Archive for the 'Todd Kalas' Category

Sep 30

Todd Kalas’ Lucky Charm On Tuesday? His Dad’s World Series Ring

Harry Kalas, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 7 Comments »

With the Rays set to clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday night, Todd Kalas may have thought the Rays needed a little extra good fortune. So for the first time all season, he wore his dad’s (Harry Kalas) 1980 Philadelphia Phillies Championship ring. Harry was a broadcaster for the Phillies in 1980 and passed away last year.

The ring can be seen on Todd’s right hand in this image. A closer look at one of the Phillies rings can be seen here. Todd was also wearing his own 2008 Rays AL Championship ring on his other hand.

If this was the ring of any other Phillie, this would probably bother us. Well, we would also be ok with Von Hayes. Anybody that looked like they could have been in Hall and Oates is OK by us.

Aug 19

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Upton’s New Approach, Dirtbag Crushing And Dealing With Hamilton

BJ Upton, Elliot Johnson, Evan Longoria, Ramon Ortiz, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 12 Comments »

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: BJ Upton. Remember earlier in the year when we were all excited to see Bossman going the opposite way? And then we grew weary because he could no longer pull a good fastball? Well, it appears that Upton has fixed whatever problem Derek Shelton created with the oppo-approach. BJ went 2-4 with a walk including a no-doubt home run and a single. Both were to left field…Evan Longoria. Dirtbag is just crushing the ball right now. Yes, others are ahead of Longoria in the MVP discussion right now (eg Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton) but MVPs are made in August and September. If Longoria can replicate a few more 3-4 with 2 doubles, a home run and 4 RBI games, and the Rays win the division, he will make himself a case for MVP votes…Pitching. The Rays did give up 11 runs in 3 games, but they held Josh Hamilton to 1 hit in 12 plate appearances. If the Rays do face the Rangers in the playoffs, they will have to beat Cliff Lee and keep Hamilton in check. This series gives the Rays a lot of hope…James Shields. It was nice to see the “Ace” of the staff pitch like one. 7 innings, only 1 run on 4 hits and a walk.

THE BAD: Lance Cormier. There is a reason he is the Rays “down 10-2 guy.” He shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a mound when the Rays are protecting a lead against a good offense. He faced 3 batters, walked 1 and gave up a 2-run home run. As a result, Joe Maddon had to go to Rafael Soriano on a day Soriano should have been given off. In addition, (correct us if we are wrong) but didn’t Soriano warm up earlier in the game? The only thing worse than having to work on an off-day is when your closer has to warm-up more than once.

THE TELLING: Elliot Johnson is now hitting .319 for Durham, good for second in the International League. He is also 5th with 25 stolen bases…Once again, Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann had successful bullpen sessions yesterday and appear on track to return next week…According to CoolStandings.com the Rays have a 91.4% chance of making the playoffs. That is higher than the Yankees (89.6%).

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 74-46, tied for first in the AL East and 5.5 games up on the Red Sox in the Wild Card (6 in the loss column). After 120 games in 2008, the Rays were 73-47.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays signed Ramon Ortiz to a minor league deal. Ortiz has played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues, but hasn’t appeared on a big league roster since 2007. With the Durham Bulls losing three starting pitchers recently, this move may have just been about filling out their rotation. But certainly the Rays wouldn’t mind catching lightning in a bottle should the need arise. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Evan Longoria talks about Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 07

Let’s Play ‘Where Is Todd Kalas?’

Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

Reason #4,543 Todd Kalas has the best job in baseball. Sorry for the awful screengrab, but somewhere among those beauty contestants is our brave reporter Todd Kalas.

We can only hope Todd got out of there in one piece.

Apr 30

The Todd Kalas Fan Club Lives

Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

Todd Kalas has a funny way of always finding the young ladies. And this particular lady is awfully wide-eyed in the presence of our always captivating Mr. Kalas.

How cute. How “Fatal Attraction.”

Jul 11

Jeff Niemann Shaving Cream Pie Conspiracy Theory

Jeff Niemann, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 9 Comments »

After every game Todd Kalas will interview a player . As is customary in baseball, if that player was especially good that night, he will get a “pie” of shaving cream to the face during the interview. This happened last night to Jeff Niemann, with Dioner Navarro delivering the blow.

