Trop It Like It's Hot

And So It Ends....

2009-10-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

With yesterday’s loss to the Yankees, the 2009 baseball season ends for your Tampa Bay Rays. We had an exciting season for the most part, as the Rays were in contention until the middle of September. An 84-78 record is nothing to frown at, especially with this team’s history. There is still a sense of disappointment in not making the playoffs just one year removed from making the World Series. However, think about how far this team and baseball community has come. Attendance was up even though the economy is still struggling. The team had its first league leader in homeruns as Carlos Pena tied for the American League lead. He also became the first player to tie or win a league homerun title while missing over 25 games. Finally, we saw what it’s like to have real expectations. I am proud to be a fan of a team in which winning 84 games in a season can be disappointing. It keeps both the players and fans hungry, and it will leave everybody wanting more next year. I am proud to say I am a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays and I am excited for next season when the Rays will be competitive once again. When do pitchers and catchers report? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why this team is ready for 2010, and the fans should be ready as well.

To Those Of You Who Want Upton And Burrell Traded....

2009-09-24T15:26:00.006-04:00

To those of you who want BJ Upton and/or Pat Burrell traded, stop dreaming. I read it in blog comments every day. I hear it on sports talk radio almost every day.

Of course the two players have been sub-par this year, and the 2009 Rays would have been better without them, but you have to look at contracts, control, and potential. The main reason that the Rays wouldn't be able to move Upton or Burrell is the fact that they also have to have a trade partner willing to take on the contracts and give fair value.

I will get Pat Burrell out of the way because this will be easier. Burrell will be owed $9 million next season. He has struggled mightily and has failed to come close to expectations. What team that you know of would take that contract off the Rays' hands? Anybody? Beuler? Exactly, nobody will take the contract. The Rays can't afford to release Burrell and pay him all that money to suit up for another team. All that can really happen is that Burrell bats 5th or 6th every night and hopefully next year he meets or beats expectations.

Now let's look at BJ Upton. He is arbitration eligible so he will garner some sort of a raise, but not a huge raise because he is coming off a down season. He is under team control for 3 more seasons, so there is no real need to move him for fear of not being able to lock him up long-term.
Upton may not have been valuable at the plate this season, but he sure has been solid in the field. His speed and cannon have saved multiple runs throughout the season.
Now, I don't know if injuries were a real of fabricated excuse for Upton's mediocre season at the plate, but we know what Upton can do when he is on his game. He has so much potential. After this down season, the Rays would not get anywhere close to fair value for Upton's potential. Trading Upton would basically be a player dump and would say the Rays have completely given up on Upton. It is way too early in his career to give up on BJ Upton, and the Rays front office is much smarter than that.

So, for those of you who want to see Upton and Burrell traded, stop wasting your time and wishes. Stop calling into talk shows and stop writing comments on blogs about it. It's not going to happen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

RIP 2009

2009-09-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

After all the magic that took place in 2008, the 2009 baseball season is now officially over. With the 4-3 loss last night to the Mariners, the Rays are eliminated from playoff contention. This was just a formality, as the season was doomed by an inconvenient 11 game losing streak. However, it is still a sad day. This season had high expectations coming off a World Series appearance. So, today, we pour out a bit of our beer and throw a couple of peanuts and Cracker-Jacks on the ground for our dead season. RIP 2009. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why we should all be in mourning today.

Give Me One Reason....

2009-09-21T17:27:00.005-04:00

Why Joe Maddon is going to continue to stress the starting pitchers' arms. He is going to continue to pitch James Shields and Matt Garza on normal rest, while giving Wade Davis one extra day. With the Rays out of the playoff hunt, why not shut these guys down and have them ready for 2010? One of the reasons the Rays have struggled this year is tired arms. Since 2009 is gone, I see no reason why Joe Maddon shouldn't be thinking about 2010. Is he worried that a sub-500 record will look very poorly on his job? If that's the case, he should have thought about that all season while making many questionable decisions. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Riddle Of The Day

2009-09-17T11:06:00.003-04:00

Q: A guy is at home with 2 men in masks. He leaves, makes 3 left turns, then returns home to the 2 men in masks. What just happened?

A: A batter faced the Rays' bullpen with the game on the line in the 8th or 9th inning.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is the answer.

Question Of The Day

2009-09-15T16:59:00.002-04:00

Was anybody else not sure what to do when the Rays won the game last night?

I didn't know if I should celebrate, say "it's about freaking time," or still be pissed off that the Rays lost 11 in a row and blew their shot at the playoffs.

I went with option b. I will still consider finishing over .500 a success. It will be disappointing, but a success, especially compared to seasons of the past. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Embarrassment

2009-09-14T11:03:00.000-04:00

Embarrassment \Em*bar"rass*ment\, n. [F. embarrassement.]

1. A state of being embarrassed; perplexity; impediment to freedom of action; entanglement; hindrance; confusion or discomposure of mind, as from not knowing what to do or to say; disconcertedness. [1913 Webster]

The embarrassment which inexperienced minds have often to express themselves upon paper. --W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

The embarrassments tom commerce growing out of the late regulations. --Bancroft. [1913 Webster]

2. Difficulty or perplexity arising from the want of money to pay debts. [1913 Webster]

3. Going from being a playoff contender to out of contention by losing 11 straight games

(from www.dictionary.net)

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why the last 2 weeks have been a major embarrassment.

Ways To Salvage The Season

2009-09-11T15:16:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks have been rather frustrating. After losing 2/3 to the Sox at the Trop, I resigned to the fact that the Rays will not be making the playoffs. There are some ways that the Rays can entertain us over the last few weeks of the season, and here they are with the odds of them happening.

1) Carl Crawford wins MLB Stolen Base title - CC had a huge lead over Ellsbury earlier in the year, but Ellsbury now has the lead. Ellsbury will be in a lot more situations where he is taking bases to help his team win, but CC also now has nothing to lose by getting caught. Odds: 33%

2) Jeff Niemman ties Rays record for wins by a pitcher - Right now Niemman has 12 wins. Niemman probably has 3-4 starts left in him. He had a win all but locked up this past week if it weren't for the pen. If the pen could learn to hold a lead, I think he at least ties the record, especially if he continues to pitch as well as he has the second half of the season. Odds: 52%

3) Wade Davis gets first MLB win - See: discussion on the bullpen in the Jeff Niemman discussion. Odds: 66.67%

4) The Rays sweep the Red Sox, putting the Rangers as the front runners for the wild card - Well, if the Rays couldn't sweep the Sox when the season was on the line, why would they do it now? Odds: 4%

5) The Red Sox get swine flu and have to call up their AAA team who blows their playoff chances - This is probably more likely than number 4. Odds: 4.1%

6) Andy Sonnanstine pitches more than 2 innings of scoreless ball - HAH. Odds: 0.5%

7) Evan Longoria wins the AL RBI title - Longo trails only Mark Texeria, who may be very tough to catch, although he will be getting a few days off coming up once the Yankees clinch the AL East. Odds: 40%

8) Joe Maddon goes through an 8th and 9th inning without going to the bullpen more than once - During September callups with a deeper pen? Maddon is more likely to bat Sonnanstine 3rd in a game....again. Odds: 2%

9) BJ Upton gets to 10 homeruns - BJ has said he wants to play the rest of the season and prove he belongs. My advice: actions speak louder than words BJ, time to step up. Odds: 7%

10) Pat Burrell hits more homeruns than Jason Bartlett - I have this because Pat Burrell was supposed to be a power hitter while Bartlett a contact hitter. Currently, Pat is down by 1 to Bartlett. There is no reason that Burrell can't wind up ahead of Bartlett if he is playing up to his ability, which he is yet to do all season. Odds: 35% Odds of Pat Burrell hitting a homerun off a lefty, which is what he was brought to this team to do and is yet to do: 20%

11) The bullpen holds onto a lead - The pen has been just terrible lately. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. To me, that means the bullpen has to hold onto at least 1 lead at some point this season, and thus the odds should be 100%. Then again, what pitcher in the pen do you have confidence in? Nothing? Nobody? That's what I thought. Odds: 75%

12) 25,000 people show up to a game at the Trop - I sure hope this happens, even though the Rays aren't in the playoff hunt. Odds: a sad 40%

13) The Rays catch the Red Sox and make the playoffs - This is the Red Sox the Rays are chasing, not the Mets. Odds: 0%

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where these odds come from.

Will they stay or will they go?

2009-09-10T13:08:00.000-04:00

After 8 losses in a row, 6 by way of our bullpen straight up sucking it, it's time to look ahead to next year. Everyone has their opinion on what the rays should do with their limited payroll and here is mine. I will go through each key player individually and give my 2 cents on their future with the Tampa Bay frnachise.

Carl Crawford - The big name that nobody wants to see leave. Crawford has a $10m team option that the rays are sure to pick up. The question is whether or not they will keep him or trade him. We all know that they want to keep Crawford, he has been the face of this franchise since his arrival, but it's comes down to payroll. They Rays are trying to make room for his salary, and trading Kazmir went a long way in helping to accomplish that. However, Kazmir alone is not going to be enough. The Rays need to trade or re-negotiate more salaries if they hope to keep Crawford. But even if they can keep him for next year, is it worth it? There is really no chance he re-signs once he reaches free agency, as big market teams are sure to throw and entire Rays team payroll worth of money at him. So do you trade him now for top prospects, or keep him in hopes of another playoff run then let him walk and get the 2 draft picks?

Verdict: I don't think the Rays would have moved Kazmir if they weren't going to be able to keep Crawford. My guess is he stays, and if we are out of the race by july next year, then he is shipped out.

Carlos Pena - Not many people talk about what may happen to Pena in the offseason, but his salary is biggest on the entire team. Pena is owed $10.12m in the final year of his contract. You can't argue about how valuable pena is with his glove and his bat, but he is another guy who is very likely to leave after his deal is up. So, as it goes with CC, do you keep him or trade him? I can't say with certainty how much the Rays are willing to put in to their payroll next year, but I can say that if it came down to having either Crawford or Pena, I would like to see CC stay.

Verdict: I think the rays may try and move him in the offseason, but likely won't get the return they are looking for. He stays....for now.

Pat Burrell - Owed $9m in the final year of his 2 year deal, Pat has been a waste of money so far. Hopefully he can rebound from one of the worst years in his career. I'm sure the Rays would love to shed his salary in a trade, but is their a team that stupid to deal for him?

Verdict: No, there isn't. We are stuck with The Bat for the rest of his deal.

Akinori Iwamura - Has a $4.25m team option for 2010. At this point, he is not worth 5 million when we have Zobrist who can field the position, or at the very least Willie Aybar. I know the Rays would love to keep him and have Zobrist in RF, but not for the price. Also If Desmond Jennings is ready to play at the big league level out of Spring training, then there is a cluster in the outfield and 2b might be the only place for Zobrist to start regularly.

Verdict: Attempt to sign him for a lesser contract, but he goes elsewhere. Sayonara Aki.

Greg Zaun - $2m option. This seems like an easy call but may be determined with what the Rays decide to do with Navarro in Arbitraion. Zaun proved to be a great addition late in the year and his leadership in the clubhouse is just as important.

Verdict: Option picked up

Dioner Navarro - Guaranteed to make at least 80% of his current $2.1m salary and probably more. He wasn't even half the player he was last year, so is it worth it to keep him around? Obviously Zaun is not going to be around much longer, and Riggans is certainly not the answer. The Rays could let him go and try and go after a cather in the very limited free agent pool, but a young catcher isn't easy to come by. The best move would be to deal him so you at least get something in return.

Verdict: 50/50. At this point he isn't worth the money so it depends on what the rays can get for him.

BJ Upton - Upton still hasn't developed in to the player the Rays think he can become, and his time may be running short in Tampa. With Desmond Jennings ready to be a big leaguer by next year, the outfield is going to get crowded with BJ, CC (if he stays), Joyce, Jennings, and Possibly Zobrist. BJ has shown flashes on greatness (June) and then not shown up at all (all other months of the season). He is due for arbitration and will get a significant increase from his 09 salary, think in the range of $3-4m. You obviously sign a guy like BJ instead of letting him go for nothing, but how much longer does he have in Tampa if he doesn't perform?

Verdict: I think the Rays give him one last year to become the player he is expected to be. If he has a repeat of the season he just has, we most likely will be saying goodbye to Mr. Upton.

Jason Bartlett - In my opinion, Bartlett has been the MVP of the Rays this year, and it isn't even close. He has been the most consitent by far and his power number compared to last year our astonishing. He is due for a significant raise as well, likely in the $4-5m range I would guess. He deserves every penny if not more. Pay him what he wants, because neither Bignac or Beckham are ready for the big leagues.

Verdict: Pay the man.

Starting Rotation - James Shields, Jeff Neimann, David Price, and Wade Davis are all under contract for next year. All are quite inexpensive too. Matt Garza is the only starter heading to arbitration. We have all seen what garza can do when he is on, and we have also seen what he can do when he loses his head. Expect soemthing in the area of $3m for Garza next season.

Verdict: The most likely opening rotation for next year will look like this: Shields, Garza, Neimann, Price, and Davis. Things will get interesting pretty fast once Hellickson is ready, thoguh.

Bullpen - Expect to see the greatest amount of change in the bullpen for next year. The bullpen started slow, but showed flashes of greatness during the middle of the year. But the biggest reason why they fell out of the playoff race is due to the bullpen being terrible right now. Dan Wheeler is under contract for $3.5m next year, but I can't see him staying. Expect Wheeler to get dealt at some point in the offseason. Grant Balfour and JP Howell are both due for arbitration and will likely get something in the range of $2-3m. My opinion, JP stays and Balfour goes. Joe Nelson is also due for arbitration but spent the end of the season in AAA, so i think it is safe to say he won't be back next season. Brian Shouse has a team option for $1.9m which is a waste considering we can keep Randy Choate thruogh Arbitration for much less, so consider Shouse gone. I do think we offer arbitration to Lance Cormier and keep him. He shouldn't get much more than $1m and was a pretty reliable reliever for most of the year.

Verdict: Lots of changes. Expect to see Howell back, but not in the closer role. I think the rays need to trade or go after a free agent closer that is proven. Howell showed he can get the job done for periods of time, but he clearly cannot handle the full work load. Cormier and choate should be back, along with andy sonnenstine in a long releiver role. The rays will need to go after some releiver via free agency or trades, because the last thing we want to see next year is a repeat of September 2009.

Bullpen Poll

2009-09-10T10:55:00.001-04:00

Who would you rather see in the Rays' bullpen?(answers)

One Positive Thing

2009-09-09T16:54:00.005-04:00

If there is one positive spin I can put on this season going down the tubes, it's how well the young pitchers in the starting rotation have done over the last month. In fact, James Shields may be pitching worse than the other 4 starters right now (of course, not including Andy Sonnanstine). Next years' rotation looks very promising. Shields, Garza, Price, Niemman, and Davis should all be solid starters for a few years to come. Since their arms won't have the stress of a postseason, all 5 should be fresh and ready to go come April. 5 pitchers of that quality have the ability to carry a team a long way should they stay healthy and pitch to their potential.

Now the bullpen, that's a whole other story. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

This Quote Makes Me Sick

2009-09-08T11:21:00.002-04:00

Joe Maddon on the bullpen in between games of yesterday's double header:

"I don't want to do anything differently, because it's been so successful," Maddon said. "Just because we've had a little bit of a hard time, that doesn't mean you blow everything up. And quite frankly, we can't. That's who we are. That's how we do business."

Really Joe? You would call the bullpen's performance successful over the last few weeks?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this quote made me just vomit all over my desk.

One Team, Under Porn-Stache

2009-09-03T15:22:00.005-04:00

The porn-stache. Simply incredible.

What is with the porn-stache? I don't really get it. There is no real way to describe it, you just know it when you see it. No one laughs at you if you have a porn-stache. Everyone just says "that's an awesome mustache." Dale Thayer was the first to show up with the porn-stache this year. Later on in the season, we saw BJ Upton with one, and now Fernando Perez. The porn-stache rocks. I'm not sure why random players are showing up with the porn-stache this season, but I think there should be more. The ray-hawk was 2008, the porn-stache needs to take over the clubhouse. It will be a lot more bonding than a "Ring of Fire" or urban cowboy road trip. Come on Rays. Now is your chance to come together as a team, and maybe get on a 2008-esque hot streak. The porn-stache could be the Rays' key to either finding a pulse, or at least really enjoying the last month of the season. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

So Many Questions?

2009-09-02T12:33:00.006-04:00

I wrote yesterday about how the Rays NEED to sweep the Red Sox. A disheartening loss later, I'm not sure where we go from here as fans and as a team. The fans really didn't show up. The fact that only bringing 17,000 people showed in the biggest game of the season is just sad. The players didn't show up like they are playing an elimination game. They struck out way too much, committed 3 errors, and left a major opportunity on the field. In the 8th, the Rays were down by 3 runs, bases loaded, nobody out, and nobody scored. BJ Upton could have made us forget about a dismal season. Jason Bartlett was close, and then, it all crashed down. The Rays finished the inning down 7-4 and wasted a great chance. The players did not execute. And finally, the manager had a pitcher who was demoted earlier this season starting. This starting pitcher walked 4 in a game for the first time in 3 years. He was slightly handcuffed since it was a choice between Andy Sonnanstine and Wade Davis, a pitcher with zero MLB experience, but he still made the choice and has to live with it. I'm frustrated on all fronts. The Rays won all the big games last year, and this year, opportunities are left on the table.

This leaves me with so many questions, and here are a few:
What is different about this team?
Why was last years' team great and this years' team good?
Why are some players struggling so much?
Where are the fans?
Can the September callups make a difference?
Where is this teams' heart?
Why is 09 not greater than 08?

And one last question:
When do pitchers and catchers report?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why I'm asking that last question.

There Should Be 1 Word On The Rays' Minds This Week

2009-09-01T16:29:00.002-04:00

SWEEP

That is all.

SWEEP

2 out of 3 is not enough

SWEEP

Nothing less is acceptable

SWEEP

You have an opportunity to redeem yourselves for games blown in the past

SWEEP

Get right back in playoff contention

SWEEP

Get it done, or the countdown to pitchers and catchers reporting begins.

SWEEP

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why the Rays need a...

SWEEP

Poll

2009-08-31T11:21:00.001-04:00

Who would you most like to see getting a great amount of playing time in September?(polls)

Questions I Would Like To Ask Joe Maddon

2009-08-31T11:13:00.003-04:00

It's very easy to second guess a manager, even if he is reigning AL Manager of the Year. It's also very easy to wonder what is going on in Joe Maddon's brain. If I had a chance to ask him 10 questions, here is what I would ask:

1) Why do you always insist on giving players a day off on the day before or after a scheduled day off?

2) What is the best concert you've been to?

3) Andy Sonnanstine over Wade Davis? Really?

4) Do you always think about protecting your starting pitcher so that he cannot qualify for a loss in a tight game?

5) What percentage of your yearly salary do you spend on wine?

6) How much of your match-ups are based on numbers and how much is based on feel?

7) You have helped in turning around a once dismal franchise, what do you think led to these changes?

8) Why do you think the players struggle on getaway days?

9) What is your barber's response when you keep telling him/her what your new hairstyle is going to be?

10) I understand having faith and trust in your players, but why do you insist on letting struggling players continue to struggle instead of moving them down in the lineup and let them fix their problems in a position that hurts the team less?

These are just my questions, some baseball, some not. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why someone would want to know these answers.

Scotty Noooo!

