Time to bring back 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: Dirtbag! Evan Longoria homered twice and is absolutely locked in right now. that is 4 home runs on the season already. What is his over/under right now? 40?…Benny Boo Boo’s D. Nice dive-’em-out, throw-’em-out by Ben Zobrist in the second inning to get Andy Sonnanstine out of a lead off double situation…Lance Cormier. This is exactly why the Rays need Cormier in the bullpen. Down 5-1 early, Cormier came in and pitched 2.1 shutout innings to keep the Rays in the game as they whittled away at the lead. They came up short yesterday *cough* Kapler *cough* but Cormier is going to help the Rays win a few this season…The Not-So-Fat Catcher. Dioner Navarro ended his mini-skid with his first home run. Mark our words. When this season is over, Navarro will have a line of .310-18-70, or not.
THE BAD: Ghost of Baserunning Past. For a team that stresses fundamentals as much as the Rays, it is amazing how many gaffes they make on the basepaths. First it was Carl Crawford getting thrown out in the first trying to stretch a double into a triple, which of course happened 3 pitches before Evan Longoria’s first home run. And then it was Gabe Kapler who, we don’t even know what he was doing. He was thrown out lollygagging around third base on Ben Zobrist’s infield single to end the rally in the 4th. Of course, the Rays lost by 1…The Duke. Andy Sonnanstine is what he is, and if we have said it once, we have said it many times, when Sonny is hittable, he is very hittable. He just doesn’t have the natural stuff to get guys out when he isn’t on top of his game…Offensive Offense. A good team cannot be held to one run by Lurch. Mark Hendrickson is capable of a good start, but the Rays are too good for it to happen to them. And 7 strikeouts with no walks in the final 3 innings. Yikes.
THE TELLING: The loss ended a 12-game winning streak over the O’s…We would be interested to see a split of Andy Sonnanstine’s stats in weather under 50°. For a pitcher that relies so much on feel, we have a feeling the numbers are not very good.
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria. This one is a no brainer. If he keeps this up, we are renaming the award after him. “The Dirtbag Award.” Or we will just say the player of the game not named Evan Longoria.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Can anybody explain this audio clip? And is it telling that we found this on the same night that Gabe Kapler got caught staring at his own biceps while running the bases? And should we be disturbed that this clip is actually part 2 and there is another one out there? [WEEI]
The Rays Party has a fun little guide to all the Tampa Bay Rays blogs. The number of blogs is growing. That is a good sign, as the number of blogs is likely proportional to the number of fans. [The Rays Party]
Jeff Niemann says he is not as nervous this season and Joe Maddon added that the Giraffe looks more comfortable this year (Maddon did not call Niemann a giraffe, although it would be pretty funny if he did). In the same piece, Marc Topkin says BJ Upton is still scheduled to join the Rays on Monday for their home opener. [St. Pete Times]
Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: The Rays were down 7-0 after 5 innings, which is when the regulars are in the game. There is nothing good to be found.
THE BAD: What Patience? On the same day we praised the Rays for finally drawing more walks than strikeouts (7 to 5 in Saturday’s game), the Rays had their worst offensive showing of the season, striking out 15 (!) times and drawing only 1 walk. In fact, the first (and only) walk came in the 8th inning after the Rays had already K’d 13 times. Makes us want to throw a bunch of bats in the shower and call them lollygaggers...Morgan Ensberg was the biggest culprit, going 0-3 with 3 Ks. Ensberg is now 3-18 (.167; all singles) with 7 Ks and only 1 walk…Reid Brignac added another 0-fer, striking out in both of his at bats. He is now 1-18 in the spring with 6Ks and 1 walk…Wade Davis. In maybe his last spring start with the Rays, Davis was pounded, allowing 6 runs in 2.2 innings on 8 hits and 2 walks. He also gave up 2 home runs.
THE TELLING: Evan Longoria once again batted third with Carlos Pena batting cleanup.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Justin Ruggiano accidentally struck a batgirl with his bat while taking practice swings in the on deck circle. In addition to the welt on the girl’s forehead (was she not wearing a batting helmet?), Ruggiano gave her an autographed bat inscribed with “P.S. Sorry about your head.”…And we are sure it was just a coincidence that the girl was wearing Red Sox gear. [Fort Myers News-Press]
Joe Maddon spoke highly of Elliot Johnson who is trying to remold himself into a utility player. [St. Pete Times]
“He’s a live-body guy, he’s got a great arm,” Maddon said. “You see him in the outfield, how easily he gets after the ball, as well as he’s a switch-hitter. He’s a very interesting utility guy to me. I feel good with him at first, second, he can play short, third and all three (outfield spots). Easily. And I would have no qualm putting him at any position, athletically speaking…But athletically speaking, I’m seeing better baserunning, I’m seeing more comfort, more of a sense of belonging,” Maddon said. “He feels like he should be here now, and that’s all good.”
