Multiple sites are reporting that Shannon Magrane, the daughter of former Rays television analyst’ Joe Magrane, will be one of the 24 finalists on “American Idol.”
If you missed it, here is a link to a video of her initial audition for Idol. And below is video of Shannon (now 16) signing the national anthem prior to a Rays game (we believe this was a game in 2010)…
Despite earlier reports that Trever Miller had signed with the Cardinals, the deal is not yet finalized but is expected to get done eventually. [MLB Trade Rumors]
U.S.S. Mariner takes a look at some of the better players left available for the Rule 5 draft including Eddie Morlan. [U.S.S. Mariner]
Bleeding Blue and Teal looks at Eddie Morlan as one player the Mariners may target in the Rule 5 draft. [Bleeding Blue and Teal]
John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Mets might have to offer Ryan Church and a prospect in order to acquire Edwin Jackson. [Daily News]
Bay News 9 is reporting that Albert Whitted Airport is once again being considered as a location for the Rays proposed stadium. However, as the article points out, there are still a number of obstacles that would need to be addressed. [Bay News 9]
Evan Longoria was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team. [MLB]
Rays Prospects have the winter league stats for Rays prospects, updated through last Thursday. [Rays Prospects]
Tyler’s Articles interviewed Jonah Keri from Baseball Between the Numbers about the Rays off-season plans. [Tyler's Articles]
Rays Prospects takes a look at some of the Rays top hitting prospects. [Rays Prospects]
Tom Jones has a Q&A with Joe Magrane who is leaving the Rays TV booth for a position with the new MLB network. [St. Pete Times]
David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks is back with their latest “Your Sportsmen Ain’t S#!t” compared to Joe Maddon. [Bugs and Cranks]
Joe Magrane is leaving the Rays TV booth and will join the new MLB Network. [The Heater]
The Rays have raised ticket prices for the 2009 season. [St. Pete Times]
Bobby Fenton of 1010 Sports pointed out that all the changes to ticket and parking prices (ie. day of game surcharge) are designed to increase the number of season ticket holders. He also feels that many Bay Area fans are more likely to walk up day of the game and wonders if the day of game surcharge might backfire. [The Free Stretch]
UmpBump is running an offseason series looking at what every team needs. They have now published the Rays’ needs. [UmpBump]
In the upcoming “Bill James Handbook”, James ranks the top 25 young major leaguers under the age of 29. Evan Longoria is #17. Only Longoria and Felix Hernandez (#15) are under the age of 23…Also, the Rays are ranked third in terms of young talent on the major league roster, behind only the Twins and D-Backs. Of course, this does not include David Price. [Baseball Analysts]
In the same piece, we see that in the upcoming “Bill James Handbook”, one formula ranks Dioner Navarro as the worst baserunner in baseball. In the formula a baserunner, among other things, gets 1 point for a stolen base and -2 points for a caught stealing. Navi was 0-4 on the year. How many of those do you think were straight steals as opposed to missed hit-and-runs?…On a side note it really should be -3 points for a caught stealing. It has been shown that stealing bases only has a positive effect on the offense if successful about 75% of the time. Anything less and it costs the team runs. [Baseball Analysts]
David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks doesn’t care if Dioner Navarro is a bad baserunner. [Bugs and Cranks]
Baseball Happenings thinks baseball can work in the Bay Area. [Baseball Happenings]
Examiner takes a closer look at prospect JT Hall. [Examiner]
THE GOOD: Jason Bartlett’s first home run with the Rays. We honestly wondered if he would ever hit an over-the-fence home run with the Rays. We have seen players with “warning track power” and Jason doesn’t even have that. And we wonder if Bartlett actually enjoyed getting plunked his next time up. How many times in his career will he get plunked after hitting a home run? That is a sign of respect not usually bestowed upon little people in baseball…And if there was any question whether Joe Maddon’s emphasis on running hard has had any affect on the Rays, you need look no further than Aki Iwamura’s at bat in with the 7th inning with 2 outs and the Rays already up 8-1. Aki hit a routine ground ball to first base. Normally an easy out and would have been very easy to lollygag there. Kevin Millar bobbled the ball and with Aki busting his butt the whole way, he beat the pitcher to the bag scoring the 9th run of the game. Meaningless run? Yep. But those are the sort of things that become habit-forming and are contagious. It also shows everybody that a play is not an out until it is an out.
