GOING...

GOING...

GONE.

Pena, Bartlett, Crawford gone

Maddon still optimistic about 2011...

And season tickets are on sale now

Possible?

Yankees not showing Jeter the respect he thinks he deserves.

Yankees source: Jeter needs to remember, he's 36 - not 26.

Vote for the 2010 This Year in Baseball Awards

AL East Champs are done.

Fat lady sings, and Carlos Pena strikes out again.

Are Shoppach and Johnson just more of Maddon's hunches?

Maddon's hunches would never be allowed on professional teams like the Yankees or Red Sox.

As you were reading this, Cliff Lee struck out two more Rays.

Don't we wish we had hitters like Josh Hamilton?

All Yankee Haters, just became Rangers fans.  Go Rangers.
At least fans in Tampa can still listen to the Yankees on the radio.
Pitchers & Catchers report in 124 days.

Best Team in Baseball staves off elimination for one more day

Bats come alive, after 25 innings of playoff baseball

October 7, 2010

 

Pitchers and Catchers Report in 128 Days

NUMERO UNO

Yankees Fans are Taking to stabbing Red Sox Fans...again. 

Top 10 Reasons I Don’t Go to Rays Games at the Trop

Top 10 Reasons I Don’t Go to Rays Games at the Trop


We have heard countless reasons from area residents for not attending games in downtown St. Petersburg, where the stadium is one of the most easily accessible sports arenas in the nation. Here are the ten most often-heard excuses this season.
 
10. “I’ve been banned ever since I tried to see if the annoying jerk next to me could blow his vuvuzela through his ah-noos.”
9. “I’m afraid one of the catwalks will fall on me.”
8. “I get lost when I try to find the Trop’s First Avenue entrance from the Interstate’s Fifth Avenue exit.”
7. “There’s no Nordstrom’s or Saks on that side of Tampa Bay.”
6. “Too many obnoxious Packer fans.”
5. “I lost my cowbell in a canasta game.”
4. “I keep forgetting that I can eat before I go to the game and not spend an extra eighty dollars on cold hot dogs and
stale beer.”
3. “Raymond scares my children — and they’re in their thirties.”
2. “I can’t find three other people to go with me so I can get the full-car parking discount.”
And the Number One reason I don’t go to Rays games at the Trop in St. Petersburg:
1. “I live in Tampa — so, of course, I only attend Yankee games!”
 


P.S.: You know that St. Paul is not Minneapolis. You know that Fort Worth is not Dallas. So what’s so hard about recognizing that St. Petersburg isn’t Tampa?

No words necessary

 

 

Baseball Prospectus: Red Sox just 10% to make the playoffs

Rays likely to win 100 games & AL East.

 Website of the weekend:

Yankees Fans Suck

Jason Stark: Deadline Winners and Losers

"It wouldn't surprise us if this team addresses all its bat and bullpen needs in August, and probably at a much more reasonable cost than it was staring at over the last week. It's a franchise run by some of the brightest people we know. And when the bat market collapsed around them, the Rays' fearless leaders were determined not to overpay for guys like Dunn who they believed didn't really fit. But on the other hand, this is a column about July. And this is a big, big year for this franchise -- the year before Carl Crawford departs and the payroll plummets. So given the circumstances, it's tough to applaud the acquisition of only Chad Qualls as any kind of solution. For one thing, they took on all $1.5 million of his salary. For another, he's about the least dependable "quality" bullpen arm alive. "What can I say?" said an official of one rival team. "I'm just not a fan of that guy. He's Mr. Low Pressure. I just can't imagine walking into that Tampa Bay clubhouse and telling those guys, 'Hey, we got you Chad Qualls and his 8.50 ERA (OK, so it's actually 8.27). Now go get 'em.'"

BYE GEORGE

New York Daily News: An unbelievable story

New York Post: Death'$ perfect timing

New York Times: Choice Quotes

"I would prefer to remember him just as he was the first time I met him. I was managing the Red Sox and sitting in the dugout several hours before a game at Yankee Stadium. He was on the mound in a white shirt pitching batting practice to his son. A father throwing to his son.

His impact on the game is impossible to measure. If you were a Yankee fan there was no better owner because he would do anything at any cost to put the best team on the field.

My deepest sympathies go out to his family."

-Don Zimmer

Last chance to vote Carl Crawford to the 2010 all-star team

Whiskers Demoted!

Rays 2008 All-star and team leader sent to Durham. 

That's what happens when you bat .210 with 1HR in 41 games.

Matt Joyce recalled for added outfield depth with C.C.'s shoulder ailing.

Mayer Foster is gearing up for a fight with no possible winner.

MADDON-ING

Wheels coming off?

Rays waste best start in MLB history - now losers of 17 of last 27.

Don't they understand What's Important Now?
Luckily, Red Sox don't want 2nd place either.
Rays fans, don't give up on your 2nd place team.  Keep voting for them to be all-stars.

Food chain? 2nd Place Rays can't solve sub- .500 Fish, fall to 2nd place.

Rays in tie for Wild Card with washed up Red Sox.

Marlins need to learn "vuvuzela etiquette".  

Meanwhile, Pat Burrell is hitting .341 with 3 doubles and 3 homers with the Giants.

Just what "important announcement" is Stuart Sternberg going to make today?

Barely still in 1st Place Rays too tired to hang on against Braves.

Don't look now but Boston is only 3 games back.

What happened to the fire they played with in April and May?  

Don't they know What's Important Now?

The good news is they still have a 3 game lead in the Wild Card.