2009-08-29T17:01:00.002-04:00

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the Rays all time leader in wins, strikeouts, and ERA is gone. I can't say I didn't see this coming, but I can say I didn't see it coming NOW. 3.5 games out of the wild card with 3 days left in August seems like an odd time to trade away your #2 starter and most reliable pitcher over the past months. But it was a move that needed to be made for the future of this franchise, and I am pretty confident that Kazmir wasn't going to carry us to the playoffs on his back.

So lets dissect this deal a little more. First the negatives, and there really aren't that many other then the timing. Trading a team player like Kazmir, someone that I consider an "old school" D-Ray, pretty much out of nowhere is going to take it's toll on the locker room. Players know it is part of the business of baseball, but I don't think anyone saw this one coming and it is going to affect the locker room atmosphere no doubt. Kazmir is only 25, but I think it's pretty safe to say he has reached his prime in Tampa Bay. He was a great player, but never really developed in to the player we thought he would be when we traded for him with the Mets. That doesn't mean he won't be, it just means he won't be here. I think Kaz needed a change of sceanery much like Edwin Jackson, who has done very well in his first year with Detroit.

The pros definately outweigh the cons in this deal. For one, we have $22 million of Kazmir's salary off the books. 22 Million. That is a lot of money, money that we desperately need if we want to re-sign the face of this franchise, Carl Crawford. I was almost sure that either Crawford or Kazmir was going to have to be traded in the offseason because of payroll restrictions, and when it comes to it, Crawford is a much more essential part of this team. The rays are loaded with minor league talent at the pitching position, and can afford to take their chances now on another young arm like Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson.

Joe Maddon seems excited about the prospects we are getting in return for Kazmir, Matthew Sweeney and Alexander Torres. On paper, these guys look good. Torres as done great this year, going 12-4 between high A and AA. Sweeney is a power hitting 3rd baseman who we could maybe transition into a first baseman. But the real prize seems to be the PTBNL, who Maddon said was a key piece in this deal (Brandon Wood?). Getting 3 good prospects for Kazmir is about as much as you can ask for when your payroll is as restricited as it is in Tampa.

It's sad to see Kazmir go, he was an integral part in the turnaround of this franchise. He was very active around the community and liked by everyone in Tampa Bay. However, this is part of the game. 5 years from now this team is going to look completely different other then Longoria and Price. Kazmir came in as the savior of this franchise, did his job, and now its time for him to move on. He has a long career ahead of him still and i think i speak for all rays fans when i say we wish you the best of luck, Kaz.

Please No....

2009-08-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

As I'm hearing and reading the Scott Kazmir rumors, all I can think is "Please No!"

A few months ago, or even this past offseason, I could have understood a trade of Scott Kazmir. In fact, I even had told a friend this past offseason that the Rays should trade Kazmir at that time. He was on the decline at the time and we were not sure if he would be able to rebound. However, Kazmir has come back with a vengeance.

The timing of this trade, assuming it happens, makes zero sense.

To me, this says the Rays are starting to give up on the season. That's the only way I can see this trade being justified at this time. Kazmir has been very very good lately and would be an integral part of the rotation in a playoff push. The Rays are only 3.5 games out, and have no reason to give up on this season. Not only that, but the Rays signed Kazmir to an extension last season. He is not eligible for free agency for a few more seasons, and his contract is relatively cheap compared to his potential ability.

If Scott Kazmier were a lost cause and his value would never be higher, I would say go ahead and trade him for whatever you can get. But I don't see it this way after the way Kazmir has pitched over the last few weeks. I really hope the Rays' front office has a plan and a reason for trading Kazmir at this time. Otherwise, there are going to be a lot of disappointed fans and I am going to start counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

The Best Way To Describe Carlos Pena's Week

2009-08-26T10:44:00.004-04:00

There have been a lot of random quotes going through my head regarding Carlos Pena over the last week. Of course I can go with the "Zoolander" quote that of "Pena, so hot right now." Another option is to go with the classic song "Feelin hot hot hot." But I believe the best way to describe Carlos Pena's last week all inclusive is by playing a game of NBA Jams. Here is Carlos Pena's last 5 games in a nutshell as quoted by the classic video game.

"From Downtown" - A Pena bomb on August 21st against Texas starts the hot streak off

"He's Heating Up" - Need 2 straight baskets to start heating up, and Pena is there with 2 homeruns against the Rangers on the 22nd.

"At The Buzzer, YES!"- An RBI walk0ff single in extra innings against the Rangers, driving home Evan Longoria

"He Can't Buy A Bucket" - The 3rd game in the Texas series in which the Rays get shut out

"For 2!" - Another huge homerun, this time a 2 run shot against the Blue Jays on Monday

"From Wayyyyyy Downtown!" - A 2-run upper-deck shot against the Blue Jays on Tuesday to give the Rays a 2-1 lead

"Boom-Shaka-Laka" - Pena's 2nd homerun and 6th in 5 games, another upper-deck bomb against the Blue-Jays Tuesday night. Dave Wills really should have yelled "boom-shaka-laka" when this ball was hit as there was no doubt.

After this last week, there is only one way to describe the way that Carlos Pena is playing.

"HE'S ON FIRE!"

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Why...

2009-08-24T11:46:00.007-04:00

....do so many pitchers have career games against the Rays?

Are pitchers really getting that much more hyped up to play the reigning AL champions? Is it the Rays' knack for the strikeout that is helping opposing pitchers out? How is it that a pitcher will throw a perfect game against the Rays and then go 0-4 in his next 6 starts? Why is it that a team with this quality of a lineup strikes out 15 times in one game?

So many similar questions have been baffling me all season. The Rays need to bring their best day in and day out through September. Allowing pitchers to continually have career days may really hurt the Rays' chances at playing in October. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Headlines I Would Like To See

2009-08-21T18:50:00.002-04:00

"Rays new stadium built without taxpayer money and a sweet retractable roof to be ready for 2010 season"

"Rays acquire Usain Bolt as pinch base runner"

"Each home run hit by Rays player gets you a free lap dance at Mons Venus"

Headlines I Would Like To See

2009-08-21T15:19:00.002-04:00

Entire Boston Red Sox roster tests positive for PED's.

Team suspended 50 games

Pawtucket Red Sox organization gets called up.

Headlines I Would Like To See This Weekend

2009-08-21T14:34:00.003-04:00

Here is the list of headlines I would like to see this weekend:

"Rays Pull Within 1 Game of Wild Card"

That is all.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

A Bone To Pick With ESPN

2009-08-20T15:02:00.003-04:00

I rarely like to call out professional writers, unless I have a good reason. Today, I have to call out Jayson Stark. In his weekly "Rumblings and Grumblings" column, he decided to talk about the struggling closer position for most of the contenders. Here is what Stark said about the Rays:

TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Rays got to the World Series last year via the mix-and-match bullpen hodgepodge route after Troy Percival went down. They're trying it again this year.
They've already had eight different relievers save at least one game. And they've had 14 different relievers finish a game. So one thing you can say about Joe Maddon, besides the fact that he sure looks cool in black hair: He's no push-button manager.

The good news for them is that, believe it or not, 14 teams in the division-play era have made it to the postseason in years in which at least eight different pitchers saved a game. But the bad news is, only three of those teams -- the 2003 Red Sox, 1991 Braves and 1992 Braves -- have won a postseason series.
And the worst news is, none of those 14 won it all. So as much as some people in this sport would love to disprove the necessity of the one-monster-closer concept, reality isn't cooperating very well.
The funny thing is, though, that the Rays have had a remarkable flair for making this work. They've blown only one save in the ninth inning all year -- and it was by a pitcher (Isringhausen) who isn't even on their active roster anymore.
Nevertheless, says one scout, "They might be No. 1 on this list for me, because the pitchers they're using back there are not really 'closers.' It's just a collage of guys trying to do a job. On the right day, it can work. But on other days, you say, 'What are they thinking?'"

There is one major thing missing in this piece, and it's the name J.P. Howell, the Rays' closer. Yes, Joe Maddon likes to mix and match his matchups, especially in the latter innings of a ballgame. Maddon does NOT do this in the 9th inning anymore. The Rays have their go-to-guy, and it's J.P. Howell. In an article about closers and a long paragraph about the Rays, Howell's name wasn't even mentioned. This is preposterous. Stark discusses closers being solid if they have under a 2.50 ERA. Well Mr. Stark, Howell's ERA is right now 2.18. Sure, Howell only has 14 saves, but he has only been the closer since June. Stark mentions Howell in this article under the list of closers with the worst save percentage, noting Howell's percentage is 73.8. He did not look at the fact that Howell has only 3 blown saves since May 23, the day that Troy Percival was placed on the disabled list. The last of his blown saves was June 9. Funny, Jonathan Pabblebon has also blown 3 saves since May 23rd. And let's not forget that J.P. Howell has a 6-1 record since May 23rd.

So, Jayson Stark, I am really disappointed in your article. I was not with you when you wrote this so I will not guess as to what you looked at and didn't, but it seems to me that you did not give your fair time to J.P. Howell. He may very well be the Rays' 2009 team MVP and easily could have been an all-star. J.P. Howell deserves a lot more respect than this. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

I Don't Want To Jinx This But....

2009-08-20T14:31:00.003-04:00

I am starting to think Pat Burrell and BJ Upton have turned the corner. Both have been struggling very much this season. We have been waiting the entire season for these 2 players to start to play to their ability, and I am starting to think they are there right now. I even started to think twice about this fact when Burrell flew out with the bases loaded and 2 outs last night. Then I realized it was a hard hit ball, just in the wrong location. They have combined for 4 homeruns over the last 2 games. It's not just the homeruns that have me excited, as Upton was a double short of the cycle Tuesday and his defense is irreplaceable. These 2 players breaking out and continuing to play this well over the next month and a half could be exactly what the doctor ordered to push the Rays over the hump. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

This Pisses Me Off

2009-08-18T19:50:00.002-04:00

Before I write this post, I'd like to point out that it's currently the top of the 3rd and the Rays are winning 1-0.

It really pisses me off when Joe Maddon gives these players extra rest, especially at this point of the season. Earlier today, I touched on the fact that it's now a sprint to the finish line. Joe Maddon needs to be playing his best players every day for the rest of the season. The Rays CANNOT afford to give up games here. Why Joe Maddon is giving Jason Bartlett a day off right after a day off is beyond me. Bartlett is a better fielder and better hitter than Reid Brignac. He is the leadoff hitter, and potentially the team MVP. The manager's job is to put the players in the best possible position to win. Joe Maddon has failed to do that tonight, no matter what the outcome of the game is. It doesn't take a pissed off rocket scientist to figure this out.

It's a Sprint

2009-08-18T13:40:00.003-04:00

"The marathon is over. It's not a sprint. It's a good thing we are fast."
-Matt Garza on the Jim Rome Show

45 games to go, the Rays are down 4 in the wild card race to Texas. It's time to sprint and sprint fast. I could list all the cliches in the world such as "forget the past," "what's done is done," or even "it's not over 'til the fat lady sings" and they would all be fitting. Really, there is one thing left to do, win. The pitchers need to make the pitchers, and the hitters need to come up with the clutch hits. The Rays have dug a hole for themselves and now have no margin for error. Execution now is more important than effort. This is a playoff team that's currently on the outside looking in. Opportunities will present themselves over the next few weeks. Sweeping the hapless Orioles and then winning the series against the Rangers will go a long way towards putting the Rays back on the inside track. There are enough games left against the Red Sox and the Rangers that the Rays control their own destiny.

The Rays' fate is in their own hands, it's now time to execute. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Why The Rays Can Do This Long-Term

2009-08-17T10:37:00.004-04:00

Being an armchair general manager is a lot of fun. As a fan, it is very easy to say "we should sell the farm to win now." While in a pennant race, prospects are thought of as trading tools and not future stars.

If you are a fan of a big market franchise, you can afford to live by that philosophy. The Rays' front office is smarter than that, and that is why the Rays will contend for a playoff position for years to come.

Example A: The Rays do not trade Jeff Niemman in a deal for Jason Bay. The Rays make the world series in 2008. The next season, Jeff Niemman leads the team in wins in the middle of August.

Example B: The Rays do not sell the farm for Victor Martinez. Instead, the Rays get a post-deadline deal for Greg Zaun. Zaun and Martinez have comparable stats for their new teams, but Zaun has played in about half the games. Now we can wait and see what Wade Davis will turn into as a Ray.

Finding lower-cost and higher-efficiency trades is the reason the Rays can afford to contend for years to come. The Rays are proving this with smart deals for the second straight season. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Days 2 And 3 From Anaheim: All I heard Was “The Rays Suck”

2009-08-13T11:04:00.002-04:00

I heard one sentence repeatedly from Angels’ fans. “The Rays suck.” When I first heard this on Tuesday night, my response to the fans was “Did you stay up all night thinking of that one?” I mean seriously, that’s all you got for me? At least insult me with something intelligent. Talk about how 2 out of the 3 hits are from a catcher that we’ve had for less than a week. Talk about how your worst starting pitcher has held us to 3 hits. Tell me how a rally monkey would tie a sting ray into a knot. I heard none of that, just “The Rays suck.”

Then, there was Wednesday. I thought I might finally get my retribution and see a victory on the road. The Rays had a 2 run lead with 2 outs in the 6th. There were 2 runners on base, but I was fairly confident with Grant Balfour on the mound and the number 8 hitter, who has hit 2 homeruns all season, Gary Matthews Jr. at the plate. I figured worse case scenario would be a single and 1 potential run. I didn’t see a bomb that would wind up 10 rows deep into the right field bleachers. That’s when everything unraveled and next thing I knew, my ticket was good for free buffalo wings since the Angels had put 10 runs on the board.

All the sudden, I heard it again, “The Rays suck.” This time, I didn’t even try to balk back at the fans. Right now, they were right and I deserved to hear it. Less than a week after the Rays closed the gap in the wildcard race to 1.5, the Rays were swept out of the building and luckily ended a 1-5 road trip. Of course, I don’t think this team sucks. I do think this team is failing to meet expectations and is not playing to their potential. I think there is some poor execution at the plate, in the field, and on the mound. Time is running out. If Rays keep playing like this, Rays’ fans should expect to hear “The Rays suck” all through September as fans won’t be hearing it in October. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Percival Done

2009-08-12T10:31:00.002-04:00

Na Na Na Na

Hey Hey Hey

GOODBYE!

After (technically) 2 seasons of blowing saves and making Rays fans nervous with a 3 run lead in the 9th inning, Troy Percival finally realizes what just about every Rays fan realized 2 months into last season......Time to hang up those cleats big guy. To be fair, Percival was an All-Star closer in his prime and could very well end up in the Hall of Fame someday. His 358 saves rank 8th on the all time list. Unfortunately, none of those prime years were with the Rays. Instead, we got 34 saves and an ERA of about 4.90. Thats means Percival earned $245,376 for every save he made. I'm not a financial advisor, but I think the Rays could have done better.

TV Programming Alert

2009-08-11T14:30:00.002-04:00

Evan Longoria will be in studio with Jim Rome on "Jim Rome is Burning" today. Hopefully Rome brings him some good jungle karma for tonight's game.

Rays-Angels Game 1 Thoughts And Observations

2009-08-11T11:42:00.004-04:00

First off, I am really proud of the Rays fans. This is my third year going to a Rays' road game. The first year, I saw 1 other fan. Last year, I saw a small handful. This year, half of my section were fans of the Rays. We represented very well. One guy had some good signs, including offering Todd Kalas a beer. Of course, the back of that sign said "Future Rays Player in the Oven" with an arrow pointing down, so from behind, people must have thought he was pregnant. Ooops. I hope the blue and white shows up again tonight.

Second off, I want to thank the Angels for running a quality ballpark. The fans were classy and fun to talk to about baseball. The ushers helped a lot, and didn't mind us moving around to open seats. They had a nice bit for Vlad Guerrero on his 400th homerun, which is an accomplishment even I can applaud. And, well, putting Dwayne Staats and Kevin Kennedy on the kiss-cam together was a nice humorous touch.

Third off, I want to touch on the game a bit. BJ Upton looked like he wasn't even trying at the plate. BJ, if you are struggling, there is a lot you can do to help the team that doesn't involve base hits. Those things all take effort. And before you complain BJ, please realize that your on base percentage is lower than Pat Burrell's. That is not ok. As for Willy Aybar, I do think he needs to get in the game more, but not in the field. I have touched on his fielding before, and it can be costly. Giving away outs is brutal. Speaking of giving away outs, Greg Zaun dropping a pitch on a Bobby Abreu steal is bad, very bad. It was a free out with Abreu trying to just attempt to take an extra base on a 2 strike count, figuring even if he gets thrown out, he gives the batter a fresh count. The next pitch was hit 10 rows deep into right field. Execution and effort need to be there in a pennant race.

And finally, I didn't find the Longoria family last night. I will be searching again tonight.

Those are my thoughts from night 1. I will be back tomorrow with more from night 2.

ROAD TRIP!

2009-08-10T10:58:00.005-04:00

We are taking our act on the road this week. It is time for us to be obnoxious fans of the opposing team. This week is the Trop it Like it's Hot unofficial road trip! I will be attending all 3 games in Anaheim. Although I will not report live from the games (because I refuse to be "that guy" who brings a laptop to baseball games, and if you are "that guy", you are a tool), I will be back the following day with reports and observations. Enjoy the games and stay up late to watch so you can look for me on TV. GO RAYS!

How They Match Up: East Side vs. West Side

2009-08-06T13:26:00.002-04:00

It is time for another tale of the tape matchup. Today, the Rays are hopping on a chartered flight to the other side of the country. So, I want to look at which is better, East Side vs. West Side.

Better baseball history:
East Side: Yankees, Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, Rays
West Side: Lots of teams moved from the east side
Advantage: East Side – The West Side was so jealous that it had to steal a few teams from the East Side

More current baseball teams:
East Side: A lot
West Side: Padres, Angels, Dodgers, Mariners, and I will even give you the Diamondbacks and the Rockies
Advantage: East Side – The Rays play here

Major metropolitan city:
East Side: New York
West Side: Los Angeles
Advantage: Push - Hard to determine between the business capital of the world and the entertainment capital of the world

90's Rapper who was killed:
East Side: Notorious B.I.G.
West Side: Tupac
Advantage: West Side – Even though Tupac is (possibly) still alive, he was a much better entertainer. His music was great and he even was solid in “Above the Rim”

Disney:
East Side: Disney World
West Side: Disneyland
Advantage: East Side – Disneyland could fit into Disney World’s parking lot

Hosts of late night talk show:
East Side: Letterman, Fallon
West Side: Conan, Kimmel
Advantage: West Side – Conan is the selling point

Natural Disaster:
East Side: Hurricanes
West Side: Earthquakes
Advantage: East Side – At least they can be somewhat predicted

Gambling city:
East Side: Atlantic City
West Side: Las Vegas
Advantage: West Side – VEGAS BABY!

