Tampa Bay Rays

I have folded up the Tom Brady jersey and put it away.  I have set aside the Kevin Garnett jersey until i take it out for the Celtics playoff push.  It is time now to don the jersey of your favorite Red Sox players and get ready for another exciting Major League Baseball season.  Spring is finally here.  I have to hand it to Major League Baseball.  I think that this year they got it right.  They didn't ship the World Series winners overseas to play in Japan or China or somewhere and they didn't open the season with Royals vs Tigers or some other match-up without much appeal.  This year the season began on Easter Sunday with a match-up between the defending World Series champion New York Yankees and their arch rival the Boston Red Sox.  This is, hands down, the best rivalry in sports.  The series didn't go the way I wanted it to, but we did get our first win against the Yankees under our belt and the games were well played for the most part.  Hey, when you think about it last year the Sox won the first 8 games against the Yankees only to lose 9 out of the next 10 so maybe losing 2 out of the first 3 ain't bad.

Continue reading "Sox Begin 2010"

This is just not the Celtics' year. Last night's game 7 looked like a game 4 in a 3-0 series. The Celtics came out without their energy, all out of sync. Clearly, they missed KG. Ray Allen, who we needed to step up, finally did, but he was the only one who showed up to play. Meanwhile, Orlando 21-13 from three point land, was just too much to handle and every shot they took led to me biting my nails off and praying for a comeback that never came. This game was a tough one for Boston to handle; we were losing all game and never made the run that they usually can.

Continue reading "The Celtics Lose Game 7 and Boston ..."

“Good evening folks, hope you’ve had a wonderful Mother’s Day.  It’s Sunday evening and we’re playing baseball at Fenway Park.  Get ready folks – this is gonna be a fun one.”

Continue reading "Beckett, the Bullpen, and Bay make us Believe"

Wednesdays loss was a frustrating one.  Yesterday’s wasn’t as bad.

The Sox put up a good fight yesterday.  Yes, they could have taken advantage over some opportunities (Lowrie in the 8th with runners on second and third…ugh).  But it was different from  Wednesday night where they just couldn’t seem to get anything going.

Continue reading "Rays take their sunshine with them ..."

(Note: originally posted on February 25.)

Each year, prior to the start of the MLB season, I use a unique mathematical system (one that I will not get into, because it's boring) to project the performance of every player and team. This season, in lieu of their significant offseason additions, I expected the Yankees to come out on top. Surprisingly, my expectations were wrong...

Continue reading "MLB Preseason Predictions: Regular ..."

Wild card: Kelvim Escobar

and Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and David Price. 

Again, as I explained in the bullpens post, there were no ties in the original mathematical system. But some things have changed since that initial post, and one of those changes is that Ervin Santana is going to begin the season on the disabled list for the Angels. Undoubtedly, that's a concern for them going forward.

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Starting Rotations"

Card in 2008)

Although it took seven games, the Red Sox were another steppingstone for the Tampa Bay Rays during their meteoric rise in ‘08. But the fact Boston even made it to a Game 7 of the American League Championship Series was a true testament of the level of talent Theo & Co. have collected. While Mike Lowell was out, David Ortiz and Josh Beckett were battling injury, and with Jason Varitek unable to hit a fastball if it was the size of a bus in last season’s ALCS, the Sox enter 2009 rejuvenated, with an enviable pitching staff, and a slue of injury plagued players Boston hopes will make a significant impact.

Continue reading "The Sports Don Returns with His 2009 ..."

The sport of Major League Baseball just can't catch a break. The steroids era is very damaging to the game. Not to long ago the fans suffered major disappointment learning of the alleged steroid use of such stars of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Not to long before that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa cases were presented before us. We all thought what a relief that we still have coveted stars whose names weren't implicated in any of that mess. Well fans... we were all wrong. The games savior Alex Rodriguez admittedly used performance enhancing drugs. I was indeed shocked but I almost expected this. How many more players are there out there who no in doubt cheated the game and all of us? I don't exactly know, but I am beginning not to even care. The fact that drugs have played a part in the game that I love the most, has become reality and there is nothing I can do to change it. I believe in Major League Baseball. I am confidant that the Commissioner and his office, the owners and the players association have taken enough heat to try and get the game back on track. No doubt that there will be more stars that will have there past made public, but after enduring A FRAUD's ignorant publicized apology, I believe we the fans can handle all of the rest that will no doubtedly come.

