Archive for the 'Derek Jeter' Category

Jul 14

Price Wants To Be Remembered As Guy That Gave Up Jeter’s 3,000th Hit

David Price, Derek Jeter Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

From the file labeled “Shaking Our Damn Heads,” David Price has signed a deal with Steiner Sports* to remind Yankees fans who gave up Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit…

Tampa Bay’s David Price agreed with Steiner Sports to autograph collectibles, including baseballs and pictures. Some of the souvenirs will bear the inscription, “I Gave Up DJ’s 3K,” and be signed by both Price and Jeter.

Hey, we are all for athletes trying to get every dime possible. After all, there probably aren’t a lot of endorsement opportunities for players in the Bay Area not named after a certain Desperate Housewife. But c’mon DP, you really got sign the gear like that?

Price is one of the faces of the franchise and one of the best young pitchers in baseball. And this seems so…cheap. Rather than acting like a future Hall-of-Famer, Price is acting like a pawn in the Yankees universe.

And that is unfortunate.

*Steiner Sports is the official collectibles partner of the Yankees. Of course, we aren’t sure how good they are. They are still trying to sell parts of the old Yankee Stadium.

Jul 14

In The Rays Clubhouse Following Jeter’s 3,000th Hit

David Price, Derek Jeter, Joe Maddon Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

Earlier this week, on the “Baseball Today” podcast, Mark Simon of ESPN.com was discussing Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit. Simon decided to head over to the Rays locker room following the game.

This was his description (you can listen to the entire 7/11 podcast here)…

That was one of the most unusual experiences I have ever had in a defeated team’s locker room. It was extremely pleasant. Everybody was upbeat. You would have never known the Rays lost the game. Joe Maddon talked with a smile on his face the whole time…You could tell he really appreciated the idea of being a part of a historic moment…David Price seemed a little bummed. He seemed a little drained from the entire experience…That was probably the most unique losing locker room I have ever been in.

We’re not sure any of that is terribly surprising for many Rays fans. Maddon is often at his most jovial after losses. It is just his way of trying to keep his players from getting too high or too low. But you do wonder if the Rays were a little too caught up in the moment.

Later, Simon talked about asking Maddon about pitching to Jeter with the game on the line in the 8th inning… Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 09

Rays React To Derek Jeter’s 3,000th Hit

Casey Kotchman, Derek Jeter Cork Gaines 9 Comments »

A few minutes ago, Derek Jeter picked up hit #3,000, a home run off of David Price. Below are a couplke of images of the Rays reaction to the feat…

Casey Kotchman tips his cap as Jeter rounds first base

Led by Johnny Damon, several Rays exit the dugout and give Jeter a standing ovation.

Mar 11

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss CC’s Return, Cutting Ortiz And El Chef Is On Fire!

Carl Crawford, Derek Jeter, Ramon Ortiz, Robinson Chirinos Cork Gaines 16 Comments »

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: El Chef. Robinson Chirinos capped the latest walk-off win with his 2nd spring home run. El Chef is already a better catcher defensively than John Jaso despite limited experience (Baseball America called him the best defensive catcher in Cubs organization). He is already a better hitter than Kelly Shoppach. Yes, the Rays do want him to season a little more, especially behind the plate. But if Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon want the 25 best guys on the opening day roster, it is going to be hard to send El Chef back to triple-A…Andy Sonnanstine. Nice to see him bounce back with 4 shutout innings…Reid Brignac. Briggy Baseball was flashing the leather with a diving stop in the 1st inning and another in the 5th, both times getting up and getting runners. He is going to be fun to watch defensively.

THE BAD: Alex Torres. Torres gave up 3 runs in 2 innings. Not that big of a deal for a guy that will likely be in triple-A. But while Andy Sonnanstine is the “backup” starting pitcher, Torres is probably Sonny’s backup.

THE TELLING: Rays starting pitchers threw 999.2 innings in 2010, one out short of Joe Maddon’s goal…Jeremy Hellickson is expected to make his spring debut today.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Starting to worry that this year’s Rayhawks will be beards and mullets. Some Rays fans better start now…Spring Training is so incredibly important for the Rays. 63 guys competing for one spot as our new favorite player.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Below, is a video on Derek Jeter’s new house on Davis Island.
  • The Rays released Ramon Ortiz. Ortiz, who made 2 starts for the Dodgers last year, was picked up as a free agent by the Rays towards the end of the season.
  • Terry Francona sounded like Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 04

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Home Run Pitch, McGee’s Fading Hopes And Jeter Buying The Rays

BJ Upton, Derek Jeter, Jake McGee, Joe Cruz, Johnny Damon, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Tim Beckham

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: James Shields. “Big Blast” Shields pitched 3 innings. That is good because apparently he wasn’t in the game long enough to work on his home run pitch. He finished with just one hit and 1 walk allowed. No runs, no Ks…Joe Cruz. Cruz made his spring debut a successful one with a 1-2-3 4th inning. Cruz hadn’t pitched in a game in 10 months after having surgery last year…Tim Beckham. Beckham started at shortstop and contributed a double a walk and drove in the Rays only run.

