Tampa Bay Sports Blog

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Andrew Friedman, Andy Sonnanstine, Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Lyon, Brian Fuentes, Carl Crawford, Carlos Guillen, Carlos Pena, Chad Bradford, Dan Wheeler, David Price, Dioner Navarro, Edwin Jackson, Elijah Dukes, Evan Longoria, Francisco Rodriguez, Gabe Gross, Gary Sheffield, Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, Joe Beimel, Joe Maddon, Jonny Gomes, Los Angeles Dodgers, Magglio Ordonez, Matt Garza, Miguel Cabrera, Mitch Talbot, Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies, Reid Brignac, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Kazmir, Shawn Riggans, Tampa Bay Rays, Trever Miller, Willy Aybar

   Time to wrap up the Rays season. What a season we had here, never saw this coming. I thought, the same as everyone else, the Rays would improve but not to this extent. Let’s wrap it up…

• The defense: The most dramatically improved thing on this team was the defense. The arrival of Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria made this into the best left side defense in baseball. I was skeptical of Bartlett in the beginning (no need to bring my stupidity there again) as he had some unexplained throwing errors early but recovered to have a great season (should’ve got the gold glove over Young in my opinion). Longo was great defensively from day one and that’s that. Aki transitioned nicely over to second and Pena (won gold glove) was phenomenal. Having Pena at the corner saved Barty and Longo at least 5 errors a piece. Navarro’s improvement behind the plate was far and away the most amazing difference I saw. He was such a different player all around this year that I want to compare images from last season to see if this is the same guy. Unreal! Crawford and Upton were very good and have the speed to make up for other mistakes they might make. Right field was our problem child but Gabe Gross, Eric Hinske, Nathan Haynes (remember him?), Jonny Gomes (worst of all), Rocco and Fernando Perez did good enough to stay out of the conversation. Riggans did fine as a backup and Ben Zobrist was also good enough in learning new positions that he warranted to complaints. Willy Aybar was a godsend. He started the year at third and gave up his spot to Evan after getting injured. When he returned he helped fill the voids left by Pena and Longoria while they were injured (separately of course).
• The starting pitching: The pitchers improvement was made by maturation and the defense if you ask me. James Shields continued his development into an innings eating machine who we can count on every fifth day to give us a quality start. Kazmir started great after his injury and reverted back to the 5 inning 100 pitch nightmare we’ve gotten too used to. I still think he was pitching through injuries as his slider was gone and we saw hitters make better contact off of him than ever before. Matt Garza was better than advertised and he should improve as he gets his emotions under control. Sonny ate innings as we expected and showed the mental toughness of an ace. Edwin Jackson pitched better than anyone expected. I would like to see more strikeouts from a power arm like his, but it’s hard to complain about 14 wins. We also saw the arrival of David Price. Not much to say there except, hello king David! Now either Sonny or EJax has to give way to Price, one of those nice problems we’ve heard about but rarely seen here. We also saw Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jason Hammel make starts. Hammel should be a starter, just not here. Niemann and Talbot could be swingmen or trade bait. We also were lucky here in that there were no major injuries and we basically saw the same five guys all year. That’s a great accomplishment for that reason and for the fact that all five guys performed well enough to stay in the rotation.
• The bullpen: The second most surprising turnaround to me. JP Howell went from prospect on the bubble to a dominating short inning reliever who has become invaluable to this team. I gotta admit, I didn’t see that one coming. Howell not only dominated lefty’s but he shut down righty’s as well. Dan Wheeler rebounded from his bad showing after getting him back from Houston last season and was very good at the setup and closer roles. Grant Balfour was unhittable after his early season demotion and Trevor Miller did enough to get by. Troy Percival was very good until his age and weight caught up with him and his career should be over now. Jason Hammel played the villain role as the mop up/long relief guy and was doing decent until the meltdown against the Yanks. Chad Braford was a nice late season acquisition who performed well in his first round with the team. We saw Juan Salas, Mitch Talbot, Scott Dohman and Kurt Birkins make appearances and we said goodbye to Gary Glover and Al Reyes (yay!). Again this historical improvement I attribute to maturing and the defense.
• The offense: The offense was average for the most part all year and did enough to win. Longoria should be rookie of the year, Pena performed as expected and Aki continued his transition into the leadoff role. We saw down seasons from Upton (until the playoffs) and Crawford, mostly due to injuries. We saw marked improvement from Navarro who finished with the highest batting average at .295 (not .300 though, sorry Cork) and Jason Bartlett. Both of these guys shut me up with authority and became two guys I really like having now. Aybar was awesome off the bench filling in when needed. Gross had some big hits that we didn’t count on out of him. Zobrist and Hinske were good for some bombs at the right times. Floyd was decent at the DH role. Gomes played his way back to the minors (hopefully out of town) and Riggans did what a backup catcher should do. This is the area of the team you could say disappointed and needs to be improved on in the off-season.

