Thursday, 31. July 2008
The Jason Bay deal turns out to be false. No Bay, Gomes still here, shit! My day just went from bad to worse, I’m going to punch some walls.
Thursday, 31. July 2008
Pat yourself on the back Andrew Friedman, you stole a good hitter today. Friedman didn’t blink and nabbed the best right handed hitter available for two over rated prospects. I love this deal. I’m not sure how good an outfielder Bay is but his bat is what we wanted. This should mean two things for the Rays. They now have someone to throw out there every day who opposing pitchers have to respect. And it should mean the end of the line for Jonny Gomes! Two birds with one stone cliche inserted here. I would assume Bay takes over batting 3rd or 4th in some sort of Bay/Pena/Longoria sandwich. I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a trade since the raping of the Mets for Scott Kazmir. Awesome job Andy!
Scott
Source: MLB Trade Rumors
Wednesday, 30. July 2008
I’m going to ramble a little more here but I’ll try to make it quick. The first thing up is about the new commercial from Major League Baseball about the postseason. I was watching the new promo about October and it really shocked me when I saw the Rays in there. Has anyone else seen this? I’m a firm believer in the Rays making the post-season, but I was completely shocked when I saw that MLB actually put them in the commercial. Crazy! Anyway, I want to do something here. I have been getting picked on a lot by readers, friends and other people who say I’m too negative. Everyone is telling me that I find too much to bitch about with the Rays doing so good. Maybe, but who wants to read “the Rays are great” everyday, especially when we all know they still have some problems. That being said, I know I do focus on negatives and I know where I get it. My dad. I love my Dad, but he always pointed out the negatives and never emphasized the positives. Most of that was because my Mother never said anything negative. I remember when I was 12 years old I had one of the greatest games of my young life. I pitched a shutout and went 3 for 4 (I sucked as a hitter too) and after the game everyone praised what a great job I did. My Dad came up to me and said “good game, what happened in that other at-bat?”. There it is. I love him for it though. Anyway, since we’ve established all this, I want to praise a couple guys on the Rays. First is Grant Balfour. I think we all can agree that he’s a different pitcher since coming back from Durham. He’s been lights out, and he’s doing it in any situation. Maddon uses him as a closer, setup man, long reliever, whatever, and he comes in and does the same thing every time. He throws angry and has the kind of attitude that we all love to see. He’s an animal out there. The other guy I want to praise I’ll probably get tore up for. Jason Hammel. That’s right, Jason Hammel. He is obviously not the best pitcher on the staff, but he does what’s asked and shuts up. He won’t pitch for two weeks and then get tossed in a game that we’re losing 12-0 or something and have to eat innings. He is a yes man in a league full of “screw you coach” athletes. He is a guy that’s still developing and isn’t allowed to develop. He is a guy that is built to be a starter, yet he’s a reliever. All the while he does what he’s told and shuts the F up about it. I hate guys like Gomes and Upton because they make excuses and they bitch about crap. Hammel never says a word while being thrown into situations where it’s impossible to succeed. I’m not saying he’s great, hell not even good, I’m just saying that he’s one of the few athletes on the planet that goes out and does what he’s told. He doesn’t bitch, doesn’t make excuses, he just pitches when he’s told to the best that he can. That’s a real man for you. If nobody else ever says it, I appreciate you Jason Hammel.
