THE GOOD: After all that has happened in the past 3 days the Rays still lead the Red Sox by 4 games in the loss column with the hapless O's coming to town next and the Red Sox still have 2 more games in Yankee Stadium and then have to face the White Sox...And thanks to 4 straight losses by the Twins, the Rays magic number to clinch at least a wild card spot is now 26 with a 7-game lead over Minnesota in the loss column.

THE BAD: For a few fleeting moments on Sunday it looked like the Rays had a very good chance to stretch their lead on Boston to 6.5 games. A dropped-throw from the outfield, a horrific call by an umpire, Roy Halladay, an extra-inning win by Boston and a blowout of the Yankees later, the Rays lead is down to 3.5.

THE TELLING: We are suddenly reminded why football is so much more painful than baseball. If the Bucs have a bad loss: a) that game represents 1/16th of their season and; b) we have to wait an entire week with that loss and all the missed plays swirling in our head. A bad Bucs loss messes us up for an entire week. A bad Rays loss and there is hope for redemption the next day.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Dioner Navarro took himself out of last night's game in the 6th inning with cramps in both hamstrings. He is calling it a "day-to-day thing"...If he is shelved for more than a day or two, the Rays will need to call up a catcher. The first choice would have to be Mike DiFelice, but somebody would need to be removed from the 40-man roster. John Jaso is already on the 40-man and is hitting well at Durham, but the consensus seems to be that he is not ready to catch at the major league level. [The Heater]
  
• Evan Longoria had x-rays on his broken wrist and everything looked good. Longoria is still aiming for a Sept. 1 return from the DL...The plan is for Longoria to start taking batting practice later this week. [MLB]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports Troy Percival threw about 30 pitches from a mound yesterday and expects to be activated on Saturday. [MLB]
  
• Instant Replay will be in place for Friday's home game against the Orioles. Replay will only be used to determine whether home runs cleared a fence or whether it was fair or foul. [The Heater]
  
• Buster Olney says Carlos Pena got his best hitting advice from Manny Ramirez and Steve Henderson reminded Pena when Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford were injured to just "see the ball" and not try to over think things as a hitter. [ESPN]
• Marc Topkin has his list of "5 things to watch in Rays' stretch run." One great point he brings up is facing the Yankees. Our instincts tell us to fear the Yankees, but if they continue to fall off the pace, will their veteran players be motivated to play hard? [St. Pete Times]
  

Durham 5, Louisville 0. Jeff Niemann tossed his first career shutout, a 4-hitter. He struck out 6 and walked none, needing only 106 pitches. He retired the final 12 batters he faced. It was a great performance for a pitcher that had failed to work past 6 innings in his previous 5 starts, giving up 15 runs in his last 4 starts...Fernando Perez drove in a pair and stole his 41st base...John Jaso continues his dominating performance since being promoted to triple-A. Last night he hit a 2-run home run, his 4th, and walked 3 times in 4 plate appearances. He is now hitting .318/.383/.541 in 24 games for the Bulls.

Montgomery 6, Tennessee 4. Jeremy Hellickson struck out 5, but lasted only 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits and a walk. He is now 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 11 double-A starts...Gaby Martinez was 2-3 with a double and a walk...Patrick Cottrell homered and drove in 3.

Daytona @ Vero Beach (ppd. wet field)

Charleston 10, Columbus 8. Jason Ragan gave up 7 runs in 3.2 innings...Mike McCormick hit a 2-run home run, his 10th.

Hudson Valley (off-day)

Elizabethton 4, Princeton 3. Tim Beckham was 1-4 with 2 strikeouts. He also committed 2 errors on groundballs in the second inning.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• No links today.
  

PCL 6, IL 5 (AAA All-Star game). Chris Richard started for the IL at first base and went 0-2 with a strike out...Dale Thayer pitched the 5th inning, allowing no runs on 1 hit and Jeremy Cummings got the call in the 7th inning, also holding the PCL scoreless while striking out 2.

