Carl Crawford still won’t let anybody see his new full-sleeve tattoo, but unfortunately, Eric Hinske (right) is not as shy about his full-back, two half-sleeves tattoo. We are still not sure what is more disturbing about this picture: the tattoo. or the Banana Republic tighty-whiteys hanging out over the jeans.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Both Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Torres impressed in their first sessions facing live hitters. But more telling is news that Hellboy is working on a slider/cutter to add to his already impressive arsenal. Other tidbits from Marc Topkin: Joe Maddon says Tim Beckham is “totally different” this spring when taking groundballs (that’s a good thing)…James Shields is already being lined up to pitch on opening day…And Joaquin Benoit will throw his first BP today.  [St. Pete Times]
• UmpBump reviews the Rays off-season. [UmpBump]
• Matt Joyce had a rough first outing of live pitching. [Rays Report]
• Joe Maddon said there wouldn’t be any silly math equations this year (e.g. 9=8), but he did introduce an acronym, F.A.C.T.O.R. [Twitter]
• The group that may try to build a new Rays stadium at the Florida State Fairgrounds includes some big names. [Tampa Tribune]
• One writer in Detroit is still worried that the Tigers will “lose” the Matt Joyce- for-Edwin Jackson trade even though Jackson has since moved on. [mlive.com]
• Russell Branyan said picking the Indians over the Rays was a “very tough decision,” but ultimately the lure of more playing time pushed him to Cleveland. [Cleveland Plain-Dealer]
• 5 questions for Reid Brignac. [Tampa Tribune]
• Dock of the Rays has some pics from spring training. [Dock of the Rays]

It must have been a slow news day on Friday. How slow? Bill Chastain told us what Eric Hinske thinks of the Rays chances this season. And this wasn’t just a throw-away quote at the end of an article about the former Ray. It was the title and it was the very first sentence.

Eric Hinske believes the Rays have what it takes to make another run in 2009.

Thank goodness. If Hinske thinks the Rays are pretty good, we can stop panicking, considering how everybody else has the Rays projected to finish last in the division. Wait. What is that? Everybody is predicting the Rays to compete for the division title again? Some even think the Rays are one of the best teams in baseball? Oh. Nevermind.

Hinske: Rays can make another run [MLB]

The Rays claimed Dewon Day off of waivers from the Red Sox. Day, 28, is a right-handed pitcher that split time between double-A and triple-A in the White Sox organization in 2008. He posted an ERA of 4.56 at triple-A despite 25 strike outs and only 6 walks in 23.2 innings.

Day was added to the 40-man roster, taking the last available spot. He does have minor league options remaining.

Rays claim Day from Red Sox [Rays Report]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Grant Balfour’s nickname is catching on Down Under. [The Australian]

“Yeah, ‘The Mad Australian’. They call me that [in the U.S.] because I get pretty fired up sometimes,” Balfour admits. “It’s pretty full-on and intense during the season and I am just out there competing as hard as I can every pitch.”

• Former New York Times columnist Murray Chass says there is good reason to group JC Romero with members of the Black Sox scandal. [Murray Chass...On Baseball]
• Not sure how much of this is the new Spring Training home and how much is due to the Rays successful 2008 season, but tickets for Rays Spring Training games are selling fast. [Herald-Tribune]
  
• Rocco Baldelli reflects on what it means to him to move from the Rays to the Red Sox. [Tampa Tribune]

“I think it’s beginning to sink in,” he said. “In a way, it’s sad because, obviously I’m from Rhode Island, but I also consider St. Pete my home. One way or another, the last nine years of my life have been spent mostly down there. I have a lot of good friends there, a lot of people who I’m going to miss. It’s a great place. I loved my time there and I’ll cherish it always.”

