Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Rays have reached an agreement with free agent Luke Scott on a 1year deal with a 2013 option. Scott can play both corner outfield positions and first base. However, it would seem that he is more like to be the mostdays DH,Cheap Aldon Smith Jersey 365djerseys.com K8,Athletics Jerseys.? And if Scott is the DH, Johnny Damon’,panthers jerseys 365djerseys.com N3;s tenure with the Rays is now likely to be over. Scott hit .220 with 9 home runs and a .307 wOBA in 64 games last year with the Orioles,Minnesota Vikings Jerseys. His season was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery. His best year came in 2010 when Scott hit .284 with 27 home runs and a .387 wOBA,cheap bengals nike jerseys. Scott became a free agent last month after he was nontendered by Baltimore.

We mentioned this in the Webtopia yesterday. And we are a little surprised that ,oklahoma city thunder jerseys. When asked about the differences between the Red Sox and the Rays, Carl Crawford had this to say: It’s all baseball. But it’s a little different. It’s more a younger team [in Tampa], so it was more like party central all the time. [In Boston] it’s a little more calmer,Cheap Red Wings Jerseys, a little more conservative. That’s probably the biggest difference. People are apparently focusing on the “party central” part of the quote and ignoring the rest of it. The Rays are YOUNGER,Cheap Islanders Jerseys. That means fewer wives,cheap cardinals jerseys 365djerseys.com I0. That means fewer kids. That means more free time,[2008 ROSTER] 2008 40-Man Roster And Payroll Projections Rays Index. And that means more PARTYING. Get over it.

THE GOOD: Carl Crawford. They weren’t kidding when they said MLB has a newfound respect for defense these days. CC was named MVP of the AllStar game, in large part because of his catch robbing Brad Hawpe of a home run…Home Field. The Rays have bigger things to worry about, but if they can find a way back to the World Series,Athletics Jerseys, games 1 and 2 will be at the Trop, along with games 6 and 7 if needed. THE BAD: No Longo. OK, maybe not playing 34 innings was good for his hamstrings, but it still would have been nice to see 1 at bat from Longo and maybe one of his patented grabs between second and third with the glove…No ‘Los. Carlos Pena was one of 8 AL players that did not play in the game,Indianapolis Colts Jerseys 365djerseys.com L1. THE TELLING: But his helmet played on,ryan kerrigan jersey 365djerseys.com L4. Roy Halladay apparently forgot to pack a batting helmet and with the game in St. Louis, pitchers were required to hit (Yay DH!),Red Sox Jerseys. So without a helmet,Cheap Ben Tate Jersey, Halladay grabbed Evan Longoria’s helmet and . From the back, you clearly see that. Need to borrow a helmet, fine. But don’t disrespect the logo. SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Joe’,cheap atlanta hawks jerseys 365djerseys.com J4;s gotta hang a lot of this absolute disaster of an extrainning loss on Joe Maddon and the firstbase umpire. B.J. Upton was?on third with the bases loaded in the 10th inning and Sam Fuld steps to the plate with one out. What the hell are the odds of being successful there with a safety squeeze with a speedster at third and one at the plate? 80 percent? But no.?Maddon has Fuld,Tennessee Titans jerseys, pinchhitting no less, swinging away and he takes a called third strike fastball,?before Elliot Johnson does the same to end the inning. Where was the computer, JoMa? And what the hell was Fuld looking for to be frozen like that? Game over quickly in the bottom of the 10th. To get to the screwy 10th,?Kyle Farnsworth TWICE picked off Chris Getz at first base with a onerun lead in the ninth, but no freaking call from the umpire. And a fielder’;s choice took out Getz and that baserunner became the eventual twoout tying run. Total BS. There’;s no question on the replay. This has to go down as one of the worst losses of the season. And as long as Joe is piling on here, Maddon?taking out Joel Peralta for J.P. Howell in the eighth was the equivalent of a failed suicide attempt,fitzgerald jersey 365djerseys.com N4. Peralta was on fire,cheap raiders jerseys. What a shame to flush a gritty start by Jeff Neimann and an extraordinary return for Desmond Jennings, whose two extrabase hits are one shy of Reid Brignac’;s entire 2011 total. Jennings,kerrigan jersey?simply flew around the bases — like a hungry Upton. Sad times.

Ahh Milton Bradley. This image comes to us , and we first saw this story at . What we love is that Bradley doesn’t even do the “pretend to scratch my head” routine,cheap womens browns jerseys 365djerseys.com X6. Nope. He is not even going to pretend that he is not an ass. Let’s see…,ryan kerrigan jersey;there was where he didn’t dismiss the idea that the Cubs were purposefully giving him racist mail,Seattle Mariners Jerseys. There was the in the first game of spring training. And there were the and the assertion that he was “,cheap titans jerseys;not going to change.” Who the hell gets ejected during spring training…;Twice?!? That’s a hell of a first two months with the Mariners. Pat Burrell may not be able to OPS like Bradley, but at least he keeps his middle finger in his pants,[THE HANGOVER] And Down The Stretch They Come Rays Index.