Durham (all-star break)

Montgomery 7, Birmingham 5. Jino Gonzalez got the start in the first game after the SL All-Star break. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, including 2 home runs...Rashad Eldridge was 2-5 with a double, 2 RBI and 3 Ks...Rocco Baldelli batted 3rd and DH'd, going 1-3 with a single, a walk and a strike out...JT Hall was 2-3 with his 2nd home run since being promoted to double-A...David Price is expected to start today with Jeremy Hellickson taking the mound tomorrow. In his last outing, Price pitched a shortened 7 inning complete game to improve to 4-0 with Montgomery and 8-0 overall.

Dunedin 1, Vero Beach 0. Heath Rollins didn't give up a run, but did walk 4 in 6 innings. He struck out 3.

West Virginia 14, Columbus 4. Brian Flores started and Glenn Gibson relieved. Together they gave up 10 runs (7 earned) in 5.2 innings...Mike McCormick drove in 1 run with a single in 3 at bats.

Auburn 12, Hudson Valley 7.

Burlington 7, Princeton 0. Tim Beckham played short and went 1-4. He did start a double-play in his only fielding chance.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Eddie Morlan pitched one inning for the World Team in MLB's Future's Game during all-star weekend. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• Wade Davis and John Jaso have been promoted to triple-A Durham, with the Southern League all-star game being their final appearances in double-A. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Wade Davis and John Jaso have to purchase some new clothes for their new team, and the two have very different tastes when it comes to shopping. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• David Price has moved up to #2 as Baseball America has updated their list of baseball's top 10 prospects. [Baseball America via The League]
• Rocco Baldelli began his second rehab stint last night for double-A Montgomery. Andrew Friedman said that he is optimistic that Rocco will play for the Rays at some point this season. [Biscuits' Batter]
• Nathan Rode of Baseball America made a trip to watch Tim Beckham play. Maybe he should go more often as Beckham collected his first extra-base hit as a pro. [Baseball America]
  

Charlotte 7, Durham 3.

Mississippi 7, Montgomery 5.

Palm Beach @ Vero Beach (ppd)

Columbus 10, Hickory 4.

Batavia 5, Hudson Valley 2.

Bluefield 6, Princeton 2.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Three of the Biscuits named to the All-Star team will be starters including John Jaso, Wade Davis and Rashad Eldridge. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

Durham 7, Charlotte 1. Jeff Niemann may have used the motivation of Mitch Talbot's promotion to fuel his best start of the year, a complete game effort in which he allowed 1 run while striking out 12 and walking only 1 batter. Niemann threw 107 pitches, 74 for strikes...Justin Ruggiano was 3-4 with 2 solo home runs, his 6th and 7th...Dan Johnson added his 12th home run...Reid Brignac was 2-4 and struck out twice.

Mississippi 6, Montgomery 4. Jeremy Hellickson's second double-A start went much better than his first, giving up 2 runs in 4 innings. He struck out 3 without walking a batter and gave up 5 hits including a home run...Chris Nowak drove in 2 with 2 doubles in 4 at bats.

Palm Beach 11, Vero Beach 2 (gm 1). Ryan Morse gave up 9 runs (5 earned) in 3 innings. He gave up 7 hits and 4 walks...Wade Townsend came off the DL and pitched 1 perfect inning in relief...The D-Rays made 5 errors in the 7 inning contest and managed only 3 hits including a solo home run from Ryan Royster his 5th.

Vero Beach 4, Palm Beach 3 (gm 2). Chuck Tiffany made his second straight start working 4 innings and allowing 3 unearned runs. He struck out 4 and walked 2.

Hickory 3, Columbus 2. Jason Ragan pitched 5 scoreless innings for Columbus...Chase Fontaine finished 2-5 with his 1st home run, a solo shot...Maiko Loyola was 2-4 with a triple and 2 stolen bases. He now has 33 steals on the season, which is 3rd most in the SALy.

Batavia 12, Hudson Valley 0.