Scott Brannelly
Wednesday, 30. July 2008
The Rays won today if you hadn’t heard. EJax pitched decent, Pena homered and all that good stuff. The game wasn’t televised so I couldn’t watch, but it appeared that Percival wasn’t a complete nightmare today either. A good day all around. Onto the trade deadline stuff. The Rays are currently linked to Jason Bay and are said to have the best offer on the table. What worries me about this story is that the Rays appear set in their offer and not willing to budge. I understand this with Wade Davis, David Price and Jeremy Hellickson, but I don’t understand the unwillingness to move Reid Brignac. I know he’s a “top prospect” and I understand that there is basically no depth with middle infielders in the minors. What I don’t get is the unwillingness to mortgage a little bit of the future to go for it now. Bay isn’t the ideal guy to put in RF, but he’s the exact type of bat that we need there. It’s all conflicting reports but the boys at Rays Index are saying that he’s basically untouchable and I trust what they say. On to the Brian Fuentes stuff, I don’t see it happening so that’s over. Will Ohman is still a possibility but there’s not a lot of info there. It’s crazy but fun with all this stuff. There is more and more talk now that Rocco will be back soon and I’m conflicted on this (I think we all are). There is no way you can count on Rocco, but I think we all want him back. Also, looking at the minor league games over the last week, my boy Justin Ruggiano is getting more playing time in CF. That tells me (maybe I’m just hoping) that he is being prepped for another call up. The other thing I’m excited about is the fact that all of these possible moves make it tough to see a way that Jonny Gomes is on the roster after the deadline. That would make me very happy! To wrap up my completely senseless rambling now, if the Rays do get away with getting Bay for a deal centered around Niemann, that would be a ridiculously one sided deal to me. I stated at the start of the season that I thought Niemann was a bust waiting to happen and there’s been nothing that’s gone on to make me change my mind. Oh yeah, one more thing. My scout buddy (who’s proving to be completely useless right now) also told me that most of the teams the Rays are talking to want Ruggiano put in the deal somewhere. This should tell the Rays that they have someone worth giving the shot I’ve been begging for. Good times at the trade deadline. Sorry for the inane blather here but my head’s been spinning all day.
Scott Brannelly
Links: MLB Trade Rumors, Rays Index
Tuesday, 29. July 2008
I heard all in about an hour today that the Rays were offering Carlos Pena in a deal to the Braves for 1B Mark Teixeira and it quickly died. The Angels ended up nabbing Tex for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. It looks like one of those good for both sides deals there. I also heard something else today. My scout buddy told me that the Rays were discussing BJ Upton in trades talks. I don’t know whether they’re shopping him or what but that’s what he told me. I have know way to check this out so it’s totally unsubstantiated, but it’s out there. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Rays move Upton in the off season but I would be if they did now. I don’t see it happening, but anything’s possible. Gotta go watch the game now.
Scott Brannelly
Source: Keith Law
Monday, 28. July 2008
The Rays activated reliever Gary Glover today and immediately designated him for assignment. Bye bye Glover, it’s been fun, uh not really. That’s all I’ve got to say about Mr. Glover. Anyway, I had a slow day today so I decided to look at some of the past games this year with Justin Ruggiano to try and get a better hold of what type of player he is. I have come away with the same impression I had before, why no shot for this guy yet? He has decent pop in his bat, is a good fielder, has a decent arm in RF and has basestealing ability. I keep seeing other sites call him a tweener and that is a stupid statement. You can’t call someone a tweener when they haven’t played much at the next level. He’s done enough to earn a shot here and there is no real reason to keep him down at AAA. The thing that is getting to me is that Gomes (I know and I’m not letting it go either) continues to get limited playing time and complains about it. He says that he needs consistent playing time to get himself going. How bout the time you’ve gotten before this Jonny? And if a guy can’t perform well in limited playing time, bring up the guy who has. Ruggiano has performed well enough in his limited time at this level this year to at least be considered. What’s the harm in all this? Why don’t the Rays let Gomes go? He doesn’t factor in here anymore, it’s obvious. Ruggiano might and should. If the Rays don’t make a deal for a legit right fielder, Ruggiano should be considered for the job. We’re all impressed with what Gabe Gross has done in the clutch, but he’s still sporting .224 avg, and Eric Hinske has been in a downward spiral for a while now. There should be more of a pressing attitude toward this from the Rays as there isn’t much left to be had trade wise. Unless somebody like Holliday, Magglio Ordonez or Hunter Pence become available, then Ruggiano should be looked at as the next best option. I’ve enjoyed this season more than I ever thought I would have and want the Rays to make a better effort towards staying near the top. It should scare everyone knowing that the Red Sucks are what they are and now the Yankees are steamrolling towards the top. I just want to remain excited all year.