   Overall it was the best season we’ve had and looks to be the start of something very special here. These guys are young for the most part and are still learning. Much of the way Her Rays thinks now, maybe there’s something to the fact that this was my first year blogging, it was the first winning season in Rays history. I only hope that I can improve as much as these guys did. It was a season that was great for me as I said it was my first year doing this site, it was the first year my son really got into baseball and it has given us all a sense of excitement that we’ve never had here before. I’ve heard people telling me that they can’t wait for next year already, that’s never been said to me before! Thanks to everyone out there who supported me, especially Rays Index.  Great season guys!

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Al Reyes, Andy Sonnanstine, Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Chad Bradford, Cliff Floyd, Dan Wheeler, David Price, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, Gabe Gross, Gary Glover, Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, Jonny Gomes, Juan Salas, Kurt Birkins, Matt Garza, Mitch Talbot, Nathan Haynes, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Dohman, Scott Kazmir, Shawn Riggans, Tampa Bay Rays, Trevor Miller, Troy Percival, Willy Aybar

The Rays ended the madness tonight and got away with a 7-5 win to avoid being swept by the retirement home bandits. They had a big inning in the second in which they scored 5 runs on hits by Gross, Aki and Aybar and things looked back to normal on the mound and in the field. The crowds picked up the last two nights also with 25,000 plus at both games. It got scary but it worked out. Anyway, let’s get to it.

• Kazmir still isn’t right. He is slowly improving but there still appears to be something wrong with him. He threw 6 innings of one hit ball with five walks. That’s right, 5 freakin walks! I don’t know how he got away with it against the Yanks but he did. I can only hope that there’s nothing seriously wrong with him and it all is corrected by the time the playoffs roll around.
• I have given credit to Jason Hammel in the past for having the toughest job on the team. No more. That was completely embarrassing tonight to have to bring in your closer to finish off a game that you were winning 7-0 in the ninth. The role that Hammel fills is a thankless role, but c’mon, 5 runs in 2/3 on an inning?! What are you doing?!
• A-Rod is still useless when he’s needed. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
• I guess I need to lay off Melvin for now. The St. Pete Times broke the story today where Upton said he needs surgery after the season and that’s why he hasn’t been hitting any homeruns. Interperet that any way you want but I have a couple questions. If he’s not driving in runs and he’s looking to get on base for others, why is he not batting leadoff? I’ve been puzzled by this for a while and it only goes to prove the point even more. He draws walks, steals bases and has been downgraded to having warning track power. He’s obviously our best leadoff hitter so……….. My other question is toward Melvin. Haven’t you had this problem for some years now? He has apparently battled this shoulder thing since the minor league days at least, so why hasn’t this been addressed sooner? I tore my rotator cuff in high school so I know how bad a shoulder injury can hurt and if I had the resources I would’ve had surgery but we couldn’t afford it. You could afford it Melvin so what’s the excuse here?
• Last thing is to Barty and Whiskers. I dogged these guys hard early in the year, and with the bet with Rays Index looming, I want to give both of these guys credit. I looked at the stats when the game started and these two guys have the highest avg. of all the regulars on the team. Outstanding! Gotta give credit when it’s due.

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Alex Rodriguez, BJ Upton, Dioner Navarro, Gabe Gross, Jason Bartlett, Jason Hammel, New York Yankees, Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays, Willy Aybar

I know, I know, but you should all know by now that since my life is chaotic, my postings become chaotic. I’m trying to slow things down a little now but we’ll see how it goes. Anyway, the ancient relics in pinstripes came to town and took game one of the series 7-2. I heard their pathetic chants at the game and I’m sure they’ll have a whole lot to say tomorrow so I will only say one thing, wait til the series is over idiots! The stat padder in blowout games that is Gay-Rod, oops A-Rod, came out to play and the man who should be wearing a Rays uni hit a bomb to left. It was hard to watch and even harder to listen to. The Yanks may have the oldest, most over-rated and overpaid team in baseball but they still have the most annoying fans. These are fans who didn’t bother to show up to the game either. I also hate to sound like one of those people here too but did anyone else feel like Matt Garza was being screwed tonight? Talk about an erratic umpire!

Now some notes….

• Even though the Rays didn’t produce too much, it’s still nice to see Barty, Pena, Aybar and Hinske still swinging the bat well. These guys have been very good lately, especially Barty, Pena and Aybar. I don’t think you could ask much more from these guys. How bout that bomb by Barty on Sunday too? I gotta admit, I didn’t think he had it in him.
• Melvin still hasn’t realized that he has to SWING the bat in order to drive in runs. He obviously doesn’t want to swing Maddon, he only appears interested in drawing walks and acts like he’s allergic to runners on base. How bout a benching for striking out looking too much with runners on?
• Garza got screwed by a Yankees paid umpire. How much did Mussina and the Yanks pay you Brian Runge? We could offer up some cash if you’re for sale. Shake it off Matt.
• And I must get to the attendance. There are a ton of reasons people are saying that they don’t go to games ranging from location, the team history, lack of time, etc… The one reason I do buy into is the economy. There is no real reason not to go, but this economy is hurting us all. It’s killing me and I know I’m not the only one. I’ve been to 50+ games this year and the only reason I don’t go to more is the fact that I have no money! Tickets are cheap, but not every night. I expected a bigger turnout for the Yankees but I guess their fans are either broke or embarrassed. Either way, I do think the Rays will draw here.