Princeton 9, Bluefield 5.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Durham Bulls had 4 players named to the IL Al-Star team including Reid Brignac, Chris Richard, Jeremy Cummings and Dale Thayer. [Durham Bulls]
  
• 6 members of the Montgomery Biscuits were named to the SL South All-Star squad. The players include Wade Davis, Jakes McGee, James Houser, Gaby Martinez, Rashad Eldridge and John Jaso. Jaso will be making his second straight appearance on the team, something we assume doesn't happen very often. McGee will obviously not be able to participate due to his injury. Also, Gaby Martinez will not make the game due to a personal matter. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

• The Good: The 2nd inning was Scott Kazmir's coming out party. In the 1st inning, Kid K'd fastball was only 88-89, much like it was in his first start off the DL. However, in the 2nd inning, Kazmir struck out Juan Rivera to lead off the inning with only one fastball that broke 88. That seemed to be the at bat that gave him his confidence back, because in the next at bat, threw four fastballs that were clocked at 92. He walked that batter, but from that point forward, Kazmir was consistently 92-93 with his fastball including his 108th, and last, pitch in the 6th which was 93.
  
• The Bad: Mimosas, Coronas and whatever that blue crap was.
  
• The Telling: Stuart Sternberg predicted 50 home win in 2007. We laughed. They won 37. 2008 came and Sternberg predicted 50 home wins again. Again we laughed. The Rays have now won 8 straight at home (a record) and now sit at 12-7 at home this season. Brace yourselves. The Rays are on pace for 51 home wins in 2008. I can't make it up...PS, the Rays are now in second place and 1 game back of wild card lead...PPS, take a look at those standings above and soak it in for a moment. The season is now 20% completed and the Rays are not only not in last place, but they are in 2nd place, ahead of the O's. Ahead of the Jay. And ahead of the Yankees.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• ManRay is baaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkkk. [Armchair GM]
  
• James Shields and Joe Maddon discuss the possibility of Shields throwing a no-hitter. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Marc Topkin says that the Rays have narrowed their top choce down to 5 players...Prof loves the high school shortstop Tim Beckham. Personally, I am starting to lean towards one of the two catchers. I know the Rays do not draft for need, but with Dioner Navarro behind the plate and no obvious catching prospects in the system (John Jaso is not a catcher long-term), I love the idea of drafting a high school catcher. But hey, what do I know. [St. Pete Times]
• Beyond the Boxscore breaks down the two most likely candidates for the #1 pick. Tim Beckham and Florida State catcher Buster Posey. My Gator allegiances aside. Um. What? nevermind. Momentary lack of respect for my alma mata. Screw Posey. [Beyond the Boxscore]
  
• The New York Times takes a look at New York City native and potential #1 overall pick Pedro Alvarez. He says he would love to join David Price, his former Vandy teammate, in the Rays system...Sorry. As long as Scott Boras is his agent, he will not be drafted by the Rays. Even if the Rays thought they could afford his signing bonus demands, the bigger factor is that Boras almost always takes his clients to free agency and never signs away arbitration and free agency seasons. A key to the Rays franchise. [New York Times]
  
• Gary Glover and Al Reyes threw bullpen sessions yesterday. Sounds like Reyes is still a few days away, but Glover could be back today or tomorrow. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon says that Akinori Iwamura is getting better at leading off and says that there are no plans to move him out of the spot. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Her Rays thinks Akinori Iwamura's luck is a' changin with his new haircut. [Her Rays]
• Several Rays will use pink bats today for Mother's Day in honor of breast cancer awareness. [St. Pete Times]
  

Charlotte 5, Durham 2. Mith Talbot gave up 5 runs in 6 innings.

Montgomery 8, Birmingham 3. Wade Davis held Birmingham to 2 hits and no runs in 7 innings. He struck out 4, walked 1. Thanks to two double plays, he faced 1 over the minimum...Ronnie Merril had 4 hits for the 2nd time in 3 nights.

Palm Beach 6, Vero Beach 1.