Monday, 28. July 2008
I really think the Bucs should have their own reality show with cameras following Gruden, Allen and every QB in the league since they will all be linked to playing for Gruden at some point. I usually get really annoyed by all this type crap, but I must admit that this one has got me. The never ending Farve to the Bucs and Jeff Garcia is or isn’t our QB stuff is becoming fun. First on Friday the Bucs reportedly received permission to speak with Favre leading us to believe that he’s on the way. Then today it’s reported that Favre wants more options than the Bucs and Jets. Translation, I think the Bucs and Jets suck and I want to win. Then Garcia shows up and says “I’m the starting QB” and that he will not go down without a fight. Uh, weren’t you upset about your contract or something Jeff? Maybe this was Gruden and Allen’s plan all along, pretend they’re going to get Favre so Garcia would shut up about his contract. Brilliant! This is not going to go away anytime soon and should get more interesting before it’s over.
Source: Bucs Beat
Sunday, 27. July 2008
It looks like all the political nonsense and bs has finally gotten to Jeff Lacy. According to reports started in the Tampa Tribune, Jeff Lacy has said he is retiring and that he is fed up with the sport. Lacy originally spoke through his advisers but has now come out himself and said the main reason is the money offered to him to fight Jermain Taylor. Winky Wright has come out and said that Jeff is just frustrated right now and that he’s not retiring. I believe Winky here. I’ve always loved Jeff Lacy and still do. I understand his frustration with the upcoming fight purse and believe he deserves more also. But I don’t believe he’s done. Lacy has been one of my favorite boxers to watch ever and it’s not just because he’s a St. Pete native. As he came up through boxing he was the closest thing to Mike Tyson in his prime that we’ve seen. He was a power punching, aggressive maniac in the ring and there was nothing boring about any match he was in. He dominated and punished anyone that he faced in the ring until that fight with Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe took on Lacy and absolutely destroyed him for 12 rounds and Lacy hasn’t been the same since. He was beaten down, he’s had injuries and seemed to lose his aggressiveness. He has been slowly making his way back from the ‘06 defeat (his only loss by the way) and had set himself up for a fight with his former Olympic teammate Jermaine Taylor in November. He was apparently offered $500,000 to fight Taylor and, after his fight on Wednesday with Epifanio Mendoza, the purse was bumped up to $550,000. I think this all needs to be put into context here. Lacy was considered one of the best fighters in the world until that Calzaghe fight. He was paid a lot to fight in those days and since the beat down has taken a significant cut in purses, not to mention the pride that was hurt. He now comes off a fight in which he is upset about the shots to the back of the head the referee allowed or didn’t see, wins and is then offered $50,000 more to face a bigger name more dangerous fighter. You can understand why he is so upset about this when you look at it like this. I think this is a knee jerk reaction and I think he’ll fight Taylor. One thing he did say that I don’t agree with is that Taylor needs him more than he needs Taylor. No Jeff. You need this and you need to beat him in order to get your name back and your purses bigger. Taylor is a bigger name now with the Hopkins and Wright fights under his belt and you need his name notched in yours. I think Lacy will eventually settle down and fight Taylor in November, and if he doesn’t I know I’ll miss him. Come to your senses Jeff.