Jonny Gomes is having himself a pretty decent spring training with his new club. He is 6-14 (.429) with 2 home runs and 9 driven in. [MLB]
In maybe the most daring list of internet endurance since “Stuff White People Like,” David Chalk continues his list of the top Devil Rays ever. He is up to #142 and still chugging along. [Bugs and Cranks]
And of course he is also still churning with his “Your Team Ain’t S#!t” series. #10, the D-Backs. [Bugs and Cranks]
On Friday the Rays chose not to offer Jonny Gomes arbitration. The move most likely ended Gomes’ career with the Rays.
Marc Topkin spoke with Gomes, who indicated that he would be open to a rejoining the Rays on a minor league deal if he is unable to find major league work someplace else. Gomes is also in the process of exploring options to improve his vision (that explains drinking beer out of an athletic cup) and feels being drafted by the Rays may have saved his life.
“If it wasn’t for the Rays, I’d probably be in Iraq right now,” Gomes said Saturday. “Back in ’01, I had two contracts in front of me, one to go play for the Rays as an 18th-round draft pick and one to go into the Marines…So I may owe the Rays my life. I’m one of the few people who leaves the Rays with a smile.”
We will certainly miss Gomes’ enthusiasm. And we will miss his aggressiveness. And we will miss his ability to always steal second base with two outs to get into scoring position. And we will miss his honesty (when asked how the team felt about Evan Longoria being demoted, he answered that the only person that liked the move was the triple-A manager). But we won’t miss his “Keystone Kops” routine in the outfield or his penchant for thinking one home run was a sign of more to come or how he swung at over 50% of pitches that were out of the strike zone (seriously).
So, with Gomes’ career with the Rays now in the rear view mirror, let’s take a look back at some of our favorite stories of Gomes. Have your own favorite Jonny Terrific story? Let’s hear it in the comments.
But that took a big hit when he started looking more like the ex-Mr. Brittany Spears. [Separated At Birth?]
The again, who can deny his animal magnetism. [Bugs and Cranks]
We would be remiss if we did not point out the great work Gomes did with children with cancer. [MLB]
And he looks like he could have kicked our ass, even when he was 12. [Pearls of Wisdom]
Gomes had an interesting (to say the least) choice of walk-up music prior to his at bats. We always wondered why a team like the Rays, that strives to be a family-friendly atmosphere, allowed that song to be played. [Jonny Gomes Is A Crazy B!tch]
Gomes is the only player in baseball that can drink beer from an athletic cup and people are not surprised. [Bugs and Cranks]
Marc Topkin is reporting that Jonny Gomes has been non-tendered by the Rays and is now a free agent. The Rays did offer arbitration to the remaining five players that were arbitration-eligible (Willy Aybar, Grant Balfour, Jason Bartlett, Gabe Gross, Dioner Navarro).
With the Rays offering Gross arbitration, it suggests that there is at least a possibility that Matt Joyce will begin the season in triple-A as both players offer a similar skill set.
And so it is. Jonny Gomes’ career with the Rays has now come to an end…and yes, the 2009 season will indeed be less Jonny-Terrific.
Tonight is the non-tender deadline for the Rays and their six arbitration-eligible players. So it might be a good time to say your good-byes to Jonny Gomes, as 2009 has a very good chance of being less Jonny-terrific.
Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett and Grant Balfour will certainly be offered arbitration. Gomes is a good candidate to be non-tendered and Gabe Gross is on the cusp.