Columbus 6, Charleston 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Eduardo Morlan and Rhyne Hughes went on the DL for Montgomery. Morlan's injury is significant because now all three of the players received from the Twins for Delmon Young and Brendan Harris have been hampered by injuries in the first month of the season. [Biscuits Batter]
  
• David Price threw a live bullpen session yesterday but there is still no timetable for his 2008 debut. [The Heater]
  
• After a slow start, John Jaso is starting to weild a mean stick. He is in at #10 on Baseball America's "Prospect Hot Sheet". However, they do note that his time as a catcher may have a shlef-life. So far this season, base stealers are 25-26 against Jaso...Jeremy Hellickson is also mentioned as being just outside the Top 13. [Baseball America]
• Tampa Bay's Tomorrow takes a look at Jake McGee. [Tampa Bay's Tomorrow]
• Minor League Ball is running a mock draft and the pick for the Rays is Aaron Crow, a pitcher from Missouri. [Minor League Ball]
  

Durham 7, Columbus 3.

Montgomery 8, Tennessee 5.

Vero Beach 8, St. Lucie 3. Scott Kazmir pitched 3 innings, allowed 1 hit, no walks, 1 unearned run. He struck out 3...In 4 plate appearances, Dioner Navarro walked twice, was hit by a pitch and flied out to center. He threw out the only base stealer and even stole third base himself. He was replaced by a pinch-runner in the 7th.

Columbus 6, Charleston 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• David Price is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today in extended spring training. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Everybody's favorite (except the Prof) Jeremy Hellickson comes in at #2 on Baseball America's latest "Prospect Hot Sheet". And one of the Prof's personal faves, John Jaso also makes the sheet as a "Not Hot".[Baseball America]

The Rays have moved Hellickson slowly through the minors and it certainly hasn't hindered his performance. He's fourth in the league in ERA (1.00) and tied for first with strikeouts (23). He more than doubled his strikeout total this week with a baker's dozen against Jupiter.

• Scott Kazmir's biggest problem last night was getting used to the minor league baseball. [MLB]
• The Montgomery Advertiser takes a closer look at Eduardo Morlan, the other player in the Delmon Young, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett deal, who is being groomed as the Rays closer of the future. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (Opening Day)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Obligatory Public Service Announcement: We will be hosting the 2nd Annual Opening Day Tampa Bay Rays Live Blog TODAY here at RI. So feel free to stop by and join in on the shenanigans as participation is certainly welcome.
• We have once again updated the CorkBoard full organizational depth chart. If you want a sense of the depth of starting pitching in the Rays organization just take a look at the rotations of Montgomery and Vero Beach. They are a who's who of top pitching prospects. [Rays Index]
  
• In a big "oh thank you lord" announcement, the team reported that Scott Kazmir threw 37 pitches off the mound yesterday (all fastballs) and reported no problems. No word yet when he will make an appearance in a rehab start or in extended spring training. [MLB]
• Stacy Long talked to Jeff Niemann about how he handles airline travel with his 6'9" frame. [Riverwalk Talk]
• Joe Maddon continues to emphasize the importance of playing consistent and with strong fundamentals. Marc Topkin says it is time to put those words to the test. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Henderson says that Joe Maddon is the guy for the Rays. We disagree with Henderson's assessment that "[Maddon's lack of public outbursts of anger towards players] seems to bother some fans, who apparently believe such behavior reveals a lack of macho or something."...It is not that the fans want Maddon to be macho. Fans just want to know that the player and front office and the manager cares as much about the team as the fans do. They want to know that when they (they fans) are hurting, the players, coaches and front office are also hurting. Most fans understand that such public outbursts don't have much of an effect on the team, but it helps reassure the fans that it bothers the players and coaches and front office when the team loses 90+ games. [Tampa Tribune]
• Roger Mooney of the Bradenton Herald. King of the one-sentence paragraph. Lost among all of his half-thoughts is the idea that optimism is really high for the Rays. [Bradenton Herald]
• Marc Topkin notes that the opening day nod for James Shields is the culmination of a note-worthy off-season for the starting pitcher. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Herald-Tribune reviews the six weeks of spring training. [Herald-Tribune]
• Brittany Ghiroli takes a look at how the Rays bullpen will gel with both young and old members. [MLB]

"Almost every [bullpen] that I played in, I try to instill one thing: We're going to be guys who are going to take the ball everyday regardless of what's happened the day before," Percival said. "We've got that group here; we've got a lot of resilient guys, guys who've been around a long time."