• In her own special way, Her Rays went through all the stages of depression after Rocco Baldelli signed with the Rays. She was even willing to give the Red Sox John Gruden if they would have let the Rays keep Rocco…That doesn’t seem very fair for the people of New England. [Her Rays]
• The other major leaguer from Rhode Island, Dan Wheeler, was named the New England Player of the Year. [Providence Journal]
• Marc Lancaster says the Rays will likely head into 2009 with a platoon in right field with Matt Joyce in the minor leagues…It just seems to us, that as long as Gabe Gross is on the team, Joyce will start the year in triple-A. It just doesn’t make sense to have both players on the 25-man roster. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays are working with Tampa Bay Watch to help restore salt marsh habitats. [TBN Weekly]
• USA Baseball has released a list of 22 players that have expressed an interest in playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. That list does not include any Rays. [Rays Report]
• Rays Prospects has the final stat lines for prospects in the various winter leagues. [Rays Prospects]
• How rough is it for corner outfielders and DHs this year? It looks like Eric Hinske’s only substantial offer at this point is from Japan. [MLB Trade Rumors]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Another day, another feature piece on the Rays in the New York Times. This time they take a look at the staying power of the team in the AL East, noting that core of the team could be unchanged in 2009 and beyond. However, Gerry Hunsicker reiterated that due to financial limitations, the team is always “trying to trade people a year too soon than a year too late.”. The piece also speculates that Scott Kazmir could be traded along with one or more of the arbitration-eligible players (Edwin Jackson?)…In the piece it is indicated that the Rays likely turned a profit for the first time under Stuart Sternberg thanks to reaching the World Series. [New York Times]
• Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Rays have “started – and are winning – a war for supremacy with the Red Sox” in the AL East and that the rivalry between the Sox and Yankees has been put on ice for now. Silverman says the Rays are good for baseball and refreshing for the Red Sox. [Boston Herald]
• Eric Hinske gets to face Brad Lidge again. They are in a Fantasy Football league together. Seriously. [Fanhouse]
• There is a rally tentatively scheduled for 4:30pm on Friday at Straub Park in St. Pete. [MLB]
• We wish we could have muted Tim McCarver and Joe Buck and instead listened to Sully’s wife. She had more insight…Speaking of which, did any of you watching on TV know that Jason Bartlett ran through a stop sign in the 7th inning? Us neither. We listened to Dave Wills call during the Rays’ radio broadcast and indicates that Bartlett indeed ran through a stop sign. Of course we never saw replay from FOX TV and McCarver and Buck never even bring the issue up. [Sully Baseball]
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN takes a look at what the World Series means for the Rays moving forward and how this is a team that could be better next year. [ESPN]
• Jon Heyman says there was no disappointment, anger or bitterness in the Rays locker room following their game 5 loss…There is a part of us that wished the Rays had taken the World Series loss a little tougher. But then again, this is what has been great about the Rays all season. They are able to get over losses very quickly and move forward. [SI.com]
• Jordi over at The Serious Tip opens up about what the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays meant to him. [The Serious Tip]
• Will never happen. NEV-er. [Chicago Tribune]
• A Joe Maddon pumpkin? Wow. That’s all we got. Wow. [The Heater]
• Mike Wlodarczyk is blogging from the Arizona Fall League. [Rays Prospects]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule…

Just the links for now…the “Pepper” post for games 1 and 2 will be up in a little bit.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Ben Zobrist will get the start in RF tonight over Gabe Gross. [The Heater]
• Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays’ roster is official and it is the same as the ALCS. No Eric Hinske and no Shawn Riggans. [The Heater]
• The World Series preview is up at Deadspin. [Deadspin]
• “If you care about sports, you will root for the Rays when the World Series opens tonight”. Dan Shanoff goes on to list a number of reasons why all fans outside of Philadelphia should be firmly behind the Rays. [The Sporting Blog]
• Wag Rankings breaks down the players’ wives. (thanks Kevin) [Wag Rankings]
• Jayson Stark and Jim Caple debate who will win the World Series. Caple says Rays will sweep. [ESPN]
• Hugging Harold Reynolds peruses Craigslist looking at the ticket market for the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• Tyler Hissey interviews a Phillies writer about the team. [Scout.com]
• The Blue Workhorse has “23 Reasons to Root for the Rays”. [The Blue Workhorse]
• Here is a breakdown of the World Series, position-by-position…We are not sure where they got Dioner Navarro’s statline. Not even close. [SI.com]
• A new take on the old “Rays are bad for baseball” shtick. Rumors and Rants feels that the Rays are proving that equality in baseball is not necessary. [Rumors and Rants]
• The Phillies have lost a World Series to every team in the AL East, except the Rays. [The Big Lead]
• A World Series preview from Rays Digest. [Rays Digest]
• Jonny Gomes says the brawl with the Yankees in Spring Training set the tone for the season. [New York Daily News]
• Howard Bryant wonders if the Rays will be able to maintain the success if they win the World Series or if they will go the way of the Marlins after each of their titles. [ESPN]
• Philly Burbs breaks down each team’s “intangibles”. (thanks Chris) [Philly Burbs]
• A look at where several of the players on the field tonight were the last time the Phillies won the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• Stu Sternberg also runs a softball team in Rye, NY. [New York Times]
• A roundtable at Fanhouse discusses the World Series. They (mostly) like the Rays. [Fanhouse]
• The Hardball Times has a scouting report on Scott Kazmir. [The Hardball Times]