Colleges:
East Side: Ivy League Schools
West Side: Stanford
Advantage: East Side – Just because of the way people can pronounce “Haaaaaaaarvard”

Time zone:
East Side: Eastern
West Side: Pacific
Advantage: West Side – You can watch a Rays game then still go out at night afterwards, or if a game goes 13 innings, you can still make it to work the next day easily

Place where Evan Longoria played:
East Side: Tampa Bay Rays
West Side: Long Beach State Dirtbags
Advantage: East Side – Dirtbags are an awesome mascot, but we love him playing for our favorite team

Superhero:
East Side: Batman
West Side: Ironman

Advantage: East Side – Hands down

TV Show Settings:

East Side: “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Office,” “30 Rock”
West Side: “Entourage,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Arrested Development”
Advantage: Push – All those shows are way too good

Star athlete turned felon:
East Side: Michael Vick
West Side: OJ Simpson
Advantage: West Side - OJ didn’t kill anything, errrrrr, wasn’t convicted of killing anything, and I guess that makes him better than a convicted dog killer

Annoying things said:
East Side: “Wicked haaaaad” by someone from Boston
West Side: “Hella” by someone from San Francisco
Advantage: Push – I want to punch both in the face equally hard, or as someone from Boston and San Francisco would say, I want to hella-punch both in the face wicked haaaaad

Final Results
East Side: 7
West Side: 5
Push: 3

So there you have it, the East Side has shown its supremacy. Maybe this is because of my east coast bias, but the results do speak for themselves. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why the East Side is better than the West Side.

Hebrew Hammer

2009-08-05T19:49:00.009-04:00

Wikipedia told me Gabe Kapler is Jewish and also hinted that he took a year off to let his system flush itself of any roids. So like any good reporter, i believe it one hundred percent. Also a quick google search made me wonder...

How many guys at the local JCC are swole like this?!

"Put down the Manishevitz and pick up a lox flavored protein shake"

At least we don't have to put up with the narcoleptic Rocco B anymore...enjoy that half-season worth of starts Boston.

"Me so tired"

And just because...

That Magical Moment

2009-08-05T10:31:00.003-04:00

One pitch, one catch, or one swing of the bat can turn a season around. Any of those things can erase bad memories of a perfect game or blowing a big lead.

Was Evan Longoria's homerun last night that moment for the Rays?

Forget the new lineup. Forget the 2 homeruns that Matt Garza allowed. Forget not scoring a run until late in the game (again). Forget about 16 team strikeouts. Forget the strange play in the 8th in which Ben Zobrist was only awarded 3rd base. Forget blowing a chance with the bases loaded and nobody out twice. None of that mattered.

Forget the golden sombrero that Longoria was wearing for his 4 strikeout effort. That's ancient history.

A swing and a drive, deep to left field. GONE!

This doesn't instantly make up the distance that the Rays are behind the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers. This doesn't clinch a playoff spot for the Rays. However, this may be the moment that will propel the Rays right back into the hunt. It may just be one moment of one game, but that one moment may be just what the Rays needed to find the magic that they had in 2008. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Work tomorrow is gonna suck.....

2009-08-05T01:12:00.002-04:00

Road Signs For Joe Maddon

2009-08-04T10:02:00.017-04:00

During yesterday's postgame interview on the Rays Radio Network, Joe Maddon said that this morning he was going to take a bike ride and think about what lineup he wants to use today. Here are some road signs I hope Joe Maddon sees during his ride:

As I've said before, I am a major advocate of Joe Maddon doing whatever it is to put the Rays in the best possible position to win and I will not judge based on results. Yesterday shows that the lineup is better with Bartlett in the leadoff role. BJ Upton needs to play in the field, but Jason Bartlett seems to be a better fit for the leadoff spot. I still think Pat Burrell should be the DH more often than Willy Aybar, but right now Willy Aybar has deserved a chance to play more often while Burrell needs to get himself together. And oh yea, I'm tired of Evan Longoria getting thrown at. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure all of this out.

Give Me Runs Or Give Me Death!

2009-08-03T09:45:00.002-04:00

If I were James Shields, I would be pissed off today. What an effort wasted.

With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, Dioner Navarro struck out. I saw it coming.
With BJ Upton on 2nd, Evan Longoria drilled a signle into center. Tom Foley waved BJ Upton home. Upton was thrown out by a few feet. I saw this coming also.

For some reason, the Rays just aren't giving James Shields any run support. Maybe it's bad luck or a mental block, but it can't continue. 3 runs or less in 14 starts? That's just sad. That's a major reason that his record looks very mediocre.

If I were James Shields, I would be pulling my hair out or punching a gatorade cooler (with my non throwing hand).

If I were James Shields I would stand up in the middle of the locker room for my Patrick Henry moment and say "Give me runs or give me death!" It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Deadline Dud

2009-07-31T21:47:00.003-04:00

So, the trade deadline came and went just like it did last year. Lots of hype, and then a big let down. I'm sure a lot of people are wondering why we just sat there scratching our (insert body part) while other contending teams tried to improve. Others are probably saying to themselves that we did nothing last year, and still ended up in the World Series. That may be true, however, this is not last year. We are 7 games back of the Yankees, 4.5 of the Red Sox. The Yankees are healthy, unlike last year. The Red Sox added an all star player. So why did the rays just sit back and do nothing?

Joe Maddon has an interesting look on it - He believes that we are getting the 2007 Scott Kazmir back, since he did have his first quality start in over a year. Well, thats the same as trading for a Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay right there. Then there is Pat Burrell and Carlos Pena. Both are struggling and playing well below their expectations. Pena is doing his job with the homers but has fallen off his early season pace, and is basically striking out every time he doesn't hit a long ball. Burrell, on the other hand, has pretty much been the worst Rays hitter all season other than maybe The Fat Catcher. So we can assume he will all of a sudden become the power bat he was in Philly and that's another big "trade". Speaking of the fat guy behind the plate, if he can boost his average up from the .220's to maybe the .280's, that would be another huge acquisition of a former all star.

Of the pitchers, only Jeff Neimann is doing his job at or beyond expectations. Shields hasn't been horrible, but he hasn't been a #1 either. Yes, he gets basically zero run support, but a great pitcher will be able to carry his team to at least a few wins on his own and Shields has not been able to do that this year. Garza is just so hot and cold you never know what you are going to get, and Price is worthless on the road. So if those 3 play the way they are expected to, that blockbuster 3 player "trade" for the Rays.

So, if you are a genius like Joe Maddon, then you would realize that the Rays had the most unbelievable trading deadline day in the history of baseball. Or, if you are not an idiot and don't rely on your under performing players to all of a sudden play like all stars, then you basically saw today as us waiving the white flag. I guess we will find out in the next couple months.

Trade Deadline Updates

2009-07-31T10:19:00.015-04:00

With the trade deadline approaching at 4pm today, we here at Trop it Like it's Hot will be keeping updates on the Rays moves as well as other major MLB moves.

4:35: Jake Peavy approved deal and has been traded to the White Sox
What does this mean to the Rays? Absolutely nothing.

4:27, Roy Halladay was not traded according to the NY Post

4:25, more potential trades, this time with big names?
A deal is in place to send Jake Peavy to the White Sox for a package of minor league players. This deal is awaiting Peavy approval.
There is still word of a potential trade of Roy Halladay to the Angels.

4:15pm, is naptime over?
Seems like it has been a fairly boring trade deadline, especially for the Rays. Some more trades will come through over the next half hour or so.
Here are major acquisitions made in the last hour:
Marlins get Nick Johnson (who cares?)
Reds get Scott Rolen from Blue Jays, Jays get Edwin Encarnacion
Roid Sox send Adam LaRoche to Braves for Casey Kotchman, Kotchman quickly went out and bought needles, probably
Rockies get Joe Beimel (who cares?)
Yankees get Jerry Hairston Jr.

Sox seemed poised to acquire Victor Martinez....ugh
mlb.com's Jonathan Mayo reports Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone will be going to the Indians. I want to vomit.

Twins get Orlando Cabrera
Oakland gets Tyler Ladenorf in return. Yawn

BREAKING NEWS: Brett Favre has come out of retirement and will pitch for the Washington Nationals...probably.

T-minus 4 hours left, random thought:
Anyone have the gut feeling that the Red Sox are going to pull off something major, while the Rays are not going to make any moves with any major significance?

Washburn to Tigers
Mariners to get 23 year old lefty Luke French and another prospect. French had appeared in 7 games, starting 5 of them and going 1-2. He only had 1 appearance in which he allowed more than 2 runs. As a young lefty with 3 pitches, he looks to have a promising career. With Washburn off the board and the first big trade of the day complete, look for trades to start pouring in a bit more as the chess pieces start to move.

Rays claim C Jose Lobaton off waivers from the Padres.
Analysis: Rays added a 24 year old switch hitting catcher with some MLB experience (7 games, 17 at bats). This is a nice minor addition, as Lobaton will join AA-Montgomery and didn't cost the Rays any players. What it means for the Rays is that they probably won't be adding Victor Martinez, as they now have 5 catchers on the 40-man roster. It also opens up the potential to move catching prospect John Jaso, who could give the Rays a pretty decent return. There has been talks of Jaso struggling defensively, could it also mean that Jaso might switch positions? To make room for Lobaton, the Rays moved Troy Percival to the 60man DL. Who is Troy Percival? I forgot.

CHEATERS!

2009-07-30T13:04:00.004-04:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4366335

Buy, Sell, or Hold?

2009-07-30T12:53:00.003-04:00

We are approximately 27 hours from the MLB trade deadline.

3 days ago, the Rays were buyers.

2 days ago, the Rays were sellers.

Yesterday, the Rays were buyers.

After last night's debacle against the Yankees, now what are the Rays?

First off, forget unrealistic ideas like trading Pat Burrell, no one else wants him.

So, do they sell the farm? Trade Wade Davis, Reid Brignac, and others in Durham for that extra player or 2? Do they trade players off the big league club and clear salary? Dump off Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, and Carlos Pena while starting to plan for 2010 and later? Or do the Rays not make any major moves and hold steady?

That's the great thing about the trade deadline, we just have to wait and see. Nothing will be fully answered until 4pm tomorrow (or 4:05pm if you are the Red Sox). Any of those 3 options will be ok with me if they are executed in the standard Andrew Friedman fashion.

What I do know is that over the next 27 hours, there will be a lot of questions answered about the path the Rays will take for the rest of 2009. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Welcome Back Scott Kazmir?

2009-07-29T09:56:00.004-04:00

Scott Kazmir was in a groove last night. He had a rhythm, and he looked confident. He had a little extra fire, as the radar gun was hitting 93 again. I wasn't going to over-value his performance in my mind since he had boatloads of help from the defense. Then there was one at-bat, a mono e mono match-up against Alex Rodriguez. A perfect pitch that A-Rod couldn't catch up to for strike 3 gave me glimpses of the ghosts of Kazmir's past.

I won't say that Kazmir is back to his all-star form yet, or that he could lead the AL in strikeouts again yet. I won't even change my stance that he should be traded at this point, since one game doesn't change everything. However, Kazmir had a confident and comfortable look that I hadn't seen since 2007. His confidence is improving, and his game is almost there. He is 1 grand slam (which frankly doesn't really matter since the Rays didn't get a base runner in that game) away from giving up only 3 runs in his last 3 starts. Last night, he was finally rewarded with his first win since May 9.

So, Scott Kazmir, we would like to welcome you back. If this was your last start in a Rays' uniform, we thank you for all you have done. If you do stay, we are excited to see if you can continue to work your way back to the Scott Kazmir we saw in 2007. Either way, it is now a win-win situation for the Rays. I wouldn't have been able to say that at this time yesterday, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

The Problem With Comebacks

2009-07-27T17:35:00.002-04:00

Comebacks are exciting and a lot of fun to watch. They surely can boost team morale. However, they are bad for the team in the longrun.

The problem with comebacks is that it means the Rays are getting behind and getting behind early. There are only so many teams with a terrible bullpen that can give the Rays the game back. I like the Rays' chances against the Royals when down a run. I don't like the Rays' chances against the Yankees and Mariano Rivera, who has 20+ consecutive saves.

Another problem with comebacks is that it means the Rays' starting pitching is struggling. In order to make a playoff run, starting pitching needs to be the anchor. The Rays cannot rely on 9th inning heroics and need to rely on keeping their opponent's runs to a minimum.

The main problem with comebacks is they will only happen so often. They are exciting, but not reliable.

It is nice to have hope in the 9th inning. It is better to have a lead. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Road Curfew Needed?

2009-07-24T15:15:00.003-04:00

Does anyone else think the Rays players are partying a bit too hard on road trips?

It seems like every day game on the road, the Rays look sluggish physically and mentally. They look tired, worn, sick, and just out of it. Basically, they look hungover.

Teams are going to have off days, but this has happened multiple times now, and it always seems like its a day game on the road. Finally, yesterday needs to be the last straw. Going 0-27 and being on the wrong side of baseball history is an embarrassment.

This is all speculation, but everything is adding up in my head. I hope the players realize that they are killing their own playoff chances by not showing up during these games. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Things That Have Happened More Often Than The Rays Getting a Baserunner Yesterday....

2009-07-24T09:38:00.002-04:00

Things that have happened more often.....

Dinosaurs become extinct
Man invents the wheel
Columbus discovers America
JFK is assassinated
A black man is elected President
The Titanic sinks
A-Rod denies taking steroids
Jason Giambi admits taking steroids
Andy Pettite admits taking steroids
A-Rod gets caught and admits taking steroids
Brett Favre retires 3 years in a row
Saddam Hussein is executed
Pearl Harbor is bombed
The Taco Bell dog dies.

Things that will happen more often....

A woman is elected President

Dinosaurs are genetically re-engineered

Man walks on Mars

Lost City of Atlantis found

The Yankees are suspended for 50 games for using PEDs.....the entire team.

Brett Favre actually retires

Armageddon

Rays Box Score from July 23rd, 2009

2009-07-23T16:49:00.001-04:00

BJ Upton - 0-3
Carl Crawford - 0-3
Evan Longoria - 0-3
Carlos Pena - 0-3
Ben Zobrist - 0-3
Pat Burrell - 0-3
Gabe Kapler - 0-3
Michel Hernandez - 0-3
Jason Bartlett - 0-3

Not Good

OFFICIAL PETITION

2009-07-23T12:55:00.003-04:00

This is a petition for Joe Maddon. It is a request to force you to make Dale Thayer bring back the 'stache. Please sign, as Dale Thayer is not the same without the porn-stache. The team and the fans NEED the 'stache. Make Dale Thayer bring back the 'stache!

The Rays Have Their Closer

2009-07-22T15:15:00.001-04:00

Forget Troy Percival.

The Rays have their closer.

Forget closer by committee.

The Rays have their closer.

Forget needing help at the trade deadline.

The Rays have their closer.

Hey baseball world, in case you didn’t meet him in 2008, meet J.P. Howell. In the last 4 games he has pitched, he has faced 13 batters, allowed 1 hit, got 12 outs, and has 4 saves. Find me a closer with better statistics than that. That’s a WHIP of 0.25. He has a season WHIP of 1.05. Brian Fuentes, who leads the MLB in saves, has a WHIP of 1.13 on the season.
It is time for teams to take notice. The Rays’ bullpen has overcome their early season struggles, and it all starts with the back end.

The Rays have their closer.

Get used to it baseball, because he will be a star for a long time.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this.

To Deal or Not To Deal

2009-07-21T15:34:00.002-04:00

It's getting close to that time of the year, and the big question on evryone's mind is whether or not the Rays will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. One can also look at this as whether or not we are going to try and compete for the playoffs or throw in the towel and build towards next year. The Rays have already said they are about 10 million dollars over budget for next season. That does not take in to effect the expiring contracts of several players, but it also does not include arbitration hearings for players that are due for big raises, such as BJ Upton. It's also no suprise that the player at the top of the list to get dealt is most likely Carl Crawford. The Rays hold a team option for CC for $10 million next season, which happens to be how much we are already over next years projected payroll....hmmmmm. So the Question now seems to be not IF we will trade Crawford, but WHEN? We would probably get more value for him if he was traded before the deadline to a team fighting for the playoffs and desperate to improve their team. We could also hang on to him and deal him in the offseason but likely get less value then what we could have before. The third and least likely option is to sign him to an extension, and then start letting other players go. Those "other players" would likely include one of, if not both, BJ and Matt Garza. Crawford can be replaced over time, with Matt Joyce, Fernando Perez, and Desmond Jennnings all waiting for their shot. However, CC is the face of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, and that can not be replaced. So, what would YOU like to see happen?

What Would You Like To See Happen With Carl Crawford?(answers)

Aggressive Mistakes vs. Mental Mistakes

2009-07-21T15:25:00.000-04:00

I saw a major and borderline unforgivable mistake made by the Rays last night in the game against the White Sox. With one out in the 8th inning, Jason Bartlett was standing on 2nd base while B.J. Upton was on 1st. Bartlett broke for third base and was thrown out. The Rays continued the inning with a runner or 1st and 2 outs. Although Bartlett was thrown out, he did not make the mistake.

I will never ever criticize somebody for being aggressive while playing within their means. For any of you who question Jason Bartlett’s attempt to steal third, shame on you. If he made it, you would have said how great of a job he did. I like his aggression and his desire to give his team the best possible chance to win. Bartlett is an accomplished and proven base-stealer, and he should be trying to get the extra base. He knows if he can get to third with one out, it’s a huge advantage. I will not judge Bartlett based on the result that he was thrown out. Good job Jason, I hope you try it again.
The problem I had on that play is with B.J. Upton. With a runner on 2nd base and a lefty at the plate, Upton was not held tight to the base. He needs to be aware that there is a potential base stealer on 2nd base. His focus as the pitch leaves the pitcher’s hand should be on Bartlett. If he sees Bartlett break for third, Upton HAS TO break for second. He has the speed that he should beat a throw to second, and he should have a big enough lead that it won’t be an issue. There is no excuse whatsoever for Upton to not get into 2nd base. It was a mental mistake, a moment of lost thought, and an opportunity wasted.
Just like all of you, I was very frustrated when I saw Carl Crawford hit a single into deep left field. However, I didn’t once say “Bartlett would have tied the game if he didn’t attempt to steal third.” I did say “Upton would have tied the game if he didn’t make a mental mistake.” Mental mistakes are brutal and may have cost the Rays a win. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Rays Power Rankings

2009-07-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

7/20/09 Edition

Top 10

1) J.P. Howell – Second pitcher in Rays’ history to save all 3 games in a series. Of course, the first was Troy Percival.

2) B.J. Upton – I will take 6 hits over a series from any player any time.

3) Joe Maddon – Every change Maddon made during the Kansas City series seemed to work, including starting Willy Aybar Saturday.

4) Bobby Ramos – The Rays’ bullpen is shining again after a few bad days before the all-star break. They allowed 7 hits and 1 unearned run over a 3 game series. They also got the win in all 3 games.

5) Pat Burrell – Forgetting about the golden sombrero Sunday, Burrell is heating up. He had 4 huge RBI and a 2-run blast this weekend.

6) Ben Zobrist – Quietly, Zorilla has a 9 game hitting streak.

7) Carl Crawford – 2 more stolen bases for CC, not to mention his speed leading to a big 2-base error.

8) The double-play – The Rays turned 4 over this series, including a huge one with the bases loaded and 1 out

9) Joe Dillon – Only because he actually got in a game

10) The Royals bullpen – Thanks for the sweep

Bottom 5

5) The Kansas City Infield – A bad bounce on a tailor-made double play ball to Willy Aybar nearly gave the Royals Saturday’s game.

4) Dioner Navarro – 0 for the weekend is not acceptable.

3) Matt Garza – Anyone have the number of the sports’ psychologist that helped him last year? Clearly, he was battling himself yesterday.

2) James Shields – He allowed 11 hits and 7 runs in 5.1 innings Friday. As a number 1 starter against the Royals, that needs to change.

1) The dirt on my floor – I was inspired to do some sweeping yesterday.

That is how I rank the Rays. Feel free to comment as to who should be higher, who should be lower, or who was left off that should be ranked. These are just one man’s rankings, they aren’t rocket science.

The Joe Maddon Match Game

2009-07-17T13:26:00.000-04:00

Match what Joe Maddon says with what he really means.