But last night something strange happened. It appears as though Navi got a little help from none other than Todd Kalas. For the first time all season, Kalas conducted his postgame interview while sitting down.

You see, Niemann is 6’9″ and Navi is only 5’9″. Trying to deliver a shaving cream pie to the face from behind would have been difficult for Navi if Niemann was standing. An obvious solution would be to get Niemann while he was sitting down. And Kalas delivered.

If we were Kalas, we would be watching our back for a while. We have a feeling Niemann will want to exact some “revenge.”

Jun 12

Tampa Bay Rays WAGs: Angie Kist

Angie Kist, Grant Balfour, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 10 Comments »

We have a new addition to the Rays WAGs project…

No, no no. That little vixen on the right is Todd Kalas and as far as we know he is not dating any of the players. But it sure looks like Kalas is laying the charm on awfully thick* with Grant Balfour’s fiance, Angie Kist, on Wednesday night.

*we kid cuz we care

Apr 14

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Upton As Willie And Ricky, Bartlett’s Big Blast And Kapler’s Last Stand

BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Harry Kalas, Jeff Niemann, Shawn Riggans, Stuart Sternberg, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 18 Comments »

Yankees Rays Baseball

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: The Offense. 26 runs in last 2 games. Where was that in the first 2 games against the O’s? 17 hits and 8 walks. 6 different starters had at least 2 hits…BJ As Willie. Even more impressive than BJ Upton’s over the shoulder catch at the wall was how easy he made it look. It was as if he was playing catch in the backyard. We are still in awe…BJ As Ricky.7 stolen base attempts in 3 rehab games. 2 steals in the first inning of his first game of the season. What is his over/under now? 60?…Bartlett’s Big Blast. Wait. Did Jason Bartlett just hit a home run in his second straight game? After only 1 last year? Those 2 home runs raised his career total by 16.7% to 14…Carlos Pena. The grand slam was great, but we loved his double even more as it was to right center indicating that he wasn’t trying to pull it down the line…Scott Kazmir. He kept his pitch count in check (only 71 through 5) and worked into the 7th inning for the first time since last July 21, a span of 20 starts (including playoffs).

THE BAD: No Bads last night. We won’t even mention Gabe Gross getting thrown out between first and second on his single in the first with a runner on third and only 1 out, which likely cost the Rays a run. Nope. Won’t mention it….But we will mention that Gabe Kapler struck out against Nick Swisher. Yes, that Nick Swisher. The fielder. Gabe Kapler, you are dead to us.

THE TELLING: Just when you thought the evening couldn’t get any better, the Red Sox got smoked by the A’s 8-2 and fell to 2-5…The Yankees were forced to get 6 innings from their bullpen (Nick Swisher worked the 8th) without a true long reliever on the roster. With AJ Burnett going tonight, the Yankees need at least 7 innings, so look for the Rays to take a few more pitches than normal…After contemplating a start for Ben Zobrist in right field, Joe Maddon went with Gabe Gross.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Carlos Pena. BJ Upton was on base 4 times and stole 2 bases and made one of the most amazing catches you will ever see. Pat Burrell hit his first home run as a Ray and Scott Kazmir is back as he worked into the 7th inning. But 6 ribbies are 6 ribbies. And it was Pena’s grand slam in the 2nd that got the Fat Lady singing.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • One of the all-time greats passed away yesterday. Harry Kalas, father of the Rays’ Todd Kalas died after collapsing in the broadcast booth. Our thoughts go out to the Kalas family. We will absolutely miss him. [MLB]
  • We have updated the Cork-Board in the sidebar with the most common lineups used so far as well as a number of additions to the minor league DL.
  • Shawn Riggans has been placed on the DL with shoulder tendinitis. Michel Hernandez has been recalled from Durham. [Rays Report]
  • Tony Fabrizio was with Stuart Sternberg when BJ Upton made his catch and Joe Maddon says it is going to take Upton a while to grow into his new role and compares him to Ricky Henderson. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Evan Longoria was named the AL Player of the Week. [MLB]
  • Last night the Rays raised their championship banners. Boy those look nice hanging from the rafters. [MLB]
  • One of Stuart Sternberg’s main goals for the season is to be league average in attendance. That was 2.6 million last season. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Does this mean that Vince Naimoli has written a book called “Let the Truth Be Known”? [YouTube]
  • Apparently Orioles fans fear the Cowbell. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Jeff Niemann was named the top rookie of spring training. [Biscuit Crumbs]
  • Tonight’s game is also a sellout. [The Heater]
  • Jason Isringhausen is scheduled to throw two innings today in an extended spring game, but says he is “not getting anything out of facing high school kids.” [St. Pete Times]