• Stacy Long notes that catching prospect John Jaso is back in AA Montgomery as the team has told him he needs to improve his defense. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• John Romano points out that 88-wins is not such a stretch. Since 1976, 40 teams have had one season turnarounds of at least 20 wins. Although we would point out that there is a difference between going from 80 wins to 100 and going from 66 to 88. A 20-win swing for an 80-win ballclub represents only a 25% increase on a team that is already good. A 22-win swing for a club with 66 wins represents a 33% increase for a bad team. [St. Pete Times]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (20 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Indians 12, Tampa Bay Rays 10. Jason Hammel did not help himself in an effort to make the Rays roster giving up 9 runs in 3+ innings. At one point after giving up 2 runs in the first inning Hammel retired seven straight before unraveling in the fourth giving up six hits and a walk in the inning. Wade Davis and Jake McGee both pitched a scoreless inning in their final spring appearances. BJ Upton had a sac fly and a 2-run home run. Reid Brignac saw action at short, going 0-2 with a walk. Evan Longoria started at third and went 2-5 with an RBI. Shawn Riggans was the starting catcher and Eric Hinske started in right seeking to be the Rays 4th outfielder.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• If you haven't had a chance to vote in this week's "Rays Confidence Survey", you can do so right HERE. [Rays Index]
• Ben Zobrist had his hot spring come to a screeching halt yesterday. Zobrist broke the tip of his thumb sliding into second base. He will miss four weeks. His absence opens the door for Andy Cannizaro to make the squad as Joe Maddon will need a backup shortstop. Then again, Joel Guzman could fill the backup role for a week or two. Look to see who gets more reps at short in the next couple of days. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Andrew Friedman spoke yesterday about Rocco Baldelli reiterating that Rocco needs to get on the field soon with only 18 days left in Spring Training. Marc Topkin speculates on possible replacements if Rocco can't go. including James Lofton, Barry Bonds and several in-house candidates. [St. Pete Times]

"I think the only way all of us, including Rocco, can get a good feel for that is if we can get him on the field and see how he does and how he feels and kind of get him back into a fairly regular routine of playing," Friedman said.

• Scott Kazmir is hoping to make his spring debut on Sunday. When asked about starting on opening day, he was less forceful than he was in the past acknowledging the need to not rush things. [Rays Report]
• The Rays made their first round of cuts yesterday. No surprise names, although the list includes some of the Rays biggest prospects including Jake McGee, Wade Davis, John Jaso and Fernando Perez. A couple of weeks ago, we wondered if Perez might see time in right field during the season for the Rays. An exit this early from camp suggests that this is not likely. [The Heater]
  
• Joe Maddon maintains his original stance on the Elliot Johnson collision from this past Saturday, that it was a fair, hard-nosed play. He refuses to make any further comments stating that he believes the entire situation was overblown. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Both Lou Piniella and Mike Scioscia (a former catcher) backed the Rays and elliot Johnson saying that it was just a good clean hard play. Piniella questioned how somebody can ask a young player not to play hard. Scioscia noted that injuries are more likely if you ask players to curb the intensity. [The Heater]
  
• Shelly Duncan chimed in on the collision and warned that "They showed what is acceptable to them and how they're going to play the game, so we're going to go out there to match their intensity - or even exceed it." When Duncan says "we", we assume he is referring to the Yankees that will actually be playing. Mr. Duncan, please meet Kevin Maas and Shane Spencer. Your 15 minutes is about up. [Fanhouse]
  
• Former Rays' prospect Jason Pridie was interviewed on MLB on XM Radio and among the topics he covered was his former teammate Evan Longoria. [MLB on XM]

I haven’t seen too many people who can just make solid contact and are just pure hitters like him. And a lot of people focus on his bat but I think people are going to be surprised when they see him out on the field because I’ve seen him make some plays that you just couldn’t believe, you know, those top ‘Web Gem’ plays.