THE BAD: BJ Upton was benched for not hustling to first base after being hit by a pitch. Wait. *rechecks notes* What? Oh. Apparently he was not benched. Instead he was removed for precationary reasons. He is apparently fine.
THE TELLING: The Rays magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 19…There was a lot of talk last week about the Rays low attendance figures. The Rays averaged 29,541 for the 3-game set with the Orioles. Not bad for a series against a last-place club. Will we see any stories this week about how strong the attendance was this weekend? Not likely…How many people watched Rocco Baldelli’s walk-off hit on Saturday and after the team mobbed Carlos Pena at home, and turned to go after Rocco, thought “Oh Shit, please go easy on Rocco!”
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
We covered the September call-ups yesterday. [Rays Index]
Dioner Navarro was out of the lineup again on Sunday with sore hamstrings. He will also sit the opening game of the Yankees series. [Rays Report]
The Rays had been hoping Evan Longoria would be ready to come off the DL for the Yankees series that begins on Tuesday. Now Joe Maddon says that is not likely. Dirtbag has yet to take live batting practice and Papa Joe would like to see Longoria take BP for 2 or 3 days before being activated…With the solid play of Willy Aybar and the comfortable lead in the standings, the Rays are most likely just erring on the side of caution. [The Heater]
Tom Jones has several issues with the broadcast put on by Fox during their coverage of the Rays game on Saturday. Jones also agreed with Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane that the Rays needed to retaliate to protect Jason Bartlett after the shortstop was intentionally hit by a pitch…We disagree. If this was May or June? Yes. But the Rays are already shorthanded with injuries and are in the middle of a pennant race. The last thing Papa Joe needs right now is to get into a pissing contest and have players suspended. [St. Pete Times]
JP Howell has made only 4 appearances in the past 2 weeks. Brittany Ghiroli says the Rays are just scaling back Howell’s workload so that he will be well-rested down the stretch. [MLB]
ESPN will feature David Price on their Tuesday episode of “E:60″. [BaseballdeWorld]
Buster Olney uses Edwin Jackson as an example of a pitcher that took a while to learn how to pitch, but the Rays’ patience is now paying off. Olney speculates that with more emphasis placed on protecting young arms, it may have the undesired affect of slowing the learning curve for pitchers like Jackson. [ESPN]\
“Learning to deal with struggles is a big part in today’s game,” Jackson said. “There are going to be times when you are going to fail. It’s not all smiles and giggles.”…Young and talented starting pitchers are typically throwing only four to six innings as they come up through the minors, which means that they have fewer chances to pitch into and out of jams, fewer chances to learn how to pitch when they are tired and not working with their best stuff, fewer chances to take a deep breath and try to slow down the game. Thirty years ago, young pitchers were left in games to throw 115 to 130 pitches, in all likelihood — so by comparison, the chance for acquired experience these days is quite literally 20 to 35 percent less… In most cases, the opportunity for failure is needed — the opportunity to face a crisis and take a deep breath and slow the game down. The Rays were able to give that chance to Jackson last season, when he was horrendous in the first half but gradually began to gain traction in his career, finishing at 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA. “Last year was obviously my worst year,” Jackson said. “But it was the best year as far as learning.” Now Jackson and the Rays have been rewarded, as he has matured into a solid starter who will likely be a weapon in the postseason.
We still have several of these to go through, but thought we would show how the various Rays media members are faring so far…
In general, Rays fans are happy with the on-air media with all scoring above 90%. As for the print media, the fans are more supportive of the writers from the St. Pete Times. Could this be an anti-Tampa Tribune bias? Or maybe this is a reflection of the Yankees love-fest that regularly occurs at the Tribune?
C’mon, you guys knew this was coming eventually…There is a general sense amongst some of our readers that all we do is bash the Rays media coverage. The truth is we actually admire most of the working media and respect most of their work. We just get a sense that the Rays media coverage can at times be lazy. Just because the Rays were a second-class team for many years doesn’t mean we as fans deserved second-class coverage. So while our frustration can manifest itself at times on this site, we want to know what you guys think of various members of the Rays media coverage. Next up…Rays TV color commenter Joe Magrane…
What can we say about Joe Magrane? Born in a state we have spent a few years in (Iowa), Magrane won 6 games as a big league pitcher. As the Rays color commentator he can at times be “colorful”. He can spend a little too much time breaking down pitching mechanics, and he is not very good at math jokes. Otherwise he seems to us to make a pretty good sidekick to the straightman (Dewayne Staats).