Oct 23

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Drop Opener; Big Guns Coming

Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Bud Selig, Cole Hamels, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Fernando Perez, Gabe Gross, James Shields, Joe Maddon, Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, Todd Kalas, Trever Miller, Troy Percival Cork Gaines 26 Comments »



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

THE GOOD: It was a perfect game for the Phillies. They had their best pitcher on the mound against the Rays #3 starter. They got a number of breaks during the game, including a safe-call on a pickoff attempt in the 2nd inning that showed the runner was out. In the 5th inning Pat Burrell was safe at first on an error when it appeared that he was clearly inside the base line. The Phillies had several excuse-me swings and bloop basehits. With the bases loaded and only 1 out in the 3rd, BJ Upton hit a ball about as hard as it could be hit, but the ball went right to Pedro Feliz at third base, who turned a double-play. And the biggest break may have been a non-balk call in which Cole Hammels picked Carlos Pena off first base with no outs in the 6th of a 1-run game. All of those breaks, with their ace on the mound and the Rays still only lost 3-2 and had several opportunities to win the game. If there is such a thing as a “good” loss in the World Series. This was it. With pitching matchup advantages in the next 3 games, the Rays are far from out of this…The DH is a big advantage for the Rays. Chris Coste was the Phillies DH and he didn’t even look like a major league hitter…The Rays “double” lead-off combination of Jason Bartlett and Akinori Iwamura reached base each of their first 5 plate appearances…Lefties in the lineup went 4 for their first 7 with a home run and 2 RBI against Cole Hamels.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir once again couldn’t get out of his own way in the first inning giving up a 2-run home run. And even though Kazmir was a bit unlucky with some bloop hits after the first inning, he still allowed 11 base runners in the first 6 innings. If the Phillies didn’t go 0-9 with runners in scoring position in those 6 innings, the game wouldn’t have been so close…Phillies lead-off hitters were on base 4 times…With 2 outs in the 5th and a runner on second, BJ Upton fouled out to Ryan Howard who reached into the stands for the grab. Absolutely awful job by the crowd in that section. We have no idea how they can let an opposing player make that play…The Rays 2-4 batters went a combined 0-12 with 5 Ks….Why the hell is the “free taco” such a big story? Did people think there was a chance nobody would steal a base in the entire World Series? Taco Bell is giving away free Tacos. Good for them. We understand Fox TV making a big deal. It is a corporate sponsorship. But why are there so many news stories on the topic?