Scott Brannelly
Source:Tampa Tribune
Sunday, 27. July 2008
There are a ton of rumors swirling around the Rays as the deadline approaches this Thursday and they’ve got everyone guessing as to what they’re gonna do. I know my stomach dropped Friday when I saw the Yankees had obtained Xavier Nady and Demaso Marte from the Pirates. I really wanted Nady and thought the Rays could’ve gotten him using some sort of package involvingguys like Edwiin Jackson, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann or Andy Sonnanstine. The Pirates need pitching and the Rays have some to spare, so what happened? It’s anybone’s guess. This is hard for me to swallow for two reasons. It really helps the Yanks, who are coming fast, and it blocked the Rays from the deal. They killed us twice so to speak. This all leaves me wondering what the Rays plan to do. They’re being linked to guys like Brian Fuentes, Ron Mahay, Clint Barmes (god no), Jason Bay (no way that’s going to happen), Matt Murton, Mark Texiera and Matt Holliday (just for fun on the last two). I’m getting more frustrated with this because they don’t seem to be actively trying to move a Jackson, Hammel or Sonnanstine the way they should be. When David Price is ready to come up, one of these guys needs to be gone and they’re not looking to create an opening. This makes me think that we won’t see Price this year until September at the earliest. Their lack of moves also makes me believe that they’re are counting on Rocco to make an impact and that’s just crazy. I love Roc but we all know he’s one step away from a hospital bed at all times. I’m really curious about this whole thing. If they do get a Brian Fuentes, who’s gone? I would like to see Trevor Miller take a walk as he’s been disappointing. Any move they make for a bat must involve Gomes’ removal from the roster (finally!). If they don’t want to mortgage the future for today then they need to start using some of that future to see if it fits. Gomes has to go and Ruggiano should be given a shot to replace him if no trade is made. There is no trade market for Gomes so a DFA should be made asap. I would love to have seen the Rays capitalize on Jackson’s improvement this year and move him to make room for Price. I would like to see Sonnanstine stay because we do need an innings eater and Jackson isn’t it. I will be following these rumors closely this week and I’ll begin to list what I see as it’s close enough to watch now. I really do hope a move is made, even if it’s not a trade but a move to bring someone up and try to improve this team.
Scott Brannelly
Saturday, 26. July 2008
I have to take a minute and get on B.J. Upton since no one else seems to want to. I’m completely sick of hearing the excuses being made for Upton by people saying he’s an “effortless athlete”. Let’s clear this up now. He is a very smooth athlete who CAN do things other can’t in a effortless manner. The problem is he is more of an athlete with no effort. I’m sick of watching him dog it down to first, make bonehead decisions and loaf after balls in the gap. More so though, I’m sick of no one doing anything about it. Grow a pair Maddon! The coddling of this whiny ass in CF has gotten out of control. We’re already in a situation where the Rays have no real candidate to play center and yank this jerk out of the lineup when he does this crap, but no one seems to want to let him know about it. Why did we sign Cliff Floyd again? Oh that’s right, as a “mentor” to our young players like Upton and Crawford. Do something Cliff! It’s so aggravating because B.J. IS so talented. This is what made me lose it in last night’s game. In the first inning Upton hit a ball up the middle to second and the second baseman Mark Grudzielanek couldn’t make the out at second and threw to first to get B.J. If Upton had ran hard down the line, like you’re taught to do, he would have easily beaten this out. This really got to me a couple innings later when Grudzielanek made a throwing error to second and B.J. made a very heads up play and went to third. He showed on this play how freakin fast he is when he RUNS! There are only a handful of guys in the league that could’ve made it to third on that play, and Upton is one of them. I know that athletes are Prima Donna’s now and it’s hard to get in their face about this stuff but at least try. It’s a shitty thing to see a talented guy like Upton let his whiny punk ass attitude get in the way of his progress. This is why I would like to see a guy like Ruggiano or Fernando Perez on the big league club so there is someone you can put out there when you need to check this guy. This needs to stop. Grow some balls Rays and discipline this guy when he needs it!
Scott Brannelly
Wednesday, 23. July 2008
If you didn’t know this about me before, now you do. I’m a fantasy sports junkie. I’m currently in four fantasy baseball leagues and I play the football, hockey and basketball also. What I would like to do is invite all the local blogs of any kind to do some friendly fantasy football leagues. I’m new to the internet and blogging thing so I don’t know all the blogs and what not in the area that cover Tampa Bay sports but I think it would be cool to have all of us compete in this a little. I’ll send an invite to all the blogs that I know of to see if they want to do this. So Buc Em, Rays Index, DRays Bay and whoever else is out there please let me know if you want to do this. I would like it to be a year round thing for all the fantasy sports. Not sure if I’m the only geek doing this but if anyone wants to do this either leave comments or email me at scott@tampabaysportsblog.com. Let me know guys and I’ll start a league for us all to play in. I prefer the ESPN leagues but I’ll do what the majority agrees on. If I don’t know your blog and you want to join please don’t be mad, just let me know who you are and we’ll square it away.