Anyway: Do you like the Joe Magrane? And let’s hear your reasons in the comments…
THE GOOD: Getting on base in the bottom of the 7th inning. The inning started with 2 walks and a hit-by-pitch. Another HBP with Aki Iwamura at the plate drove in a run. That was followed by Carl Crawford’s second career grand slam, making it 6-3 and effectively killing the rally. Stupid home runs. That is, except it didn’t. These are the Rays and they are magilicious. BJ Upton followed with a triple and then an Eric Hinske double scored another run. Hinske stole third and scored on an Evan Longoria sac fly to make it 7 runs in the 7th…The bullpen got the last 8 outs of the game without allowing a run and without the availablity of Troy Percival and JP Howell, the Rays two most important relief pitchers.
THE BAD: Carl Crawford was thrown out trying to steal by 10 feet to end the 1st inning. This seems to be happening a lot with CC and BJ Upton…The Rays had first and third with only 1 out in the 5th and were unable to score…James Shields uncharacteristically broke down in the 7th inning after cruising for the first 6 innings. Shields does not usually give up leads late in the game. But 2 doubles and a walk led to 3 runs scoring in the inning and the Rays falling behind 3-1…Will somebody please tell Joe Magrane to stick to baseball and leave the jokes and the math AND especially the jokes about math to others. When talking about Hall of Fame pitcher Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, Magrane “joked” that by reason, Antonio Alfonseca (who has 6 fingers on his pitching hand) should be “50% better” than Brown. Of course, 6 is 100% more than 3, not 50%. You could just feel Dwayne Staats tense up in awkwardness.
THE TELLING: Evan Longoria got his first career start at shortstop after Jason Bartlett fouled a ball off his foot in batting practice and had to be scratched from the lineup…The Rays lead in the wild card is now 3.5 games. Unfortunately, it is no longer the A’s that the Rays are looking down at. It is the Yankees. Look for this to be the race for the rest of the year. Three team for two spots…This was the 9th straight home series win for the Rays after starting 1-3. On the road they are 4-4-3…The attendance last night was 34,441 and they averaged 32,515 for the 3-game set. We will let somebody else do the legwork, but we are going to assume that this is a record for a non-Yankees, non-Red Sox 3-game series…
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! [MLB All-Star Voting]
Didn’t mention this earlier in the first post of the day, but Tim Beckham’s signing bonus is a record for a drafted player. [The Heater]
Matt Garza met with a well-known baseball psychologist at the request of Joe Maddon. [Tampa Tribune]
Outs Per Swing has visual evidence that the Rays have been squeezed in the strike zone on several occasions. [Outs Per Swing]
In this breakdown of the Rays-Cubs matchup, Baseball Prospectus shows that defensively Evan Longoria has already been worth one win over a replacement-level player, while Dioner Navarro’s defensive have improved drastically into one of the better defensive catchers in the game. Also, Jason Bartlett actually has a below average range factor this season. Certainly his throwing problems early in the season plays a factor, but reader Scott brings up a good point. Might a gold glove-caliber third baseman and/or second baseman lower the range factor of a shortstop by getting to balls that Bartlett would have otherwise reached? We have to wonder if that would be particularly meaningful on balls hit in the hole betwen second and third where the third baseman kinda has “first dibs” being closer to the plate. [Baseball Prospectus]
John Romano breaks down why the Rays can no longer be considered a fluke. [St. Pete Times]
One blog breaks down the 3-team race in the AL East by looking a little closer at each of the contenders. [No Regard]
Bugs and Cranks is not at all pleased with Edwin Jackson’s taste in…movies? [Bugs and Cranks]
The above link is in reference to an SI.com piece in which baseball players are quized on pop culture. [SI]
Bud Selig did not dance around his feelings about the Trop and the Rays need for a new stadium. [Ballpark Frankness]
Ken Rosenthal says that the Rays are one of several teams to express interest in Freddy Garcia who is a free agent and recovering from shoulder surgery…We have no doubt that the Rays are interested, but if a “bidding war” begins, as Rosenthal predicts, that is when their interest will cease. [Fox Sports]
Team USA 3, Peo Saguaros 0. Evan Longoria was 0-3 and is now hitting .308 in the Arizona Fall League. Justin Ruggiano did not play. On Wednesday, Longoria went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored in Team USA’s 5-3 win over Surprise. Ruggiano went 1-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Scottsdale 6, Surprise 0. Mike Prochaska started and pitched 5 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts. Evan Meek and Calvin Medlock each pitched an inning of relief striking out a combined 3 batters and allowing 2 hits. Each pitcher threw a wild pitch.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
