Archive for the 'Zorilla' Category

Jan 13

Flair, Faith, and the Zen of Zobrist

Barry Larkin, Ben Zobrist, Zorilla Jordi Scrubbings 4 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings is back with his latest…

There are very few Rays players more fascinating than Ben Zobrist. We in the Rays community know his story: marginally successful utility player tinkers with his swing and becomes one of the most under the radar versatile all-round all-stars in baseball today. I’ve even written about Zobrist before in regards to his fan base.

The problem with Zobrist is that he has a low “gut factor”, a term coined this week by acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski. Gut factor is the feel fans have for a player. In Posnanski’s article, new Hall of Famer Barry Larkin is said to have had a low “gut factor” in that he didn’t “feel” like a Hall of Famer while he was playing, but upon further look, Larkin’s career belongs in the class with other Hall of Fame shortstops.

Ben Zobrist suffers from low gut factor in the same way Larkin did. He doesn’t “look” like one of the best players in the American League, but upon further look, he definitely is. Interestingly enough as well, after their first three full seasons, Ben Zobrist actually had a higher Wins Above Replacement (WAR) than Barry Larkin did.

WAR:

Zobrist (2009-2011): 15.2

Larkin (1988-1990): 14.8

(True, Ben Zobrist was three years older than Larkin when he had his first three seasons. I’m definitely not saying Zobrist will continue to have a better career than Barry Larkin. The odds that Zobrist keeps up 10 more years of consistently high WAR as Larkin did are quite low.)

This past weekend, I watched the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Denver Broncos. I haven’t watched much football this season and when I have turned it on, it always seems the Bucs are down 35 to 0. But I watched this weekend’s playoff games. Which means I watched Tim Tebow. Although the Nole fan in me can’t root for Tim Tebow, I do understand he has done some pretty amazing things as a quarterback in the NFL.

What I don’t understand however, is the hype that surrounds Tebow. People cannot stop talking about him. Yes, he has made some Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 18

So Ben Zobrist Didn’t Climb Into David Letterman’s Shirt?

Ben Zobrist, Zorilla Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Jack Hanna, one of my idols, was on “The Late Show with David Letterman” last night. He was joined by a Zorrilla. It was not Ben Zobrist. I found $20. The end. (thanks Laura)

Feb 25

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss JoeMa’s Love Of BJ, AARP Music And Percy Jr.

BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce, New Stadium, Rafael Soriano, Troy Percival, Willy Aybar, Zorilla Cork Gaines 14 Comments »

Joe Maddon spoke about what he expects from BJ Upton…

When you’re coming in injured or off of surgery, you have all those questions in the back of your mind. You have to break all those mental adhesions to get yourself going again. It was a tough year for him last year—he didn’t really have a spring training and really had to get himself in shape during the major league campaign. So now he’s coming off a full offseason with good health, and he’s had a chance to work with Shelty [hitting coach Derek Shelton] for a couple months now. I know he’s coming in here with a different feeling and attitude. I think he looks really good—he looks a little bit stronger, bigger. And I know he’s going to really get it going. The meeting we had was very informative and good.