Technorati Tags: Alex Rodriguez, BJ Upton, Brian Runge, Carlos Pena, Eric Hinske, Jason Bartlett, Joe Maddon, Matt Garza, Mike Mussina, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Willy Aybar, Xavier Nady

   A couple of Rays notes for the day. The snagged reliever Chad Bradford off of waivers from the Orioles and will be sending the infamous “player to be named later”. Bradford is a capable reliever who I can’t stand watching, but is effective. He is one of the few submarine style pitchers left in the game and is a groundball machine. I would expect to see him in those situations that require a double play ball and against tough right handed hitters. He’s having a good season to the tune of a 3-3 record with a 2.45 ERA. We can only speculate on who’s going to be the odd man out and I would have to guess Al Reyes. Rays Index thinks Jason Hammel may be gone (who they don’t seem to be a big fan of) but I gotta think that Hammel serves more of a purpose than Reyes and there isn’t anyone to really take his long relief spot. After watching the 85 mph balloons Reyes has been throwing lately I gotta think he’s on the way to the DL at least. In other news The Heater is also reporting that Carl Crawford will be back in the lineup tonight. He’s been having some leg problems and has not been nearly as aggressive on the basepaths. This is probably something that will linger for the rest of the year so I’m not gonna get too excited either way. It’s not looking as good for Jason Bartlett tonight though as he’s out of the lineup. His finger is probably still too swollen to throw so it may be another day or two before he’s back. I would assume when he’s back in the lineup then Rocco will be activated and Zobrist will be optioned. Back to work again.

Scott Brannelly

Source: The Heater

Technorati Tags: Al Reyes, Baltimore Orioles, Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, Chad Bradford, Jason Bartlett, Jason Hammel, Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Rays

   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

Technorati Tags: Andrew Friedman, Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, David Price, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett, Jeff Niemann, Joe Maddon, Jonny Gomes, Matt Holliday, Rays Index, Tampa Bay Rays, The Fat Catcher, Xavier Nady

  If you watched the game last night you saw the confrontation between Manager Joe Maddon and Coco Crisp. Coco tried to steal second in the eighth inning of a 5-1 game and slid late and hard into Akinori Iwamura while being tagged out. It was a blatant cheap shot attempt and Joe Maddon had plenty to say to Crisp when he went out to the mound to replace Jason Hammel. They shouted at each other and eventually stared each other down from the dugout. I love the fact that Maddon is defending his players but I think it’s high time that Aki stopped letting everyone fight his battles for him. Crisp says he was mad at an earlier play in which he says Jason Bartlett blocked the bag at which point he said he told Bartlett to watch out. He then retaliates against Aki while trying to steal in the eighth? This is the second time Aki has been involved with dirty tactics at second and he has not even come close to defending himself. This time it was Maddon, the first time it was Jonny Gomes coming in from right field. I’m all for keeping your composure and what not, but a man needs to be a man! I like Aki and think he’s doing a great job at second, but he looks like a little boy waiting for his big brother to step in out there. He should’ve pummeled Shelley Duncan the first time and he should’ve done it to Crisp as well. In my old age I have learned to walk away from a fight, but I will never let someone treat me like a bitch! It makes me wonder about Aki’s toughness when he just allows people to do this. We saw both ends of the spectrum last night. Aki walked away without saying a word again and B.J. Upton cried like a little bitch after striking out looking for the 400th time this year. Both are wrong and both look bad. Upton needs to shut up and swing. Aki needs to stand up for himself. I’ve always said “if you’re afraid to fight but will, that’s normal. If you won’t fight because you’re afraid, you’re a bitch”. Have some backbone and stand up for yourself Aki! The video here is courtesy of David Chalk at Bugs and Cranks, it was brought to my attention by Rays Index. 

   The other thing that bothers me about this is that the Announcers, Fans, Coaches, Players, Bugs, Birds and everyone else expects the pitcher to hit him today. Our pitcher is Shields today and he gives us the biggest chance not to get swept. He could hit Crisp and could get ejected, not good. Then the Sox win again! Let’s wait to retaliate and how bout Aki stands up for himself now!