Continue reading "Are You Serious???"

After another scary roller coaster ride on Wall Street last week, we at least have the weekend and sports to bring back some sanity to our life. Unless of course your motto is "Go Blue" and you hail from the great state of Northern Ohio or as most of you know it, Michigan.  Who says there's no such thing as karma?

Continue reading "Another Sunday Morning"

Who is going to win the World Series, the Phillies or the Rays?  The best thing about this series is that I can be fairly neutral as to who wins and just root for some good ole' fashioned baseball.

Continue reading "Game One"

I know, I know, you're as sad and distraught as I am about the elimination of the Red Sox at the hands of the tampa Bay Rays.  Actually, if that is true, then you must be feeling ok, because I'm really not that torn up about it.  If this were five years ago, I'd still be in bed crying myself to sleep and cursing the universe for conspiring against me and playing such a cruel joke on a desperate fan. 

Continue reading "Silver Linings Galore"

Another year, another baseball season in the books. This one didn't end the way we all would have liked, but like the old saying goes, you can't win 'em all. As they all are, this season was defined by some transcendent moments, some goofy moments, and some moments that made you question your sanity.

Continue reading "The 2008 Red Sox - defining moments"

ason was just getting it’s feet under them.  One of the early surprising stories was the Tampa Bay Rays, taking command of the American League East. That would be the American League East with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.  The best two teams money can buy, well at least most of the time.  The year before, the Rays lost 97 games with a team of young, inexperienced players.  Giant fans please pay attention.  Behind the leadership of Joe Madden, the Rays seemed to have reached the Promised Land.  Then Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett were acquired midseason from the Twins.  The Rays held on and won the American League East Title. Next they beat the Chicago White Sox in Round One of the American League Playoffs.  Up next was the mighty Red Sox, who after falling behind 3 games to 1 and on the brink of extinction pulled off an improbably and precedent setting comeback.  Momentum seemed to have switched in favor of Beantown.  On Saturday night, Josh Beckett led the Red Sox to a win to even the series.  It set up a match of young flamethrowers, Garza vs Jon Lester.  Both pitchers threw well, but in the year of the Wonderdogs, is it any surprise that for seven innings, Garza, the former Fresno State Bulldog, would be almost perfect as the Rays took a 3-1 decision and earned a trip to the World Series.

Continue reading "Year of the Underdog"

As a baseball fanatic, how refreshing is it that on an NFL sunday, baseball is center stage as the Boston Red Sox attempt to complete an amazing return from the dead, again.  The team with a history of choking is now on the edge of becoming one of the greatest comeback teams in history.

Continue reading "Sunday Morning"

l have watered and nurtured the seed of doubt they planted in the young, inexperienced minds of the Tampa Bay Rays in game five into a full-grown tree. Game seven, at that point, will be a fore

Continue reading "Game Six is Game Seven"

For the last few day the Red Sox looked like a mirror image of the Dodgers.  Dying and quickly being pushed out of post season play.  A finally, a kid from Woodland, Ca battles his way to a two out RBI single and the Red Sox wake up.  Ortiz temporarly breaks out of his slump at the right moment and breathes life back into Red Sox nation.  JD Drew has found a home in Boston and calmly belted one over the right field fence to get the Sox back to within one run.  Drew looked very comfortable at the plate while working Howell to a 3-1 count.  You knew he was going to hit the ball hard somewhere. And he did and Boston will go back to Tampa.

Continue reading "Wow"

For instance, the 2008 ALCS has AL East rivals 1st place Tampa Bay Rays (<----- can't stand) versus the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox (<3) If you can remember these 2 teams have fought not just for the AL East but literally. When Tampa pitcher James Shieldsthrew a pitch at spunky Coco Crisp a brawl was unleashed. Coco pulled some Floyd Mayweather boxing dodge while throwing a punch of his own to Shields. Both benches charged each other like a scene from 300.&nbsp;

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Or how about the NLCS, between the LA Dodgers and PHI Phillies. Game 3 pitcher Hiroki Kuroda threw a retaliation pitch at Shane Victorino for hitting his catcher Russell Martin (Victorino didn't throw the pitch) The pitch sailed above Victorino's head and all h311 broke lose. Victorino said &quot;IDC IF YOU THROW AT ME, JUST THROW AT MY RIBS NOT MY CHEST!&quot; and blah blah blah. When in all reality the pitch was way the hell over his head. Fast forwarding next pitch Victorino wiffs and next pitch he grounds out to first baseman James Loney. Kuroda comes over to cover the base and I'm guessing words were thrown around (hard to believe since Kuroda speaks broken English) Besides the point the two yell, benches clear, future Hall-of-Famer Manny Ramirez gets heated (which was cute :]) and two coaches go out at it. No punches, no suspensions, just words, just intensity.