What Maddon Says:

1) “He is ok and he won’t miss any time”

2) “The injury is minor. He will only be out 1-2 days tops”

3) “We are going to put this player on the 15-day disabled list, and he will be back in 2 weeks.

4) “Did you see the play that the backup made? Other teams would be lucky to have starters like that.”

5) “Even though this player is struggling, we are going to stick with him.”

6) “9=8”

7) “We want to give this player 2 days off in a row so he is rested up for a long road trip.”

8) “We are going to use a bullpen by committee”

9) “Did you see the play that Navarro made?”

10) “We were stimulating the economy”

11) “His pitch count was up there”

12) "We will not drink Merlot"

What Maddon Means:

A) The player will be out for 1-2 days, even though he can play today

B) The player is going on the disabled list tomorrow and will miss 2 weeks, even though he could play in 2-3 days

C) Although the player is healthy after 2 weeks, we want to make sure he is 110% and he will be back in 5 weeks.

D) If we play hard daily, we will make the playoffs

E) I want to give a starter an extra day off and this way when the backup plays well, I get credit, and when the starter does something good on the road trip, I get credit. It’s a win-win situation for me.

F) This player is really sucking right now but I refuse to change the lineup because it might hurt his feelings, so hopefully we will naturally break out of the slump. I don’t care if it costs the team wins, as the players’ feelings are most important.

G) We have to remember he was an all-star last year and can still make great plays, even if he forgot how to hit and plays the field like a sloth.

H) I am going to switch pitchers for every batter from the 7th inning on until I find someone that works.

I) The pitch count is approaching 90, time to take him out, even if he does have a no hitter going

J) See, the backups can make great plays too! This means I should start them more often to give the starters more time off, even if we are playing on ESPN tonight.

K) The players are going to play dress-up on the upcoming road trip.

L) We will not drink Merlot

After following his trends for a few seasons, it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Joe Maddon actually means when he talks.

What To Do On Your Day Off

2009-07-16T10:28:00.000-04:00

I am not sure what I do anymore during the offseason. Today is the second day in a row without any Rays baseball, and the fourth day without any sort of meaningful baseball to us. I am going through withdrawal. Since you all are probably as bored as I am, here is a list of things to do with the last day off.

Go see “Bruno” and tell me how it is, since I plan on seeing it tonight

Actually do work

Re-watch the season premier of “Entourage”
Speaking of “Entourage,” find out where I can buy a bottle of Macallan from 1971 for less than $1200 (the bottle Ari Gold was drinking in the office)

Work out, since fall and laziness are right around the corner

Perfect your skills at MLB ’09 for X-box 360 since Maddon 2010 and NCAA 2010 come out shortly and thus MLB ’09 will be retired

Buy the new “Punch Out” for Wii, pretend you are Mike Tyson, and bite your opponents ear off

Clean the house, mow the lawn, and take out the trash, then be sure that your wife knows you have done this so that next time she tells you that you don’t do anything, you can say “remember on the Rays’ day off when I did everything?”

Work on a science experiment in which you can take meth and pass a test, present results to Jeremy Mayfield and remind him that he is an idiot

Do above experiment (except instead of meth, use female fertility drugs, and instead of Jeremy Mayfield, use Manny Ramirez)

Practice catching a baseball, bunting, base-running, and losing weight. Send training video to Joe Maddon and explain to him why you would be better than Dioner Navarro.

Watch any sort of program on any sort of science network on Apollo 11

Protest the ESPYs giving the Rays the shaft by watching a sports highlights show on your local Fox Sports affiliate instead of Sportscenter

Egg Derrick Jeter’s new mansion on Davis Island

Watch Tom Emanski’s Defensive Drills videos, why not?

Dress up as your favorite “Star Wars” character, show up to a showing of “Harry Potter” and remind the fans on line dressed as Harry that they are unoriginal tools
Solve the following math/logic equation: You need to build a new baseball stadium and need to raise $500,000,000. The state won’t give you any money and you can’t raise taxes. With the economy, you can’t fund the effort yourself. You also need to find a location, however the residents of St. Petersburg don’t want a new stadium in their city, but also won’t let you break your lease with the city. How do you accomplish all of this? (Please send all answers to S. Sternberg Wall St, NY)

I take no consequences if you do any of the above. Trust me though, you will enjoy. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

CC Wins 80th All-Star Game MVP!

2009-07-15T00:07:00.004-04:00

MVP!

2009-07-14T22:54:00.003-04:00

Rays Fantasy Value

- “So, what do you do for work?”

- “Oh, I manage a baseball team”

- “ Little League?”

- “Nah…..fantasy”

Instead of the typical midseason report card, let’s take a look at the Tampa Bay Rays and their value to your fantasy baseball team. This review will be based on a standard head-to-head league with 5 position categories and 5 pitching categories. The categories are as follows: .Avg/Hits, RBI, HR, steals, runs, wins, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and saves.

Hitters:

1B - Carlos Pena - If you manage your team well, ‘Los can be quite an asset to your team. Clearly he is not going to win you the average and steals categories, but he gets on base a lot and hits home runs. Both of these will lead to RBIs and runs, which makes Pena a very solid player for 3 of 5 categories. He is currently 2nd in home runs and runs scored to the machine that is Albert Pujols.

2B - Ben Zobrist - What can’t Zorilla do? For a second baseman, the answer is not much. Zorilla hits for average and power, and has surprising speed with 11 steals. His 17 homers are 2nd at the position and his 52 RBI are only 9 behind Chase Utley for the most at 2nd base. Zobrist has been one of the best waiver wire pickups all year.

3B - Evan Longoria - Longo was arguably the MVP of fantasy through the month of May. He has since cooled off from his torrid pace, but is still one of the top 3 third basemen in the game. His 68 RBI are the most of anyone at his position, and his 17 home runs rank 6th. Longoria isn’t worth much in terms of steals, and his average and runs scored don’t jump off the page, but in terms of overall well-rounded value it doesn’t get much better then Evan.

SS - Jason Bartlett - With career highs of 5 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 23 steals, you would not expect to see Jason Bartlett being drafted anywhere in the top 20 rounds or so. Clearly, you were all mistaken. JB has already surpassed his career high in long balls with 8 in the first half of the season, and is just 5 RBI short of his career high. Oh yea, he is also 3rd in the league in batting average (we added those hand full of at-bats he needs to qualify). Bartlett has established himself as a top 5 fantasy shortstop for the first half, and there is not reason he can’t keep it up in the second half.

OF - B.J. Upton - Upton was one of those him as a top OF. He is a 5 category threat, and even with a slow start he ranks at the players that you drafted very high, then spent the next 2 months trying to convince yourself not to drop or trade him. After a terrible start, Upton is starting to become the player everyone had hoped for when they drafted him as a top outfielder. Most of Upton’s value comes from steals and runs, but he is starting to get his swing back and should be a threat for average and home runs as the season goes on.

OF - Carl Crawford - Crawford has been everything and more for fantasy owners so far this season. He is hitting over .300, leads all of baseball in steals, and is top 5 in runs scored. You can’t expect too many home runs from CC, but that’s not why you draft him. His overall value is unmatched by any one outfielder except for his neighbor in the field, BJ (when he plays to his potential).

OF - Gabe Grosslsar - Gross and Kapler are great role players for Joe Maddon’s style of baseball. Unfortunately, Maddon is most likely not the manager of your fantasy squad. Unless you are in a deep AL only league, these guys have no business being on your team right now.

C - Dioner Navarro - Hitting in the low .200’s, last in home runs by a regular catcher, few RBIs and too fat to steal. I can justify having Navi as your catcher this year if you are in a 30 team league.

Pitchers:

SP - James Shields - Shields has been the recipient of absolutely horrible run support this year. He should have 10 wins on the season, but has to settle for 6 instead. Even so, his ERA is very repectable at 2.42 and he is close to 100 strikeouts. He walks very few batters, which is great for his WHIP. Overall, Shields is a solid #2 guy on your fantasy staff.

SP - Matt Garza - Garza started off great, but has since looked very shaky. His ERA is starting to creep towards 4, but his 100+ strikeouts give him good value as a # 2-3 starter. He should definitely be owned, but if he doesn’t start to show the stuff he had earlier in the season, you may want to start playing him on a matchup basis.

SP - Scott Kazmir - Let’s give Kazmir a compliment sandwich, where we say something good, then something not so good, and then another something good. Kazmir has the ability to strike out any batter he wants to. He sucks and doesn’t want to, he would rather walk them then give up a home run. He has nice hair. That’s as nice as I can be for now.

RP - Howell/Balfour/Wheeler/Chadford/Chode/Nelson - Of these guys, the only one that should really be owned is Howell. He is starting to see more save opportunities, and is giving up very few runs. He could be a top 15 closer the rest of the year. Unless you are in a deep league or a league that counts holds, the other guys are basically worthless.

Just for fun, I decided to add up the Rays normal position players’ stats to see where I would rank in my own fantasy league for each category. We will include Howell and Choate as the closers since they have the most saves on the team.

Runs - 393 - 10/10

Hits - 651 - 10/10

RBI - 387 - 8/10

HR - 98 - 9/10

Steals - 121 - 1/10

Wins - 35 - 10/10

Losses ( instead of WHIP in my league) 34 - 6/10

Saves: hard to judge because the rays use so many relievers, still safe to say it would be dead last.

ERA - 4.15 - 9/10

K - 456 - 10/10

Okay so I thought that would be closer then it actually was. Bottom line, it’s called fantasy baseball for a reason. Don’t draft every player from a single team.

Rank The Rays – All-Star Break Edition

2009-07-13T12:20:00.004-04:00

The all-star break is a time for the stud players to show off their skills, the rest of the players to get a few days break, and the bloggers to grade the team that they cover. We here at Trop it Like it’s Hot are happy to include ourselves in the grouping of people who will give our opinion as to how the players have done in the first half of the season. However, like normal, we will not use a typical A-F grading scale, and I’d be damned if I were so boring as to grade the team using 1-5 baseballs. In honor of the all-star game being in St. Louis, American’s unofficial home for beer, I am going to rank the Rays based on types of beers and their quality, commercial appeal, and value.

1) Natural Light – Just like Natural Light is barely beer, you are barely playing like a major leaguer

2) Keystone Light – Although Keystone Light commercials say it will never give you a bitter beer face, your play sure gives me one

3) Miller High Life – You would think this would be tasty based on name, but just not living up to your ability

4) Milwaukee’s Best Light – You may have been Milwaukee’s best, but you sure aren’t Tampa Bay’s best

5) Bud Light –Playing up to your value consistently

6) Amber Bock – You are working your way out of the red zone and starting to really play up to your potential

7) Budweiser – You are worthy of a mid-summer trip to St. Louis, whether you are going or not, but you were on the fringe as to whether you are an all-star or not

8) Hefeweizen – Way too good to be ranked lower, but not performing up to your ability lately. You are probably an all-star based on what you did in April and May.

9) Guinness – You make Joe Maddon look “BRILLIANT!”

10) Delirium Tremens – Often named worlds best beer, or also known as team MVP of beers

PITCHERS

Grant Balfour: 6 – Amber Bock – Although Balfour started off slowly, he has really picked up his game lately. He now ranks 9th in the AL in holds with 11. (Author’s note: We here at Trop it Like it’s Hot would like to offer our condolences to the Balfour family)

Chad Bradford: 3 – Miller High Life – Bradford has given up at least 1 hit in all 8 appearances this season. That needs to change before his ranking goes up, especially since the Rays are carrying his 3.67 million dollar salary.

Randy Choate: 7 – Budweiser – Choate isn’t really worthy of a trip to the all-star game because he has not been on the team long enough, but opponents are hitting .176 against him and lefties are only hitting .161. As a lefty specialist, I will take this any day.

Lance Cormier: 5 – Bud Light – Cormier is a consistent pitcher with a 2.81 ERA, but still isn’t seeing the mound at all with the game on the line

J.P. Howell: 9 – Guinness – Since the “injury” to Troy Percival, Howell has allowed a run in 1 game, which was yesterday. Although he is not an all-star, he easily could have been if 5 other Rays were not already going. Howell has truly been brilliant.

Joe Nelson: 6 – Amber Bock – Nelson also started off the season slowly, which is why his ERA is 4.50, but has really settled down since June. He has only allowed 2 runs since May 31st.

Troy Percival: 0 – Zima – That’s right, he isn’t even worthy of being a beer on this list.

Brian Shouse: 3 – Miller High Life – Lefties were hitting .235 off of this lefty specialist before he was placed on the DL.

Dan Wheeler: 6 – Amber Bock – Wheeler is another reliever who struggled early but has been pitching well since June 1. I see a trend here.

Matt Garza: 5 – Bud Light – Garza started off the season hot, but is now 6-7 and has a loss in 5 of his last 9 starts. Some games he is lights out, but others he just isn’t getting the job done like the stopper we saw in the ALCS.

Scott Kazmir: 2 – Keystone Light – Just when I thought Kazmir was starting to return to form, he gave up 7 runs and 2 homeruns in 6.1 innings to Toronto last week. I still have a bitter face from watching that game. At least the walks are down, which is the only reason he didn’t get a 1.

Jeff Niemman: 6 – Amber Bock – Niemman is now 8-4 after starting the season 0-2. He is 6-1 in his last 10 starts and has 2 complete game shutouts. I am starting to be sold on Niemman and I really like his future with the Rays.

David Price: 3 – Miller High Life – Price has all the ability in the world, but hasn’t lived up to the hype. He has had some decent showings, but has also walked 5 or more in 5 of his 9 starts. That is NOT ok.

James Shields: 7 – Budweiser – This is high praise for a pitcher who is 6-6, but his ERA is lower than it was last season and he has zero run support. Shields has 12 quality starts, yet the Rays are 9-10 in his 19 starts. If Shields had more run support, he easily could have 10 wins at this point of the season and would then be a potential all-star.

Andy Sonnanstine: 1 – Natural Light – Sonnanstine was pitching all year like he was tired on the mound. Perhaps he has had mono since April but didn’t tell anyone?

CATCHERS

Michel Hernandez: 5 – Bud Light – A solid backup catcher

Dioner Navarro: 2 – Keystone Light – Do you remember how when you would make funny faces as a kid and your mom would tell you that “if you keep doing this, your face will look like that permanently”? Well, if I keep cringing at all of Navarro’s mental mistakes, my face may permanently turn into a bitter beer face.

John Jaso: Incomplete – He is on the team but hasn’t played. He is like the water cup in beer pong.

INFIELDERS

Willy Aybar: 5 – Bud Light – Aybar is a very serviceable backup who has been hitting well lately and could be a starter for a number of teams in the MLB. A few errors this season have been costly.

Jason Bartlett: 10 – Delirium Tremens – If Bartlett continues to play as well as he has, he will not just be team MVP again, but will also receive consideration for AL MVP. If it wasn’t a popularity contest, Bartlett would be the AL starting shortstop for the all-star game without a doubt. Bartlett is the Rays’ first half MVP.

Joe Dillon: Incomplete – He is like that micro-brew you see at a specialty beer store that you’ve never heard of. The only way Dillon made headlines is when Andy Sonnanstine pinch hit in a game, while Maddon left Dillon on the bench.

Akinori Iwamura: 5 – Bud Light – Aki was playing decent ball before blowing out his knee.

Evan Longoria: 8 - Hefeweizen – Longoria hasn’t been the same since pulling his hamstring a few weeks back. Still, Longoria has 17 homeruns, 66 RBIs, and has been stellar in the field. I cannot rank him lower because Longoria was a 10 and a potential league MVP before his injury.

Carlos Pena: 7 – Budweiser – Pena is leading the AL in homeruns with 24 and is deserving of a trip to St. Louis this week. However, he is striking out too often and his glove is not as solid as it was in 2008. Now would be a good time for Pena to take his game to another level.

Ben Zobrist: 9 – Guinness – What does Zorilla not do? Zobrist has simply been brilliant!

OUTFIELDERS

Pat Burrell: 3 – Miller High Life – Burrell is making $7,000,000 to be a right handed power bat and has only 4 homeruns, 10 doubles, and 28 RBI’s. Burrell has the ability to get very hot and seems to be on an upward trend, but his ranking won’t rise until we really see the balls flying off his bat.

Carl Crawford: 9 – Guinness – 44 stolen bases? That’s just brilliant. Don’t forget a .309 batting average to go with 8 homeruns.

Gabe Gross: 6 – Amber Bock – Gross is hitting .276 quietly, but I didn’t give him this ranking because of his bat. Gross has 5 outfield assists and is very solid in right field.

Matt Joyce: Incomplete – Ever give your friend a beer that you think wasn’t going to be good, but ends up being amazing? It’s hard for your beer, no matter what you are drinking, to then live up to that potential. Joyce is in a tough spot with Edwin Jackson becoming an all-star in Detroit. We haven’t seen enough of Joyce to fairly rank him.

Gabe Kapler: 4 – Milwaukee’s Best Light – Like you didn’t see this coming…

Fernando Perez: Incomplete – He is the glass bottle that your friend dropped while fancily throwing it to you. You just wonder how it would taste if it wasn’t splattered all over the floor.

B.J. Upton: 6 – Amber Bock – On May 12, Upton’s batting average was .160. He went on to hit .324 in the month of June. He also has 31 stolen bases, which is good for second in the AL. Upton is really starting to come into his own as a leadoff hitter. If he can continue to play as he did in June, you can look for very good things from Upton in the near future.

After doing those rankings, I am now rather thirsty. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? These are just my rankings; it’s not like they are rocket science.

RAYS WIN

2009-07-09T16:02:00.001-04:00

LIGHT UP THE TROP!

RAYS SWEEP THE BLOW-J'S.

Game Day Chat

2009-07-09T11:44:00.003-04:00

Rays / Jays

Vote 'Los!

2009-07-08T17:38:00.001-04:00

Your Excuses, My Responses

2009-07-08T12:18:00.001-04:00

Last night, 15,244 attended the Rays victory over the Blue Jays. The Trop wasn’t even half full for a game against a division rival, and that’s pathetic. I don’t expect sellouts every night, but I do expect an above-average crowd on a nightly basis. Rays Index has been tracking attendance and as you can see, the team is still below the 2009 goal. There is no excuse for this. Having a below-average attendance is going to really hurt the team’s future as Stu Sternberg needs to be able to afford to pay quality players, and his income comes from ticket sales.

I have heard so many excuses as to why people won’t attend games over the last few years. I have a response to every one of your excuses.

Excuse: I’ll go when the team is good
Response: Have you watched these guys play? They may be in 3rd place, but they are still one of the best teams in baseball. The Rays would be in 1st or 2nd if they played in any division other than the AL East. Not only that, but the Rays also have one of the best offenses in the league. The Rays are 2nd in the majors in runs scored. They are young, fast, powerful, and exciting. Maybe you were accustomed to using this as an excuse, but like the movie “Borat,” this is so 2006. Last place teams such as Baltimore, Washington, and Arizona all have higher attendance than the Rays.

Excuse: I can’t afford to attend the game
Response: If you are saying this honestly, then I accept this as an excuse, and commend you for making wise choices in this recession. However, how many of you are saying this truthfully, and how many are just saying this because this excuse cannot be argued with? A little over 2.5 million people live in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Hernando counties. Of those, are you going to tell me that 25,000 cannot afford $20 for a baseball game? You sure could afford it last year during the playoffs and the World Series, so why can’t you afford it now?
Additionally, ESPN rankings just called a Rays’ game the single most affordable game to attend in professional sports, not in Florida, not in baseball, in ALL OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. You can bring your own food, park for free (with a carpool), and get a cheap ticket (average $18.35 per ticket). The economy is affecting all of the country, and 24 American cities average higher attendance than the Rays.