Scott Brannelly

Sources: Rays Index, Bugs and Cranks

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Jason Bartlett, Joe Maddon, Jonny Gomes, Tampa Bay Rays

   The series in Boston is pretty much going the way I thought it would. I’m not silly enough to think the Rays can go to Boston and sneak out with another series win. I figured they would drop the first two and grab the third behind James Shields. This isn’t being brought up because of the two losses, I’ve been meaning to bring this up for a while now. The Rays bats are not very good right now. Aki has picked it up over the last month, TFC and Bartlett are doing better. The problem is the middle of the order. Upton is still taking too many strikes and isn’t hitting for any power. Watching him at this point he looks to be a better leadoff hitter than number three hitter. Pena has struggled and is now hurt. Longoria hasn’t burst on the scene like we all anticipated. Looking at the lineup from top to bottom there is absolutely no one that would scare any pitcher out there. The Rays need to make a move to get a legit middle of the order hitter. To take it a step further in my little fantasy here, I want an elite type hitter. I saw a ridiculous rumor a week or two ago that had the Rays trading David Price among others to the Cards for Albert Pujols. I would do that in a heartbeat. I’m all about developing from within, maintaining a strong farm system and all that but why chase potential when a front line hitter like that may be available. I’m sure that rumor was bogus so don’t take it as me saying the Rays should get Pujols, I’m just saying it’s time to start looking at things a little different. If guys like Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols or Magglio Ordonez become available at a steep price I personally would rather see the Rays go for a more “win now” approach. Now understand, I’m not saying they should try to be the Yankees, they should try to be the Red Sox. Look at it like this, the Sox are a great team because the have Ramirez/Ortiz in the middle. They won without Beckett, Lowell, etc… (although Varitek aint hurtin’ them either). I think Longoria will eventually develop into a great middle order guy, Upton should hopefully find his power stroke again but what else is coming in the way of hitters, Ryan Royster? The Rays lack power throughout the organization and should move some of this pitching depth to get a feared hitter. The Rays originally had a plan to win more toward the ‘09 or ‘10 seasons but things have changed fellas. There should be more of a rush now because pitching is so volatile. Will Shields and Kaz be healthy next year? This seems to be the year that you want to start planning on. With Kazmir and Shields pitching well, Garza improving, a solid bullpen and David Price storming towards the bigs it’s time to start hunting. Here’s my logic. If you trade some guys like Wade Davis, Jake McGee, Jeff Niemann and Fernando Perez it would definitely hurt your minor league system, but you would get a big time bat or two back and that makes you Major League club better right now and for the next year or two after. During that time you can replenish your farm system through the draft and what not. You also still have guys like Mitch Talbot, Jeremy Hellickson, Desmond Jennings, Heath Rollins and Chris Mason down there. You have depth and it’s time to use it! We can’t continue to put this much pressure on the pitching staff and defense. This is why I was for Bonds over Floyd. Say what you want about Bonds, he is feared as a hitter every day he walks and that makes everyone better. Floyd is no Bonds and will probably not stay healthy for half of the teams games this year. Make a move for the sake of winning now please!

Scott Brannelly

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Barry Bonds, BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Chris Mason, Cliff Floyd, David Price, Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, Heath Rollins, Jake McGee, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Garza, Mitch Talbot, Ryan Royster, Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays, TFC, Wade Davis

   First thing to say here is that the players on the field are getting it done. All the credit in the world belongs to the guys on the field doing what needs to be done. No doubt about it. I am getting very frustrated with our idiot Manager now though. It seems at the moment that the players are winning in spite of what Mr. Maddon does. This creates a problem because Maddon isn’t going to try and correct what seems to be working even though it won’t continue to work. At the game today there a some things that stuck out to me.

•   First thing is a glaring issue. What the hell was Jason Bartlett doing batting sixth? Is a guy swinging a rubber bat (who’s BA, SLG and OBP were all under .300 to start the day) really going to protect Evan Longoria? In the first inning they walked Longoria intentionally to get to Bartlett and JB grounded out. I hope this was just an attempt at something different and doesn’t become some sort of new wave crap Maddon wants to try.
•    We don’t bunt enough! This is the main thing that bothers me where the players are overcoming stupid decisions. In the 5th inning today there was a perfect example. Riggans singled to lead off. Hot shot Ben Zobrist should’ve been bunting then but didn’t and luckily walked. Next up was Aki and he should’ve been bunting but again wasn’t. Aki got a hit and everything turned out ok but it’s not the right thing to do. This team strikes out a lot and they hit into a lot of double plays too. They are not putting themselves in the best spot to win. That’s what a manager is supposed to do. We are getting away with it now but it won’t hold up.
•    Crawford and Bartlett should be switched. Carl, as much as I love him, is no number two hitter. He is hurting more than helping in the two spot. He is way too chaotic at the plate and his bat control is not good enough for this spot. For someone who is a slap hitter (and he shouldn’t be) he doesn’t bunt enough and K’s too much. Bartlett is much better suited for the two hole as he should be sacrificing at bats more than anyone else. He should be trained to bunt, bunt, bunt! Carl is pressing hard and should be moved down as the alternative leadoff man in the nine hole.
•    And finally I’ll question the decision to leave Garza in for the eighth. Garza pitched very well today but this made me nervous. It worried me because this is a guy who has been on the DL already this year with arm trouble and I don’t see a need to try to stretch him out over 100 pitches in a game like this when you have Wheeler for the eighth and a day off tomorrow.