• The Herald-Tribune gives a play-by-play of the goings-on in the locker room. [Herald-Tribune]
  
• Bleacher Report tells their readers why teams should fear the Rays in 2008, in one of the better and more complete Rays previews we have read. [Bleacher Report]

Tampa Bay Rays (24 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 6, Philies 4. Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena went deep. James Shields started, going three innings. He allowed 6 hits and 2 runs, both on a home run. Willy Aybar came on late and played first base making only one putout. Ben Zobrist played center field for the first time, but did not make a play. He is scheduled to start in center today. Evan Longoria started at third, going 0-2 and Shawn Riggans started behind the plate going 0-2.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Rays pitchers have missed out on 8 innings of work after yesterday's second consecutive rain shortened game. As a result, the Rays and Phillies will play what amounts to an intersquad scrimmage for 3-4 innings after today's regularly scheduled game. Some pitchers that were originally scheduled to pitch today and tomorrow may get bumped for those that missed their turns the past two days. This includes Wade Davis and Jake McGee as well as David Price and Brian Anderson who were scheduled to make their spring debuts tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Scott Kazmir may be ready to go on opening day after all. After watching Kid K throw yesterday, Joe Maddon thinks Kaz can pitch in a spring game by the end of next week and that would have him back on schedule to be ready for opening day. If Kaz does make the opening day start we expect he will be limited to 80-90 pitches. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Joe Maddon is starting to see his lineup take shape as he longs for the day when he can use the same lineup every game. The top four spots in the lineup appear to be set, as are the last two. The 5-7 spots are still up in the air and will be filled by the right fielder, third base and DH. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• Troy Percival worked a perfect fourth inning yesterday in his first live spring action. He is only expected to make 7-8 more appearances. Percy explains why he does not need very much work in the spring. [Bradenton Herald]

"When I was younger, it was more mandated to me, and I wanted to throw more, but then I found, 'You know what? I'm ready,' " he said. "It takes me usually three innings before my mechanics start coming around, and then I started giving a little more effort. Then it takes me two more innings before my mechanics get dialed in at 100 percent. Then I like one or two more innings, and I'm ready to go."

• Brittany Ghiroli takes a closer look at Reid Brignac and John Jaso. Brignac modified his throwing mechanics prior to the 2007 season which led to only three errors in his final 43 games at AA Montgomery. Jaso feels his bat is progressing fine, he just feels he needs to improve and develop more as a catcher. [MLB]
  
• The relief pitchers will have a new spot to hang out in during games this year at the Trop. The Rays consulted several of their relief pitchers on the changes. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• The Bradenton Herald profiles Shawn Riggans. We love that Diesel was once fired for drag racing cars that he was valet parking. [Bradenton Herald]
• Chris Mason was excused from camp for a family emergency. He is expected back today. [Rays Report]
  
• Bleacher Report previews the AL East and predicts the Red Sox will run away with the division. Of course, that is like predicting the sun will come up tomorrow. [Bleacher Report]
• Joe Posnanski previews the AL East...in Haiku. [Joe Posnanski]
• Rays Anatomy follows suit with their own Haikus for each member of the Rays. [Rays Anatomy]
  
• Opponents of the Rays new stadium claim that to recent articles have tainted the bidding process for the redevelopment of Tropicana Field by suggesting that the Hines Group has already secured the bid...You mean journalists sometimes jump to conclusions that are not based on fact? We are shocked. [Tampa Tribune]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (38 days until Opening Day)
These links are starting to get out of hand. Is it just us or does it seem like the amount of Rays coverage has gone through the roof this Spring? We may have to make an executive decision to break up "The Hangover" into two posts. One in the morning and then one in the afternoon. We'll see....

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• David Price faced major league batters for the first time yesterday during batting practice. [St. Pete Times]

Price's command wasn't perfect, but his form - and his fastball, slider and changeup - was good enough to earn plaudits from Rays brass, which suddenly flocked from all corners of the Naimoli complex to gather on Field 2 as the tall left-hander took the mound and claimed he didn't notice the crowd.

"Perfectly fine," pitching coach Jim Hickey said. "Very impressive."

"He throws like (Francisco) Liriano up there," Bartlett said. "Obviously he doesn't have the changeup Liriano has just yet and the kid's young, but they've probably got Liriano in the future. The guy has to work hard and he'll be up there for a long time."