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon chose to start Ben Zobrist in right field with Gabe Gross struggling and preferring to keep Fernando Perez on the bench as a late-inning weapon. It was Zobrist’s second start in right field in his career…10 of the last 11 World Series winners won game 1. Then again 5 of those were sweeps and another 2 were 4-1. Anybody think the Rays are getting swept? Didn’t think so…There is about an 80% chance of rain in St. Pete tonight. Too bad the Rays don’t play in a dome. Oh. Wait. Never mind…According to CoolStandings.com the chances of the Rays winning the World Series is now only 36.1%.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • In a strange story, Daisuke Matsuzaka apparently accused (in the Japanese media) the Rays of moving the pitching rubber to benefit James Shields. MLB checked the mound and found nothing wrong. [St. Pete Times]
  • Big League Stew debates the non-balk call. [Big League Stew]
  • In a classic case of “hindsight is 20-20″, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says the Rays were “too cool” in game 1 and didn’t play the game with urgency…Of course in game 1 of the ALCS everybody was saying the Rays played too uptight. [Yahoo! Sports]
  • Gerry Fraley of Fox Sports says the game 1 win cannot hide the problems the Phillies have. [Fox Sports]
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN says Joe Maddon gives his players 30 minutes after every game to either celebrate the win or stew about the loss. After 30 minutes, that game is done and it is time to focus on the next game. [ESPN]
  • We always wonder what makes one team in a championship contest a “team of destiny” and the other is not. The Press of Atlantic City thinks the Phillies are destiny’s darlings this year. [Press of Atlantic City]
  • Philly, we’ll make you a deal. We’ll stop ringing the cowbells if you promise that the Phillies fans in games 3,4,5 will not yell any ignorant insults. Deal? Didn’t think so. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  • Peter Mucha of the Philadelphia Inquirer says a rainout on Saturday would move Cole Hamels up from game 5 to game 4. This will not change Hamel’s availability for game 7. If game 4 is moved to Monday, game 7 will not change. There just won’t be an off-day between games 5 and 6. Which means game 7 will be next Thursday regardless of when game 4 is played. So unless Hamels comes back on 2 days rest, Hamels is not pitching game 7. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
  • Scott Kazmir just wishes he could get the one pitch back from the first inning. [MLB]
  • Mark Newman gives us “Ten things to love about The Trop.” [MLB]
  • Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says that the emergence of the Rays changes the landscape in the AL East and the Yankees and Red Sox should get used to it. [Boston Herald]
  • BJ Upton’s bat from the ALDS and ALCS was sent to the Hall of Fame. [Baseball Prospectus]
  • Bud Selig sure doesn’t seem upset about the Rays in the World Series when he says, “I just can’t tell you how important this is…I’m really lucky I was able to see this.” [USA Today]
  • Troy Percival is still at home with his family in California…Joe Maddon says he would be with the team if he was on the roster. [Tampa Tribune]
  • The Tigers new pitching coach has ties to Matt Garza. [Detroit Free-Press]
  • Todd Kalas joined his dad in the radio booth during the 4th inning. [MLB]
  • While the Rays were celebrating after game 7 of the ALCS, Trever Miller’s 4-year old daughter nearly died in the stands. It does sound as if Miller’s wife had the situation under control, as this is a condition that is not new. [MLB]
Oct 02

[HAPPY HOUR] Dirtbag Powers Rays To Game 1 Win

Joe Maddon, Stuart Sternberg, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 10 Comments »


THE GOOD: Evan Longoria. Dirtbag became just the second player to homer in each of his first 2 playoff at bats. The first player to accomplish this feat was Gary Gaetti. Coincidentally, Gaetti was Longoria’s hitting coach at triple-A Durham…The Bullpen (again). Grant Balfour came in with 1 out in the 7th inning and the bases loaded. He then proceeded to do what he does best. The Mad Australian struck out the next 2 batters, but not before apparently annoying Orlando Cabrera, who took exception to Balfour’s antics and kicked dirt towards the mound. JP Howell then took over in the 8th, striking out the first 2 batters he faced and retiring the side in order. Dan Wheeler started off shaky giving up a home run, but then settled down and got the next 3 batters for the save. 2.2 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 5 strike outs.

THE BAD: James Shields. He did get the win, but Shields is turning into a cliche. Give up a 2 or 3-run home run early. Scare the crap out of the fans. Then settle down and work into the 7th or 8th inning. Why “bad”? Because, if he keeps this up in the playoffs, he is going to give us an ulcer…Carlos Pena. Pena had to be removed from the game due to blurry vision after he apparently scratched his eye at home the night before. The Rays are saying that they expect him to be ready to go tomorrow.

THE TELLING: The most important games in a 5-game series are games 1 and 3. Now, all the Rays have to do is split the next 2 games with Scott Kazmir going at home and Matt Garza going in game 3 in Chicago. Earn at least a split in the next 2 and the Rays will be positioned to move on to the ALCS.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Buster Olney says that Joe Maddon has bullpen that can handle any situation. [ESPN]

History shows a closer-by-committee setup usually isn’t advisable. But the Rays’ committee is very good, and very deep.