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]

THE TELLING: There was a lot of discussion as to whether Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez would be left off the roster in the ALCS. We are not sure why it was even a question. Joe Maddon needs Perez on the roster. When Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox, Rocco Baldelli is the Rays right fielder, if he is ready to play the field. If Rocco can’t go, it will be Perez in right field…We would never want Joe Maddon’s responsibility to tell Troy Percival he is not on the ALCS roster. But could you imagine how much worse it would have been if the opponent was Percy’s former ballclub, the Angels?

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Edwin Jackson has been added to the ALCS roster as the 11th pitcher. To make room, Eric Hinske was removed. This leaves Fernando Perez on the roster. [The Heater]
• Sweet. Fancy. Moses. Her Rays asked for it and now a Spa in the Bay Area is delivering. Rayhawks for women. Be sure to catch the end of the video. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Joe Maddon addressed the media. Among the questions was when Maddon thought the Rays turned the corner this season. He pointed to the Blue Jays series after the all-star break after the Rays had lost 7 in a row and everybody was predicting an end to that “nice story”. [MLB]
• Here is a transcript of James Shields meeting with the media. [MLB]
• This may be satire, but at least one member of the Red Sox Nation remembers that the Sox sucked for 86 years and that winning the World Series is not a birthright. [Over The Monster]
• Several people suggested this for the ALDS. The Rays will have 11 original season-ticket holders throw out the first pitch for game 1 of the ALCS. Dick Vitale will do the honors in game 2…There is a nice symmetry to the number 11. It is the number of wins needed to win the World Series. [Rays Report]
• If the Rays win the ALCS, the Red Sox writer at Bugs and Cranks will have to cut his hair into a Rayhawk…Game On! [Bugs and Cranks]
• One computer simulation says the Red Sox have a slight edge in the series, winning 53% of 10,000 simulations. [Fire Brand of the American League]

[Update: 9:58pm] And the Rays opponent in the ALDS will be the Chicago White Sox after their 1-0 victory over the Twins. This season the Rays were 6-4 against the Sox, going 4-3 in two series at the Trop back in April and May and taking 2 of 3 in Chicago at the end of August.

[Update: 9:05pm] Scoreless through 5 and a half. We are so confused every time they go back to the studio and Ernie Johnson is sitting there. We are expecting Charles Barkley to be there and tell us how ridiculous Nick Blackburn’s pitch selection is.

[Update: 8:49pm] Momentum turning play? With 1 out and a man on third, Michael Cuddyer tried tagging on a very shallow flyball to center. The ball was shallow enough even for Ken Griffey Jr who fired a 1-hopper to home to get Cuddyer at the plate and end the inning.

[Update: 8:01pm] They are underway in Chicago, scoreless in the second inning. Anybody else rooting for the White Sox to win in 17 innings, using all their relievers and a couple of starters?

[Update: 5:51pm] Jonny Gomes is telling the media he is not on the ALDS roster, but will travel with the team. We believe teams can add a player to the roster during a series if an injury occurs.

[Update: 4:35pm] Joe Maddon just announced that James Shields will be the game 1 starter and Scott Kazmir will go in game 2. Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine will follow in games 3 and 4, respectively. Edwin Jackson is telling reporters that he is not on the postseason roster for the first round.