• Troy Percival has taken well to his new role of team leader, spending time everyday talking baseball with all his teamates. [Herald-Tribune]

With coffee cup in hand, Percival goes from table to table. It doesn't matter if it's a group of veterans or a bunch of non-roster players who have little to no chance of making the major-league team, Percival stops to chat.

"We talked about the cutter," said left-handed pitcher James Houser, a Sarasota High graduate. "The other day it was about the curveball. With me, it's been all about baseball."

"That's the guy you ask," Rays ace Scott Kazmir said. "Any question. I can't think of anything you wouldn't want to ask him."

• Willy Aybar, Joel Guzman and Juan Salas all remain in the Dominican Republic unable to obtain visas to come to Spring Training. The Rays have asked for assistance from Major League Baseball but are unsure when the situation may be resolved. [Tampa Tribune]
• Many of the Rays players and coaches are getting to know Matt Garza the pitcher for the first time. And Garza appears to be maturing as a pitcher, finally realizing that he does not need to strike out every batter. Something we can only hope that Scott Kazmir learns sooner, rather than later. [Bradenton Herald]

"I was a strikeout pitcher. I was always trying to strike out the side, which wasn't necessary because we had a good defense," Garza said. "But if I pitched to contact, I could pitch six or seven innings. I did that until I got up there, and I changed a little bit. I changed back to a strikeout pitcher."

• Last year BJ Upton spent much of Spring Training having to learn several new positions. This year, Upton is able to concentrate on one position and his hitting. [Tampa Tribune]

"It's definitely night and day from last spring," Upton said. "Back then, I wondered where I was going, but I fought through it."

• Carlos Pena is confident he can become an even more complete hitter, even if he does not hit as many home runs in 2008. [Fox Sports]
• John Romano notes that Jeff Niemann may just be following the same trend of all pitchers of his height (6'9") or taller. That is, late maturation. [St. Pete Times]

Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson did not make it to the big leagues until he was 25. The same is true for San Diego All-Star Chris Young. Niemann? He turns 25 in six days.

Admittedly, the sampling is small. Only eight pitchers as tall as the 6-9 Niemann have ever reached the majors. But among those eight, only one had more than a handful of appearances before age 25. And that one is Andrew Sisco, who turned 25 last month and has a 3-9 career record with a 5.18 ERA.

• Mitch Talbot feels that his emotions may be holding him back. Rays bullpen catcher Bobby Ramos a former major leaguer, has taken John Jaso under his wing. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• How young are the Rays? 18 of the Rays 40-man roster spent time in Durham in 2007. [Our Sports Central]
  
• The St. Pete City Council opened the floor to hear opinions from both sides on the debate for a new stadium for the Rays. Our favorite quote is from Caesar Civitella who waited over 5 hours to be heard. "When the Rays decided to move (their spring training) to Port Charlotte, they turned their back on the city of St. Petersburg,"... Huh, wha?!?! He waited over 5 hours to say that? Apparently 78 home games is not enough. Wow. At least nobody was killed. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• DRays Bay interviews Stuart Sternberg. [DRays Bay]
  
• The Tampa Bay Rays have increased the number of promotional giveaways and special theme nights for third consecutive year. In 2008, over half of the home dates (42) will feature some sort of promotion. [American Patriots]
• In 2007, the Rays lost 568 player-days and $1.9 million in salary to player injuries. Will Carroll also predicts some of the Rays' quotes from the upcoming FanFest. [Baseball Prospectus]
  
• This is a little stale as the ads have been running for a while now, but the the Tampa Bay Rays unveiled their marketing slogan for 2008. "We are one team" [St. Pete Times]
  
• This headline made us do a double-take. Link may be NSFW for some, I don't know. [Queer in the Cincy]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (2 days until pitchers and catchers report)
The Tampa Tribune lists "Five Rays To Watch" in Spring Training. The list includes several obvious names, including Akinori Iwamura, Rocco Baldelli, Edwin Jackson, Dioner Navarro and Trever Miller.

We are not sure Trever Miller needs to be on this list. His role is set and he will be fine. However we would add three more players to the list of players to watch: Jeff Niemann, John Jaso and David Price.