  • For the playoffs, Todd Kalas has been relegated to the Party Deck above left field. [The Heater]
  • If the ALDS goes 5 games, Stuart Sternberg will not be attendance as Wednesday marks the first day of Yom Kippur. [New York Times]
  • Manny Stiles breaks down the playoff matchups. We are a little confused by the statement, “The Bears and Buccaneers both kinda suck this year.” Huh? The Bucs are 3-1. [armchair gm]
  • What would the Rays’ VH1 song be? Hugging Harold Reynolds says “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D…We are not sure the Rays have found love yet. How about “Owner of a lonely heart”. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
Sep 20

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Can Clinch Today On National Television

David Price, Edwin Jackson, Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, Gerry Hunsicker, Grant Balfour, Jeff Niemann, JP Howell, Scott Kazmir, Todd Kalas Cork Gaines 5 Comments »



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

THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson. A steady diet of 95 mph fastballs and decent sliders. And maybe Jackson’s greatest trait is his endurance. His fastest pitch of the night was the last pitch of the 8th inning, a swinging strike on Brendan Harris. That pitch was either 97 or 98 depending on who you talk to…Jeff Niemann. Niemann relieved Jackson and got the last 4 outs. His first batter he was throwing 91-92. But when he came out in the 9th, he found a few extra inches in the tank, pushing it to 95 and even hitting 97 on a swinging strike to strike out the second out…Replay. The first official replay occurred at the Trop and now the first official overturn from a replay happened on a Carlos Pena fan-interference double that was changed to a home run. Ironically, it was a Twins fan that was originally ruled ot have interfered…Yet another bases loaded walk. the Rays now have 19 walks and 4 hit batters with the bases loaded this season. The 23 “free” runs with the bases loaded now leads the majors by 1 over Boston. Of course, the Rays also lead the majors in most intentional walks issued with the bases loaded.

THE BAD: Todd Kalas. Where was Kalas on the home run overturn? He has to hustle his ass out to right field and talk to the people in the stands. Even if he can’t get there for an inning or two, the point is still topical. Now, we did flip the picture-in-picture over to the ESPN feed a couple of times, so there is a chance we just missed it. Bueller?…Blackouts. Yes, today’s broadcast is on “National TV”, but only if you live in about 1/3 of the country. And if you don’t happen to be in the areas showing the Rays-Twins game, you might be screwed. This would mark just the second time (we think) this season that a game is not available on one of the outlets (MLB.tv, Extra Innings, etc) for people that live outside of North Florida (and SW Alabama, for some reason). That would include us. Of course, there are ways around these things. We just can’t tell you how, or the powers that be will not be happy.

THE TELLING: With the win last night, the Rays have clinched at least a tie for the Wild Card and a 1-game playoff…The odds of making the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus is now 99.9998% and the odds of winning the division is 73.0%.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Baseball Digest Daily will have Gerry Hunsicker on today to talk about his recipe for pasta sauce (or maybe they will talk about the Rays). [Baseball Digest Daily]
  • Mohawk fever. It is spreading. Now Mrs. Professor is saying “Do it.” Peer pressure sucks. Peer pressure from your wife is a death sentence. [MLB]
  • Scott Kazmir says he found a few minor flaws in his delivery from his last start and feels he was able to correct those in his bullpen session. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has the full list of the Rays’ top minor leaguers including Fernando Perez and David Price who were named overall player of the year and pitcher of the year. [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
  • Outs Per Swing wonders who the Rays’ MVP is…We have said it before, JP Howell and Grant Balfour have been great this season, but a middle reliever should never be named MVP of anything. Even if Howell was the only Ray competing in the annual Treasure Island Tofu Dog eating competition and he ate 675 Tofu Dogs, he still shouldn’t be named Rays’ MVP of that competition. Win Shares is admittedly a flawed stat but it can provide some level of comparison for pitchers and hitters. Take a look at the Rays’ WS values for this season. There are 14(!) players ranked ahead of Howell and 16 ahead of Balfour. Now if you want to say the “Middle Relievers” are the team MVP, we would be willing to listen to your argument. In defense of OPS, they picked Evan Longoria. We agree. [Outs Per Swing]
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