Feb 23
Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (37 days until opening day)
DRG here again to get you through the weekend…
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- I love this story…In 1990 Joe Maddon was a minor league instructor for the Angels. Troy Percival was a single-A catcher that could barely hit .200. The team wanted to make Percy a pitcher. What was Maddon’s response? Maddon said it would be a mistake to switch to pitcher.[ Bradenton Herald]
“I’ll teach you how to hit,” said Joe Maddon, a hitting coach in the California Angels’ instructional league in 1990…So Maddon met Percival in the batting cage, bringing with him all the tricks he used to make hitters out of young hitters who couldn’t hit…Maddon tried to shorten Percival’s swing; tried to get the ball to jump off Percival’s bat…Nothing worked…”Turns out he was just a bad hitter,” Maddon said.
- Trever Miller hit Carl Crawford with a pitch this morning in batting practice. Trever, today is not the day, dude. Not the day. Not sure if you noticed, but CC is not in the best of moods right now. [The Heater]
- Joe Henderson remarks on how refreshing it was to hear Carl Crawford step-up and be heard concerning Delmon Young. According to Henderson, the Rays needed that sign of leadership and Crawford was just the man to do it. [Tampa Tribune]
Whether [Delmon Young] was challenging Maddon’s authority, or swinging for a hit on an 0-2 pitch over his head instead of trying to move a runner along, he made sure the chip on his shoulder was never out of sight…So when somebody asks how you trade a player who was just runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year, that’s how…Crawford Steps Up…someone in the Rays clubhouse needed to actually say out loud what everybody already knew, and what better person for that than Crawford…If it’s going to change, Crawford has to lead the way. This is a great start.
- Al Reyes does not look at his move from closer to set-up man as a demotion, but rather as an opportunity to make the bullpen better. [Tampa Tribune]
Reyes said he thinks the offseason overhaul has given the Rays “one of the best bullpens in the league.” At the very least, the hope is that the relievers will be able to carry their own weight and not drag the rest of the team down as they often did last year. Dropping lead after lead in the late innings can’t help but take a psychological toll.
- Jeff Passan recounts how Rocco Baldelli has gone from once promising star to a bit of an enigma. Baldelli’s only goal for 2008 is to stay healthy. [Yahoo! Sports]
- Dick Vitale took time from preparing for tonight’s 1 vs. 2 matchup in college basketball to talk about the Rays. [Bradenton Herald]
May 10
It is looking more and more like the Baseball team in Tampa that we call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays… or Rays… or D-Rays is preparing for a name change. It would be the first major league baseball team to change their name without moving since the Houston Colt 45s in 1965 became the Astros. Of course, that is, if you don’t count the name change by the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Which brings us to our point. What will the new name be? Some suggestions have included dropping the “Devil” and simply calling the team the Rays. Others have suggested a completely new identity to go along with the new outlook and new ownership of the team, including the Tarpons, which was the name of the longtime minor league team in Tampa. Personally, we are fond of the Tiger Sharks or T-Sharks. However, one of the other points of contention is the “Tampa Bay” part of the name. The Tampa Bay sports franchises are named for a body of water and of the few in the four major sports to NOT be named directly for a city or a state. The others are the Golden State Warriors, who are named indirectly for the state of California, The New England Patriots, and the schitzophrenic Angels, who are named for two cities. The options include changing the name to Tampa, which is unlikely as long as the team plays in St. Pete. Changing the name to St. Pete is also unlikely as St. Pete is not as recognizable as Tampa on the national scene. Also the Buccaneers are now a successful NFL franchise and it is in the best interest for the Rays ,or whatever their name will be, to continue to associate with that success by maintaining the moniker Tampa Bay.
There is one other option. The oranization could follow the lead of the Angels and most politicians and try to make everyone happy. It would also could be fun to honor the team’s most famous season ticket holder, Dick Vitale….We present THE TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS OF ST. PETERSBURG NEAR TAMPA, BABY!….Alas, this name, like most politicians while trying to make everyone happy, will succeed only in pissing everyone off.
Devil Rays may play name change [St. Pete Times]
May 10
It is looking more and more like the Baseball team in Tampa that we call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays… or Rays… or D-Rays is preparing for a name change. It would be the first major league baseball team to change their name without moving since the Houston Colt 45s in 1965 became the Astros. Of course, that is, if you don’t count the name change by the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Which brings us to our point. What will the new name be? Some suggestions have included dropping the “Devil” and simply calling the team the Rays. Others have suggested a completely new identity to go along with the new outlook and new ownership of the team, including the Tarpons, which was the name of the longtime minor league team in Tampa. Personally, we are fond of the Tiger Sharks or T-Sharks. However, one of the other points of contention is the “Tampa Bay” part of the name. The Tampa Bay sports franchises are named for a body of water and of the few in the four major sports to NOT be named directly for a city or a state. The others are the Golden State Warriors, who are named indirectly for the state of California, The New England Patriots, and the schitzophrenic Angels, who are named for two cities. The options include changing the name to Tampa, which is unlikely as long as the team plays in St. Pete. Changing the name to St. Pete is also unlikely as St. Pete is not as recognizable as Tampa on the national scene. Also the Buccaneers are now a successful NFL franchise and it is in the best interest for the Rays ,or whatever their name will be, to continue to associate with that success by maintaining the moniker Tampa Bay.
There is one other option. The oranization could follow the lead of the Angels and most politicians and try to make everyone happy. It would also could be fun to honor the team’s most famous season ticket holder, Dick Vitale….We present THE TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS OF ST. PETERSBURG NEAR TAMPA, BABY!….Alas, this name, like most politicians while trying to make everyone happy, will succeed only in pissing everyone off.
Devil Rays may play name change [St. Pete Times]