Wednesday, 23. July 2008
Listening to Ron and Ian today they did an interview with Joe Maddon which was pretty good. The only thing Maddon said that I don’t agree with is that BJ Upton hustles “all the time” and that he never has mental lapses. Are you kidding me? Does he think we all listen to the games on the radio and never watch them? I’m glad he thinks we are so stupid. I don’t expect him to bash BJ or anything but don’t tell me that what I SEE isn’t true. Anyway, they reported on the radio that Maddon and Friedman had a 45 minute closed door session after the game. God I hope it’s discussing trad possibilities! I can’t watch Gomes anymore, I change the channel or look away at the games now when he hits. It is the ugliest spectacle I’ve ever seen. And Carlos Pena’s and Carl Crawford’s at-bats are almost as unbearable now too. It seems that everyone on the team is capable of at least one hideous at-bat every game and something needs to be done. I would love to see Nady here but I continue to hear that the asking price is too high. There isn’t alot out there to be had but I would like see the Rays take a chance and mortgage some of the future for it. The Yanks are down a little but that won’t last long. Boston is setup for a long run of success with a nice mix of young and veteran talent. This is our shot! Who knows how healthy this team will be next year? If a Holliday could be had for anything other than David price, do it! He could be a key in the middle that could put us over the top this year and maybe next before he walks. If, as reported, Jeff Niemann is holding up a Nady deal then someone should be shot in the Rays front office! I have to think that even Joe Maddon is rooting for an upgrade at this point. Team chemistry only goes so far before things need to change. Oh, to ramble a little more which is off the subject and something I never thought I would say, I MISS JASON BARTLETT! The rock that he’s become in the middle of this infield is astounding to me and I hate watching Benny Boo Boo (hat tip to Rays Index on that name)! Hopefully a deal gets done for a hitter or I think it will be the start of the downfall! By the way, what the hell is Crawford hitting third for now?! Hasn’t the Fat Catcher earned a shot in the three hole by now? Oh well, back to work.
Scott Brannelly
Tuesday, 22. July 2008
Anyone who wants Bret Favre to come to the Bucs I have two words for you, shut up! It’s not bad enough that we’ve been dealing with endless QB carousel that Jon Gruden loves to operate,the Jeff Garcia contract shit that’s been going on and among other Gruden/Allen BS. Now we want to start yapping about Bret Favre coming to town and adding a few more rings to the circus. I love sports rumors and speculation and stuff like that but this is annoying. First things first I don’t want to take away from Favre’s career accomplishments or anything of that nature so don’t take what I’m about to say as me being a Favre basher, he’s one of the greatest QB’s of all time. That being said, I don’t want Bret Favre here and I have a problem with anyone who thinks he’s an option that will make this team better. The team he was on last year had far superior talent at the WR position and possibly the O-Line as well. If he were to heave balls around with this team you could easily reverse the 28-15 TD-INT rate he had last year. Not only this but he comes with an extraordinary price tag, questionable decision making and, regardless of his 600 game starting streak or whatever, is an injury away from being done. Don’t we already have one of those guys at a lower price? To take this further, there is no guarantee that he and Gruden would get along. In fact the odds are against it as Gruden likes to be the biggest show in town. It worked with Gruden and Rich Gannon because Gannon didn’t care to have the spotlight and credited Gruden with all his success. This wouldn’t happen here. Favre would also have to learn a new playbook, which is a difficult one, new players and new coaches. I hear people say that the system is the same as the one they run in Green Bay but it’s not. They’re all different and it’s hard for anyone to pick up this system in a short period of time. This would be an outrageously stupid move and I know I might have to shoot someone if they bring this drama addicted old man to town. I’ve seen posts over at Buc ‘Em and the Bucs Beatabout this and it drives me insane. I know there’s not a lot to write about right now with the Bucs but why add fuel to this beyond annoying fire? Stop it!