We know it is unusual for JoeMa to sing one of his players praises. Wait. Reverse that. Still…oh mama.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays released part of their Summer Concert Series which is a who’s who of AARP acts. [St. Pete Times]
  • Willy Aybar came to camp and reported that the wrist injury he suffered during winter ball was completely healed. Well, he didn’t even last one workout as he has been shelved for a week after he felt pain when hitting. [The Heater]
  • Joe Maddon on Rafael Soriano: “Just think of him as Troy Percival…He resembles Percy in his game planning and how he wants to get ready for the season”…Oh, great. [Tampa Tribune]
  • David Brown writes about what Matt Joyce did this off-season to make the team. [Big League Stew]
  • The Good: Carlos Pena calls Tampa Bay “the best place on Earth to play baseball.” The Bad: Pena says he knows it won’t last forever. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Gerry Hunsicker says it would take “extraordinary measures” for Desmond Jennings to make the jump to the big leagues this season. He also stated that it would be difficult for the Rays to keep Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. While it is a bit surprising that Jennings has little shot at a promotion, even in September, the second part is akin to saying women are attracted to Evan Longoria. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Big League Stew previews the Rays. [Big League Stew]
  • What is more strange about this story? Evan Longoria eating by himself at a bar, or Joe Maddon happening to walk into the same restaurant by himself and deciding to join Dirtbag for dinner? [St. Pete Times]
  • Rise of the Rays makes a case for trading Carl Crawford before the season starts. [Rise of the Rays]
  • Matt Silverman spoke on several topics including the recent developments in the search for a new Rays stadium. Silverman says he is “encouraged that the regional dialogue is taking place.” He must have missed the part where St. Pete threatened to sue anybody that even thinks about building a new stadium in Tampa. [The Heater]
  • Meanwhile, if Tampa wants to keep hosting Super Bowls, the city will need a new football stadium in the near-future. [Joe Bucs Fan]
  • The developer that wants to put a new Rays stadium in the Channelside area of Tampa originally wanted to put the new stadium in the Tampa Heights area. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Ben Zobrist’s position this season will be decided during spring training and will likely depend on what other players do. But if you are keeping score at home, Zorilla worked out with the infielders on the first day. [Rays Plays]
  • Does Ben Zobrist have the best nickname in baseball? One writer thinks so. [Tauntr]
  • Not sure why, but there is something creepy about this post and what may or may not be a young fan’s crush on Evan Longoria. [Big League Stew]
  • Bill Chastain writes about what may be Elliot Johnson’s last shot to make the Rays roster. [MLB]
  • Roger Mooney has 5 questions for Dan Wheeler. [Rays Report]
  • Derek Jeter calls Tampa “home.” [Tampa Tribune]
Jul 03

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Some RI Love, A Minor Trade And Howell As Hoffman

BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, John Meloan, JP Howell, Winston Abreu, Zorilla Cork Gaines No Comments »

hangover

click above image for boxscore

The image at right comes via National Geographic (thanks Jordi).

For those that missed the Twitter update, Mrs. Prof planned an anniversary trip for us to Big D to catch some Rays. I am not even lyin’. Totally her idea. The schedule here is a bit up in the air. But we will be sure to keep things updated on the Twitter feed.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Some Rays Index Zorilla t-shirt love from Ted Keith at SI.com. Guess that is one way to keep us from jumping on his back for his low ranking of the Rays. [SI.com]
  • There is a new Rays blog. Stop on by and welcome them to the neighborhood. [Dock of the Rays]
  • The Rays traded Winston Abreu to the Indians for minor league reliever John Meloan. Abreu had been designated for assignment last week and had to be traded or released. [The Heater]
  • Marc Lancaster looks at JP Howell and how he is becoming the de facto closer. Joe Maddon likens Howell to Trevor Hoffman. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Joe Smith writes about the Gabe O’ the Day platoon and how it is finally starting to click. [St. Pete Times]
  • Dick Scanlon of the Lakeland Ledger notes that the Rays are winning in a diffent way as compared to last season. [Lakeland Ledger]
  • Chad Orvella has signed with the Royals and been assigned to double-A. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Joe Maddon Sucks now says Joe Maddon is managing “like a winner.” Our head just exploded. [Joe Maddon Sucks]
  • BJ Upton and Carl Crawford…the best duo in baseball? [Fox Sports]
  • Joe Smith also looks at the havoc created by having BJ Upton and Carl Crawford at the top of the order. [St. Pete Times]
  • Some wishful headlines for the Rays. [Trop It Like It's Hot]
Jun 26

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Duke’s Future, Bartlett’s Streak And BJ Picked Off, Again

Andy Sonnanstine, Ben Zobrist, Scott Kazmir, Willy Aybar, Zorilla Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

Phillies 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 Duke’s Comeback. After his horrible first inning, we saw the Andy Sonnanstine we know and love when he retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced. But was it enough?…Quick Bounce Back. When a pitcher gives up 4 runs in the first inning, it is so important to get at least a couple back right away and the Rays 3 runs in the first inning may have saved the game…Big Bats. Three innings with crooked numbers. 5 batters with at least 2 hits and every starter with a hit except BJ Upton, who walked twice…Big Slide. Amazing slide at second base by Gabe Kapler to pull the rope-a-dope and avoid the tag.

