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Nov 06

The Devil Rays Know How To Be Overdramatic

Kevin Costner, New Uniforms, Papa Joe Maddon Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

The time is almost here when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will announce to the world what we already know. And boy, you would have thought the Rays were set to announce the acquisition of Alex Rodriguez, Johan Santana, Mariano Rivera and the 2008 World Series.

New uniforms. New colors. New logo. New name. Everything is new and Tampa Bay has an All-Star weekend planned to unveil their changes to the public…The festivities kick off on Thursday afternoon in downtown St. Petersburg’s Straub Park, in a free night of excitement for fans of all ages. At 4 p.m. ET the interactive activities kick off the evening…At 5:30 p.m., manager Joe Maddon, Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and former Ray Fred McGriff will hit the catwalk to model the Rays’ new uniforms, logos and colors…Next is a special treat for any baseball fan, but especially those of classic baseball movies. At 6:30 p.m., Kevin Costner and his band, Modern West, will take the stage for a rock-and-roll concert…Thursday evening will conclude with an 8 p.m. fireworks show, but that’s only Day 1 of the entertainment.

That’s right folks. That is just day 1…with fireworks and Kevin Costner. Day 2 is even more jam-packed with F.U.N., including autograph sessions (you won’t want to miss Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler at Southgate Plaza), a picnic and free backrubs from Joe Maddon*.

We like to give the Red Sox and their Nation a lot of crap around these parts for being over-the-top and throwing their greatness in our faces all the time, but when they won their second title in four years, all they scheduled was a parade on some Duck Boats. As far as we know, the only fireworks were in Jonathon Papplebon’s pants.

We are still not sure if we are going to make it out for the festivities. We have a Kevin Costner Shitty Movie Marathon scheduled for those two days, including Water World and The Postman.

*Might have just been a dream we had last night.

Rays giving fans glimpse of new image [Devil Rays]
The New Tampa Bay Rays Uniforms [Rays Index]
Now appearing…[tampabay.com]

Oct 31

Joe Maddon Is Too Good For The Rays

Papa Joe Maddon, The Rays Don't Deserve Joe Maddon Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

If you were looking for an expert to evaluate the managers in baseball, who is the first source you would turn to? Maxim magazine of course! Maxim has released their list of “The Crappiest Baseball Managers” and the Rays own Joe Maddon comes in at #6.

Everybody loves ol’ Joe, and nobody questions that he walked into a situation only slightly less calamitously awful than the Middle East. But jeez, the D-Rays seem actually to have become more anarchic under his watch. B.J. Upton may finally be realizing his potential, but he and his fellow 2009[sic] supadupastars fail to hit the cutoff man, run out ground balls, or tuck in their shirts. There’s less organizational order here than in most communes, and the only place to point the finger for that is at the manager.

Of course we prefer to think of Papa Joe as the 25th best manager in baseball and considering the Rays were only the 30th best team in baseball for the second straight year, Maddon is clearly managing above his team. No wonder the Rays picked up the 2-year option on his contract.

The Crappiest Baseball Managers [Maxim]

Aug 10

Joe Maddon Knows As Much About The Rays Minor Leaguers As Your Mom

Dale Thayer, Papa Joe Maddon Cork Gaines No Comments »

Joe Maddon commented on minor league relief pitcher Dale Thayer before yesterday’s game. Thayer was recently promoted from AA Montgomery to AAA Durham. Of course, to say he “commented on” is being generous. Rather, it was more like Papa Joe telling us that he knows nothing about Dale Thayer.

All I know is he puts up great numbers. He pitched that one inning for us in spring training [against the Mets on March 31] and I liked his aggressiveness. His fastball was like a 92-93 mile an hour fastball, it looked like he pitched up in the zone a little bit. I’m not really sure about his breaking stuff, exactly what that’s all about, but I saw an aggressive guy. You look at his numbers in Double-A the last two years and they’re crazy good. [Joe Maddon]

How is it that the manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays does not know any more about one of the team’s top pitching prospects than the average fan? Thayer owns the Southern League record for saves in a season and the only thing that Papa Joe knows about Thayer comes from one inning in Spring Training when it looked like he pitched up in the zone a bit. Has Papa Joe ever read a scouting report on Dale Thayer? We know more about Dale Thayer just by googling his name.