Rays Republic needs to step up and vote for Rays All Stars

Let this be a lesson when you have a family argument over what to watch.

Y Not US?

Red Wings icon Steve Yzerman named new Lightning GM

 3rd Best Start to a Season in MLB history

 

7 Rays Among All-Star Vote Leaders

Come on, Rays fans!  Vote 25 times!

EXTENDING THE LEAD

Rays pound Yanks, hold them to 2 runs through 8 innings

Best team in baseball now has a 4 game lead

Bartlett's power drought officially over

Maddon plans to keep his starters on a short pitch count.  How's that workin out so far, Joe?

Navi who?  Jaso 3 for 4, now hitting .333

4 stolen bases in 1 inning is better than being caught stealing 4 times in 1 game

BJ Upton has the best bubble gum in baseball

Sonnanstine enters with an 8-run lead in the 9th, leaves with a 4-run lead

Nothing like giving the defending champs some momentum after the game is in hand

Great catch, Navi. Please spend some more time in the batting cages.
Rays continue to beat Cy Young winners with pitching and defense. Now, if they could only start to hit.
Team Batting Average - 21st
Hits - 23rd
Home Runs - 20th
On Base Percentage - 19th
Welcome to the Rays, Hank Blalock. 0-for-3 is positively Burrell-like.
Fans who run onto the field should always get tazed.

Dan Sileo: The reason nobody is calling you about the Rays is because you are such a Yankee homer that all Rays fans stopped listening to you long ago. If this were a major league town, all the Yankee homers would have been driven off our talk radio stations long ago.

GONE!

The Pat Burrell era is over!
Burrell designated for assignment, Blalock on his way from Durham.
Do the Rays think they are the Yankees or Red Sox by signing terrible free agent contracts?
Now what do we do about the .173 catcher?

Blown Opportunity

Rays rally to tie, then lose in the 11th

Just a small speed bump on the road to the pennant
That's 3 straight losses, for those of you who are keeping score
Lead over Yanks now 1/2 game
Maddon still proud, and still starting guys who are hitting .179
When does Willy Aybar get to platoon with Pena? Meanwhile, Dan Johnson leads the International League in HR's
Hank Blalock is hitting .375 in Durham, while Pat Burrell is hitting .221 in the Majors
Did anybody see that catch Crawford made?

Perfect Again!

Rays just the 3rd team in history to lose 2 perfect games.

Only team to lose 2 perfect games in less than 1 year. (Buehrle 7/23/2009, Braden 5/9/2010).

Best team in baseball is 8th in team AVG.

How can a manager field a lineup with four hitters at .225 or less?

When do the fans start to demand John Jaso?

Vote early, vote often, vote for the Rays!

Cy What???!

Rookie Wade Davis matches former Cy Young winner

Longo keeps going, and going, and...3 HR's in 5 games

Don't look now but Evan is 2nd in MLB in runs scored 

Another rocky save for the still-perfect closer, thanks to some fantastic defense

15,000 less people show up on day without ZZ Top

Needed (Attendance) Boost

34,813 come to see ZZ Top, err...Rays at the Trop

Royals rock out in 10th while....umm...fans...sit waiting for the real show to start

Wall Street Journal:

Red Sox & Yankees both rank in the top 5 most hated MLB teams

Chicks dig positive run differential

Rays demolish A's 18-9 in two game midweek mini sweep
Tampa Bay still ignoring the best thing in baseball

Trop attendance 9th worst in major leagues

Best start in Baseball

Rays match April win total with 15-5 record

Offense leads MLB with .323 average with runners in scoring position
Soriano perfect 5 saves in 5 chances

Pat Burrell leads offense to win -- now hitting .231 with 2 homers
When your DH is owned by 0.5% of ESPN fantasy teams you might have a problem

Whiskers suspended 2 games

 Been Caught Stealin'

 

Jays' catcher Jose Molina throws out 4 Tampa Bay base stealers, first time in AL since 1992.

Rays win, increase division lead to 1.5 games.

Zorilla's in the Midst

Zobrist signs contract to be a Ray through 2015

"Get behind me Satan!"  Kevin Kennedy single-handedly saves an airplane.

Trendsetter?  MLB tells Maddon to leave the hoodie at home

Sweep Caroline!

Good times never felt so good

(so good, so good)

Rays sweep reeling rival Sox, take over first place

HOW WE ROLL

Rays look to sweep rainy weekend series

Pat The???!!!

Pat the .212 DH wins Fenway Flam in Carlos Pena fashion

Sox make Rays bat in downpoor, then delay their own 9th inning ups for better weather

HOLLA PENA!

Last year's home run champ wins it in the 10th

Shoppach on DL

Teixeira calls Trop "laughable"

NO NO...NO!

Shoppach single breaks up classic, saves Girardi from back page of Post.

Burrell's average now .083

Forbes:  Rays are MLB's 3rd least valuable team. 

Longo on pace for 162 homers

It's April 8th and the Rays are still in first place

Garza now 19-9 against AL East, and 6-1 against Baltimore 

Another rocky outing for Soriano the Savior

ONE DOWN

AL East:  Rays in first place
Magic number down to 161

How many game winning hits before CC gets traded?

Just like 2008

Longoria, Rodriguez come up big

Ho hum, Upton makes a difficult play seem easy
Nobody can stop Pat Burrell, not even a 3rd base coach with his hands up

April 1, 2010 - Breaking News: Rays to rename Tropicana Field after former Florida governor Bob Graham and the citizens of St Petersburg. 

GRAHAM CRACKER STADIUM.