Location: St. Petersburg, Fla. | Ballpark: Tropicana Field (36,048) | Spring Training: Port Charlotte, Fla. (inaugural season)
Owner: Stuart Sternberg | GM: Andrew Friedman | Manager: Joe Maddon | World Championships: 0
--INF Jorge Cantu, the team's 2005 MVP, did not take his demotion to Triple-A well, requesting a trade and saying he wasn't sure he would report to Triple-A Durham.
"What can I say? I'm going to keep it real simple. I'm not a minor-league player," Cantu said. "Probably a change of scenery would be best. It's just for the best. I have to look out for myself. I don't have anything to prove down there, I believe. And what I've done here, it's like it was invisible. So I guess I've go to go."
--RHP Seth McClung, who was demoted to Triple-A Durham, said he wasn't aware he had a fourth option and would have put more of an emphasis on results this spring is he knew he could be sent down. He had an 11.57 ERA and allowed 25 base runners in 9 1/3 innings. "To the layman, you look at my spring and saw numbers that are ugly," he said. "But for me, what I see out of my spring is an individual who took an intelligent approach to a spring training situation where I had to work on some things."
--LHP Scott Kazmir, 23, makes his second career Opening Day start at Yankee Stadium. He is the youngest pitcher to face the Yankees in an opener since 22-year-old Camilo Pascual in 1956 for Washington.
--1B Carlos Pena was signed to a one-year deal for $800,000, plus the chance for $400,000 in incentives, as the Rays completed their roster Sunday. Pena takes the place of injured INF/DH Greg Norton, who will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee. Norton was hurt in Friday's second-to-last exhibition. Last season, he strained a left hamstring in the second to last game and missed the first four weeks.
--CF Rocco Baldelli's right hamstring feels good enough that he could play the outfield, but the Rays are more concerned he could aggravate it and end up out of the lineup. So for at least the first week, he likely to be limited to DH duties, with rookie Elijah Dukes and B.J. Upton playing center. 'It's all based on how Rocco feels," manage Joe Maddon said. 'I told him, as we've talked about in the past, 'I don't want any artificial deadlines. When you're ready to go, tell me you're ready to go and we'll make the move. For now I just want him to concentrate on that because he can control his running game better as an offensive player. On defense it's harder to control your running. This way we can put a governor on what he's doing a little bit."
--LHP Casey Fossum completed his preparation for Friday's home-opener start by throwing 90 pitches in an intrasquad game at the minor-league complex, allowing 13 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
BY THE NUMBERS 11 -- Rays who were on an Opening Day major-league roster for the first time.
QUOTE TO NOTE "I don't know how I'm going to take it. I don't know if I'm going to faint or what." -- Rookie OF Elijah Dukes, on making his major-league debut as the starting centerfielder Monday in Yankee Stadium.
Copyright (C) 2007 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
IDK, but it sure seems like it. Looking how hard guys throw before and after Tampa Bay then how hard they throw when they're here. Also look how much better power pitchers were before/after Hickey compared to what they are with him. Or even as more time w/ Hickey goes by, they get worse.
I am kind of tooting my own horn here. I had a previous thread where I predicted a real good June: They went 19-7 in June (unfortunately the Red Sox were hot as well).
I still them right there with the Red Sox for the division crown. I think they will be in the lead by the end of July. The starti
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The time is now for Tampa to see if Desmond Jennings could spark this team. Gabe Gross is not the answer for this team. The Rays have big time star in the making with Jennings. His
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It was set. Paper-work about to be filled out. Jason Bay to the Rays for Jeff Neiman and Reid Brignac. But then, the Sox come calling in offering a little more. Uh-oh! The&n
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This is the dumbist rule in the MLB, "every team needs to have a all star", why would that be a rule at all?!?! Take the A's for example, who would they have as their all star besides Matt Holliday? Orlando Cabrera?
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A little misleading but that is what was laid out on the radio yesterday. The Rays GM ( I think that is who was talking, it might have been one of the owners as well, not sure) basically said how dissappointed he was in the attendance Monday night.
The fact is, attendance is up quite a bit over last year and double what it w
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I am sick of interleague in its current form. I don't like the unbalanced schedules. There is not reason baseball can't do something that makes sense: like the NFL does theirs. Play all the teams in a division from the other league one year and then another division the next and so on. Not that difficult.
Trying to ensure the local rivalries play every yea
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Both of these pitchers are back at the cost of Sonny and Abreu. Sucks for Abreu, but he's the odd man out. As for Sonny it was a good ride for him, but unless Price emplodes his next two starts or another starter gets hurt he's probally gonna stay in AAA. His crap ERA and giving up a boatload of HRs really has cost him. Now with what we've heard Kazmir is back on his game.&
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In the bottom of the 8th JP Howell was warmed up and allready to go in the game to close tonights win out before the Phils bullpen decided to blowup and turn the game into a laugher. Then when the game was out of reach JP was sat down and Choate was brought in to face the prodominate lefty hitting trio in the 9th. I know Maddon is either too cool or whatever to say that JP is the close
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I'm sorry Rays fans, but Joe Maddon is just another over hyped, ESPN 'baseball genius'. This guy has made so many questionable moves, and this year, he's off the charts. First off, Ben Zobrist should have been starting in right field like five weeks ago. Only now with an i
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Even if there was a left/right situation, why would TB's moronic, vastly over-rated so-called professional manager replace Wheels in the 9th inning with 2 out and a 4-1 lead. Why protentially waste another pitcher from you bullen?
There is a reason why TB will not be playing in the fall and his name with M.
He is awesome but for the love of God man, learn to lay off the slider low and outside. For such a good hitter he HAS to get rid of all the strikeouts. Is he leading the league in K's? If he can cut them in half he'll lead the league in ..... everything!