[From Scout.com] “He has a power fastball,” Tye Waller, the Padres Director of Player Development, said. “When he can command that breaking ball and locate that breaking ball he is tough to deal with. Hopefully we can make that improvement so he can do it at the next level.” His fastball sits in the low-nineties and besides the curveball, Thayer also throws a slider which is quite effective. He also sports a changeup that he would like to throw more often. Thayer admits his breaking ball needs some work, “to get a better breaking pitch, so I am not always just throwing fastball.”

We love Joe Maddon. We really do. But even we are starting to question if being a major league manager is right for him. Whenever others speak of Maddon, they always praise his player development skills. So why does he know so little about the Rays minor league system?

when discussing potential changes? For a team that is so reliant on their farm system, wouldn’t it be a good idea if We understand it is not his focus and it is Andrew Friedman and Co.’s job to scout the minor leaguers. We also understand there is plenty of “player development” to be done at the major league level with such a young team. But is it too much to ask for that Papa Joe read a scouting report every once and a while? Doesn’t Friedman consult with MaddonMaddon knew something…anything about these players before he sits down in Friedman’s office?

The Professor: Hey Joe…There is a kid at Durham. He is name is Evan Longoria. Heard he is pretty good with the bat. Considering his bat speed, would you trust him late in a game against power pitcher?
Papa Joe: His numbers in the minors are crazy good.
The Professor: Eh, nevermind.

Maddon on Thayer [TBO]
Scouting Report: Dale Thayer [Scout.com]

Aug 06

The Hangover: Its Like Selling A Dead Bird To A Blind Kid

Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, James Shields, Jason Hammel, Jason Tyner, Jim Leyland, Jonny Gomes, Jorge Cantu, Papa Joe Maddon, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines No Comments »

Devil Rays @ Detroit Tigers
A 3-game set…Tampa Bay is 42-68, 25.5 games back in the AL East…Detroit is 61-49, a half game back in the AL Central…The Rays are 16-35 on the road…Justin Verlander pitches for Detroit tonight. He is 11-4 with a 3.49 ERA…Edwin Jackson takes the mound for the Rays. He is 2-11 with a 6.56 ERA.

(a conversation between Joe Maddon and Jim Leyland in Leyland’s office before tonight’s game)
Papa Joe: What are the chances that my team can beat you guys tonight Jim?
Papa Jim: (taking a long slow drag on a cigarette) Well, that’s pretty difficult to say.
Papa Joe: (sporting a giddy school girl smile) Hit me with it! I’ve come a long way to see you, Jim. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Papa Jim: (lighting another cigarette) Not good.
Papa Joe: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
Papa Jim: (lighting up his third cigarette since the conversation started) I’d say more like one out of a million.
Papa Joe: (looking confused, and then breaking out in a big smile) So you’re telling me there’s a chance.
(Joe Maddon turns and skips his way out of Leyland’s office)
Papa Jim: (blowing smoke rings) There is no way this ends well.
(Jim Leyland shakes head and pulls out another cigarette)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

After Joe Maddon’s latest comments on BJ Upton we have to wonder if Rocco Baldelli has a future with the Devil Rays. Maddon expressed that Upton is clearly a better hitter and a more confident player while playing the outfield. [Devil Rays]

Because Upton looks so athletic in center field, Maddon was asked if Upton is wasted when he plays second base…”Not so much wasted, he’s looking very natural out there,” Maddon said. “I think from what I’m seeing, he will always hit better because that’s a mentally easier position for him to play.”

We applaud Carl Crawford’s latest comments in which he expressed his frustration with this season. While some take the comments to mean that CC wants out, we see a young player that is growing into a team leader and letting it be known that the status quo is unacceptable. [tampabay.com]

“This year hasn’t went as planned, so I don’t know anymore,” Crawford said. “I’m just trying to wait and see what happens toward the end. Every year is a new year now…This year has been a setback, and I’m not used to setbacks. I’m frustrated with this season. It ain’t been a good year.”