Niemann's bandwagon is starting to gain some steam. He is 25 and it may be now or never for the big right hander. Now comes word that he is in much better shape this Spring. If the front office was being honest, it is our belief that they would prefer Niemann to step-up and take the last spot in the rotation from Edwin Jackson.

Jaso, on the other hand, has zero chance of making the roster, but 2008 could be a referendum on Navarro's future with the Rays. He needs to at least maintain the pace, offensively, that he set in the second half of 2007 and he needs to make great strides defensively. Jaso will spend all of 2008 in AAA, but you can be sure the team is going to be watching him closely to see if Navarro's potential replacement is in-house.This year's Spring Training could go a long ways to convincing the coaching staff and front office that Jaso deserves at least a platoon position in 2009.

Price made news when he stated that he wants to be in the majors by the beginning of July. Even prior to this statement many outlets speculated that Price could be ready for the majors by the second half of 2008. This seams awfully quick for an organization as patient as the Rays. It seems more likely that Price will spend 2007 at AA, with a possible late-season promotion to AAA. He would then begin the 2009 season at AAA with a June call-up being the most likely scenario. The only way we can see Price in the majors this season is if he is posting Tim Lincecum-type numbers (62.2 ip, 26h, 23bb, 104k, 1.01era) in the minors.

The Rays front office has been typically mum on the subject but they may tip their hand in Spring Training. If the Rays believe there is even a possibility of promoting Price to the bigs in 2008, he will see action in Spring Training games. If they plan on keeping him in the minors the entire season, he will be given a cursory 2 weeks with the parent club and then shipped over to minor league camp for the remainder of Spring Training without ever appearing in a Spring game. This was how Evan Longoria was handled last year.

Five Players To Watch [Tampa Tribune]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• If you haven't had a chance to vote in our "Rays Confidence Graph" survey. Please do so now. We will update the results tomorrow. [Rays Index]
  
• Marc Lancaster asks five questions that the Rays will need to answer in Spring Training. [Tampa Tribune]
• During our "12 Days of Raysmas", we wished for a no-hitter from Scott Kazmir. Well, The Bill James Handbook lists Kid K as the most likely pitcher in baseball today to throw a no-no, with a 24% chance. And you guys thought we were being too optimistic in the Raysmas posts. Tisk, tisk. [Joe Posnanski]
• Rays Anatomy debates Matt Garza vs. Jon Lester. This is a rare case where we actually know more about the other team's player than we do about our own. [Rays Anatomy]
  
• Project Prospect lists Reid Brignac as the top shortstop prospect. [Project Prospect]

The year 2006, however, was much kinder to Brignac, as the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder tabbed a stellar .321/.376/.539 line between High-A and Double-A. While the 2006 campaign may have put him on the map, you shouldn’t be navigating away from Brignac because of his 2007 showing. The St. Amant, La. native’s line drive rate from ’06 stayed true to form in '07, while his BABIP tanked from .395 to .288. Though he was in the hitter-friendly California League in '06, there's still reason to believe that Brignac was a bit unlucky last season. He still holds the skills and power potential to become an above-average shortstop at the Major League level

• Kevin Gengler is up to #14 Glenn Gibson and #13 John Jaso in his prospect countdown. [DRays Bay]
• Baseball Analysts list the top 24 year olds in baseball. Scott Kazmir is ranked #5. [Baseball Analysts]
• As we get closer to the baseball season, the new Rays blogs are starting to roll out fast and furious. The latest is Outs Per Swing, which is a play on what OPS stand for. This brings up a question that DRG and I were debating recently and he may write-up at some point from a more mathematical point-of-view. 383 times in the history of baseball, a player has posted an OPS greater than 1.000. In essence that means a player is earning more than 1 base per plate appearance. So, if a player has an OPS greater than 1.000 shouldn't the opposition intentionally walk him every time up? That would be an OPS of exactly 1.000. [Outs Per Swing]
• A 2008 Tampa Bay Rays preview. Looks like we the Rays are going to be the chic pick to do well in 2008. [Jim & Bob's Palatial Baseball Blog]