THE BAD: Freddy Garcia. Yes, Freddy Garcia, was the Yankees starting pitcher. And the players that could be in the Rays opening day starting lineup went 4-19.

THE TELLING: Another outing for Jake McGee against the minor leaguers. McGee pitched the 8th inning, giving up one unearned run. Right now it doesn’t look like Joe Maddon has any plans to have McGee on the opening day roster…Alex Torres, part of the Scott Kazmir trade, will start today against the Twins…Jeremy Hellickson threw a 44-pitch bullpen session that went well…Jeff Niemann will start a “B” game (an unofficial spring game) today to get some work in.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Would anybody be surprised if Derek Jeter was a minority owner of the Rays?…One of Joe Maddon’s theme road trips will apparently be “skinny jeans.” This will be worth it just to see Kelly Shoppach and Jeff Niemann dressed like they are going to play at CBGBs (RIP)…Whatever happened to Willy Aybar? He apparently left his winter league team early and is still unsigned. In fact we haven’t even heard of any teams being interested. Seems strange for a guy with a decent OBP and can play several positions.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Johnny Damon met with the media yesterday and had some fun quotes, including how he will occasionally be Manny Ramirez’ spokesman. [The Heater]
  • Is this the best evidence yet that the economy is the biggest factor in local sports attendance? Even the Yankees are having trouble filling their seats in Spring Training (thanks Thad). [ESPN]
  • Gee, look who Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 02

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Jeter To The Rays, Howell Going Nowhere And Burrell’s New Deal

Brian Shouse, Derek Jeter, Jason Bartlett, JP Howell, Pat Burrell Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

In one of my recent pieces at Business Insider, I examine the possibility of the Rays signing Derek Jeter. While the Rays usually shy away from players like Jeter, this is a special circumstance. He represents the one player that could help convert some of the local Yankees fans.

The biggest obstacle might not be money. Rather, it could be convincing Jeter he is no longer a full-time shortstop [image at right via The Beckett Blog]

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • As if the Rays didn’t have enough problems with the bullpen, now comes official word that JP Howell will not be ready for opening day. However, The Dude says it could be mid-April. [The Heater]
  • We know a lot of you don’t want to hear this, but John Romano repeats what we have been saying for a while: The Rays are better off using 2011 as a reloading season with an eye towards going for it in 2012. [St. Pete Times]
  • Pat Burrell has Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 24

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss

Brad Hawpe, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, Derek Jeter, Grant Balfour, Rafael Soriano, Randy Choate Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

The Rays offered arbitration to free agents Grant Balfour, Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, Randy Choate, Brad Hawpe, Joaquin Benoit and Chad Qualls. The Rays declined to offer arbitration to Dan Wheeler or Carlos Pena.

Offering a free agent arbitration is necessary if the Rays want to receive draft pick compensation if those free agents sign with another team. The risk is that the player could decide they will get more in arbitration than on the free agent market. If the player accepts the offer, the Rays could be stuck with a player they don’t want or at a price they don’t want to pay.

In the cases of Wheeler and Pena, both would have almost certainly accepted. The Rays may want both players back, but they don’t want to pay what either could have gotten in arbitration.

Balfour and Qualls could choose to accept arbitration and the Rays may be more than happy to have both back on one-year deals at a salary similar to what they made last year.