Jason Hammel threw a bullpen session on Saturday and he believes he will be able to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday. Joe Maddon is waiting to see how the shoulder feels today and tomorrow before making a decision. [Herald-Tribune]
We may have been a little quick on the trigger earlier this season when we anointed James Shields as the Rays’ ace. [The Ledger]
Jonny Gomes has done what Jorge Cantu could not. When benched, he kept his mouth shut and performed when given the opportunity and worked his way back into the everyday lineup with strong numbers. [tampabay.com]
Don’t look for Akinori Iwamura to make any appearances at second base this season. Joe Maddon believes that is a move better suited for Spring Training. [TBO]
BJ Upton’s younger brother Justin, made his major league debut for the D-Backs, 4 days younger than BJ made his debut. [TBO]
The Devil Rays are expected to announce their new name and colors on Nov. 11. [tampabay.com]
Former Devil Ray Jason Tyner finally hit his first major league home run after 1,220 at bats. [SFGate]

Jul 06

The Hangover: Starring Joe Maddon As The Black Knight

Al Reyes, Carl Crawford, Dioner Navarro, Gary Glover, James Shields, Kenny Williams, Marc Lancaster, Mark Buerhle, Papa Joe Maddon, With Leather Cork Gaines No Comments »

Red Sox 15, Devil Rays 4.

[They fight until Arthur cuts off Black Knight's left arm]
King Arthur: Now, stand aside, worthy adversary!
Black Knight: ‘Tis but a scratch!
King Arthur: A scratch? Your arm’s off!
Black Knight: No, it isn’t!
King Arthur: Well, what’s that then?
King Arthur: I’ve had worse.
King Arthur: You liar!
Black Knight: Come on, you pansy!
King Arthur: [after Arthur's cut off both of the Black Knight's arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You’ve got no arms left.
Black Knight: Yes I have.
King Arthur: *Look*!
Black Knight: It’s just a flesh wound.
[the Black Knight continues to threaten Arthur despite getting both his arms and one of his legs cut off]
Black Knight: Right, I’ll do you for that!
King Arthur: You’ll what?
Black Knight: Come here!
King Arthur: What are you gonna do, bleed on me?
Black Knight: I’m invincible!
King Arthur: …You’re a loony.

We’re in one of those moments that is not good and there is no way to get around that. But while we are having this difficult moment, I’m looking to see where we are improving, because this is going to go away. And we’re going to be fine and we’re going to turn this around – Joe Maddon

We have long supported Joe Maddon here at RI, even if we have taken him behind the woodshed once or twice. Our feeling has always been that the team is not much worse than can be expected. For most of the first half, three of the Rays starting pitchers were among the worst in baseball. As we near the all-star break, with Al Reyes on the DL, the bullpen consists of five or six guys that would not even make any other team’s 25-man roster. It’s like taking a perfectly good team and smearing it with feces. With an arsenal like that, what could we possibly expect from a second-year manager? There isn’t a manager in baseball that could contend with this squad.

We believe in the baseball axiom that managers receive too much credit when the team is doing well and too much blame when the team is struggling. But now we are beginning to feel the same frustration of many in the Devil Rays Universe.

We understand the need to remain positive when times are bad. It can help when those that you report to, still believe in your abilities even when all the numbers suggest otherwise. But it is also OK to let them know every once and a while that you are disappointed in them. We are not asking Papa Joe to rip the team in the press. We are not asking Papa Joe to lay blame at certain players feet or even at his own. But when a team is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak…

STOP WAXING POETIC ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE FINE. WE ARE SICK OF IT.

All we need, as fans, is to know that this is just as painful for Joe Maddon and the 25 guys that put on the uniform. If it is not, than GET THE HELL OUT, and let Stuart Sternberg find somebody that will feel our pain.

I’m not going to grab any sharp objects…I’m not going to do any of that. This too shall pass – Joe Maddon

Don’t worry about grabbing “sharp objects” Joe. Rays fans everywhere already have a firm grip on them and we are beginning to wonder, that if like the Black Knight, you are a “loony”.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

