Joe was drinking a touch of Andy Sonnanstine Kool-Aid (if there is such a thing) after former big-reliever and self-proclaimed Rays fan Tom Niedenfuer was on local sports radio last week saying fans should expect more from Sonnanstine in his second start. Niedenfuer babbled about how the least scary American League pitcher had his arm strength [...]
The whole point of this column is to offer a little instant reaction to the Rays game. But frankly, all Joe can do at this point is stand and applaud. What the hell else is there when your team’s on a 22-8 run and the starting pitching is a step [...]
So much for the Indians being dominant at home. Now they’re just another team on their own turf that couldn’t handle the alone-in-first-place Rays. The ridiculous run by the good guys now moves to 21-7, after today’s rubber game saw the Rays deliver another hit parade and land on the right [...]
The Rays smacked the cover off the ball, banged out clutch hits and continued the thorough humiliation of Baltimore on Saturday, but Joe’s just so fired up about what complete baseball the team is playing. Reid Brignac and Sam Fuld are Double-A hitters at this point, but still are dialed in on [...]
There may not have been a more lopsided betting line than David Price at home against youngster Kyle Drabek in on a lazy getaway afternoon today. Yes, Joe cashed in. And so did the Rays, moving just one game back of the evil empire. David Price mowing down 10 and looking [...]
What the Rays are doing with chocolate pudding lying around the clubhouse is anyone’s guess, but it sure looked great smeared all over Bossman’s face and head a few minutes after hitting the walk-off homer tonight. Man, that felt great! And it always feels satisying to not see Shaun Camp have [...]
Joe realizes this kind of winning can’t last forever, just like the 1-8 start wasn’t going to last. Yet still, both streaks by the Rays felt unstoppable. And that’s really the fun and addiction of every baseball season, except it never happens all in April. Enjoy it. Jeff Niemann seemed to have some of [...]
Hey, with a .239 batting average after today’s clobbering of the Twins, the Rays aren’t even the worst hitting team in the American League anymore. Not even cold weather can keep these bats down. ZORILLA! (Awfully fun to type.) A franchise-record eight RBIs for Zorilla, 19 hits, a good confidence boost [...]
Just miserable stuff for anyone who invested the nearly four hours into tonight’s extra-inning choke job in Toronto. At least the Sam Fuld show kept up the entertainment value. You just knew Sean Rodriguez dropping a perfect pickoff throw at second base in the seventh inning was trouble, combined with [...]
After Jeff Niemann got roughed up and the Rays offense couldn’t find clutch hits, Joe Maddon was predictably and rightfully upbeat tonight. The Rays bested the Twins and White Sox in respective home series’ and, well, you can’t win every game. The good guys sit 2.5 back of the Yankees [...]