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&nbsp;We are lucky to have playoffs where the 4 teams are so evenly matched and bring intensity. You can tell the Boston Red Sox,

Continue reading "What I Love About October Baseball"

exciting playoff game between the defending champion Boston Red Sox and the best story in baseball Tampa Bay Rays and this guy is standing there in some ridiculous outfit talking about chewing

Continue reading "Craig Sager?"

I don't know if it's just me, but the playoffs never seem to officially start until the Sox play a game at Friendly Fenway. I mean, I watched the games in LA - or LA of Anaheim, or Anaheim in LA, or Anaheim in LA of California, United States - and came away psyched that the Sox were up 2-0, but it didn't have that playoff feel. It just felt like a road trip to the west coast. Maybe it was the fact that the glamorous LA fans were eating sushi off of asian-influenced rectangle plates instead of toting a steamed dog in one hand and a $7 Coors Light in the other. I don't know.

Continue reading "Feeling Fenway"

Entrance into the Hall of Fame is the highest individual honour that baseball has to offer. Getting into Cooperstown means that without a doubt you are one of the greatest players of your generation and have earned the right for children to stare at your plaque as parents tell tall-tales of your abilities for years to come.

Continue reading "What makes someone a hall of famer?"

I was walking across campus between classes today when I saw something that I know I have never seen before.  I saw not one, but two people wearing Tampa Bay hats.  After Tampa won the last two games against us, I felt like knocking their hats right off their heads.  But then another thought came to me:  When’s the last time I felt annoyed by a baseball hat that didn’t have an NY on it?  I don’t know if it’s ever happened.  The closest thing I can think of is a friend of mine, whom we all call Colorado (guess where he’s from?)  He was proud to wear his Rockies jersey last October, and we all gave him a hard time when we saw it – that is, before the series was over. 

Continue reading "Signs of Change"

When I posted on Monday about the Blue Jays weekend series, I was afraid I wouldn't have any finger nails left by the time Dice-K and Kazmir left the mound. Turns out it was a fear unrealized - at least 24 hours ago.

Continue reading "What a Difference a Day Makes"

Today it's off to Tropicana Field for the final series against this year's enemy, the Tampa Bay Rays. Dice-K faces Kazmir... and I'm not sure I have enough finger nails to get me through thi

Continue reading "Sox Take the Series from the Jays"

and have productive at bats. 

With Crisp's help, the Sox have pulled within one game of the Tampa Bay Rays as they head to Tropicana Field for the three game show down that no one in baseball could have predicted to be so important at the start of the season.  It is quite possible this series will decide the American League East, as Yankee elimination parties are held up and down the east coast, most likely by Wednesday.

Continue reading "Loco for Coco!!"

Douglas Adams writes sound advice in his novel (and handbook), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Don't Panic."

Was last night's game against the Tampa Bay (don't call me devil) Rays annoying?  Yes!  Was it frustrating?  Yes!  Am I more annoyed and frustrated because I sat at Fenway Park until after midnight to see a 14th inning loss?  You bet I am!

Continue reading "Don't Panic"

or next few Major League seasons, the American League East standings will be similar to this:
Tampa Bay Rays 96-66
Boston Red Sox 94-68
New York Yankees 91-71
Toronto Blue Jays 83-79

Continue reading "The New American League East"

be there.

This is a good place to say I am not backing off previous predictions; I still say the Tampa Bay Rays fold in September and the Red Sox win the East.  But if someone doesn't emerge from the bullpen, it's very possible they might win by default...because no one will be there to take it away from them.

Continue reading "Lester: The New Stopper"

sp; I still stand by my prediction that the Red Sox will win the American League East, and that the Tampa Bay Rays will fall apart in September and not make the playoffs.  The Sox play the Rays six more times before the season is over (three at Fenway and three at the Trop).  I fully expect the Sox to win 5 of those 6 games. 