We are big fans of With Leather. And while many try (often too hard) to come up with witty and catchy headlines, With Leather may have summed up the 2007 Devil Rays best with THIS HEADLINE. Excuse us, while we bang our heads on the desk.
Dioner Navarro was knocked unconscious after a collision with Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett. He was taken to a local hospital for x-rays on his jaw.
If the Devil Rays ever get a save opportunity while Al Reyes is on the DL, it will likely go to Gary Glover.
White Sox GM Kenny Williams confirmed rumors that the Devil Rays inquired about free agent-to-be Mark Buerhle. The reason that the Rays would be interested is that they would receive two compensatory draft picks at the end of the first round in next year’s draft when Buerhle signs with another club in the off-season. If the Rays can convince the White Sox to take something less valuable than those two picks, the Rays would make the deal. Not gonna happen.
Kevin Gengler believes that both Dioner Navarro and Joe Maddon are not the long-term answers for the Devil Rays. We still believe in Navarro but our thoughts on Maddon have gone from support to uncertain. However, there is one thing we do agree with…

Writing cohrerently [sic] during an 11-game losing streak is tough.

Jordi at The Serious Tip takes a look at the pattern of All-Star games and notes that in the next 7 years, Tampa Bay and Miami could become the only major league cities not to host an all-star game since 1977. With the Marlins likely to be elsewhere in the next 5-10 years and the Tropicana Field bias, there is little chance of that trend changing before the Rays move to a new ballpark.
James Shields threw just 15 fastballs his last time out and has only given up one walk in his previous 32.2 innings. Still, his 19 home runs allowed is second in the AL. The home runs are not that alarming. But early in the year, they were mostly of the solo variety. He needs to limit the dingers when men are on base.
ArmchairGM lists the Devil Rays as “sellers” and believe that the Rays will move Carl Crawford before the trading deadline.
Marc Lancaster has sold out and is now incorporating musical lyrics, a practice we hope you never see here. An occasional “Anchorman” quote? Sure, but never lyrics.

Men are on base. It’s so hot…Shawn Camp was a baaaaaad choice

Jun 07

The Hangover: Papa Joe And His Rose-Tinted Glasses

Lou Piniella is bat shit crazy, Papa Joe Maddon, Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines No Comments »

Devil Rays 6, Blue Jays 2.
We promise not to rant about Scott Kazmir and how he throws too many pitches. We are tired of mentioning it and you are tired of reading about it. So we promise today we won’t mention that Kaz threw 31 pitches in the first inning and had to be removed after 5 innings because he had already thrown 103 pitches. And yes, we know that Shawn Camp came on again with runners on base and got a huge out in the 8th inning, but we are not going to all of the sudden praise him. He did a good job last night, but we wouldn’t heap praises on a .150 hitter on the rare occasions he gets a hit, so why should we do that with Camp?

Speaking of Camp, let’s take a step back in time and re-address the implosion that occurred in the 9th inning of Tuesday’s game…Apparently changes are not on the horizon for the bullpen. And as usual, Papa Joe Maddon was doing his best to pretend like nothing bad happened.

We pitched badly in the ninth inning…I’m not going to let that one inning infiltrate all the good things that occurred yesterday.

Actually, that is exactly why changes are needed in the bullpen. Because giving up 6 runs in the 9th inning to blow a 5-run lead does infiltrate all the good things that happened. Seven different hitters had at least 2 hits. BJ Upton had 4 hits including his 15th double and 9th home run. Andy Sonnanstine was shaky at times in his major league debut, but did his job, handing the ball to the bullpen after 7 innings with a lead. All those good things were wasted because the Arsonists in the bullpen could not even get two outs between four pitchers. All those good things were wasted because the team LOST.

