and take a look at who is logging in to this here small corner of the blogosphere. Most of the time we get little more than a city and a state. Occasionally we get the name of the business where somebody works.
But we noticed something yesterday that had slipped past our peripheral vision in the past…
It is not unusual for computers from the Tampa Bay Rays offices to log on to our website. But we did not realize that the IP addresses for Rays computers are still working under the team’s old moniker, “Tampa Bay Devil Rays”.
So Mr. Silverman…who gets the fine for this atrocious oversight? The ISP? You? The team’s IT office? Us *gulp*? And how is that fine calculated? To us it looks like somebody owes $7 for yesterday alone. That bill is going to add up quickly if this blight on society is not rectified soon.
This whole situation eerily reminds us of the time when most Rays fans had thought Vince Naimoli was exorcised from the Rays, when it turned out he was still very much in the picture.
Let’s call this a small victory for David Chalk and everybody else that loathed the loss of the Devil in Tampa Bay.
One Blogger Is Fined For Using Moniker “Devil Rays” [Rays Index]
The Impending Return Of Vince Naimoli [Rays Index]
Fighting For The Devil & The Soul Of Bugs & Cranks [Bugs & Cranks]
Nov 12
Team USA 5, Japan 1.
Evan Longoria had a 2-run double in the 8th that put the game out of reach. He finished 1-4. Justin Ruggiano also went 1-4.
Team USA 12, Spain 2.
Evan Longoria went 2-4 and hit his second home run of the World Cup, a 2-run shot. Justin Ruggiano went 1-3.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- Hidden behind the password-wall of ESPN Insider is the latest Peter Gamons article. In the article he has high praise for Evan Longoria. [ESPN]
Three different baseball people insisted that Tampa Bay rookie third baseman Evan Longoria will hit more than 30 homers next year based on what they saw in the Arizona Fall League.
- Carlos Pena took home some more offseason hardware. This time it is the AL Silver Slugger award for being the top hitting first baseman in the AL. [Bottom 9]
- The Devil Rays have contacted free agent catcher Michael Barrett. This just in…The Rays would like to have a veteran catcher on the roster, which means they will be contacting all available veteran free agent catchers. [Fox Sports]
- The Brewers are trying to acquire Carl Crawford looking at the left fielder as the player that can put them over the top. Not surprisingly, the Rays are not interested in anything the Brew Crew is offering so they are trying to get a third team involved. [Mykenk's Blog]
- Rays of Light has started a 9-part series entitled “Offseason Ideas”. They have #1 and #2 up, addressing whether or not to trade Rocco Baldelli, and signing Cesar Izturis to play shortstop in 2008. [Rays of Light]
- Delmon Young should have won a Gold Glove? One blogger thinks so. Young did not deserve a gold glove, even if they got rid of the ridiculous practice in which the outfield gold gloves are given to three outfielders regardless of outfield position, which often leads to three center fielders taking home the award. Young has one of the best arms in baseball, but his defense is below average at best. He plays too deep, takes bad angles and often looks uncomfortable. [Thunder Matt's Saloon]
- If I ever go into politics, I am hiring David Chalk as my campaign manager. [Bugs & Cranks]
- And remember…if you are not happy about the Rays changing their name and would like to see sites such as RI or Bugs & Cranks continue using the moniker “Devil Rays”, go to THIS POST and leave a comment saying so.[Bugs & Cranks]
Sep 20
Angels 2, Devil Rays 1.
Come back in a little bit for a big announcement.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- Justin Ruggiano made his major league debut last night. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated Wes Bankston for assignment. [tampabay.com]
- Brendan Harris was unavailable again yesterday after pulling a muscle in batting practice on Tuesday. [TBO]
- As far as late-season rookie hazing goes, Aki Iwamura got off easy (Dice-K was made to dress like a Teletubby). On the other hand, Aki’s interpretor looks like he is in pain. [tampabay.com]
- There is a Devil Ray that holds a major league record. Scott Aldred from 1998 currently holds the record and the record is about to go down and its going down hard. [Baseball Prospectus]
- David Chalk is not happy that the Rays are dropping the “Devil”. He feels the team name has not been marketed properly, offering his own “suggestion”. [Bugs & Cranks]
- I organized my first “Rotisserie Baseball League” in 1988 (I had Kirk Gibson on my team). And SimonOnSports reminds us why we stopped playing fantasy baseball 2 years ago. Too many people now believe that Fantasy Baseball is more important than the real thing. You see, Simon apparently got “kicked in the groin” when the Devil Rays decided to shut James Shields down for the season and Simon is pissed off that Joe Maddon did not personally inform Simon of the decision in time for him to make a roster move. Apparently the Rays are idiots for caring more about the longterm health of their young Ace rather than Simon’s fantasy baseball team. [SimonOnSports]
- The folks at Roto Authority, on the other hand, understand that when a young pitcher bests his previous career high in pitches thrown, they are at a very high risk of suffering an injury or a dead arm in the following season. [Roto Authority]
With Jamie Shields shut down for the season (smart move) let’s take a look at his breakout 2007 season…Boiling all of these peripherals in a big stat cauldron gives us a 3.62 ERA to go with that 1.22 WHIP (in 2008). With the right win total that could garner some Cy votes…Speaking of which, with that many innings I think he could pick up 15 or 16 wins in 2008. He’s quietly becoming the AL’s Aaron Harang, even pitching in the East. His changeup is top ten in the game and he’s got two other above average pitches as well.
- John Sickels takes a close look at two of the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, Jake McGee and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. [Minor League Ball]