   Maybe I’m being a little nit picky with everything but I want this team to compete all year. What do you think?

Scott Brannelly

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Joe Maddon, Matt Garza, Shawn Riggans, Tampa Bay Rays

   The Rays shut out another team tonight behind some nice pitching and defense. The defense is the main reason for the improvement of the pitching staff this year in my opinion and it’s time I gave some guys props for the work they’ve put in.

•    Matt Garza is almost as unpredictable as Edwin Jackson but he continues to put up solid performances when needed. He threw seven plus innings of shutout ball tonight and since coming off of the DL has been good. He is 3-1 in 36.1 innings with an ERA of 2.99 since his short DL stint and the team is 6-2 in his starts during that time. He has walked 15 and struckout 14 in that span which is troublesome but he’s getting it done.
•    Troy Percival is holding up better than I expected. I thought that, given his injury history and age, that Percy would have a hard time being a full time closer again but he’s doing it. Troy has saved 14 games so far and he appears to be all that was advertised. The games he’s given up don’t seem to effect him the next time out and he’s taking control of the bullpen. You can probably attribute some of Wheeler and Howell’s success to him but whether you do or not he has definitely made a big difference.
•    Aki and Bartlett have gotten their averages up and quieted my stupid ass. Aki I never picked on much, I had confidence that he would get better. My only thing with him is I don’t understand how he’s doing it. He is still pulling off the ball more than he did last year and his at bats early in the game are generally ugly. I would much rather see him outside the leadoff spot but there’s no one to put there now so he’ll do. Jason Bartlett is an entirely different story. I’ve never had a player turn my opinion so much and shut me up so bad. He has played outstanding defense and is picking it up with the stick. He’s no Omar Vizquel but he has sold me in every way that the Rays did the right thing in swapping him for Harris. I loved Harris last year and my feelings for him blinded me on Bartlett early but damn has he turned me.
•    The fat catcher is improving and continues to hit. Here is where I slow down a bit. I love that the fat catcher is hitting now but I’m not getting over-excited about this. I’m still extremely skeptical about this as there is nothing in his swing or ability that makes me think he can keep this up (contrary to what Rays Index thinks). I’m elated that he is hitting and could finish the year somewhere around .270 or above but there is no way I see him hitting .300 or more. I’m not talking trash here, I just am curious, please guys tell me what you saw in his swing or ability that makes you think he can hit .320 or .330. If there is something I’m missing please tell me and I’ll jump on board (even though he’ll always be the fat catcher here).

   The best thing about watching this team now is the fact that the flaws are still so prominent yet they keep winning. It gives me so much excitement when I think that there is still so much to bitch about with a winning record. I love this team and, even though I bitch, there is nothing more I look forward to now than watching my Rays!

Scott Brannelly

Sources: Yahoo, Rays Index

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Dan Wheeler, Dioner Navarro, Edwin Jackson, J.P. Howell, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays, Troy Percival

   Let me give it to myself before I get shell shocked by Rays Index and the rest of them. Jason Bartlett is better than Brendan Harris. I judged Bartlett too quick and I have to retract my earlier statements. In the first few weeks of the season I was so unimpressed by the play of Jason Bartlett that I started speaking out of turn on some things. Bartlett still makes me miss Harris offensively at the moment but after seeing him play short the last few weeks, the defense is noticeably improved. At the moment Bartlett has seemed to put the throwing problems behind him but the range is there. He has made some great plays and I feel the need as a man to let everyone know that I have tasted my foot and have decided to remove it. I still have some complaints about some things on the defensive side but this is a much better team. We obviously miss Delmon Young is right field but Gross and Haynes seem to be fine out there. B.J. Upton still plays too shallow in center and whenever Hisnke or Gomes is in right is hold my breath. None of this is horrible though which leads me to Dioner Navarro. Navarro seems to be swinging the bat better so far this year but he is still a statue behind the plate. I have never understood the love affair with this guy. He stabs at too many balls instead of sliding his body, his arm is average at best and from what I can see he is still looking to the dugout to call a game. I think Shawn Riggans does a fine job behind the plate and would like to see him get more playing time but this is all minor. This team is light years ahead of last year as Longoria is as good if not better than Aki at third and Aki has translated nicely to second. Pena is one of the best I’ve seen at first and Crawford makes up for bad jumps with great speed. The right field platoon is working and Upton is slowly improving in center. The biggest difference is Bartlett. I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong and I’ll take my lumps for running my mouth. Bartlett has made a huge difference on defense and I’m glad he has. If Aki and Bartlett would start hitting I would be much happier but they are part of the solution right now and I’ll take whatever is given to me on this as I was WRONG!.