[4:30pm] We now know Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster. That means the final roster spot could come down to Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez, unless Joe Maddon decides to use only six pitchers in the bullpen. That is not likely if Troy Percival is also on the roster. If Percy is on, we are guessing Hinske and Edwin Jackson are off. Check back throughout the evening as we will post roster updates here as well as updates on the Twins-White Sox 1-game playoff.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Joe Maddon told the press today that Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster and will start game 1 in left field. However, he will likely bat lower in the lineup. [Rays Report]
• Carl Crawford went 2-3 in this morning’s instructional league game, hitting a triple off the wall his first time up and adding a single later. He also struck out looking and was caught stealing. [The Heater]
• In case you missed it earlier, Modern West, Kevin Costner’s band, have recorded a song for the Rays’ postseason…And it is as bad as you can imagine. [Rays Index]
• Outs Per Swing is back with another list of pitching performances. This time it is the “Bottom 10″…It is good thing the Rays won the division. Had the Rays missed the division title or even the playoffs by 1 or 2 games, this list would have caused us to repeatedly pound our head on the desk, all while mumbling the name “Edwin Jackson“. [Outs Per Swing]
• The Dodgers “Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The books in Vegas stand to lose a lot of money if the Rays win the World Series and even if they just win the AL. [Vegas Watch]
• The Rays first round playoff series will be umpired by a crew led by Joe West. [Rays Report]

Oakland 2, Tampa Bay Rays 1. (Sorry. The standings/schedule widget called in sick today. Should be back tomorrow)

THE GOOD: Scott Kazmir. We really don’t want to put Kaz here, but we are trying to find something positive from last night. Anything. And Kid K has been so bad, that last night actually seemed pretty good. But SWEET FANCY MOSES! How in the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS does a “good” starting pitcher last only 5 innings when he only gave up 2 hits and 2 walks? He actually had three 1-2-3 innings, allowing only 5 baserunners, and yet he still needed 97 pitches. That doesn’t even make sense.

THE BAD: That was as pathetic a loss as we have seen all year. Did the Rays play a throwback game without telling anybody? Give those guys some green unis and we’d swear that was the ’02 Devil Rays. The Rays absolutely looked and played like a little league team last night. Exhibit A: Top of the 5th, the Rays have runners on first and second with no outs, down 2-1. Ben Zobrist makes the first out on what we assume was a safety squeeze. It was difficult to tell for sure. If it was a suicide squeeze, he took off too late. If it was a safety squeeze he took off too soon. If it was neither, Akinori Iwamura is an idiot. With Jason Bartlett now on second base, he was picked off for the second out. Mercilessly killing the rally. Exhibit B: Top of the 8th, 1 out, Willy Aybar on first base. Eric Hinske hits a lazy flyball to left field. Not good, but not terrible. Ahhh, but Aybar, who is now apparently so paranoid about not running hard, took off sprinting, rounding second and on his way to third. He was easily doubled-up, forgetting the number of outs. Exhibit C: The Rays were 2-11 with runners in scoring position, with 3 Ks.

THE TELLING: Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds. Now that Carl Crawford will likely miss the rest of the regular season, we are more luke-warm to the idea of Bonds playing for the Rays, but we still put the chances of actually happening somewhere south of 1%. The other name making the circles now is Sheffield, who was placed on waivers by the Tigers. It would be very unlikely for the Rays to put in a claim on Sheffield, even if they would like to work out a trade. The risk for the Rays is for the Tigers to not pull Sheffield back from waivers. There is a good chance the Tigers would just let the Rays take Sheffield and his ’09 salary of $14MM without asking for anything in return. If we were still in July, the Rays could work a trade in which the Tigers pay a good chunk of that salary….The Red Sox traded for veteran Paul Byrd, adding to an already deep pitching staff…

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Carl Crawford has elected to have surgery on his finger and will be sidelined 6-8 weeks. There are 6.5 weeks remaining in the regular season. Andrew Friedman said if everything went well, he could play again in the regular season…It sounds like there is a good chance CC would be available should the Rays make the playoffs. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays are now hoping that Jason Bartlett, one of the weakest hitting DH’s in baseball history, will be able to play SS this Friday. The Rays are also hoping that Evan Longoria, who did not have a broken wrist, but actually did, will be back in the lineup on Sept 1. [MLB]

When asked if Sept. 1 seemed like a reasonable projection for Longoria’s return, Friedman answered: “Yeah, that seems reasonable. We’ll re-X-ray it and go through that process again. I think it’s very reasonable as we’re sitting here today. But as everybody knows, bones heal at different paces, and it’s too hard to say definitively at this point.”