Scott Brannelly
Tuesday, 22. July 2008
In the last month the Lightning have gone from the least talked about team in the NHL to the most talked about. They have been bought by Oren Koules and gang (finally), hired the Mullet, traded Dan Boyle and oh god let’s stop for a second. I’ll list all the moves by date below but I want to hit on the Dan Boyle trade. There was a ton of reaction to this and I need to put my two cents in. I agree with everyone who said it was a shady move by the new group to lie to Boyle and turn around a trade him. That was an asshole move that we have seen all too often from some other guys in the area (rhymes with Gruden and Allen, oops) and is not something I want to see become a trend with these guys. That being said, it was a good move. Boyle was overpaid and overrated as a defender. He was a good player but the picks we got for him are worth more than he would’ve been to this team. He may be missed as a teammate but no where else. As far as the rest of the moves, I like the aggressiveness of the organization in trying to improve the worst team in hockey. They have not been shy in any way about free agents or trades. There isn’t much to rave about or bitch about either as we need to see how all these guys play together under “The Mullet” before anything can be said. Below are all the major transactions made over the last month.
There are more things that took place as far as coaching changes and what not, but these are the more notable transactions. I’ll have some reaction to these over the next few days, right now we’re just catching up. Good day to you now as my fingers are numb.
Scott Brannelly
Source: ESPN
Monday, 21. July 2008
With the Rays offense struggling to push across runs, and the major need being a right handed bat to help out against lefties, this has to be Jonny Gomes last shot at production this year. I can understand why fans and even his teammates like him but his personality is not enough to keep him on the club. The Rays have been eyeballing guys like Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Matt Murton and even Matt Holliday (not really). With the A’s throwing lefties at the Rays for the next three games Gomes has an opportunity to prove he can be that guy. At the start of the season we knew he would have limited playing time, we knew he was a defensive liability and with all that considered we counted on him to hit homeruns, especially against lefties. Mr. Gomes has disappointed in almost every way so far (he has done well stealing and running the bases) and it is time to show and prove. He says he’s a guy that needs regular playing time to get his swing right, what player doesn’t? All the excuses are gone now and he must start hitting. The Rays are winning more than we anticipated and a true RF/RH hitter could help put this team over the top. The trade market is iffy as the asking price for Bay and Holliday is too high, Nady might be damaged goods and Murton is still unproven. It also works against the Rays by having too much depth in the minors as every team has ridiculous asking prices when they speak to the Rays. It’s time for Gomes get it done or go ahead and join the WWE!
Scott Brannelly
Monday, 21. July 2008
Sorry to everyone for all the delays in getting back on here but I had some setbacks and what not. I’m putting together some posts right now for the Rays and Lightning as there is a ton to talk about here. In the meantime I encourage everyone to check out DRaysBay today. They’ve got a nice post about how well the Rays draft picks are doing so far this year and it’s pretty interesting. I’ll have some stuff together soon and will pre-load some other stuff for later in the week. I’m back for the day to day grind now and there will be consistent posts here on out!
Scott Brannelly
Friday, 11. July 2008
A note to all of you out there awaiting my return. I have had some issues over the last week and a half that have been taking over my thoughts and time. As all of you know I work as an Insurance Agent and unfortunately one of my colleagues lost her husband last week. Dee Dee Addessi is a friend and co-worker and her husband Joshua Addessi, co-founder of The Axis Group, died in his sleep last week at the age of 35. In addition to this tragedy, my father had a heart-attack on Tuesday and is still in ICU. My father should be fine and we are all holding up together well. The death of Josh has hit me pretty hard though. I was not close with Josh and his wife I know only as a colleague, but they are very good people who had just started a family. Josh was only 35 and that’s been pretty tough for me to swallow. I can’t imagine the pain Dee Dee is in as she is left to raise their young daughter all alone now. It’s been sad for all involved so please keep the entire Addessi family in your thoughts and prayers. I will get back to blogging sports over the weekend as there is a ton of stuff to cover. Thank you all for your support and patience!
Scott Brannelly