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, Gabe Gross, Jason Bartlett, Jonny Gomes, Nathan Haynes, Shawn Riggans, Tampa Bay Rays

   I’ve never been more excited to be a Rays fan. The Rays beat Boston again tonight 2-1 and it was an awesome game. Edwin Jackson pitched well and the bullpen did too. The Rays hung in against the Sox all the way Akinori Iwamura finally came through in the eighth with a two run homer that sealed the deal. Clay Buchholz pitched a great game and kept the Rays hitters off balance all night yet the Rays did enough to get by and that was great to see, again! My seats tonight were right behind the Boston dugout and I figured I would be hounded and annoyed all night by the front-running Tampa Bay Red Sox fans. There were less than expected and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of. There are still more Sox fans at the game than Rays fans most likely but it was much more even tonight than in the past. As I told one of the Sox fans, I’m not saying the Rays are going to win the division or even go to the playoffs this year but it’s nice to have scoreboard, even if it’s just for a weekend. I heard all the crap from the idiots tonight about how they are the Champs and I’m not disagreeing but how can you blame us fans for getting excited. Most of the excitement in it is BECAUSE the Sox are the Champs. We’re not taking the title from you, we’re just excited that things seem to be going in the right direction and we beat the Champs in a series. Think about it. Tim Wakefield, who has been pitching since Babe Ruth, is like 152-2 or something against the Rays in the Trop but we pulled that game out last night. The Rays were dominated by Clay Buchholz for seven innings only to break through on a homer and pull out another one. This is competing. This is exciting. The Rays may not be able to keep it up through the entire season but whether they do or not, right now we are competing and winning. The Rays have done this with guys like Bartlett, Pena, Garza and Iwamura underachieving, Kazmir and Floyd hurt and a multitude of other things that in the past they would have never overcome. It is becoming a time in Tampa Bay where it is harder to except when the Rays lose. It is more fun to watch this team, win or lose, than it ever has been in it’s history. What a game and series so far. Sorry Sox fans but even though the Rays may not quite be there and they may have been a laughing stock since their inception, the Rays are close. They beat you this weekend and regardless of the trash you may talk they haven’t gone 80+ years without a ring, just 10.

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, Edwin Jackson, Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays

   What a huge night for the Rays and their fans. Rays Index wrote today about how big this series actually is for the Rays and I’m in complete agreement on this. This series with Boston is a show a prove opportunity for the Rays. This is huge not just for the fans, who finally get to see how this team matches up against the big boys. It’s not just big for the league to see what the Rays are made of. It’s biggest for the players themselves. This is a chance to get out there and finally realize that they ARE good enough to compete with these guys. I’ve been a fan since day one here as this is my hometown and I am loyal to a fault and this is by far the best TEAM the Rays have fielded since their inception. I will now delve into tonight’s game with the most positive thought I have had of this team to date. I’ve been very critical of the team, players and so on. Sometimes it’s fair and sometimes not. There will be no negativity tonight. I saw something in this team tonight that has been rare in the past. They believed. They showed they believed and they showed they belonged. It was great to see it in their faces and in their body language. Sure there were guys still visibly tight and pressing in the pressure situations but that’s understandable. Their was a different look to these guys though, even the ones pressing. They didn’t look nervous like they did in the past like they were worried about being the guy to screw it up. They looked like they wanted to be the guy to get it done. In the past a situation like the one we saw with Dan Wheeler facing Ortiz, and then Manny Ramirez, us fans and players would be all but sure that something bad was going to happen. Even though the thought still may have been there (I admit I thought it) and Wheeler put it to bed with authority. Again in the 11th, Scott Dohman got a double play out of David Ortiz to shut the Sox down. This was a beautiful thing to watch. I was more excited watching this game tonight than any I game I can remember watching. I will say nothing negative about anyone this evening, not even Joe Maddon. I know I believe the Rays are closer than ever to competing, but the RAYS should now too. At this point in my post it’s in the bottom of the 11th and C.C. just stroked a single to left and stole second and I’m going insane so I need to get away from the computer. I hope everyone out there is as excited as I am about the Rays tonight, win or lose. 

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Jonny Gomes, Matt Garza, Nathan Haynes, Tampa Bay Rays

   I couldn’t wait to write about this one. I’ve been very critical of the Rays so far this season and with good reason. Tonight there is nothing but good to talk about. Andy Sonnanstine threw a picture perfect ballgame and the entire team played well behind him. Everyone looked good on the field and at the plate. Longoria had a tough night with the stick and Upton made another dumb mistake on the bases but that’s minor within the whole show tonight. Jason Bartlett didn’t meet me at the bar but he showed signs of snapping out of his funk. The whole team should feel good about things tonight. It’s nice to have nights like this and, with the fight coming on in half an hour, this two hour game is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Technorati Tags: Andy Sonnanstine, BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays

   The Rays  are looking to bounce back from a bad night where rookie Jeff Niemann got lit up and overall the team just played poorly. Pena is back in the lineup tonight as the DH and that’s a huge boost. After watching Hinske play first base Pena can’t get back on the field soon enough. Hinske is not playing poorly at first, it’s just that Pena is so good defensively he makes the entire infield better. Longoria has had some throwing problems and everyone has seen the struggles of Jason Bartlett so far. Speaking of Bartlett, it’s getting very difficult to even watch him play right now. I’ve been very hard on him I know, but I actually feel bad for this guy right now. At a glance it appears that he’s pressing so hard to prove himself his entire game is suffering. I wish Maddon would give this guy a couple days off just to try to gather himself and try to relax. He looks like a good athlete but he is not doing anything well right now and I would rather suffer through a couple days of Elliot Johnson than watch this guy continue to implode. He needs to relax and running him out there everyday doesn’t appear to be helping. I’m all for a guy trying to play through his problems but there has to be a point where enough is enough. The boo birds have started to go after him and things are not going to get better until he settles down. I’m rooting for this guy to come out of this funk but I find myself wanting to hurt myself any time he steps to the plate or a ball is hit to him. Please Maddon, give this guy some time off for his own sake! I’m formally inviting Jason Bartlett to skip the game tonight and join me at the bar to unwind and try to start things over here.  

Technorati Tags: Carlos Pena, Elliot Johnson, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Jeff Niemann, Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

   The Rays have experienced a multitude of injuries so far yet the newest could hurt badly. In last nights game Carlos Pena left with what is being called ‘hamstring tightness’ and this scares all Rays fans. Pena is off to a good start power-wise and is a great defensive first baseman. If he goes down for an extended period of time this could be trouble. Pena is struggling as far as his average goes but that’s a little deceptive as his presence is what matters. He is not the type of guy who is going to hit .300 but he will punish pitchers when they make mistakes. From what I’ve seen this year with Upton starting slow, but picking up lately, and no consistent protection established behind him yet Pena has not been getting much to hit and that is why his average is down. If he’s lost Eric Hinske can fill in and you won’t see a huge difference offensively but the defense will be sorely missed. Last night we saw a play where Evan Longoria had to rush a throw to first that went into the dirt and Hinske couldn’t dig it out. This is a play that’s becoming Pena’s trademark. He seems to dig most everything out of the dirt and with Longoria having already tossed a couple like this and Bartlett consistently having difficulty throwing to first this would translate into a huge problem for the team and the pitching staff. Hope it’s only tightness that a couple days off can mend. Keep your fingers crossed on this. In another quick note, The Heater is reporting there is a “major announcement” scheduled for 1pm today. With all the injuries we’ve seen so far with Kaz, Reyes, Garza, Floyd, Aybar, etc.. nothing would be shocking. No one seems to have any inclination what the announcement is so I guess we just have to wait and see.

Technorati Tags: Al Reyes, BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Cliff Floyd, Dioner Navarro, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays, Willy Aybar

   Well this is one of the fun things about sports. People don’t always see things the same way. It appears I’m ruffling some feathers out there with my defense of Brendan Harris over Jason Bartlett. I’m not going to back off of my stance that I prefer Harris to Bartlett but I’m definitely not going to have a war between blogs over something like this. I don’t have the experience or the army behind me so I’ll let it end with Rays Index backlash to my statements. I love to sit and argue sports and opinions and would do this with anyone as all of us sports fans will. As I stated before I have the utmost respect for Cork Gaines and Rays Index and I probably should have been a little more careful with my words. With this said I will concede to Rays Index and take it like a man. I plan on being around for a long time and I’m not trying to make any enemies in the area over something so small. We all agree Harris is better offensively and the rest we’ll leave alone. I now bow down and move on.

Technorati Tags: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays

   Tonight was really hard to swallow. It had to happen eventually with Jackson, he struggled tonight and that’s no surprise. I’m not saying he hasn’t improved, he definitely has, but there was no way he could have kept up the pace he started on. He’s still walking people a little too much but his mechanics look much better. He’s finishing better and tonight he was a victim of the umpires who seem to be afraid to call strikes against the Yanks and Sox. I would love to see how different these games would be if the umps gave our pitchers the calls the Yanks and Sox guys get. Could you imagine? Anyway this was tough tonight because it was a pretty well played game. Other than the little-leaguer that is Jason Bartlett everyone looked fine. Tough loss to a better team. I feel the need to respond a little here. Over at Rays Index they are getting on me about Bonds and my ridicule of Bartlett. I’ll take it for Bonds as this is my opinion based on my love of the way Bonds hits and plays. The steroids and moral issues involved is a never-ending argument I’m not gonna try to win (although everyone better be careful with their judgements in this moral haven we call Tampa Bay). My issue here is Bartlett. Anyone who has watched this guy play since the start of the season and thinks he has “great range” is a crazy person still buying the crap we were sold in the off-season. I judge baseball by watching the game, not stats. I know good and bad players. I’ve been around the game my entire life and this guy is an average major league shortstop at best. Anyone who wants to argue this with me I’ll gladly sit down and break down video with you and show you you’re nuts. No disrespect to Rays Index, I have tremendous respect for them and Cork Gaines who’s an accomplished writer and I’m a scrub typing on the net, but there is a serious problem here if they defend Bartlett over Harris. This flat tells me these are “strictly stats guys” and aren’t watching the games. The only game I have yet to see is the Thursday day game Jackson pitched because I do have a job and that wasn’t televised. There is no comparison at this point. I don’t care what Bartlett did in Minnesota, I’m judging him here. I don’t watch the Twins, I watch the Rays. If anyone wants to tell me that Bartlett is better here now than Harris was last year I advise you to rethink what you think you know about baseball.