The Devil Rays are currently in negotiations with Disney to play a a series at Disney’s Wild World of Sports for the second consecutive season. If a deal can be reached, the games will be played in the newly named Champion Stadium after a deal was reached with Hanes clothing. The Devil Rays playing home games in “Champion” Stadium? There is no way this ends well in the Blogosphere. [Orlando Sentinel]
Jim Hickeywill be back in 2008 as the Rays pitching coach. [TBO]
MLB4U has a list of all the free agents that the Devil Rays will not be pursuing this off-season. [MLB4U]
Does Matt Silverman have a new girlfriend? Nadya seems to think so. No details though. Damn it. [AOL Journals]
ArmchairGM takes a look at Evan Longoria. [ArmchairGM]
When we first read that Rays announcers Dewayne Staats, Joe Magrane and Todd Kalas were all up for the Frick Award we were taken back a bit. The award is presented annually during the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and is given to a broadcaster that makes major contributions to baseball. We were a bit surprised. They are decent, but never have we thought that they added very much to a game. Not bad. Not great…Then we read the fine print and realized that the only reason they are “up for the award” is because every announce with 10 years experience is up for the award. A final list of 10 candidates will be announced in December. We are still wondering why Bill Chastain decided that this deserved its own piece on DevilRays.com. [DevilRays.com]
Wanna meet Kevin Costner? Here is your chance. If we win, we are showing up dressed like his character from “The Postman”. [DevilRays.com]
Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic takes a look at how all the Rays farmhands are performing in the Arizona Fall League. [Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic]
Team USA 3, Peo Saguaros 0. Evan Longoria was 0-3 and is now hitting .308 in the Arizona Fall League. Justin Ruggiano did not play. On Wednesday, Longoria went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored in Team USA’s 5-3 win over Surprise. Ruggiano went 1-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Scottsdale 6, Surprise 0. Mike Prochaska started and pitched 5 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts. Evan Meek and Calvin Medlock each pitched an inning of relief striking out a combined 3 batters and allowing 2 hits. Each pitcher threw a wild pitch.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
The Devil Rays are currently in negotiations with Disney to play a a series at Disney’s Wild World of Sports for the second consecutive season. If a deal can be reached, the games will be played in the newly named Champion Stadium after a deal was reached with Hanes clothing. The Devil Rays playing home games in “Champion” Stadium? There is no way this ends well in the Blogosphere. [Orlando Sentinel]
Jim Hickeywill be back in 2008 as the Rays pitching coach. [TBO]
MLB4U has a list of all the free agents that the Devil Rays will not be pursuing this off-season. [MLB4U]
Does Matt Silverman have a new girlfriend? Nadya seems to think so. No details though. Damn it. [AOL Journals]
ArmchairGM takes a look at Evan Longoria. [ArmchairGM]
When we first read that Rays announcers Dewayne Staats, Joe Magrane and Todd Kalas were all up for the Frick Award we were taken back a bit. The award is presented annually during the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and is given to a broadcaster that makes major contributions to baseball. We were a bit surprised. They are decent, but never have we thought that they added very much to a game. Not bad. Not great…Then we read the fine print and realized that the only reason they are “up for the award” is because every announce with 10 years experience is up for the award. A final list of 10 candidates will be announced in December. We are still wondering why Bill Chastain decided that this deserved its own piece on DevilRays.com. [DevilRays.com]
Wanna meet Kevin Costner? Here is your chance. If we win, we are showing up dressed like his character from “The Postman”. [DevilRays.com]
Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic takes a look at how all the Rays farmhands are performing in the Arizona Fall League. [Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic]
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
C’mon, you guys knew this was coming eventually…There is a general sense amongst some of our readers that all we do is bash the Rays media coverage. The truth is we actually admire most of the working media and respect most of their work. We just get a sense that the Rays media coverage can at times be lazy. Just because the Rays were a second-class team for many years doesn’t mean we as fans deserved second-class coverage. So while our frustration can manifest itself at times on this site, we want to know what you guys think of various members of the Rays media coverage. Next up…Rays TV color commenter Joe Magrane…