Continue reading "EVERYONE is to blame!"

ap, teams like the Cincinnati Reds or Baltimore Orioles will not succeed but that does not stop the Tampa Bay Rays from winning (but that’s a whole other story).

Continue reading "The SS Problem"

Even if it ended badly for the Mariners, and for Willie Bloomquist in particular, last night's game against first-place Tampa Bay showed that the Mariners still have some fight in them. Though they blew a four-run lead on errors by Jose Lopez and failed to drive home a run in what should have been an easy game-winning situation, Seattle provided some excitement and refused to give up, even with an utterly depleted bench that had them giving up the DH in order to have enough position players. And we got another glimpse of the Mariners' future, at least on the mound.

Continue reading "Rollicking Ride Against the Rays"

out of three from the Twins and four out of their last five before an exciting heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Rays last night. Though we dropped the game 5-3, Wladimir Balentien uncorked a two-run bomb, showing the Ms that they were wise to bring him up and dump the punchless Jose Vidro.

Continue reading "Washburn is ready to move"

I don't get to watch nearly as many Red Sox games as I used to, and because the boys in green across town extended their season into June, I found myself way behind the eight ball once I started watching.

Continue reading "Thoughts while watching the game..."

Offensively and defensively, the Yankees have been missing the services of Hideki Matsui since June 27, and Jorge Posada on and off for even longer. Matsui is an integral RBI guy to give ARod and Giambi protection in the five or six hole, and is needed more than ever in left with Johnny Damon's shoulder issues. Posada can hit pretty well, but can't throw, so even when he was in the game, other teams ran rampant--Jose Molina and Chad Moeller are decent defensive replacements, but can't match Jorge's bat.

Continue reading "Two Yankees, Toughing it Out"

A few relatively minor items to cover with the moves made by a few teams recently. What might they mean in the second half? I’ll try and puzzle this out.

Tony Clark, who experienced a career resurgence the day he put on an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform back in 2005, hs returned to the cozy confines of Chase Field. Petco, where hitting a homer is as hard as hitting the lottery, wasn’t as kind to the aging Clark as Chase has been, so he’ll certainly improve on his 2008 line of .239/.374/.307. His 32:19 K:BB ratio, as well as hs 165-point difference between BA and OBP, will tell you his batting eye is fine, and some power should follow.

Continue reading "Roster Tinkering: What's it Mean?"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

Well, basketball is over and Major League Baseball is heading into the All Star break, which means that the real baseball season is about to begin.  I know, I am waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy overdue for this year's first rabid Red Sox post, but honestly I've been a little bit preoccupied with the WORLD CHAMPION BOSTON CELTICS and basketball in general (it has overtaken baseball as my favorite sport, though the Red Sox are and always will be my first love) to really dive into the first three meaningless months of the grueling and arduous MLB season.

Continue reading "Just Hit"

It’s the All-Star Break once again, that mythical halfway point in the season (I say “mythical” because most teams have played 95-96 games, more than the 81 that’s the true midway mark). Traditionally, it’s time for the teams to take a breath, collect themselves and iron out any kinks in their batting stroke or the pitching rotation—several starters made relief appearances or threw out of turn in the past game or two, knowing that three or four days of rest was coming for all of them.

Continue reading "Gimme A Break!"

So can we please talk about Jason Giambi's mustache for a second? First the guy admits to wearing a gold thong when he needs to break out of a slump (it's hard to imagine that's all he's "breaking out of" in that kind of attire). And now he goes ahead and grows a full-out, mid-80s, Magnum PI mustache. Add these two nuggets to the fact that he's one of the 3 sweatiest humans on the planet, and that he's a New York Yankee, and you have the grossest person in America. Ever. Period.

Continue reading "Now playing first base for the New ..."

When Terry Francona calls the bullpen these days, he may hear this recording: “Thank you for calling the Red Sox Bullpen.  If you want a pitcher to walk the next batter, press 1.  If you want a pitcher to give up two hits in a row, press 2.  If you want a pitcher to face the next four batters without recording an out, press 3.  If you want a pitcher who can pitch the 8thinning without giving up a run, please hang up and call the General Manager’s office and put in your request.  For guaranteed outs, please call 1-800-Papelbon.” 