The Professor visits Joe Maddon at home…

The Professor: Hey Joe, how’s it going?
Papa Joe: Great. Team is exactly where I want them and my girlfriend just made this great pie.
The Professor: But it is burnt.
Papa Joe: (scraping top of pie with a knife) Nah. It is just a little overdone. It still tastes great. You just have ignore the black stuff.
Papa Joe: (takes a big bite of what looks like apple pie) mmmmm. So good.
Papa Joe: (blind dog with only three legs comes hopping into room) Hey! Pollyanna. A guy couldn’t have a better dog. Isn’t she gorgeous? We are still working on it, but someday soon she is going to be the best hunting dog ever.
The Professor: But the dog is blind and only has three legs.
Papa Joe: (dog runs into the wall) Yes, but look at that nose! what a great nose!
The Professor: (notices wall on back of house has fallen down) This is a really nice house Joe, but what happened to that wall?
Papa Joe: What wall? Oh that! Jae Seo got drunk and drove through it a few months ago. But it was OK, because he had that great start in Toronto.
The Professor: Why haven’t you gotten it fixed? The Wall, not Jae Seo.
Papa Joe: There is no need right now. We aren’t having any important parties here anytime soon, and besides the rest of the house is so great. I would rather just focus on the positives, like now it is much easier to get outside. Here, I will show you.
The Professor: (Follows Papa Joe outside) What is that awful smell?
Papa Joe: (looks around in confusion) I don’t smell anything.
The Professor: (notices a dead cow rotting in the back yard) Is that a dead cow?
Papa Joe: (again looks around confused) Huh? I don’t see anything. Here, look at this pool. Isn’t it gorgeous?!?
The Professor: Joe. There is a dead cow in your backyard. Right there (pointing and holding nose).
Papa Joe: (walks over to rose bush) Look at these beautiful roses. My girlfriend planted these. Don’t they smell beautiful?
The Professor: (passes out)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

It may seem that we have been pounding on Joe Maddon a little more as of late. No, he did not make a joke about our momma. We do occasionally disagree with his moves (anytime he has Shawn Camp warm up) and we wish we saw a little more fire (not Lou Piniella, but not Jolly Fat Guy either) and wish he wasn’t always trying to be a spin-doctor. Still, it would be irresponsible of us if we did not point out that the Rays are only 7 games below .500 despite the fact that Axis of Evil (Seo/Fossum/Jackson) have started 30 games for the Rays and there are only 2 decent arms in the bullpen (Reyes/half of Glover/half of Stokes). When you consider that, it is actually quite amazing that this team has won 25 games, and at least some of that credit must go to Papa Joe.
A little unusual for the timing, but we had a post up about the draft late in the day yesterday. So if you missed it and need some light reading to warm up for the festivities, HERE is the direct link. Must admit, we are really torn, and you know we are usually all about the pitching, pitching, pitching. But man, Matt Wieters sounds like the real deal. Must be the inner-catcher in us. That, or we are just over-thinking the whole mess. But doesn’t it seem like every time, everybody, agrees on something, just the opposite comes true? It’s why we had confidence when the Bucs were in the Super Bowl. Nobody gave them a chance.
One good thing about the draft finally being over, is we are sick and tired of reading the exact same two headlines everywhere. “Price could be right for Devil Rays” and “Devil Rays weigh 3 players for top pick“. The problem is they are AP stories. Don’t news outlets ever write their own stories anymore?

Mar 09

The Hangover: Joe Maddon Is Hunting Wabbits

Dioner Navarro, Elijah Dukes, Jason Hammel, Lou Piniella is bat shit crazy, Matt Silverman, Papa Joe Maddon, Scott Kazmir, Shawn Riggans, The Curse of LaMar-Naimoli Cork Gaines No Comments »

The Rays lost again. This time to the Pirates 5-2. There were two big story lines. What may be three-fifths of the rotation after the all-star break, Scott Kazmir, Mitch Talbot and Jeff Niemann all struggled and surrendered runs. The other big story was Dioner Navarro who strained a hamstring running the base paths. It doesn’t sound serious but let’s hope that the Curse of Lamar-Naimoli is not rearing its ugly head.
22.50…The amount Matt Silverman paid us to blog about the Rays this year? No. Actually it is the ERA for Jeff Ridgway so far.
Scott Kazmir may be a bit rusty on the mound, but he feels good at the plate. That’s important in the AL.
Shawn Riggans is beating himself up pretty good in his effort to supplant Josh Paul as the team’s backup catcher. We still say it is a long shot, at best.
Cubs pitchers issued 10 walks in one game. Afterwards, Rays pitchers sent sympathy cards.
So if Matt Silverman bought each fan for $535, how much would it cost to fill the Trop? $24,075,000…Or about the same amount as the Rays opening day 40-man payroll.
Its a good thing Jason Hammel is a professional baseball player. If not, he would be unemployed.
Now that the Rays are in bed with Bugs Bunny and Co., does this mean that if they ever make a movie about Elijah Dukes life, he will played by the Tasmanian Devil? And who would play Papa Joe Maddon? Elmer Fudd of course.