Excuse: I don’t want to drive there from Tampa
Response: Why not? I feel like Tampa residents believe that the water in St. Petersburg is poisoned, but only affects people from Tampa. I promise you, it’s not; St. Petersburg isn’t Cleveland.
Relative to other stadiums around the country, the Trop is actually easy to get to. There are highways that take you very close to the stadium. Traffic in Pinellas is rather light compared to metropolises around the nation. Do you hate the Howard Franklin? Last time I checked, there are 2 other convenient paths to Pinellas, the Gandy Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway. How easy do you think it is to drive in the middle of downtown Los Angeles to get to Dodger Stadium in the middle of rush hour? Trust me, driving on the Howard Franklin feels like driving a racecar when compared to driving the 110N through downtown LA at 6:30. The Dodgers are 4th in the league in attendance.

Excuse: I can’t get to the stadium by the time the game stars
Response: You really believe this garbage? I will prove you wrong. Assuming you have a normal job, you get out of work between 5 and 6pm. Tell me where in Pinellas or Hillsborough it will take more than an hour to get to Tropicana Field. According to MapQuest, to get to Tropicana Field it will take 43 minutes from Lutz, 41 minutes from Avila, and 38 minutes from USF. You can add 15 minutes for traffic and another 15 minutes for parking and walking. If you leave at 6pm from any of those locations, you will be in your seat by a 7:10 first pitch, or at the absolute latest by the bottom of the 1st (or if Kazmir is pitching, he will throw extra first inning pitches just for you so that you can be there by the dramatic bases loaded third out). Remember, your team can’t win or lose a baseball game in the 1st inning.

Excuse: I would rather watch the game on my nice new huge HDTV
Response: You miss A LOT of details of a sports game by watching it on TV. The games look great in high definition, but they look a heck of a lot better in real life. You get to see plays develop such as the full path of a fly-ball, a base-runner’s break in a stolen base attempt, or a second basemen breaking for a pick-off play. When watching the game on your couch, you don’t get into the progressive clap with 2 strikes or give a standing ovation after a big hit. In person, you get the full sights, sounds, smell, and feel of a game. There is nothing that compares to attending a live sporting event; watching the game on TV is not even close, even if it is on your 72inch 1080p LCD TV with 5.1 digital Dolby surround sound.

Excuse: I can’t bring my kids because the games end too late
Response: The Rays start their games at 7:10 and not 7:40 to be more fan-friendly. Besides, it’s summer vacation right now. What do your kids have to do tomorrow that they need to be in bed before 10:30?

Excuse: The Jonas Brothers are in town
Response: Although I wouldn’t know from experience, I can assume that watching a Rays’ loss is more fun than going to a Jonas Brothers concert.

Excuse: The Rays don’t have any tradition
Response: So why don’t you start it? I think a World Series appearance in 2008 is a damn good place to start. There is plenty of Rays’ pride in the Tampa Bay community. I see hats and tee-shirts everywhere I go. I was recently in the British Virgin Islands and saw multiple Rays’ hats. So if there are so many people claiming to be fans, why aren’t you showing up to games? The winning tradition is starting now, so this is as good of a time as ever to be a part of the crowd at the Trop. You won’t be ridiculed anymore by other teams’ fans for saying you are a Rays’ fan and for saying that you are on the bandwagon. You can just point at the 2008 AL championship banner.
Besides this, the Tampa Bay area is rich with baseball tradition. Baseball tradition in the Tampa Bay area goes from Babe Ruth to multiple teams having spring training in the area to the 2008 World Series. How much baseball tradition is there in Denver? There is nothing there compared to Tampa Bay, and the Rockies average 7000 more people a game than the Rays.

If you have more excuses as to why you don’t attend Rays’ games, please leave them in the comments and I will happily give you my rebuttal. Some of you may have legit reasons as to why you cannot show up, but most of you are just taking the easy way out. I will tell you this, you are the ones missing out on a great time watching a great team. Not only are you missing out, but you are slowly killing the team. The math is simple: no ticket sales=no income=lower payroll. So I urge you all, stop making excuses and show up to games. The experience will be great for you and will only make the team better in years to come. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is important.

Rays Power Rankings

2009-07-07T12:37:00.001-04:00

No, this is not going to be the standard power rankings where I rank all of the MLB teams. This is where I will look at members of the Rays in terms of whose stock is increasing and whose is decreasing. All Rays’ players, personnel, and anyone in any way affiliated to the team are eligible. Each time I will give a top 10 and a bottom 5. In future weeks I will give trends as well.

Here are the rankings for recent games through July 5th:

Top 10

1) Bobby Ramos – The bullpen started off shaky, especially compared to last season. The bullpen’s ERA is currently lower than it was through the same amount of games in 2008. I think it’s about time that Ramos does a cannonball into the stingray tank. I have to give credit to this coach when the next 3 spots go to his players.

2) J.P. Howell – Howell hasn’t given up a run since May, and finally tied Troy Percival for the team lead in saves with 6. Howell seems to be settling into the closer’s role and is the anchor during winning streaks. He easily could have been an all-star.

3) Dan Wheeler – Wheeler hasn’t given up a run since June 6 and is getting more and more reliable by the day.

4) Grant Balfour – Balfour is starting to show signs of his dominance from 2008. Oh yea, he also hasn’t given up a run since June 7.

5) Carl Crawford – CC has a 13 game hitting streak and even though he has slowed down a bit, still leads the MLB in stolen bases by 6 over Jacoby Ellsbury.

6) Tampa Bay Rays’ Marketing Department – The Rays are 11-0 when they have a Saturday night concert. Smash Mouth is playing this Saturday. Nice timing. I also have to give them credit for their “Vote for ‘Los” campaign, trying to make Carlos Pena the last player on the all-star team.

7) BJ Upton – BJ hit .324 and had an on base percentage of .395 in the month of June. He has been improving steadily since his slow start of the season. Now if he could just work on the strikeouts.

8) The Ambiguously Gabe Duo – Gabe Kapler has a hit in 6 of his last 8 appearances while Gabe Gross keeps adding up outfield assists.

9) The Double-Play Connection – Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist both made their first all-star games and that deserves a lot of credit. They have both been struggling a bit lately, or this ranking would be much higher.

10) Joe Dillon – Dillon actually got an at-bat. It may have been a strikeout, but it was an at-bat.

Bottom 5

5) Joe Maddon – The manager has to take some blame during a losing streak.

4) Power Hitters – Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Pat Burrell, and Ben Zobrist have hit a combined 4 homeruns and 13 RBI’s since the June 23rd home-stand against the Phillies started. That isn’t a scary trip through the 3, 4, 5, and 6 hitters in the Rays’ lineup. During the Texas series, these hitters had 0 homeruns and 1 RBI. The Rays got swept.

3) Dioner Navarro – Last year Navi was an all-star. This year, it looks like TFC is trying to play himself out of the everyday lineup.

2) Jim Hickey – The pitching coach really needs to get his starting rotation under control.

1) The Starting Rotation – Scott Kazmir is the only one of the starters to hold his opponents to under 3 earned runs, and that includes Jeff Niemman in a relief appearance. The difference between the 2008 Rays and the 2009 Rays is the starting rotation.

That is how I rank the Rays. Feel free to comment as to who should be higher, who should be lower, or who was left off that should be ranked. These are just one man’s rankings, they aren’t rocket science.

Riding The Roller Coaster

2009-07-06T13:04:00.001-04:00

Win 4, then lose 3

Win 6, then lose 3

Win 9 out of 10 (including 7 straight), then lose 4

This may be one of the streakiest teams I have ever seen. For a few games, the Rays look like a team full of stars and a strong World Series contender. For the next few games, the Rays look hung-over, tired, slow, sluggish, and just bad. During the wins, the Rays putting up a 7 spot on their opponent is standard. Over the last 4 games, the Rays have scored 7 runs, total.

The Rays are 19-11 since June 2nd. That equates to winning 2 out of every 3 games in every series except one. If you project that record out over 162 games, the Rays would win 102 games, which would easily be good enough for a playoff berth. However, thanks to a slow start, the Rays record on June 2nd was 25-28, which means at this pace the Rays would finish with 95 wins. I would project that 95 wins would be on the fringe of making the playoffs with the Red Sox winning consistently and the Yankees having a resurgent season.

Although from a distance, it looks as though the Rays are steadily climbing up a hill quickly by winning 2/3 on average. However, they aren’t going uphill quickly enough and the reason is the losing streaks. Riding this roller coaster cannot continue. The Rays need to maximize the highs and minimize the lows.

After a slow start, this team needs to be great, not good. By allowing the cold streaks to get very cold, they Rays are playing themselves out of playoff contention. The Rays are 6 games out of 1st, 5 out of 2nd, and slipping. There is still time to make up this margin, but the Rays are making it more and more difficult on themselves. It is time for the Rays to make life easier by hopping off the roller coaster and instead just quickly climbing up the hill they have created for themselves. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is necessary.

OFF TOPIC! Golf?!

2009-07-02T19:05:00.002-04:00

Now why would you see a golf related post on a Rays website?

Hot girl? Yes!

Beer? Yes!

Sports? Yes!

Enjoy.

Enjoyed? Yes.

Headlines I Would Like To See

2009-07-02T12:17:00.001-04:00

I am going to be taking off for the holiday weekend. When I randomly check the headlines, here is what I would like to see:

Matt Silverman files official protest that Rays had to play a game in Toronto on Canada Day, declares uneven playing field

Scott Kazmir strikes out 6 in 6 innings

Scott Kazmir doesn’t walk 6 in 6 innings

Tampa Bay Lightning trade Vincent Lecavlier to Rays for Dioner Navarro. Navarro to play goalie since his fat-ass takes up the entire net. Lecavlier to become assistant hitting coach, the guy who teaches players how to hit opponents Johnny Gomes style

Pat Burrell hits 2 homeruns in a game….please?

Carl Crawford hits inside-the-infield-homerun

Bruno shows up on the field during ESPN broadcast, does something funny to Derek Holland

Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist named to all-star team

Joe Maddon breaks a nail filling out lineup card, gives himself 2 days off to recover

Joe Maddon lets Carlos Pena play in national TV game, Pena hits AL leading homerun

Andrew Friedman finds loop-hole in Rule-5 draft, making Josh Hamilton return to Rays

Evan Longoria found his swing

Carlos Pena found his glove

Grant Balfour found the last 3 mph on his fastball

Kid wins 2009 4th of July spelling bee by spelling “Saltalmacchia” correctly, kid declares it a miracle

Andruw Jones is loser of 2009 4th of July spelling bee since he does not know how to spell “Andrew,” demands to spell “Twinkie” instead

David Price has second straight quality start

Brandon Boggs attempts to drink 70 beers in a day, vomits a lot

Elvis Andrus has left the building (author’s note: seriously, does anyone on the Rangers know how to spell “Andrew”?)

Joe Maddon decides to pitch to Josh Hamilton with bases loaded and 4 run lead, Hamilton grounds into double play

Jeff Niemman gets team leading 8th win, laughs at Jason Hammel who just gave up 1 run in complete game loss

Jose Canseco writes a book about his glory days with the Rangers and Devil Rays, steroids only mentioned 8421953 times in 200 pages

Dioner Navarro takes Joey Chestnut to overtime in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, loses eat-off

Takeru Kobayashi declares himself eligible for MLB, Yankees pay $200,000,000 for his services

Dioner Navarro attempts to steal home, gets tagged out 2 pitches later when he finally gets to the plate

Michel Hernandez to get more playing time

BJ Upton continues to swing a hot bat, gets batting average over .260

Gabe Gross adds another outfield assist, Joe Maddon calls him “disgusting”

Omar Vizquel does commercial for “Oops I Crapped My Pants,” sighting that he is wearing them and he just did

Joe Dillon DFA’d, Andy Sonnanstine called up as Joe Maddon declares a need for an extra pinch hitter

Rays go 3 straight games without having a base-runner picked off

Instead of 7th inning stretch on Saturday, Rangers sing “Happy Birthday” to American

Rays take 2nd place from Yankees in AL East, lead wildcard standings

If none of these come true except the last one, I will be happy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

Who Would You Rather?

2009-07-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

Who would you rather put your money on in a hot dog eating competition?(online surveys)

Revisiting The Bullpen Rankings

2009-07-01T11:36:00.002-04:00

In early May, I created a ranking system for the Rays’ relief pitchers over at Rays the Stakes. Since those rankings were released, there has been a drastic improvement in the play of the bullpen. I would even say that the reason the Rays are now 9 games over .500 instead of playing .500 baseball is due to the enhanced bullpen. The relief pitchers are the main reason the Rays are currently the hottest team in baseball.

I was harsh in my bullpen rankings in May, but the grades were deserved. With the improvement in play comes an improvement in rankings. As you will see, the improvement in 2 pitchers and the placing of 2 pitchers on the DL are some of the main reasons the Rays are winning consistently. It is now time to re-grade the bullpen.

As a reminder, here is the ranking system:

1) “The Rudy Lugo” – You have no place pitching in a major league ballgame, period, end of story. Yes, I would rather have someone in the following ranking than you on the mound.

2) “The Nick Swisher” – May as well bring in an outfielder, as you are only good when the Rays are down by a large margin and have given up. This ranking is also known as the “Jose Canseco.”

3) “The Brian Stokes/Shawn Camp” – I shut the game off every time one of these 2 entered a game in 2007. The outcome was determined before either threw one pitch: chalk one up in the loss column.

4) “The New York Mets in September” – You have looked good for so long, you can get 2 outs in the 9th, and then a collapse is highly probable. This ranking is also known as “The Greg Norman in a major golf tournament.”

5) “The Cecelia” – “You’re breaking my heart; you’re shaking my confidence daily.” You were very good, and still show flashes of brilliance, but sometimes you are blowing a lead that you shouldn’t, and I am losing confidence in you quickly.

6) “The Sex Panther” – 60% of the time you pitch well….every time.

7) “The Al Reyes” – You are sufficient as a closer, for a last place team. You will get saves, even some saves with a 1 run lead. However’ if this team wants to get anywhere deep in October, you will not suffice as the closer. The Tampa Bay area hospitals also want to thank you for the extra patronage as you are good for a heart attack a week for Rays’ fans. (Author’s note: In order to fall into this category and not actually be Al Reyes, you also must pass the test of yelling the line “don’t tase me bro!”)

8) “The Rick Vaughn” – You are wild and will walk batters, but when you need to be called on for the big strikeout, you will produce. Just stick to throwing the heat.

9) “The Pocket Aces” – You hold up approximately 85% of the time against a random opponent, and because of that, I am willing to put a lot of money behind you.

10) “The Late 90’s Mariano Rivera” – Lights out, enough said. (Author’s note: This pains me to give any props to the much hated Yankees. Let’s be honest here though and call it like it is, a spade is a spade. Rivera in the late 90’s was unhittable and was the single most reliable closer in baseball history.)Now that the rankings 1-10 are re-established, it is time to look at how each of the Rays relief pitchers fall into these rankings.

Grant Balfour: 8 – The Rick Vaughn – You haven’t given up a run in your last 7 relief appearances which is excellent, but your WHIP in those appearances is still close to 1. With your fastball, your WHIP should be lower. When you get it down closer to .75, your ranking will improve. A few more shutout appearances and your ranking will also improve, as I can’t argue with results. Previous ranking: 8

Chad Bradford: 6 – The Sex Panther – In 66% of the games you have pitched in, you allowed a run. That’s close enough to 60% for you to be a sex panther. I expect this ranking to improve with more appearances. Previous ranking: NR

Randy Choate vs. Lefties: 10 – The Late 90’s Mariano Rivera – You have allowed 1 hit in 22 at bats against lefties. Who is Brian Shouse again? Previous ranking: NR

Randy Choate vs. Righties: 7 – The Al Reyes – Righties have hit .222 against you, which is actually pretty good for a lefty specialist. It is ok for you to match up against righties for now, but you won’t face a single one in a meaningful September at bat. Previous ranking: NR

Lance Cormier: 6 – The Sex Panther – You have been serviceable and succeeding as a long reliever, but I still don’t think you will see the field in clutch situations. Previous ranking: 6

J.P. Howell: 10 – The Late 90’s Mariano Rivera – The last time you allowed an earned run was May 23, and that was in a 10-3 win. In your last 9 appearances you have 4 saves and 3 wins. It has been nearly a month since you have blown a save, and that was before you were the full time closer. Since you have been made the go-to closer, you have been lights out. You are a major reason that the Rays have won 7 in a row. You are the only guy on this list with a shot at the all-star team. Previous ranking: 5

Joe Nelson: 9 – The Pocket Aces – You gave up 1 run and 2 hits in 9 appearances in the month of June. Earlier in the season you were susceptible to the big inning, but it seems as though those times have past. Every time you enter the game, I expect a 0 on the scoreboard. Previous ranking: 9

Troy Percival: 4 – The New York Mets in September – The only reason you are a 4 is because you could get some outs, but your collapse in games was inevitable. There is a reason that you are on the “Chein Ming-Wang Mentally Disabled List,” and it’s not because you have an injury. Previous ranking: 7

Brian Shouse: 5 – The Cecelia – You started off the season well against lefties, but started to lose your touch before you got hurt. Since you’ve been on the DL, you were replaced admirably by Randy Choate. I know the saying that you can’t lose your job due to an injury, but what if after you were injured you were outplayed? That’s what happened here. Previous ranking: 9 vs. lefties, 1 vs. righties

Dan Wheeler: 9 – The Pocket Aces – You gave up a total of 5 runs and 15 hits in 24 appearances in May and June. The last time you allowed a run though was June 6 against the Yankees. A month of shutout pitching is also known as getting the job done. Earlier in the season, I had to look the other way when you came into the game. Now, I get more and more confidence in you daily. Previous ranking: 4

The biggest improvements have been J.P. Howell and Dan Wheeler. These 2 pitchers struggled through April and parts of May, but have been lights out since that time. These 2 guys really make the bullpen very solid and trustworthy. Add that to a lefty specialist in Randy Choate who is mowing down hitters, and you have a bullpen that will be very tough to beat. A 1 run lead is a lot easier to trust when these 3 guys are pitching at the top of their game. There is a long list of reasons that the Rays are now 9 games over .500 and nipping at the heels of the Yankees and Red Sox. In my opinion, the bullpen improvement leads the list. Anyone following the team can see this fact, it’s not rocket science.

An Open Letter To Dioner Navarro

2009-06-30T16:10:00.001-04:00

An Open Letter To Dioner Navarro

Dear Dioner Navarro,

What has gotten into your head? Did last season’s all-star appearance really mess you up mentally? I feel like your all-star appearance last year has made you feel like you are a 5-tool player who can do it all. Here’s a tip for you Navi, you can’t. I feel like your all-star appearance last season has made you feel like you can not be mentally prepared and be lazy and still be able to succeed. Here’s a tip for you Navi, you can’t. These are ideas you need to get out of your head, immediately.

You need to play within yourself. I don’t see a singles hitter swinging for the fences or a homerun hitter trying to lay down a bunt for a base hit (unless it is to beat a shift). Why are you bunting with 2 outs? Why are you trying to steal bases? I have seen you bunt a number of times this season that were not in sacrifice situations, and last night you tried to steal second base! Why? I admire aggression, but not recklessness. You are more like a sloth and less like a cheetah. Play like it. Part of being a very good ballplayer is knowing who you are and who you aren’t. You aren’t a speedster. You are giving away outs to the opponent, and that cannot continue.