Continue reading "Sox bullpen may need support"

So apparently leaving Houston wasn't the cure for what's ailing the Red Sox. All that's happened since they headed to Tampa is back-to-back silent offensive showings (at least through eight innings tonight). In fact, the biggest hit in the series is the one Manny delivered to a club official. Baseball is a funny game. You're going to have stumbles like this during the season, but as a fan they become downright maddening. It's hard to keep perspective that these are just four games out of 162 when JD Drew takes three straight pitches for strikes with a key runner on base in the eighth inning. Swing, JD, swing!

Continue reading "When do we finish Intraleague play?"

All right. Are you ready for this? As the All-Star break approaches, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball. That’s right. At 49-32, they’re a half-game ahead of Boston, the Cubs, and Anaheim. Whoa. Is this one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Continue reading "Hold On To Your Hats"

I've been a Yankees fan since the early nineties, pre-Showalter, pre-Torre, pre-post-seventies-World-Series-victories days, and it seems to me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been. I like Girardi, I like the New Steinbrenner regime that doesn't look to scour out every single prospect for the possibility of Winning Right Now--but I think they are (dare I say?) approaching those dreaded Rebuilding Years.

Continue reading "Rebuilding the Yankees--A Good Thing?"

t get Santana and expect them to be major players for pitching at the trade deadline this season.

Tampa Bay Rays

What can the Rays expect from Evan Lognoria this season?

For now nothing as Longoria is starting the season at Triple A. That won’t last long however, as Longoria had an excellent spring and the only reason he was sent to the minors seems to be to push back his free agent clock another year. The extra time in the minors certainly can’t hurt him and will at least keep him from scuffling through some likely cold weather early April games.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American Leauge East"

The American League East has been a two horse race for as long as I can remember but I think this year it becomes three-team battle.  The Toronto Blue Jays are as talented as most teams in the league and if they can stay healthy they can definitely contend.  The Rays and Orioles will again bring up the rear of this division but the top should be a fun and wild ride all year long, beginning with the Yankees-Blue Jays to open the season next week.

Continue reading "Part VI: AL East"

The New York Yankees try to carry themselves with the belief that they are the classiest team in baseball. Earlier this week manager Joe Girardi took a stance that was not supported by many others in baseball when he harshly criticized a home plate collision in a game earlier this week, calling it dirty and something that you don’t do in Spring Training. If a young player trying to get noticed by his manager his coming into home and the plate is completely blocked, he has every right to barrel over the catcher. If Girardi doesn’t want such a thing to happen, he should tell his catcher not to block the plate in Spring Training. Nonetheless, I can understand Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips throwing at Evan Longoria in retaliation the next time the two teams met, that at least sends a statement to your teammates that you’ve got their backs. However, when Shelley Duncan slid into second base with his spikes high, that is just plain dirty and something that is unacceptable at anytime in the season. The home plate collision was a young kid trying to make a play, done with no malicious intent. Sliding into a base with your spikes in the air can only be seen as trying to injure another player.

Continue reading "Yankees Playing Dirty . . . And Other ..."

Jays shut the door in the late innings.

The name might not be the only thing different about the Tampa Bay Rays this season, they might actually be a good team. They are young and will experience their share of growing pains, but one cannot doubt their talent and potential, headlined by Evan Longoria, Baseball America's number one prospect in the country. BJ Upton seems ready to emerge as the star he is projected to be now that he is settled into centerfield and Carl Crawford returns as one of the most exciting players in the game. Scott Kazmir and James Shields will anchor a young rotation and will be joined by former Twins prospect Matt Garza. Carlos Pena, Cliff Floyd and Troy Percival should provide veteran leadership to help this young team through the grind of the Major Leage season. The Rays won't contend for the division this year, but could finish around .500 and prove to be problematic for the teams at the top of the division. With more talent from the minors on the way, especially top pitching prospects Wade Davis and David Price, Tampa Bay might be able to contend with the big boys in a couple of years.

Continue reading "American League East is a Beast of a Division"

arks the start of the 2008 season where anything is can happen.  It is a season where even the Tampa Bay Rays can contend for fourth place.  It is a season where the impossible turns into the possible.  Just listen to Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs make a bold prediction, “I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do.”  Great, just what a Cubs fans need to hear, another prediction. 

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."

Today's contestant: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays!

What's that? They got a new logo? Oh, my bad.

What? They changed it again? And their name? Sorta?

 

 Aww... it's the Devil Rays. They think they're in our division. How cute.

Continue reading "It's Time for... Better Know An Obscure ..."