• Joe Maddon plans to use Justin Ruggiano (LF) and Rocco Baldelli (RF) against lefties while Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross will play against righties. Papa Joe also said Willy Aybar will be at 3B most days, but we can also expect to see Ben Zobrist and/or Eric Hinske at the hot corner. [St. Pete Times]
• Cliff Floyd says the biggest concern with all the injuries is the danger of the rest of the players trying to do too much. [Tampa Tribune]

“I just hope we don’t all try to jump on that ship and go, ‘It’s me – let me be the man to take over,’” said Floyd. “No. Let’s just stay within ourselves like we are and just keep it chill on the field…We all know how important those guys were. I mean, hell, you ain’t going to replace them, no matter who you bring up or who you get, unless you go out and get one of the best players of the game. And you’re still not replacing them because those guys are part of this team.”

• Andy Sonnanstine, who grew a beard in support of Rocco Baldelli, is now clean-shaven, as is Rocco, now that Rocco has finally returned to the roster…While Rocco’s “Lumberjack” look will be missed, The Duke’s fuzz will not. [Bradenton Herald]
• Marc Lancaster agrees that Gary Sheffield does not seem like a good fit for the Rays. [Rays Report]

THE BAD: The offense for the first 6 innings. Prior to the 7th inning, the Rays only hit was an infield single by Evan Longoria in which he beat out a routine ground ball to third. Prior to BJ Upton’s grond-rule double to lead off the 7th, Fernando Galarraga had retired 14 in a row…

THE TELLING: After Jason Bartlett was removed from the game and Shawn Riggans was used as a pinch-hitter and was the Rays’ last player off the bench, meaning he would have stayed in the game had Rays not won the game in the bottom of the 10th. The question then becomes: What would the defense have looked like had the Rays taken the field in the top of the 11th (We were on the Detroit feed, so not sure if Dwayne and Joe discussed this) [Ed. note: See second bullet below]? Our guess is Riggans would have been in right field, with Willy Aybar coming in to play third and Evan Longoria shifting over to play short. Riggans has never played a position other than catcher in his major or minor league career…The Rays are 16-1 at the Trop this season when the crowd is more than 30,000. Bodes well for any potential playoff hopes.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jason Bartlett will need a couple of days off after taking a pitch off the index finger of his throwing hand, but there is no break and he will not need a trip to the DL. This likely means that Evan Longoria will be the starting shortstop for the next few days, unless the Rays recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes…Also, Shawn Riggans has a significant bruise on his chest, but is otherwise OK, after taking a 97mph fastball to the middle of his chest. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin says that Shawn Riggans would have come out of the game, with Jonny Gomes moving from DH to right field had the Rays needed to play the 11th inning. That would have elimnated the DH spot forcing the pitcher to bat in Riggans’ spot (#9). Therefore, whoever pitched the top of the 11th, would have been the 4th batter in the bottom of the 11th. We are not sure if this is Topkin’s speculation or if this came from Joe Maddon, but we are not sure that scenario is better than Riggans playing right field. How much worse than Gomes could he be? [The Heater]
• Rocco Baldelli is back with the Rays and is set to meet with Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman today to discuss the next step in his return…That next step is likely to be activation from the DL, and we are hearing that could be as soon as today. Of course that could be altered if the Rays need to recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes. [MLB]
• If and when Rocco Baldelli returns, the Rays are asking that he not give 100% all the time. [St. Pete Times]
• Brant James does a Q&A with Rocco Baldelli. The biggest revelation is that Rocco does not sound optimistic that he will ever be able to be an everyday player again. [The Heater]

“It’s a weird thing to say to an athlete. Rocco would sprint after balls 110 percent, no matter what the scoreboard (said),” Friedman said. “That’s how he played the game, or plays the game. We’re trying to get him to pick situations and understand situations on the scoreboard, different things to conserve his bullets, for lack of a better word.”

• Trever Miller got the win, ending his record streak of 121 straight apearances without a decision. [Bradenton Herald]
• In Ted Flemming’s blog, he ponders Eric Hinske and Dioner Navarro for Comeback Player of the Year…Hinske, sure. But Navi? Not sure where he came back from. [Speaking of Sports]
• The Rays are up to 3rd in the latest Chicago Tribune power rankings, behind only the Angels and the Cubs (of course). [Chicago Tribune]