You need to be aware of more situations and more active. When there is a runner on base, no matter how fast or slow, you need to be prepared for a possible steal. That involves you sitting up in your crouch and being actively aware that you may need to throw the ball. A few times I have seen you attempt to throw a runner out from your knees. If you do that, you may as well just eat the ball (figuratively) and not bother, you have no shot at getting the runner. There is a reason you are throwing out just 25% of attempted base-stealers. I have seen you not be prepared to drop to your knees to block a breaking pitch and just try to backhand the ball. There is a reason you have 4 passed balls already this season, when you had 6 each of the last 3 seasons. You are giving bases to opponents, and that cannot continue.

So Dioner, I urge you to take a good look at yourself in the mirror (but please don’t go A-Rod and kiss yourself in the mirror). I want you to realize how good you can be if you play within your means, mentally prepare, and play hard. That is what you did last season, and you were an all-star. Imagine what this team would be like if it had an all-star caliber catcher. Come on Dioner, I know you can do it. This isn’t rocket science.
Sincerely
The Rocket Scientist

Choose Your Own Adventure – Jeff Niemman

2009-06-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

Last night, I came to the conclusion that Jeff Niemman has a few storylines that he always follows to a T. When watching a Jeff Niemman start, I can pretty much tell how his game will go. If Jeff Niemman were writing a “choose your own adventure” story on any of his starts, here is how it would go:

1) Did you throw your first pitch for a strike?
If yes: Go to 2
If no: Go to 3

2) So you threw your first pitch for a strike, are you getting ahead of most of your hitters?
If yes: Go to 6
If no: Go to 3

3) You are now getting into a lot of hitters counts, are you walking 3 or more batters?
If yes: Go to 4
If no: Go to 8

4) Have you given up a homerun?
If yes: Go to 5
If no: Go to 7

5) Have you made it into the 5th inning?
If yes: Go to 8
If no: Go to 7

6) You are in line for a quality start. Getting ahead of hitters is the key to your success. You will pitch into the 8th inning and get a win. This is what we expected when you were selected in the 1st round of the draft.

7) You are going to have a really bad day. You have gotten rocked early. Your command is off and your pitch count is high. You didn’t even make it into the 5th inning of this game. The fact that you didn’t give up a homerun means you have been susceptible to the big inning. The big inning really does not bode well for you because you get rattled with runners on base and give up a lot of stolen bases. You also probably left the Rays with a deficit (unless you are playing the AA version of the Mets). These are the starts that we need to avoid in the future.

8) You can do better, but you also can do much worse. So you’ve given up a homerun and your command is so-so, but you have made it through 5 innings. Surprisingly, this bodes very well for you. Only 1 of your homeruns allowed was with a runner on base, so you are doing a good job keeping the opposing teams out of the big inning. If you keep this up, you will be a very serviceable number 4 starter in the future.

There is a Jeff Niemman start in a nutshell. Watch his next start and see which path he chooses to follow. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to follow along as well.

How They Match Up

2009-06-29T15:07:00.004-04:00

Today, the Rays will dust off their passports and head up to the great white north. A road trip to Canada to play the Blue Jays has me inspired for a third installment of “How They Match Up.” Today, we have an international tale of the tape matchup, The United States of America vs. Canada.

Relationship to America:
USA: It is America
Canada: America’s hat
Advantage: USA – The real thing is always better

Professional sports teams (in major sports, MLS doesn’t count, CFL does)
USA: 114
Canada: 16
Advantage: USA – Of the 16 Canadian teams, 14 are in the NHL and CFL

Current professional sports teams that have to this country from the other:
USA: 4, Montreal Expos, Vancouver Grizzlies, Winnipeg Jets, and Quebec Nordiques became the Washington Nationals, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Coyotes, and Colorado Avalanche
Canada: 1.25, Atlanta Flames became the Calgary Flames, and the Buffalo Bills play 1/4th of their home schedule in Toronto
Advantage: USA - if Terrell Owens does sit-ups without a shirt on while on a frozen lake in Toronto, this may become a push, but it’s more likely that he gets kicked off the team before any games are played in Toronto

National pastime:
USA: Baseball
Canada: Hockey
Advantage: USA – this is a baseball blog, not a hockey blog

Other popular sport:
USA: Football
Canada: Curling
Advantage: USA – as funny as it is to watch people with brooms yell “HARD!” football is still much better

Reason I would actually watch curling:
USA: The 2006 USA Girls curling team
Canada: If it’s watching them or poking my eyes out with an ice-pick, I’d have to flip a coin to decide
Advantage: USA – USA curl-girls, so hot.

Sports comedy the country is proud of:
USA: “Major League”
Canada: “Men with Brooms”
Advantage: USA - I still can’t believe they made a movie about curling

Nickname for Police Officers:
USA: Cops
Canada: Mounties
Advantage: Push – “Mounties” is funny to say, but cops are more intimidating and are more likely to keep me from breaking the law

Famous Celebrity:
USA: Too many to name
Canada: Celine Dionne
Advantage: USA – Take any Hollywood b-lister and he/she would beat Celine Dionne here

Weather:
USA: Take your pick, you can live in the south and be hot or up north and be cold
Canada: Really freaking cold
Advantage: USA - flexibility FTW!

National Language:
USA: English
Canada: English and French
Advantage: USA – recoger un bastón y con él, el intercambio de idiomas es molesto (Spanish for: pick one and stick with it, interchanging languages is annoying)

Keep your backyard clean with:
USA: Lawnmower
Canada: Zamboni
Advantage: Push - driving a lawnmower and driving a Zamboni are both fun

Stanley Cups won by the country since 1994:
USA: 15
Canada: 0
Advantage: USA – Even Tampa Bay has more Stanley Cups than the country of Canada since 1994, ouch

Does Vincent Lecavlier play for a hockey team in your country?
USA: Yes
Canada: No
Advantage: USA – although I am aware this is subject to change until July 1

You eat your french-fries with:
USA: Ketchup
Canada: Gravy
Advantage: USA – gravy? Ew

Fictional teen pop-star’s/teen group’s hit single:
USA: “Friends Forever” by the Zack Attack
Canada: “Let’s Go to the Mall” by Robin Sparkles
Advantage: Push – the video of “Let’s Go to the Mall” is amazing, but the message in “Friends Forever” is touching

In “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” you sing, “It’s 1, 2, 3 strikes you’re….”
USA: Out
Canada: Oot
Advantage: USA – And you know what I’m talking about (not aboot)

Final Standings:
USA – 15
Canada – 0
Push – 3

In a not so shocking result, the United States wins in a landslide. (Cue the crowd cheering USA! USA!) I honestly have nothing against Canada. I think Toronto is a great city and I have taken lots of money from Casino Windsor. However, America is just flat out better than Canada. The proof is above.

My standard last line of a post:
USA: Do you think it takes a rocket scientist to figure this stuff out?
Canada: Do you think it takes a rocket scientist to figure this stuff out, eh?
Advantage: USA! – Make that 16-0-3

VICTORY!!!

2009-06-28T16:25:00.002-04:00

LIGHT UP THE TROP! RAYS SWEEP THE MARLINS!!!

Honoring A Legend

2009-06-26T14:39:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, the world was shocked with the news that Michael Jackson had passed away. Although controversial and erratic, Michael Jackson was a legend in the entertainment industry. He was the "King of Pop" and released the highest selling album of all time. I used to listen to an LP version of "Thriller" when I was very young. I also have a friend who was a teleprompter for Jackson's rehearsals, and worked with Jackson as recently as Wednesday night. I still think this news is surreal.

Michael Jackson was one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and I would like to honor him by using some of his work to entertain you. I will now list what Michael Jackson songs remind me of each of the Rays' players.

"ABC" - Andy Sonnanstine, because you need to work on the beginning, as in the 1st inning

"Beat it" - Jeff Niemman, by "it" I mean your opponents

"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" - Jason Bartlett, your hitting streak

"Got to be There" - JP Howell and his 9th inning pitching

"Heal the World" - Scott Kazmir, by "the world" I mean your pitching motion

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - Evan Longoria, for obvious reasons

"I Want You Back" - Dionner Navarro, your all-star skills

"I'll Be There" - Randy Choate is there when needed against lefties

"Man in the Mirror" - Gabe Kapler, because if I had his body I would stare at myself in the mirror

"Modern Man" - Ben Zobrist as the man who plays every position and always has a knack for clutch hitting

"PYT" - David Price, the up and coming "pretty young thing" soon to be stud

"People Make the World Go Round" - Carlos Pena, who makes himself and others go round the basepaths by jacking balls out of the park

"Remember the Time" - Grant Balfour, remember when you threw 97?

"Rock With You" - Pat Burrell, who will hopefully rock with Carlos Pena soon

"She Drives Me Wild" - BJ Upton, who drives me wild when he gets picked off on the bases, which seems like every game

"Smooth Criminal" - Carl Crawford, do I really need to explain this one?

"State of Shock" - Dan Wheeler, who has put me in a state of shock lately by tearing it up

"Take me Back" - Winston Abreu, who hopefully will be taken back to Durham when Kazmir and Chad Bradford come back, even though he is out of options and has to be DFA'd

"The Way You Make me Feel" - James Shields, who just makes me feel comfortable when he is on the mound

"They Don't Care About Us" - Joe Dillon and Michel Hernandez, who were left on the bench this past week when Andy Sonnanstine was called on to pinch hit

"Threatened" - Akinori Iwamura, who should feel threatened that even if he comes back, he will not get his position back

"Thriller" - Matt Garza, because his pitching outings kinda remind me of the first time I saw the music video "Thriller," I just didn't know what I was going to get

"We Are the World" - Gabe Gross, because you seem to be able to cover the world out in right field

"We've Had a Good Thing Going" - Joe Nelson, who really has had a good thing going, now keep it going all season please.

"Why You Wanna Trip on me?" - Willy Aybar, in honor of A.J. Pierzynski "accidentally tripping" over Willy last season

"You Are Not Alone" - Troy Percival and Jason Isringhausen, as relief pitchers whose time has passed

"You Are There" - Lance Cormier, because every time one of the Rays' starting pitchers stinks up the joint, he is there

So there you have it, there is a Michael Jackson song that reminds me of the 25 man roster and 4 of the guys on the disabled list. I want to thank Michael Jackson for all of the entertainment he provided during life which was cut way too short. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and especially his 3 children.

Michael Jackson was one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that.

RIP Michael Jackson, 1958-2009.

HOTTEST RAYS GIRL

2009-06-25T15:35:00.004-04:00

Alright Rays fans, it's time for our first ever Trop It Like It's Hot contest!

We are looking for "The Hottest Rays Girl" out there! But you must follow the guidelines in order to be eligible to win:

1. You MUST be female.....from birth. We like to discriminate here at TILIH. However, there will be more contest in the future where everyone can participate
2. To make sure pictures are not stolen off the internet, you MUST be holding something that says "Trop It Like It's Hot" on it. This can be a sign or just written on you somewhere. Also, you MUST be wearing at least one article of Rays gear.
3. Pictures can not be photoshopped in any way.
4. Voting will be done by the fans - we will wait 2 weeks for all the entrants to submit their pictures, then poll our fans to select the winner. 1 grand prize winner will win 2 tickets to a rays game of there choice during the 2nd half of the season (details discussed later). So guys, this means you could win too (assuming you have a wife or girlfriend). For our fans that are not able to attend a game, you will win your choice of a Rays player t-shirt.
5. Please submit all photos to tropitlikeitshot@gmail.com. Photos will be posted periodically for the duration of the contest.
6 If you have any other questions please email us and we will be glad to answer them. Good luck and GO RAYS!

Random Thoughts

2009-06-25T12:28:00.002-04:00

As the series with the Phillies comes to a close and a weekend Citrus Series approaches, here are my random thoughts. Most of these will be related to the Rays, some will not.

Actions speak louder than, well, actions. Ben Zobrist is leading by example, whether he knows it or not. He hustles on every play. Last night, his hustle was the difference in a 2-1 lead and a 7-1 lead going into the 9th inning. That is the difference between a nail-biter and a blowout. Thank you, Zorilla. Other Rays’ players need to follow your lead.

2 of those players who need to follow Zobrist’s lead are Carl Crawford and BJ Upton. Usually, the 2 of you are full throttle all the time, but last night, you both got caught on camera jogging (“or it might be pronounced ‘yogging,’ it might be a soft j”) to first. For CC, it was the difference between a triple and being thrown out at 3rd base. For BJ, you got into 2nd base easily, but you still were yogging. EVERY time you hit the ball, you have to run it out as hard as you can. The proof is in the random thought above.

Ben Zobrist deserves to be an All-Star.

I met Batman the other day. That’s not a joke and I wasn’t dreaming or on any drugs.

Welcome back Pat Burrell. Now, in the wise words of Hans Gruber, “Hit it, again!” By that I mean please don’t go another 2 and a half months before your next homerun.

Did anyone else that Pat Burrell shaved off the beard, and then in the next game went yard?

With Scott Kazmir coming back, I think sending David Price down would be a mistake. Price is not going to progress by pitching to inferior opponents. He needs to be pitching against players who motivate him to continually improve. Saying that, I think we are going to see Andy Sonnanstine in the bullpen and Winston Abreu will be DFA’d.

When Chad Bradford gets back, the Rays are going to have some really tough decisions, as a second pitcher needs to go. However, I won’t be surprised if Joe Dillon is the odd man out, especially with interleague play ending. The Rays have a backup infielder in Willy Aybar and a super-utility guy in Ben Zobrist. They really don’t need a Joe Dillon on the roster at this point of the season. If Joe Dillon isn’t the odd man out, I hate to say it but it may be Lance Cormier if Andy Sonnanstine goes to the pen. This would be very unfortunate because Cormier has filled the role of long reliever very well.

Speaking of Scott Kazmir coming back, I am really hoping we will see 2007 Scott Kazmir. If this happens, the Rays’ rotation improves drastically. This will be like making a midseason trade without giving anyone away. Andrew Friedman and Matt Silverman need to be praying right about now that this happens.

USA 2, Spain 0. Spain had won 15 straight (tied for world record) and hadn’t allowed a goal in over 450 minutes. In terms of how amazing and unlikely of an upset this is, this match ranks somewhat close to the upset of the 1980 USA Hockey Team beating the USSR. This probably would be a top 5 sporting event in USA international sports history, if anyone in this country cared about Soccer.

Dionner Navarro, why do you ever square up to bunt for a hit? You are the slowest position player on the team. You don’t have an angel pushing you faster. Even if you lay the ball down perfectly and the 3rd baseman is playing deep, you still probably won’t beat it out. The only time that you should ever bunt is a sacrifice situation. I want to throw something at the TV every time you shorten up on the bat. I also don’t know if Joe Maddon is giving you the green light to bunt, but if he is, Maddon needs to be tested for hallucinogens.

The good Matt Garza showed up last night. You know the good Matt Garza is in the game when his fastball has distinct movement. Someone needs to videotape Matt Garza before every game. When the good Garza shows up, show him the tape of his pregame ritual and make him repeat it. That or Garza just needs to continually rely on his fastball.

Last week, Tom Jones of the St. Pete Times listed things to eliminate in sports. One of those things was Matt Garza spitting. I didn’t notice how much Garza actually spits until last night. Forget watering the infield, I think Garza’s intentions was to provide a natural spring inside Tropicana Field to save the owner’s Monday on buying bottled water for all the fans.

I am not sure why a suspended Major League player is allowed to participate in the minors to get ready for the end of his suspension. I think this rule should change.

I love the look on the player’s faces in the commercials when they are telling you to vote for the Rays for the All-Star Game, and then they have to tell you to vote for themselves.

I urge you all to go online and vote for the Rays for the All-Star Game. I’ll make it easy on you. Here is a link to the MLB website, then click on the link that says “2009 online All-Star Ballot.”

To all of you people in Tampa who don’t drive to The Trop because “it’s too far to get there from Tampa” or you don’t like the fact that owners are raising prices for marquee games, I want to remind you that you went at the end of last season and in the playoffs. This is a very good baseball team, again. Stop making excuses.

I finally saw “The Hangover.” Todd Phillips has struck comedic gold again. In a completely related thought, who wants to go to Vegas with me this weekend?

Although Joe Maddon preaches patience, I was extremely happy when he yanked Jeff Niemman early on Sunday. Maddon went for the win in that game and he was rewarded.

I felt horrible for Aki when he went down with his knee injury. For the Rays, it may have been a blessing in disguise, and so might him getting healthy earlier than expected. Ben Zobrist has been tearing it up since taking over an every day starter’s role. Aki is a solid second basemen, but Zobrist has proven that he is better at the plate and almost as good in the field. You aren’t going to take Zobrist out of the lineup. Aki was a very nice free-agent signing and has been the epitome of a team-player, but his chances of being a Ray in 2010 have gone from slim to slimmer. If he gets healthy before the trade-deadline, he may become trade-bait and could provide a decent return.

If Antonio Bastardo strikes anyone out tonight, the scoreboard worker needs to cue up a clip of Kyle Broflovski yelling “You bastard!”

A-Rod was benched for a weekend due to fatigue, but then was also seen at a Miami nightclub at 2AM. Why does this not surprise me?

Opponents are hitting .133 off Randy Choate. They were hitting .298 off Brian Shouse. I don’t see Shouse pitching for the Rays again anytime soon.

Kevin Kennedy talked about a catcher’s balk last night during the broadcast. I can honestly say that I have heard that rule before, but I have never once seen it called. I relate it to the Fair-Catch-Kick in the NFL. I wonder how many managers who were not catchers know the rule. If you ever play scorecard-bingo and you get catcher’s balk in on your card, just throw it away.

I am not completely against the Lightning trading Vincent Lecavlier. However, if the Lightning trade Lecavlier and do not get fair value in return, I will not be the only one who no longer supports the team. If ownership dumps him just to save money, they will lose a lot of attendance and merchandise money. These new owners are getting close to being compared to Naimoli.

The bullpen was maligned early this season, but is much improved. The last time a bullpen pitcher was credited for a loss was June 7 when Grant Balfour got the loss against the Yankees. The Rays’ bullpen has only accounted for 8 out of the Rays’ 35 losses. If the starting pitching improved just a little bit, that’s a few more very necessary wins.

Speaking of Grant Balfour, thoughts and prayers go out to his family in Australia. Last night during the broadcast, he mentioned that his grandfather is ill. We wish him the best.

Although BJ Upton should never be gunned down by Matt Stairs, I want to give some credit to the Phillies for that play. First off, Stairs took a perfect angle to the ball and was running forward at the time of the catch. Second off, he threw a 1-hop strike to Carlos Ruiz. Finally, Ruiz did a perfect job blocking the plate. Navarro, you should take notes on what you saw from Carlos Ruiz.

I really wish the Rays were in the same division as the Marlins. The in-state rivalry would be a lot better if they played each other 19 times a year instead of 6.

I would rather Evan Longoria take 2 weeks off and be 100% for the rest of the season than have him play every day at 80% for the rest of the season. He has not been the same since he first tweaked his hamstring. I know Longoria is a competitor, but it’s better to get this corrected now than deal with it and compensate all season. If you want proof as to why, see: Scott Kazmir.

Those are my random thoughts of the day. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure them out.

"You Don't Have Enough Talent To Win On Talent Alone"

2009-06-24T15:46:00.007-04:00

One of my personal favorite coaches in any sport will always by the late Herb Brooks. His motivational methods to make the 1980 USA Hockey team believe they could beat the unstoppable USSR are legendary. Joe Maddon gets a lot of credit for his tools and saying, and I will confidently say that Herb Brooks was Joe Maddon on steroids.