Crawford, Soriano and Choate will decline arbitration knowing they will get more money and years on the free agent market. And Benoit has already signed with the Tigers. Offering him arbitration is just a formality to make sure the Rays receive a compensation draft pick.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Sep 17

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The AAA Championship, Derek Cheater And Friedman’s College Nickname

Andrew Friedman, Carlos Pena, Derek Jeter, Evan Longoria, Raheem Morris Cork Gaines 10 Comments »

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 JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Durham Bulls won game 3 (see below) of the Governor’s Cup Finals to stay alive in the best-of-5 IL Championship series.
  • The Yankees series was the second-most watched series of the season averaging a 9.6 rating (172,185 households).
  • Dewayne Staats writes a column calling for Manager’s Challenge in MLB. [Sun Sports]
  • Gary Shelton says Derek Jeter is better than what he put on display Wedensday. [St. Pete Times]
  • Raheem Morris doesn’t need silly BRaysers to motivate his players. [JoeBucsFan.com]
  • Andrew Friedman appeared on 1010 Sports and did not deny that Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 16

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Shields’ Survivability, Rocky-Drago II and The Great Pumpkin

Carl Crawford, Dan Johnson, Derek Jeter, Don Zimmer, James Shields, Rafael Soriano Cork Gaines 15 Comments »

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: The Great Pumpkin. Apparently Dan Johnson can produce against teams not named “Red Sox.” With 2 home runs last night, including a huge 2-run go-ahead shot in the 7th, one has to wonder if Johnson is playing himself on to the playoff roster…Surviving. James Shields struggled in the first four innings (7 hits), but he got a bases loaded double-play to end the first inning with only 1 run on the board. Then Matt Joyce saved Shields’ heiny in the 2nd by cutting down Austin Kearns trying to leg out a double. He finished with his best performance in a long, long time. Of his 117 pitches, Shields got 15 swinging strikes (12.8%). His season average to this point was 9.7%…Our Ticker. We have no idea how we will survive a potential Rays-Yankees matchup in the postseason. Sure both teams have to get by the Twins and Rangers, but it is hard not to feel like Rocky-Drago II is coming. ALCS 2010.

THE BAD: Der-ek Cheat-er. Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap. Listen, Jeter wasn’t the first player to act like he got hit by a pitch. That’s fine. But he had the nerve to have the trainer check his hand to make sure it was ok. We expect that crap from players like Alex Rodriguez and AJ Pierzynski. Not Jeter. Still, claiming something that didn’t happen is a part of baseball. If anybody deserves blame, it’s the ump that missed such an obvious call…Joaquin Benoit. Why is Ben-wah in the Bad? Because he had the nerve to pitch 3 straight days and not be available last night. And as much as we love The Mad Australian, Grant Balfour scares the shite out of us sometimes.

THE TELLING: Rafael Soriano’s strikeout of Alex Rodriguez gave him a team record-tying 43 saves…The ejection was the 16th of Joe Maddon’s career…David Price was moved up a day and will now pitch Saturday on normal rest. The Yankees also shuffled their rotation, so we will get Price-Sabathia II…Thanks to JB Long of Bright House Sports, we learned that in addition to players, teams can add a coach in September. That is why Don Zimmer is in the dugout during this homestand. Stan Boroski (asst. pitching coach) will be in the dugout on the road (thanks Ryan)…The Red Sox are only 6 games behind the Yankees and have 6 games remaining head-to-head.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 88-57, one-half game ahead of the Yankees and 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 145 games in 2008, the Rays were 88-57.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Dan Johnson on being clutch: “There is a calm that comes over me in those situations that I can’t really explain” (Video). [Sun Sports]
  • Joe Maddon on being ejected: “I was just trying to present logic” (Video). [Sun Sports]
  • Derek Jeter admitted to some “acting” during the controversial non-HBP. [St. Pete Times]
  • Carl Crawford on people that criticized his decision to tag up on Tuesday night: “To me, they are dumb people because if they watch us all year they would know that that’s what we do.” [St. Pete Times]
  • Here is a look at
    Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 15

Postgame Shot Of Joe: The Return Of “Big Game”

Dan Johnson, Derek Jeter, James Shields, Rafael Soriano Joe Rays Fan 10 Comments »

Joe is still violently slapping his glove and yanking his shirt tail out of his pants over this win by the Rays tonight.

Joe could go on and on about how MFIKY was nearly dominant. Joe could be utterly giddy over the clutch power hitting of Dan Johnson. Joe could also high-five Merlot Joe for getting launched after the umps did their best to get the Yankmees a win.

But no! Joe has to type words about the return of James “Big Game” Shields! What a performance. This is the guy that is supposed to be the Rays ace. This is the guy who is supposed to be the stopper. This is the guy who was supposed to be the veteran leader of the starting rotation.

Has he returned? Joe sure hopes so. If this can be a turning point in the season for Shields, Joe is quite confident late-October baseball will be played at the Fruitdome.

Just a great, great win with too many positives too highlight for the first place Rays. But Joe will end his gleeful rant with this nugget:

Joe hopes Derek Cheter contacts some unfortunate medical ailment from that TV cheerleader he shacks up with.

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