THE BAD: Duke’s Days As A Starter. Strong the rest of the way? Yes. But can the Rays look past the 1st inning in which Andy Sonnanstine gave up 4 runs on 5 hits? Probably not. Would it have made a difference if Sonny was great the first 4 innings and then got pounded in the 5th?…Jason Bartlett. JB is a great shortstop, but he was thinking what exactly, when he flipped the ball into right field?…BJ Being BJ. It gets old having to mention every time BJ Upton is thrown out on the bases or is picked off. How about we just start including it in the good when he doesn’t.

THE TELLING: Congrats to Jason Bartlett for his 19-game hitting streak and breaking the Rays record. But it is just 19 games and it has taken more than a month. Get to 30 and we will start to get excited…With Evan Longoria nursing his sore hamstring, Pat Burrell batted 3rd with Jason Bartlett moving up to 6th.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Willy Aybar

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Scott Kazmir will start either Saturday or Sunday. Still no word on whether he will be replacing one of the starters scheduled for one of those days (Jeff Niemann and David Price) or if they will just be moved back a day. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Here is a video clip of Ben Zobrist signing a Zorilla t-shirt a young girl made. During the clip, Zobrist briefly mentions the Zorilla t-shirt found in the Rays Index Store (thanks Michael). [Sun Sports/Fox Sports]
  • Anybody want to go back through the schedule and figure out the Rays record in their different uniforms this season? Like the Mets have done here. [Flickr]
  • So Carlos Pena didn’t vomit on a bar owner and get beat up by 10 bouncers. But it is a strange thing for a writer to write. If his point was just to show that trouble can happen when hanging out with athletes, couldn’t he have made the same point without using specific names? [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Jason Bartlett’s hitting streak began on May 15th. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak began on May 15th…On a side note Bartlett once gave a dollar to a homeless guy named DiMaggio and DiMaggio had a dog named Bartlett. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Are you or somebody you know worthy of the title, “Hottest Rays Girl”? Contest has commenced. [Trop It Like It's Hot]
  • The latest installment of “Give Me One Reason…” over at Rays the Stakes, where they discuss sweeping the Marlins, hitting Carl Crawford leadoff and moving Andy Sonnanstine to the bullpen. [Rays the Stakes]
  • Unbelievable. Remember those replica AL Championship rings the Rays gave away earlier this season? Somebody is selling fakes on eBay. Fakes of fakes. [St. Pete Times]
May 22

Behold The Beast…ZORILLA!

Zorilla Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

Ladies and Gentlemen…We give you…ZORILLA! The Eighth Wonder of the World!

The masses have spoken and and now Zorilla makes his debut on the back of an official “Rayshead” t-shirt.

May 12

ZORILLA! New T-Shirt In The Rays Index Store

Rays Index Store, Zorilla Cork Gaines 21 Comments »

True Story: We once spent a summer doing nothing but watching Gorillas. Wonderful creatures that often get a bad wrap.

That being said, they do still seem a bit peaved about the movie “Gorillas in the Mist.” It seems as though the royalty checks are still in the mail. And don’t even bring up “King Kong” unless you want a pile of poo to the face.

On the other hand, when a slow, no-glove, no-power do-gooder reinvents himself as a power-hitting super-duper utility guy, the Gorillas are more than happy for the association and the positive press.

In that honor, we have introduced a new shirt to the Rays Index Store. Just click on the above image to be taken directly to the product.