Herb Brooks had one line that he used often to tell his players they need to continue to learn, continue to learn, and continue to work. Joe Maddon needs to say this to David Price and he needs to say it before his next start.

"Gentlemen, you think you can win on talent alone? You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone."

You standard reaction when hearing this is going to be, "huh?" David Price has all the talent in the world, but in the Major Leagues, you need more than talent. You also need to use your brain. I think last night's game goes to show that David Price cannot dominate the Major Leagues like he did every other league in his life with just his fastball.

David Price had a rude awakening last night. Let's be honest here, he got rocked. Giving an opponent a 6-spot in the top of the first will usually lead to a loss, or in this case a really ugly loss. Price's final line last night was 10 runs allowed, including 2 homeruns, on 7 hits in 4.1 innings. Sure, he had little help from the defense, with errors from 3 gold-glove candidates (Longoria, Pena, and Upton), but this game was over before the 2 of those errors occurred.

Price served up some pitches that may as well have been on a tee for the World Champion Cheaters, err, Phillies. His miscues started with his slider. The slider was just off. It wasn't breaking enough and the pitch was coming in to batters too high. Those meatballs must have looked like basketballs to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, who both rocked doubles. Then, his confidence looked shot as 3 batters later, John Mayberry rocked a homerun into the leftfield bleachers. This is where the mental preparation comes in that David Price hasn't needed in the past. This is where he can't just get by on talent alone.

David Price needs to learn to mix up his pitch locations and to keep confidence in himself. He wasn't going inside to Chase Utley or changing the eye level of Ryan Howard. These pitches may have worked on the Isotopes, but they aren't going to work on the Phillies. Then, once he gives up a few early runs, Price needs to settle down and realize that a powerful Rays' offense can overcome a 3 run deficit.

It is time for David Price to spend more time on scouting reports and on confidence in his pitches. Once David Price learns that NO ONE in the Major Leagues has enough talent to win on talent alone, he will be the stud that everyone expects him to be. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

What they would look like as Rays fans

2009-06-24T12:04:00.005-04:00

Manta Rays, Stingrays, Light Rays, Rachel Rays?

2009-06-23T18:09:00.006-04:00

Today's task is to define "Rays."

Like any good young adult a simple google search would reveal what has been mystifying to many a nonrayer, that we are that "Starburst Team."

Step 1: Google "Rays"

Step 2: Click Image search because we all know that words are hard to read and pictures are what makes words relevant.

Step 3: Proceed to click on the picture of Rachel Ray's picture and spend the rest of the night pondering why, "Conservatives See Boogeyman on Rachel Ray's Buttocks."

Step 4: Write your own caption in the comment section.

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The Bat Isn’t A Failure…YET

2009-06-23T12:07:00.005-04:00

The Rays’ 2008 Problem: A lack of power from the right side of the plate, struggles against left handed pitchers

2009 Proposed Solution: A right handed hitter who has averaged over 30 homeruns, 75 runs scored, 100 walks, and 100 RBIs for the last 4 seasons. Let’s not forget, he is a World Series Champion.

Enter: Pat “The Bat” Burrell

Results So Far: 1 homerun, 11 runs scored, 21 walks, and 18 RBIs. The only stat that he is ahead of his career pace is stolen bases; he has 2.

Anyone looking at these statistics would call this signing a complete failure and a waste of $16,000,000 over 2 seasons. Yesterday, I was talking to a good friend of mine who is a Phillies fan. After he rubbed in the fact that the Phillies won the World Series (by cheating, mind you), we talked about Burrell. I told him “I have been disappointed with Burrell’s statistics so far this season, but I refuse to call him a failure, yet.”

The ensuing conversation was quite similar to the talk that Jon Cusack and Jack Black had in the movie “High Fidelity” in which they discussed the meaning of the word “yet.” Rob Gordon’s (Cusack) ex-girlfriend tells him “I haven’t slept with him, yet,” referring to her new boyfriend. With the help of friend and coworker Barry (Black), Gordon is only left figure out the following: What did she mean? Did she want to sleep with him? Does she expect to sleep with him in the near future? Will she sleep with him if nothing changes?

"What does 'yet' mean, anyway?"

What did I mean? Did I want to call him a failure? Do I expect to call him a failure in the near future? Will I have to call him a failure if nothing changes?

I realized I meant that if Pat Burrell keeps up this pace, his failure ranking will be identical to the failure of Dewon Brazelton, the “Hit Show,” and the 2007 bullpen combined. I am not over-exaggerating this, especially when you look at his relatively high salary, the raised team expectations, and the Rays’ need for a right-handed power bat.

I do not want to call Pat Burrell a failure. No fan of the Rays’ wants to see a free-agent come in and not perform up to expectations.

In the near future, I do not expect to call Pat Burrell a failure. The key word 2 paragraphs up is “if.” Pat Burrell is too good of a baseball player to keep up this pace. A 32 year old player who hit 30 homeruns one season does not hit 3 the next. (Author’s note: I know what some of you are thinking here about steroids and stop. Until proven guilty in the matter of performance enhancing drugs, Pat Burrell is innocent.) This is the perfect time for Pat Burrell to start living up to his nickname, “the bat.” The Rays are starting a home series against the team the Rays lost to in the World Series and Burrell’s former team, the Phillies. Please keep in mind that Burrell went yard against Cole Hamels in a Spring Training game in Philadelphia. Knowing how streaky Burrell can be, playing the Phillies could be the right motivation Burrell needs to get on a hot streak. Once Burrell goes on his usual tear, then the talk of him being a failure will go away. Playing the Phillies is just what the bat doctor ordered.

So Pat, please, give Jobu rum, touch your bat with anti-jinx beads, or put on a gold thong. Most of all, do whatever you have to do in order to be mentally and physically prepared. There are no more injuries and no more place for excuses. This is your week to get out of your slump and onto one of your patented hot streak. This is Phillies’ week.

If nothing changes and this pace keeps up, I will have to call Pat Burrell a failure at the end of the season. Do I expect things to change? Yes, I do. Will things change? That is for Pat Burrell to show us. If Pat Burrell can get on a hot streak, that will go a long way towards pushing the Rays back to the top of the AL East. For now, I won't call the signing of Pat Burrell a failure, yet. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Who would you rather....

2009-06-23T09:40:00.001-04:00

Ranking The Pitchers, Because I Have “A Case Of The Mondays”

2009-06-22T14:58:00.002-04:00

As we near the halfway point of the season, the Rays are right now 37-34, in 4th place in the AL East, and 6 games out of first place. The starting pitchers are a good part of the reason that the Rays are playing slightly above .500 baseball. So far this season they have been good, but not great. There have been gems and there have been duds. Watching some of the games has made me want to celebrate like I just set up a computer program to give me lots of fractions of pennies, while other games make me want to punch a printer with my bare fists. Some days I am watching the Rays’ starting pitching and would be less frustrated sitting in traffic, seeing the lane to your left move, changing lanes, and then having that lane stop and the lane you were in move.

In case you couldn’t see where this is going, today, I am going to rank the pitching staff based on quotes from the cult classic “Office Space.” (Author’s notes: If you couldn’t see where I was going, please go buy, rent, Netflix, or illegally download the movie now and you need to work on your movie seeing skills. Just to cover our butts, we don’t advocate illegal downloads but we know you will do it anyway, just like you will sneak down to expensive, open seats at baseball games even though you paid for upper deck.) So, here is the ranking system for the Rays’ pitchers who have started a game so far this season and who might start a game sometime before September 1st.

1: “This is a f&%(” – You have just been God awful. You couldn’t get anyone out and you walked people like it was your job. You also probably had high expectations which made your terrible pitching look even worse.

2: “You don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, look at my cousin: he’s broke, don’t do s$%@” – You get paid that much money to suck?

3: “Did you get the memo? Yea, you see we are putting the new cover sheets on all the TPS reports.” - On a regular basis, it looks like you forgot it was your turn to pitch.

4: “Oh yeah, we’re gonna bring in some entry level graduates, farm some work out to Singapore, that’s the usual deal. Standard operating procedure” – You are a minor leaguer and are just about ready to graduate to the Major Leagues. You might rank higher if you pitch well in the show, but you need your chance first.

5: “What if we’re doing this when we’re 50? It would be nice to have that kind of job security.” – You are an aging pitcher who somehow is still pitching even though you are pushing 50. How has your arm not fallen off?

6: “You can just go ahead and move a little to the left. That’s it. Great” – If you could just make an adjustment or two to your delivery, that would be greaaaaaaaat.

7: “I'd like to move us right along to a Peter Gibbons. Now we had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.” - You are a solid pitcher who has potential to be even better when you put your mind to it.

8: “You know what, Stan, if you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?” – You are a consistent pitcher who shows up day in and day out, but you don’t need flair like a 95mph fastball to strike people out or to go 7 solid innings.

9: “If they take my stapler I’ll set the building on fire.” – When you are at your best, you set the building on fire, and you pitch at that level on a regular basis.

10: “Things go well I might be showing her my o-face. Oh…oh…oh!” – Against you, the batters are getting used to looking at pitches fly by and just say “oh” as they are walking back to the dugout after striking out.

And on to the pitching staff

Wade Davis and Carlos Hernandez: 4 - “Oh yeah, we’re gonna bring in some entry level graduates, farm some work out to Singapore, that’s the usual deal. Standard operating procedure” – Depending on injuries and how much some pitchers struggle, your time to play for the Rays could be approaching. I think Wade Davis is ready, and just needs an opening in the rotation for his chance.

Matt Garza fits into 3 categories. They are as follows:

The Bad Matt Garza: 6 - “You can just go ahead and move a little to the left. That’s it. Great.” – The bad Matt Garza isn’t as bad as it was last season, only having 1 appearance in which he gave up more than 4 runs. However, the potential for a blowup is still there with the “Garza Complex.” It is this form of Garza that keeps his sports psychologist on speed-dial.

The Normal Matt Garza: 7 - “I'd like to move us right along to a Peter Gibbons. Now we had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.” – Matt Garza has ace potential; he just has to get rid of the bad Matt Garza and have more the good Matt Garza. The normal Matt Garza will definitely give you a quality start, 6 innings and 3 runs.

The Good Matt Garza: 9 - “If they take my stapler I’ll set the building on fire.” – When this Matt Garza shows up, the opposing team can forget about it. This Garza might be the first Rays’ pitcher to throw a no-hitter. His stuff is electric, when this Matt Garza is on the mound.

Scott Kazmir: 1 - “This is a f&%(!” – I am not sure what happened to once-potential-ace Scott Kazmir. Maybe it was an injury, or maybe it was pitching in last year’s All-Star Game on short rest, or maybe he let that contract extension get to his head. He sucked so much that the Rays put him on the “Chien-Ming Wang honorary mentally disabled list.” No matter what the answer is, Kazmir better find his game (and the strike zone) and find it fast. He is currently on a rehab assignment and hopefully he can turn his season and his career around. When he comes back to pitch for the Rays, we are all hoping for the best. He needs it. The Rays need it.

Jeff Niemman: 6 - “You can just go ahead and move a little to the left. That’s it. Great” – Since starting the season slowly, Niemman seems to be continually taking 2 steps forward and 1 step backwards. Yesterday he couldn’t find the strike zone to save his life and got yanked after 4, but still only gave up 2 runs. 2 starts ago he held the Rockies to 3 runs in 5, and 2 starts before that Niemman had the 2-hit shutout. Niemman needs to just make small adjustments to keep throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters. If he is able to do this consistently, he will be a solid starting pitcher for a long time in this league.

David Price: 4 - “Oh yeah, we’re gonna bring in some entry level graduates, farm some work out to Singapore, that’s the usual deal. Standard operating procedure” – I was debating whether I wanted to rank Price a little higher, but I think the jury is still out. We all know how much potential Price has and how good he will be. However, he still has a lot to work on, such as keeping his pitch count down and avoiding the one big inning. I wouldn’t be surprised if I revisit these rankings in a month and he is a 7.

James Shields: 8 - “You know what, Stan, if you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?” – Shields has proven he is the number 1 pitcher in this rotation, but needs to get rid of that 1 big inning. His changeup and curveball remain nasty, even if those are pitches that lack the “flair” of a heater.

Andy Sonnanstine: 3 - “Did you get the memo? Yea, you see we are putting the new cover sheets on all the TPS reports.” Andy has graduated from a 2 to a 3 when his ERA dropped below 7 on June 13, but he still needs to be better. He needs to be much better. I think the one batter that tells the 2009 Andy Sonnanstine story is Brian Schneider, who crushed his first homerun of the season in pitcher-friendly Citi Field. Sonnanstine needs to watch his back when Scott Kazmir comes off the DL.

Honorary future opponent section:

Jamie Moyer: 5 - “What if we’re doing this when we’re 50? It would be nice to have that kind of job security.” – Seriously, how is your left arm still attached at the shoulder? Maybe it’s because you throw the ball as fast as a little leaguer?

There you have it. The Rays have some solid pitchers, but no one is pitching well enough to deserve a consistent ranking of 9 or 10. The Rays lead the MLB in runs scored with 401, and if they could shave 1-2 runs off a game from their opponents, results will be seen in the standings. Holding opponents to fewer runs all starts with the starting pitchers. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

And yes, I have a serious case of the Mondays.

Rewind / Fast Forward

2009-06-22T14:51:00.006-04:00

Looking backwards and looking forwards

The Rays finished 3-3 on their road trip to Denver and New York
They scored 22 runs and had 34 hits combined in the first and last game of the road trip. In the other 4 games: 17 runs and 29 hits. 3 of those 4 games were losses.
On Saturday, the Mets went 3 hours and 2 minutes without having a runner on base. Carlos Beltran ended that streak with a 2 out single in the bottom of the 9th. This included the rain delay.
3 of the Mets 4 hits Saturday were doubles.
Ben Zobrist hit his 15th home run of the season. He had 15 total in the first 3 years of his career.
Shields gave up just 3 hits Saturday, in 7 innings pitched. He retired the final 14 batters he faced
Carl Crawford was hitless in the first 2 games at New York before collecting 3 hits in the rubber game Sunday. Still, he was just 6-27 (.222) on the road trip.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bossman Jr went 12-28 (.429) on the trip. BJ finished 4-6 Sunday, missing out on the cycle by a triple. He said after the game that his home run off Bobby Parnell in the 7th was the hardest he has hit a ball all season. The 4 RBIs were also a career high for him.
Joe Nelson pitched 0.1 innings on Sunday, giving up a 3 run home run to Brian Schneider (his 2nd of the series and of the season). Nelson got the win. What is wrong with this?
Upton, Crawford, and Longoria combined to go 11-16 and 7 RBI on Sunday.
The Rays are now 3-7 in rubber games this year.

Tampa Bay return to The Trop for a World Series rematch against the Phillies.

Philly has been swept in it's past 2 series, against Toronto and Baltimore.....yes, that Baltimore. They have lost 8 of the last 10 games.

Let's take a look at how the Rays match up against Philadelphia.

Record:

Rays - 37-34, 4th in AL East

Phillies - 36-31, 1st in NL East -

Advantage - Push - Phillies play in the NL, Rays play in the hardest division in baseball.

Runs Scored:

Rays - 401

Phillies - 356

Advantage: Rays, 401>356. Runs win games.

Home Runs Hit:

Rays - 95

Phillies - 98

Advantage: Phillies - Tough to out homer a team that has Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez

On Base plus Slugging:

Rays - .819

Phillies - .791

Advantage: Rays - Thank you Ben Zobrist.

Championships won by cheating:

Rays - 0

Phillies - 1

Advantage: Phillies - J.C. Romero single handedly carries Philly to the win in this category.

Illegitimate Children on the Team:

Rays - 0

Phillies - 1

Advantage: Phillies - Congrats Antonio BASTARDo. (too easy?)

Players that may have Swine Flu:

Rays - 0 again

Phillies: 1

Advantage: Ryan Howard FTW

Big Off-Season Acquisition:

Rays: Pat "where's the bat?" Burrell

Phillies: Raul Ibanez

Advantage: Rays - Ibanez is on the DL and won't play in this series. By default the win goes to the Rays. But we wont even get started on the season comparison between the two.

Hit by Pitch:

Rays - 24 times

Phillies - 33 times

Advantage: Rays - Opposing pitchers hate the Phillies.

Stolen Bases:

Rays - 110

Phillies - 49

Advantage: Rays - Stolen bases gets you closer to home plate. The closer you are to home, the more likely you are to score. The more times you score, the better chance you have to win. winning is good.

Let's hope we can keep up the tradition of AL East teams sweeping the Phillies.

Who would you rather....

2009-06-22T11:42:00.002-04:00

trailing 2-1 with a runner on 2nd and 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, who would you rather have up to bat?(survey software)

What A Father's Day Card To Elijah Dukes Probably Looks Like

2009-06-21T15:41:00.005-04:00

Dear Daddy,

I wanted to wish you a very happy Father's Day! I know you probably don't know my name, remember my mom's name, or can't even remember the night I was conceived, but that's ok. You have been an inspiration to me. The way you keep reproducing makes me so proud as you keep working God's wish by populating the Earth. The fact that you have gone a few years without being arrested makes me want to stay out of trouble for a few years at a time. And most of all, I have learned from you how to respect women. I want you to know that when I grow up, I want to be just like you. I hope you have the best Father's Day ever!

Love,

One of your illegitimate children

PS: We all hope you beat the Blue Jays today!

PSS: If you could please send child support, I need a new pair of shoes for summer. Thanks!

In all seriousness though, we here at Trop it Like it's Hot would like to wish a Happy Father's day to all of our dads and all of the fathers reading this. For all of the hard work you have put in for us and your families, we appreciate it more than you know. Happy Father's day.

Victory

2009-06-20T19:51:00.004-04:00

LIGHT UP THE TROP!

RAYS WIN!

NO-HITTER JINX

2009-06-20T17:01:00.005-04:00

ATTENTION: JOHAN SANTANA HAS A NO-HITTER GOING. TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS

Also, Did you know the Mets have never had a no-hitter or perfect game in franchise history? Yes, it's true. However, Topps did not get that memo:

Yeeaaahhh.......That never happened. oops. Hopefully this will help get the Rays a hit today.

Your Guide To Jumping On The Rays Bandwagon

2009-06-20T16:59:00.005-04:00

I have a startling confession to make. Please make sure you are seated (which you probably are because honestly, who uses a computer standing up?) Are you ready for this? Are you sure? Ok, here it goes...

I grew up a Mets fan.

There you have it. I can admit it. My first regular season Major League Baseball game was at Shea Stadium. My favorite player when I was a kid was Howard Johnson. I learned how to read a baseball box-score by reading the Mets box-score every morning in the St. Petersburg Times. I even have a copy of the New York Times from the day after the Mets won the 1986 World Series. The day that Vision Cable stop giving us the channel WWOR was a sad day in my youth, as I would no longer be able to see Mets games on a daily basis in my Clearwater home (unless they were playing the Braves or the Cubs, the 2 teams that dominated the airwaves with TBS and WGN respectively).

Then came March 9, 1995, the day that Major League Baseball announced an exapnsion franchise would be awarded to Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays were born. My allegiences were immediately switched. My mom bought me a Devil Rays hat and tee shirt that week (and yes, that hat had a purple brim).

It is now 2009, and there are still some who live in the Tampa Bay area and still show up to Tropicana Field in pinstripes or red. You all make me want to kill you in the nuts, especially those of you who wear bright green Yankees/Sox hats. But, the Rays' bandwagon is growing around the nation.