If the Rays offer Gross arbitration it might be an indication that they want to have the option of sending Matt Joyce to the minors to open the season. If Gross is not offered arbitration, Joyce will almost certainly be on the opening day roster.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Good news for the Rays. The first corner outfielder/DH signed. Raul Ibanez signed with the Phillies for three years/$30 million. With the deal also costing the Phillies a first round draft pick (Type A free agent) we can expect most of the remaining corner outfielder/DHs to come in under that mark. [MLB Trade Rumors]
Matt Joyce, who is currently playing in Mexico and is from the Tampa area, called the trade to the Rays “a dream come true.” [St. Pete Times]
Joe Maddon spoke highly of Matt Joyce the person and the ball player. [Tampa Tribune]
“I like the thunder in his bat, I like the effort with which he played,” said Manager Joe Maddon. “He’s a very good outfielder, he throws well and he’s young. He’s the kind of guy I think, as he learns more about himself at the plate, is going to be a very productive offensive player, too.”…Maddon added that several baseball people had approached him since the trade was made to tell him how much they thought of Joyce as a person, and Friedman heard the same thing.
FanGraphs breaks down the Edwin Jackson/Matt Joyce trade noting that Joyce is the better player right now and will likely get better. They compare Joyce to Jayson Werth and note that Joyce teamed with Carl Crawford and BJ Upton is easily the best defensive outfield in baseball. [Fangraphs]
Keith Law’s take is not quite as uplifting, saying Matt Joyce is best suited to be part of a right field platoon. [ESPN]
Drays Bay shows that Matt Joyce compares favorably to Carl Crawford both defensively and against lefties and wonders why anybody would want to platoon Joyce…First off, they might be right and we are not sure Joyce isn’t an everyday player (we hope he is). While they have to use Joyce’s minor league splits, it is just silly to think that those numbers will translate perfectly to the major leagues. If Joyce is already near the bottom of the list in OPS against lefties with just his minor league numbers, is it too much of a stretch to worry that it might actually regress a little (or a lot) in the majors? And while Joyce’s minor league OPS versus lefties (.721) is greater than Carl Crawford’s major league OPS versus lefties (.695), three of the four seasons were actually worse. In fact, in 2008 at triple-A, Joyce posted an OPS of .656 versus lefties. It was only 46 at bats, but it was a crappy 46 at bats (1 HR, .308 OBP, 18.2% fly balls). And let’s say Joyce does maintain his OPS versus lefties. A starting outfield with Joyce and Crawford both playing positions that we should expect offensive production from, would be atrocious against left-handers. [Drays Bay]
John Romano says the Matt Joyce at worst, is a younger, cheaper Gabe Gross. [St. Pete Times]
Originally Matt Joyce was to be dealt to Seattle for JJ Putz. With Putz now a Met, that leaves the Tigers without a closer. Might Joyce have been traded for a closer after all? Might Edwin Jackson close for the Tiggers? [The Flint Journal]
The “Rays Digest Podcast” will be back today with another installment as Tyler Hissey recaps the Winter Meetings. [Rays Digest]
Pearls of Wisdom has gone to all stops to make sure Jonny Gomes is not tendered a contract tonight. [Pearls of Wisdom]
Peter Abraham is reporting that Jason Giambi is open to returning to the Yankees for less years and less dollars. This is contrary to previous reports that said Giambi preferred to play on the west coast. [The LoHud Yankees Blog]
David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks welcomes Matt Joyce to Devil Ray Town and hopes this means Jason Giambi is not to be a Ray. [Bugs and Cranks]
Ken Davidoff of Newsday is reporting that the Rays have some interest in the Mets’ Aaron Heilman…Heilman scares us because we think there is still a part of Heilman that wants to be a starting pitcher even though the Mets have kept in the bullpen the last 4 seasons. [MLB Trade Rumors]
Mets Fever wonders if the Mets could swing a deal with the Rays in which Aaron Heilman and Edwin Jackson are the main pieces. If the price is too high, they wouldn’t mind Heilman for Jonny Gomes, noting that “Heilman absolutely has to be moved, [they] don’t think he can succeed [with the Mets] and needs a change of scenery.” [Mets Fever]
A tale of two fans that roadtripped from Bloomington, Indiana to St. Pete for game 2 of the World Series. [Sixty Feet, Six Inches]
Creative Loafing takes a look at the impact of the Rays World Series run on the chances of gaining support for a new stadium. They feel that the increased support for the Rays may actually hurt their chances. [Creative Loafing]
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule…
Just the links this morning and we will be off the grid most of the day. We will be back this evening with a “RIGO!”, so we will see you then…
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
We are having a hard time finding a link but we heard from several sources that Joe Maddon said after game 5 was suspended that he was well-aware of the rule that the World Series would not have ended had the game been suspended with the Phillies in the lead. However, Maddon made it clear that he did not inform the players of this because he wanted them playing with a sense of urgency.
