Archive for the 'Playoffs?' Category

Do You Know How Many Teams Will Make The Playoffs This Year?

Bud Selig, Playoffs? 1 Comment »

Don’t worry, neither does Bud Selig? [BI Sports]

In other, related news, Rays pitchers and catchers report two weeks from today. Party on.

WATCH: Evan Longoria Will Get You Pumped For The 2012 Season

Evan Longoria, Playoffs? 6 Comments »

We were going through some of our GIFs from the 2011 season, and we came across game 162. And now we are officially pumped for the 2012 season.

Here is the big blow by Evan Longoria that sent the Rays to the playoffs…

And here is what the scene looked like three pitches before the home run, when the crowd learned that the Orioles had defeated the Red Sox… Read the rest of this entry »

Rays Players Got A Nice Little Bonus For Their Short Playoff Appearance

Playoffs? No Comments »

When the Rays defeated the Yankees in extra innings on the final day of the regular season, they did more than just clinch the third playoff spot in team history. It also guaranteed each member of the team a nice little playoff bonus of $30,758 per player (via Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com).

That is $7,690 per playoff game per player. The total haul for the entire team was $1.65 million or about $79 thousand per run scored.

$31 thousand is a nice little haul, especially when you consider that most of the players on the team are making the big league minimum of $414,000. Then again, if you consider that the World Series winning St. Louis Cardinals each received more than $320 thousand, it suddenly doesn’t seem so great.

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Expanded Playoffs And The Astros’ Big Moves

Andrew Friedman, Jim Crane, Playoffs? 28 Comments »
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Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)

Major League Baseball has announced they will add a second Wild Card team to each league starting next season. We’ve known this was coming for a while, but the implications for the Rays could be huge.

Now it is possible that three teams from the same division can make the playoffs. The downside is that if a team does not win their division, they will likely be forced to play a winner-take-all one-game playoff against the other Wild Card team.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA

  • Joe Smith writes about how the expanded playoff system could help the Rays. [TampaBay.com]
  • Jim Crane was approved as manager of the Houston Astros. But to complete the sale, Crane had to agree to move the Astros to the American League. [BI Sports]
  • Richard Justice says Andrew Friedman is still believed to be “under consideration” for the Astros GM position. [Houston Chronicle]

The 2011 Preseason Mathematical Projections: A Look Back

Playoffs? 2 Comments »

Back in Spring Training we took a look at several different projection systems and how the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays could be expected to perform. Each of the systems uses a different set of projected stats and simulated the 2011 season “hundreds of thousands” of times. Now let’s take a look back and see how they did.

Based on the Rays’ runs scored and runs allowed, Read the rest of this entry »

CHART: The Rays Amazingly Improbable Comeback

Charts Are Fun, Playoffs? 4 Comments »

If you are a Rays fan, you will want to see this chart of the 2011 season showing how the Rays chances of making the playoffs fluctuated throughout the year. [BUSINESS INSIDER]

Joy, Jubilation, and the Sheer Exuberance of Victory

Baltimore Orioles, BJ Upton, Boston Red Sox, Cheap is as cheap does, Chicks dig the longball, Cowbells, Dan Johnson, David Price, Evan Longoria, F*ck the Heck?, Feed your mind, Insane in the membrane, Jake McGee, Joe Maddon, joel peralta, Johnny Damon, Jordi Scrubbings, Karma is a bitch, Lifestyles of the rich famous and good looking, Magic Number, Memories, New York Yankees, Other teams envious of Rays payroll, Pink Hat Nation, Pink Sox Nation, Playoffs?, Putting us in our place, Rays look good in glass slippers, Tampa Bay Rays, there are no rules, Things that make us giddy, Too early to open a beer?, Victory!, Walk-off win, Walk-off wins make us giddy, Your thoughts please 6 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings was at the game last night. Here is his report. You can also here Jordi tonight on “The Sully Baseball Show” which can be heard HERE

When I was a younger, I rooted heart and soul for the New York Mets. My dad was a Mets fan and I followed in his footsteps. One of my fondest memories of my dad and I’s shared fandom was when Mookie Wilson’s grounder rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the World Series. Being young and skinny, my dad gave me a big hug and swung my around the living room. Although I was a happy new fan, he was overjoyed. The Mets lived to see another day.

Here I am today the roughly same age my dad was in 1986.  The Rays have in many ways replaced the Mets as my true heart’s desire. The Mets are my first fan love and I will never forget them, but since 2007 day-in and day-out I’ve ridden with the Rays.

Although the Rays have made the Read the rest of this entry »

Betances Will Start For Yankees Tonight

Playoffs? 3 Comments »

With Joe Girardi saving all of his regular pitchers for the playoffs which begin on Friday, he will turn to Dellin Betances to start versus the Rays tonight.

Betances is a rookie that was called up earlier this month and made his big league debut last week. In that game, working in relief, he faced seven batters, walked four, hit another. He did make 25 starts in the minors splitting time between double-A and triple-A. In 126.1 innings, he had a 3.70 ERA with 142 strikeouts and 70 walks.

He is a mid-90s pitcher that can reach 96 or 97 with his fastball. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. But obviously his control is the issue. Look for the Rays to be very patient at the plate, especially early in the game.

Tickets For Potential One-Game Playoff Go On Sale Tomorrow

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If the Rays are still tied with the Red Sox at the end of the day on Wednesday, the two teams will play a one-game playoff on Thursday night at the Trop. Tickets for that game will go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am.

To get tickets, go to RaysBaseball.com

What, You Expected A Maddon-Led Group To Worry?

Playoffs? 2 Comments »

This was the scene at The Trop within the last hour, via JB Long of Brighthouse Sports. Rays don’t look too uptight, do they? Marc Topkin adds that others were seen throwing around a football.