Here is your guide for what groups of people should jump on the Rays' bandwagon, how quickly you should do it, and the approximate success rate:

The Owner: You have been a lifelong fan of a team in major market, say for example, the New York Mets. You have done very well on Wall Street and decided to buy a the Tampa Bay Rays. You own the new team, your money pays the players. The better your team does, the higher the attendance will be and you will make even more money for yourself. You should set the example for others in the area by becoming a Rays' fan immediately. Success rate: 100%, and we all thank you Mr. Sternberg.

The Transplant: You grew up in New York, Boston, or anywhere else in the country that has a Major League Baseball team. When you graduated college and got a little older, you realized how nice the Tampa Bay area is and so you moved there permanently. You still can't get over growing up watching Micky Mantle or Carl Yastrzemski, and now you wear the jersey of Derrick Jeter, David Ortiz, or whatever high priced free agent that won't pan out that your team just signed. Well, to all of you, it's time to get out with the old and get in with the new. You live in the Tampa Bay area, and you should have pride in your community and your team. The Rays are now a good baseball team and they are a lot of fun to cheer for. If you like your hometown weather in February, you should like your hometown baseball team in September. Bury, shred, or burn your old jersey and go buy yourself a nice new Rays' jersey to wear to Tropicana Field. Success rate: Not good enough yet, but drastically improving.

The Kid of a Transplant: Your parents moved to Florida before you were born or when you were very young. Because the Tampa Bay Rays did not exist in your youth, you were a fan of whatever team your dad is a fan of. Quite frankly, you have no real allegience to that franchise. You weren't around for "the glory days," and you didn't grow up spending Sunday afternoons at the house that Ruth built. It's now a cool thing to be a Rays' fan. Success rate: Very good. Kids are loving the Rays.

The Wanderer: You lived in Tampa Bay for a long period of time, but you recently moved. If you went to Rays' games and rooted for them before you left town, so why stop cheering for the team now that the team is good? And if you weren't a fan before you left because the team wasn't good enough, times have changed. This is a team you can get behind that is growing in popularity all over America. In fact, you can wear a Rays' shirt anywhere in this country and not get laughed at. It is time for you to hop on the bandwagon as well. Success Rate: Quite solid, I see lots of Rays hats everywhere that I travel, and that includes New York 2 weeks ago.

The Person Who Lives in a City with a Crappy Team: If you live in Kansas City, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh, and you are tired of your ballclub putting a crappy team on the field, we have room on our bandwagon for you. We understand how you feel, as the team formerly known as the Devil Rays once won 70 games before the World Series run in 2008. Our bandwagon has plenty of room for you. Success Rate: TBD, but if you are reading this and you are in any of those mentioned cities, please comment.

The Casual Baseball Fan: You sometimes like watching baseball, but you don't live in a city with a Major League team. You have no real ties to any team whatsoever. Why would you NOT want to get behind a team that has some of the best young players in the game? Why would you NOT want to get behind a team that won the American League in 2008? You have no excuses. Success Rate: Average, these fans are always a tough sell.

The Female Fan: The pink Yankees/Red Sox hat trend is over, so get rid of those. Unless you are Madonna, you have no shot at A-Rod. And remember, Evan Longoria > Derrick Jeter. Success Rate: High, you should have seen the table of hot girls I saw in New York after a Rays-Yankees game, all of which were wearing Rays gear. Giggity.

If you are reading this, you probably don't fit into any of these categories. However, you probably know a few people who do. As much as they will fight, they really have no excuse to not hop on the Rays' bandwagon. We welcome all guests from all areas. If you have any ties to the Tampa Bay area whatsoever, I have proven here that you are required by science to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays, it's not rocket science.

Rays at Metropolitans - 6/19/09

2009-06-20T10:34:00.008-04:00

Stuff you should know about last night's game

We lost.
Rays pitching failed to keep the baseball in the field of play again. This time, It was Sonnenstine giving up a 3-run HR to Brian Schneider in the 3rd inning. It was also a bomb. Schneider now has a grand total of 1 HR on the year.
By the 4th inning the Rays trailed 4-0. They were able to stage a late rally and get within one, but couldn't finish the job. Wait, I just had déjà vu, Where have we seen that before? (see: Thursday game vs. Colorado)
B.J. Upton continued to swing that bat better than he had the beginning of the season, as if that would be hard to do. His 2 run double in the 8th got the Rays within a run but Crawford was unable to get Upton home, grounding out to the pitcher to end the rally.
Upton also stole his 26th base of the year. With all the attention being given to Carl Crawford, Upton has quietly stolen 26 of 31 bases and is 3rd in the American League.
The Mets were able to steal 3 bags in 3 attempts against Navarro. It was the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th basses stolen off Navi this year. His percentage of base runners thrown out is .227. For those not great at math, this is not a very large number. We would like to see Navi throw out at least 30% or higher.
Andy Sonnenstine collected another hit and is batting .300 on the year.
Pat Burrell came in as a pinch hitter for Sonnenstine in the 7th. With runners on the corners, he represented the tying run. I'm sure I am not the only person who thought to themselves "Burrell is due for another long ball". He struck out. FML
The 2 through 5 hitters (C.C., Longo, Pena, and Zorilla) went a combined 0-13. If we want to win, that cannot happen.
I'm pretty sure not many people know anyone in the Mets rotation after Johan Santana, especially Fernando Nieve. But somehow, he held the Rays to just 3 hits in 6 innings pitched while striking out 4. He is 2-0 in his first 2 starts with a 1.84 ERA.
After a 6 game winning streak, the Rays have now lost 3 in a row. However, thanks to the all-mighty Nationals beating the Yankees 2 out of 3 in New York, The Rays have only lost 1 game in the standing to the Yanks and trail the Wild Card by 4 games. It could be worse. A LOT worse.
Today's game will be the Fox national broadcast. Johan Santana will be starting for the Mets against Big Game James Shields. Santana is coming off his worst start in his entire career, going just 3 innings and giving up 9 earned runs. There are 2 ways to look at this: 1) He is struggling in his last few games and messing with his mechanics due to a blister on his finger. Or 2) He had a bad game, is pissed as hell, and wants to take it out on the Rays hitters. Let us pray it is numero uno.
Mets players are very affectionate.....

How They Match Up

2009-06-19T13:51:00.006-04:00

Earlier in the week, I looked at how Tropicana and Coors, the beverages, the businesses, and the ballparks, match up against each other in the first installment of this segment.

Today, in honor of the Tampa Bay Rays starting a series against the New York Mets, we will look at how one of the most hated men in the Tampa Bay area matches up against one of the most hated men in New York. In fact, these guys could be some of the most evil men since Ivan the Terrible, Adolf Hitler, or George W. Bush (too soon?). Today, we have a satanic edition of the tale of the tape, Vince Naimoli vs. Bernie Madoff.

Used to own:
Naimoli –Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Madoff – Madoff Securities
Advantage: Madoff – The Devil Rays won 70 games…once. Madoff Securities made almost 70 billion.

Why he is evil:
Naimoli – Stole the hearts of thousands by taking their millions of dollars in ticket money and putting it in his bank account instead of investing in baseball players
Madoff – Stole the hearts of thousands by taking their billions of dollars in stock money and putting it in his bank account instead of investing for them
Advantage: Madoff – Billions > Millions

Lame attempt to reinvest money:
Naimoli – The “Hit Show” – Fred McGriff, Jose Canseco, Greg Vaughn, and Vinny Castilla, a complete and utter failure
Madoff – Million dollar bonuses, given too early which caused the start to an investigation which got him caught
Advantage: Naimoli – At least he tried

First to:
Naimoli – Bring an MLB team to the Tampa Bay area
Madoff – Provide “legal kickbacks”
Advantage: Naimoli – We wouldn’t have this blog if it weren’t for him

Would have been better if he ran his company more like:
Naimoli – George Steinbrenner, actually investing in his team
Madoff – George Steinbrenner, actually investing in his clients
Advantage: Push – Authors note: I despise the Yankees, but Steinbrenner did anything he could for his team to win under the MLB rules and you have to respect that.

Attempted to hide from the public for years:
Naimoli – That he was the 2nd most profitable owner in Major League Baseball
Madoff – Ponzi Scheme
Advantage: Madoff – What Vince? You couldn’t find a way to beat out Steinbrenner? (Author’s note: this is the last time I mention Steinbrenner in this post, I promise).

Baseball stadium he owns a suite at:
Naimoli – Tropicana Field
Madoff – Citi Field
Advantage: Madoff – Both are empty, but Citi Field is newer and the suites are a lot more expensive, thus wasting even more of his fraudulent money

Has to hide in his suite at:
Naimoli – Tropicana Field
Madoff – Metropolitan Correctional Center
Advantage: Naimoli – A rabid group of season ticket holders would have nothing against a rabid group of former Madoff investors

Father was a:
Naimoli – New York Subway System worker who became an engineer
Madoff – A plumber who became a stock broker
Advantage: Push – Both started in the sewers and made something of themselves

Better college football team of the school he attended:
Naimoli – Notre Dame
Madoff – Hofstra
Advantage: Madoff – Notre Dame sucks

Donated money to:
Naimoli – Notre Dame athletic facilities
Madoff – Lymphoma research
Advantage: Madoff – His donations were actually useful for the good of humanity, and Notre Dame sucks

Strange Donations:
Naimoli – Jewish National Fund, Naimoli is Catholic
Madoff – Political Parties, donations split between Republican and Democratic Parties
Advantage: Naimoli – We thank you for your generous donations, sir

Named after a family member:
Naimoli – The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, named for his father Raymond
Madoff – The Madoff Family Foundation charity, named for himself
Advantage: Naimoli – At least he tried to sneak this past us and didn’t try to gloss himself.

Personal financial risk that made him all of his money:
Naimoli – Buying drowning company Anchor Glass
Madoff – Penny stock trading with $5000 made lifeguarding
Advantage: Naimoli – Provided jobs for others while saving a company which was in shambles, which is much more honorable than investing in yourself

The day the downfall started:
Naimoli – March 31, 1998. Tigers 11, Devil Rays 6
Madoff – December 11, 2008. The day he heard helicopters, sirens, and the music of “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” outside one of his multi-million dollar homes.
Advantage: Madoff. Would have made for the best episode of “Cops” ever

Quote while pulled over/arrested:
Naimoli – “Don’t you know who I am?” (Author’s note: true story, he really said this when pulled over a few years back)
Madoff – Nothing, he knew he was done.
Advantage: Naimoli – Just because I would have loved to have been one of the police officers to laugh at him when he pulled out this gem

Destroyed their respective baseball team by:
Naimoli – Owning the Devil Rays
Madoff – Having the Wilpon family (owners of the New York Mets), as a client
Advantage: Naimoli – At one point he had good intentions

Terrible Colors Worn:
Naimoli – In the original Devil Rays logo
Madoff – Orange prison jumpsuit
Advantage: Push – Nobody wins with a rainbow baseball logo or bright orange

Hall of Famer you attempted to destroy:
Naimoli – Lou Piniella, this is one team even he couldn’t turn around
Madoff – Sandy Koufax, one of his clients
Advantage: Madoff – Koufax lost lots of money, but Piniella lost his reputation as a manager with the ability to win in any situation with any team.

You are the punch line of many jokes in:
Naimoli – The Tampa Bay area
Madoff – The world
Advantage: Madoff - Go to any comedy show or watch any late night talk show, I guarantee Madoff’s name gets mentioned

Sentenced to:
Naimoli – A life of shame as one of the worst owners in baseball history
Madoff – A life in prison
Advantage: Naimoli – They can take your dignity, but they can never take (or at least haven’t found a way to take) your freedom!

Final Standings:
Vince Naimoli - 9
Bernie Madoff – 9
Push – 3

Naimoli’s team, The Devil Rays, couldn’t win games. Madoff’s clients, investors of billions, couldn’t win any money. So it is fitting that when it comes to Vince Naimoli vs. Bernie Madoff, 2 of the most hated men in their respective communities, nobody wins. This is just the way I see it, it’s not like it’s rocket science.

Attendance is Fun

2009-06-18T18:48:00.008-04:00

If you've been on the internet then you will recognize the face of an FSU degree, Jenn Sterger. I'll wait while you Google..

The 1998 inaugural year boasted 30,942 average attendance but by the following year only an average of 19,214 fans trickled in to to see the 69 and 93 Rays get last place. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TBD/attend.shtml

Well the rays can actually put 20,000 plus into the Trop even when the douchenozzle yankees or redsox aren't in town which is trending in the right direction.

It seems that if you build it they won't come, unless some hotties are on the sidelines and big bat swingers are on the field.

So ladies, please come to the games in mass and if you happen to be a MILF bring your kids so we'll actually have a next generation of Rays fans.

Just imagine a world were a kid can grow up in NY or LA and be a Rays fan because his pop's believed that a small market AL East team can win!

Bucs games are fun too....

Rays and their All-Star chances

2009-06-18T17:30:00.008-04:00

It’s getting to be that time of the year again. We are just about a month away from the 2009 All-Star game at the new Busch Stadium, and what better way to get things kicked off around here then to assess the chances of some of our beloved Rays and being invited to join the party in The STL. But before I begin, let me introduce myself. I am Cougar Bait. The name explains itself; however, it does NOT apply to the "cougar" who posts on this site. I'm a lifelong Devil Rays/Rays fan, born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. I once met Evan Longoria in a bar, touched him on the shoulder, and said "good game". He said "thanks". I also witnessed him call a group of girls who cut him in the bathroom line "sluts". My life is complete. Now back to the All Star stuff....

The way I see it, none of our pitchers really have a shot because all of them have been too inconsistent. Matt Garza has the best shot of anyone, but he has started to look shaky in his past few starts and has too much competition ahead of him to get the nod. One thing on the Rays side is the fact that they are the reigning A.L. champions, and thus, Joe Maddon is the A.L. All Star manager. After the fans (Boston and New York) vote in all the best players (Yankees or Red Sox, regardless of talent {see Jeter, Derek}) as the starter, Maddon is assigned the task of picking the reserves. This could bode well for Tampa. Let’s take a quick look at the players deserving of a trip to STL.

1b - Carlos Pena - The reigning AL Gold Glove winner at first base, 'Los is leading the league in HRs with 21, is 7th in RBI, 2nd in walks, 3rd in runs scored, and 8th in slugging. What he doesn't have going for him is that he does not play for the Yankees or Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis currently leads the race by the slimmest of margins over Mark Teixeira. Youkilis missed a month of the season already and barely cracks the top 10 for first baseman in most offensive categories. If he makes it, Pena doesn't have a good chance with Tex and Justin Mourneau having great years. However, if Teixeia slides past Youkilis, Pena may be able to sneak his way in.

Chances: 33%

2b - Ben "Zorilla" Zobrist - This is an interesting debate right now. Zobrist has been on fire basically the entire year so far. Once Aki went down for the year, Zorilla stepped in and exceeded everyone’s expectations. With most of his time now spent at second, one would have to assume this is where he would be selected to play. There isn't a chance in hell he is voted in to start, mostly because of the fact that 95% of people have no idea who he is, and that he isn't even on the ballot. But this is where Mr. Maddon comes in to play. Zorilla is currently leading the league in slugging percentage.....yes, you read that correct. He is 3rd in HRs, 5th in RBI, 4th in avg, and tops in OBP among second basemen. Kinsler is leading the votes right now by about 200,000 over that little horse jockey on the Red Sox. Aaron Hill is also enjoying a breakout season in Toronto and rightfully deserves a spot on the team. That most likely leaves 1 spot for either Zobrist, Cano, or the Jockey. I would pay money to see the faces of Red Sox Nation when Joe Maddon announces Zorilla as a reserve second baseman over Mr. MVP.

Chances: If Gabe Kapler can hit a home run in 4 straight games, then Zobrist can make the All-Star Game. Oh look, a pig just flew by.....

SS - Jason Bartlett - Barty was well on his way to being named to the All-Star game before going on the DL, but in his 2 games back he hasn't missed a beat. Although his stint on the DL took away the plate appearances he needs to qualify for the batting title, technicalities aside, he is still 1st among shortstops with a .373 average, 2nd in the AL to Joe Mauer who is hitting....wait, .425??? That has to be an error. Let’s just say Barty is leading the league. His defense is nearly flawless and if clutchness was a factor he would be way up there too. Since there is really no point in even voting for the starter every year since Derek Jeter is still alive, it comes down to Maddon's choice for backups. This is likely one of the easiest choices he will have to make.

Chances: 95%

3b - Evan Longoria - The leading AL vote getter with over a million more votes than A-Roid. There is no point in even debating this.....

Chances: 115%

OF - B.J. Up......ha, just kidding. No

OF - Carl Crawford - Crawford has enjoyed a bounce back season after a sub-par 2008. He is batting .313, and has 36 steals already. He is also 2nd in runs scored, which is important because those are what win games. The one thing going against Crawford is the competition. Ancient players such as Johnny Damon and Torii with 2 I's Hunter are having career years, and then there is always that Japanese guy who wears his first name on his jersey and never seems to hit below .350. But things look good for CC right now. He is 4th in voting behind Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, and Ichiro. If the voting stays the way it is, CC may have a chance of not only making the game, but sliding in to a starting spot to fill the void left by Hamilton, who I assume will not be healthy enough to play.

Chances: 85%

Don't forget to go to MLB.com and vote for our Rays! Hopefully the 20 or so of you who read this blog before the deadline can make a difference.

Bongo for Longo

2009-06-18T14:47:00.002-04:00

First off, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Cougar. I might be one of the people in the above pictures, but I’m probably not. I am probably a strange mix of the 3.

I will tell you that I am completely and utterly obsessed with Evan Longoria, or as the saying goes; I am bongo for Longo. He is one of the most talented players in Major League Baseball. I single handedly have voted for him at least 1000 times for this years’ All-Star Game. I won’t sleep the night before voting ends to ensure he is the AL leading vote getter. I won’t even go into how many times I voted for him as the last player voted into the game in 2008.

This will be the segment where I gush over our stud third-baseman.

It looks as though Evan has found his power stroke. He has hit the ball out of the park in each of the last 2 games. Anyone who has watched the games know those balls would have been out of any park, not just a homer friendly park like Coors Field. Heck, in the new Yankee Stadium those shots would have ended up in the upper deck.

I was a little worried after Evan hurt his hamstring a few weeks back. The ensuing 0-19 slump gave me nightmares. These last 2 games have shown that Longo is just starting to heat up and even when not playing the best ball that he can, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Longoria is the centerpiece of the Rays and he needs to continue to crank the ball. If he can keep up his power, then it will force opposing managers into tough decisions like whether they should pitch to Longoria or take their chances with AL homerun leader Carlos Pena. Pick your poison.

If Evan Longoria can really catch fire, he will thrust the Rays back to the top of the AL East. These last 2 games are the exact reasons why I am bongo for Longo.

And We're Off!

2009-06-18T12:24:00.004-04:00

Welcome everyone, it's time to "Trop it Like it's Hot!" You have stumbled your way onto a brand new blog that is dedicated to serving the fan-base of the Tampa Bay Rays; but will also be good reading (also known as time killing at work) for anyone who wants solid baseball information or a good laugh. I welcome all sorts of comments, as long as you aren't a Yankee fan.

As for me, I am the Rocket Scientist. I have been posting for a few months over at Raysthestakes, and will move my shtick over here. Joining me will be a cougar and some cougar bait (both of whom you all probably know from Raysindex.com), along with Mr. Scrappy and other random guests. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as we like posting. We now invite you all to Trop it Like it's Hot! And remember, it's baseball, it's not rocket scienice.