Technorati Tags: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays

   Let’s do some catching up on a busy week where my family kept me busy.  I know it’s early in the season but it appears the Rays have more problems than expected. First off it’s quickly looking like swapping Brendan Harris for Jason Bartlett was a huge mistake. Harris was average defensively but made every play in front of him and Bartlett’s range was overrated and he’s botching easy plays. To compare these guys at the plate isn’t even a discussion, Harris is by far a better hitter so things are looking bleak there. The major part of the deal is debatable and isn’t worth arguing about as even if Delmon Young hits like he can and Garza doesn’t pan out it was more of a failed attempt to rid themselves of a malcontent so that’s that. The surprising things are these….

•    James Shields has looked off. He’s not throwing strikes like we’re accustomed to seeing from him and when he does the hitters are seeing the ball very well. I think he’ll get turned around and let me point out that his being off is still not bad. He’s getting through the tough parts and we’ll see better from him.
•    The defense is not improved, it’s possibly worse. We’ve already pointed out that Bartlett is not good (I’m actually looking forward to Ben Zobrist coming back) so we’ll leave that alone. Aki is transitioning to second base and he’s doing fine and will improve. Pena is Pena, no problems. With Longoria locked in now we fixed an early problem as Aybar was inconsistent, Hinske is slow and Elliot Johnson hasn’t looked good anywhere. The problem is the outfield. Crawford has looked below average as he’s not getting good jumps. Upton looks terrible in center right now. I know he’s learning the position still but there’s no excuse for most of what he’s doing. I’ve got a problem with Upton all around right now but I’ll get to that later, he needs to do a better job taking command in the outfield needs to take better routes to the ball. In right the only guy playing decent is Nathan Haynes, everyone else is a liability.
•    Now onto the biggest problem. Everyone will have patience with Aki and Upton and other things defensively that will improve over time. I can’t forgive the approach I’ve seen at the plate from EVERYONE except Carlos Pena. Aki looks like a high school hitter. He can’t hit the outside pitch and he swinging and missing more than I saw at all from hm last year. He’s not a leadoff hitter and that’s a problem. No surprises from Gomes and Upton as they both continue to strike out looking at an alarming rate. The ball is not coming off the bat the same way it did last year for Upton and I can’t seem to see anything different in him to explain why so I’ll assume he’ll come around. The problem with everyone is there seems to be no plan at the plate what so ever! Let’s list this out so I can point out everyone.
• Iwamura: Too far off the plate while pulling off the ball. Not bunting at all. No plan at all in approach.
• Crawford (who is the most surprising): C.C.’s biggest problem still prevalent and getting worse t seems. There is no excuse anyone on the planet can give me to explain why a player with this sort of talent is slapping, yes slapping at a ball with one strike or less. He looks like he’s just trying to touch it. He needs to be driving the ball. No plan.
• Pena: He’s got a plan. See ball, murder ball. He’ll never hit for a high average but he will hit homeruns. Great plan.
• Upton: Looks at too many called third strikes. They teach in little league, protect the plate with two strikes. Bad plan.
• Gomes: I’ve never seen a so called “power hitter” take so many fastballs and swing at so many curveballs. He should be sitting on fastballs and killing them. Instead he’s trying to hit breaking pitches and it even looks like he’s trying to walk sometimes. Let me explain this too you Mr. Gomes, power hitters draw walks because the pitcher won’t throw them anything to hit, they don’t LOOK for them. Keep it simple stupid, see fastball hit fastball. No plan/Bad plan.
• Let’s shorten this up now,I know too late, the only guys left on the team that seem to have a plan to what they’re doing are Hinske, Longoria and Haynes. Everyone else simply looks bad. I only include Longoria in this because he’s had a plan in the minors. This could change but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

   There’s alot more to complain about but I’ll let you soak this up for now. The reason I’m bringing this up is not a knock on the players but the coaches, namely our hitting coach Steve Henderson. Henderson has been the hitting coach for three years now and all these trends I’m talking about have been consistently bad since he’s been here. If these trends continue, and there’s no reason to think they won’t, Mr Henderson should receive his walking papers. There is no excuse for this kind of talent to suffer from bad coaching.

Technorati Tags: Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, James Shields, Jason Bartlett, Jonny Gomes, Matt Garza, Nathan Haynes, Tampa Bay Rays