Jorge Ortiz of USA Today breaks down how the rest of Game 5 will be managed. [USA Today]
Marc Lancaster reported that as of game time last night it was not raining and had not rained in a couple of hours. He does mention that the conditions (cold, wind) would have made last night an unpleasant time to try and play baseball. [Rays Report]
David Lennon of Newsday says the Phillies have every reason to be upset but that they won’t have any problem moving past it as the players follow the lead of their manager, Charlie Manuel. [Newsday]
Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Philadelphia is ready to lay all the blame at the feet of Bud Selig if the Phillies lose the World Series…Way to have confidence in your team guys. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Or as Mike Lopresti of USA Today puts it, the “gods must be crazy” as Bud Selig’s no-win situation was just the latest in a very odd World Series. [USA Today]
John Romano wonders if destiny is indeed on the Rays’ side. [St. Pete Times]
Tyler Hissey says BJ Upton’s postseason has helped many to forget their criticisms from the regular season. [Rays Digest]
David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks has a plan to save the World Series. [Bugs and Cranks]
The World Series umpires chat-it-out in “The Dugout”. [Fanhouse]
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]
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule…
THE GOOD: Say it with us. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series and it starts TONIGHT! It never gets old. We will be mumbling that to our selves all day.
THE BAD: Mrs. Professor scheduled a dentist appointment this morning. Did she not look at the calendar. Buck the heck! The most important day yet in Rays history and we are going to the damn dentist?!?!
THE TELLING: We stopped shaving when the playoffs started. This shite itches like a mofo.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Can anybody confirm that the Rays played a “Victory!” chant by Johnny Drama of “Entourage” on the jumbotron following the Rays win in game 2 of the ALCS? [Newsday]
More Rays Index “jacked up on caffeine”. We did a “Good/Bad/Telling” for the entire ALCS over at the Hardball Times. [The Hardball Times]
We answered some questions about the Rays yesterday over at Balls, Sticks & Stuff. [Balls, Sticks & Stuff]
Coolest thing we have seen all week? Maybe…Of course we went with “Seven Nation Army”. (Thanks Brian) [More Cowbell]
Sam Donnellon points out that Cole Hamels won game 1 in both the NLDS and NLCS and is as cool as they come. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Apparently we had some awkward ad placement on this site a couple of days ago…Fairly annoying, but still not as bad as all the ads for “Barry Bonds Ringtones” earlier this year. [Ed. note: We do not control the specific ads on this site. They are generated automatically based on keywords] [The 'Ropolitans]
If you love Jonny Gomes…You will love this post. [Bugs and Cranks]
Jonny Gomes is blogging during the World Series for his hometown paper. [Petaluma Press-Democrat]
One USA Today writer is predicting a Rays sweep…Is it just us, or is this setting up well for the Rays. Most of the “experts” are jumping on the Phillies bandwagon because they want to be the “expert” that predicted the upset. Go ahead. Doubt the Rays. We dare ya. [USA Today]
Like the Rays, the Phillies defense is a strength and could be the key to winning the series. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamel were picked 2 spots apart in the ’02 draft. [Fox Sports]
Rob Neyer says it is hard to find any weak links in the Rays lineup. [ESPN]
…perhaps not enough has been said for management’s decision to move Iwamura from third base to second. Could they have known he’d be as good as he’s been? I do suspect that Marchman overstates Iwamura’s case somewhat, but that’s beside the point. We come back to Epstein’s notion about weak links, and it’s almost impossible to find a weak link in the Rays’ defense. Throw in a pitching staff that ranked second in the American League in ERA and fourth in strikeouts, and Tampa Bay’s 97 wins begin to make sense…You wonder why everyone’s picking the Rays to beat the Phillies? Probably because they don’t have any glaring weaknesses and they play in the Big Boy League.
Brittany Ghiroli has a story about Carl Crawford appearing at a pep rally at a local middle school. [MLB]
The World Series is causing some trash-talking in the Kalas family. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
When are people going to realize, that this isn’t about “bandwagons”. It is about thousands of baseball fans that have been yearning for a team worthy of rooting for. [USA Today]
Yesterday we told you about a site breaking down the cheer squads for each team. Now the highly biased editor at Deadspin gives the edge to the Phillies girls. [Deadspin]
Transcript from Joe Maddon’s press conference yesterday. [MLB]
Happy belated birthday to Gabe Gross who turned 29 yesterday. [MLB]
If the Rays win the World Series, it is going to cost Vegas casinos a lot of money. [Game On!]
It has been 9,276 days since the City of Brotherly Love won a title in one of the 4 major sports. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
This column is a little confusing. Are they saying the Phillies will win the World Series because the Red Sox came back in game 5 and then JD Drew struck out in game 7? [Philadelphia Inquirer]
We know some of you hate the cowbells. But you know who will hate it more? Phillie fans.
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…
THE GOOD: With several pitching roles still up in the air, Troy Percival looked healthy in 1 inning of work and will likely be on the post-season roster. David Price looked solid coming in with the bases loaded and 1 out and not allowing a run…The Rays first round opponent is still undecided. The White Sox will play a make up game today versus the Tigers. A win will force a 1-game playoff against the Twins tomorrow. With the possibility of a both teams playing tomorrow, the Rays’ potential opponent will not have a fresh bullpen and will not be able to setup their rotation for the ALDS. With the Twins likely to start Nick Blackburn, the first two pitchers in the ALDS figure to be Nelson Liriano and Kevin Slowey. The White Sox have been working with a 4-man rotation. Gavin Floyd will start today and John Danks would likely go tomorrow. Javier Vazquez and Mark Buerhle would be the starters for the first 2 games of the ALDS.
THE BAD: With Joe Maddon wanting to see how Edwin Jackson would look in relief, Jackson, blew a 2-run lead in the 9th and may have pitched his way off the post-season roster…The Rays will open the ALDS series at 2:30 on Thursday and will play game 2 at 6:00 on Friday. Yes, it sucks. But really, did you expect anything different? Nationally, this series has the least draw. There are just too many big market teams in the playoffs.
THE TELLING: Starters for the first 2 games will be James Shields and Scott Kazmir, although the exact order is still undecided as is the rest of the post-season roster which will be finalized this afternoon…The Rays are the first team not from Boston or New York to win the AL East since 1997. The Rays finished the season having spent 111 days in first place. In the first 10 seasons they spent 20 days in first place combined. The Rays are just the 2ndMLB team and only 7th team from one of the four major sports to finish in first place the year after having the league’s worst record. They are the first team ever to win 97 games in the first season following a streak of 10 consecutive losing seasons. They are only the 10th team to improve at least 30 games over the previous season.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
On Friday we linked to a report that claimed Rocco Baldelli had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. While Baldelli’s condition is one of the 43 diseases covered by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Rocco has done a PSA for the MDA, mitochondrial myopathy is in fact not a form of muscular dystrophy…We are not a real doctor. We just play one when we are teaching undergrads. [The Heater]
Carl Crawford was reinstated from the DL and appeared as a pinch runner on Friday night. He has had two successful batting practice sessions and will participate in an instructional league game today. Crawford still has hopes of being ready to return to the lineup in time for Thursday’s game 1 of the ALDS. [The Heater]
David Price has reworked his warmup routine so that he can get ready quicker for work out of the bullpen…Also, Jason Bartlett continues to battle a cold. [Tampa Tribune]
The Rays were happy they will play game 1 on Thursday, receiving the extra day of rest before the start of the series. [St. Pete Times]
David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks has started his playoff edition of “Your Team Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays…Chalk took a lot of heat for this series prior to the season. Only 2 teams finished with better records than the Rays and the Rays went 9-3 combined against the Angels (6-3) and Cubs (3-0) [Bugs and Cranks]
We love the title of this piece. Apparently the Red Sox conceded the division title as if they decided they did not want it. [Bugs and Cranks]
Outs Per Swing has a collection of quotes from the players in reaction to winning the AL East. [Outs Per Swing]
1,200 fans greeted the Rays upon their return to St. Pete-Clearwater airport…Anybody else surprised the Cowbell Kid hasn’t cut that blue afro into a mohawk? [Tampa Tribune]
Want to see a picture of JonnyGomes drinking beer out of an athletic cup? Neither did we. [Bugs and Cranks]
Bill Chastain says the Rays are built for postseason success. [MLB]
When somebody tries to rip apart Marc Topkin’s subjective column by starting their own piece with a subjective statement like “Posnanski – best sportswriter in the world”, which is then followed up by several more opinions, it takes away any credibility from the rest of the argument. [DRays Bay]
Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