. Heading into this series with Boston, if we were told we would win three of four from the divisionleading Red Devils, we would have gladly signed for that and been ecstatic. Still,Frank Gore Jersey 365djerseys.com Z6, we found ourselves pacing around the room at 65 in the top of the 9th and then banging our heads against the wall as soon as David Ortiz began to unleash his thunderstick. We must admit…,cheap 49ers jerseys;if one player is going to destroy our hopes with a grand slam in the 9th inning, we were glad it was Big Papi. Is there a more lovable player in baseball? And quite frankly it is starting to get to the point where we expect Big Papi to hit a home run every time he comes to the plate in the 9th inning of a close game. With the loss,detroit pistons jerseys, the Rays missed an opportunity to climb out of the cellar in the AL East,china cheap nhl jerseys 365djerseys.com F9,Bills Jerseys. Tampa remains a half game behind Baltimore.

Yeah, Joe Maddon knows what he’s doing. The guy’s a miracle worker. But this game wasn’t played with the urgency it called for. C’mon. The Rays get runners on first and second with nobody out in the seventh,2013 superbowl ravens jerseys?down 42 and Maddon isn’t going to have Casey Kotchman lay down a bunt to move the runners?and pressure the infield and another crappy starter the Rays made look like Steve Carlton.?(Jeremy?Guthrie? Really,cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys 365djerseys.com H5?) Was,cheap 49ers jerseys?Maddon looking for a big inning out of John Jaso and Reid Brignac behind Kotch? The Matt Moore sighting was exciting and depressing at the same time. Joe only hopes the kid’s confidence isn’,detroit pistons jerseys;t busted up. Especially since he’ll be put in even tougher spots (hopefully) against the Red Sox. And how Jaso and Wade Davis don’,superbowl ravens jerseys 365djerseys.com E5;t settle on an 02 pitch that can’t be taken out of the ballpark is another one of the great 2011 mysteries. So here it is: four games back of the Sox and a four game series at Fenway starting tomorrow. Every Rays fan would have had wet dreams over such a fantasy entering the season. Try to forget about how the Rays got here and enjoy it.

Remember when we speculated that Evan Longoria’s superduperawesome contract ? And remember how you guys all thought we were crazy? Maybe we weren’t so crazy after all. Longoria dropped his first hint that he wouldn’t mind seeing the remaining years on his contract ripped up. Longoria told Marc Topkin of The St. Pete Times that he would be that would keep him with the Rays for the rest of his career. Longoria added that he would be interested in a deal similar to what his college teammate, Troy Tulowitzki, signed with the Rockies. Tulowitzki recently signed a tenyear, $157.8 million contract. If the Rockies pick up the 2021 club option, the deal will keep Tulowitzki in a Rockies uniform for the first 15 years of his career, through age 36,suggs jersey,larry fitzgerald jersey 365djerseys.com O7. 2011 will be the fourth year of Longoria’s sixyear, $17.5 million extension that he signed shortly after being promoted to the major leagues. The contract also has team options for 2014, 2015 and 2016 at very reasonable prices. Those options make the total value of the contract, $47.5 million over nine years. Longoria’s deal would keep him in a Rays uniform for the first nine years of his career, through age 30,Detroit Lions Jerseys. Don’t underestimate the power of seeing teammates, friends and lesser players making more money. Have you ever said you would play baseball for free? Maybe you would, for a little while. But eventually you would see how much money everybody else is making,Indianapolis Colts Nike Jerseys, and you will want your fair share. Longoria might be getting the itch for his fair share,cheap packers nike jerseys 365djerseys.com A5.

[Update: 10:00am] Marc Topkin . Among other potential improvements, the Rays have asked HOK to look at the possibility of a retractable roof at Tropicana Field, with a report, and cost estimate, due by late April,Texans Jerseys 365djerseys.com U5. [Wednesday] The St. Pete Times has an update on the Rays’ pursuit of a new stadium. The group that is researching potential sites that could be a new home for the Rays is expected to have something to report on potential sites in June. In other words, in three months we won’t know much more than we do now about a new stadium for the Rays. The snail’s pace of the group, “A Baseball Community” is not what caught our attention,colts jerseys. Rather it was the revelation that another possibility is being explored by the Rays: Staying at The Trop. The group said it also hopes to address the possibility of renovating the Rays’ current home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Rays hired stadium architect HOK Sport of Kansas City, Mo., to evaluate renovating Tropicana Field,chargers jerseys. A report could be available next month, Rays senior vice president Michael Kalt said Tuesday. As many of you may know, HOK is the leading architectural firm in the country when it comes to building stadiums (my dad, a retired architect, worked for HOK for several years). We have long heard that the site The Trop sits on is a potential home for a new stadium, but this is the first we heard that the Rays are considering a future in The Trop. While no other details were provided,johnson jersey, we have to believe that the only way the Rays would consider remaining in The Trop is if the stadium could be renovated as an openair stadium or with a retractable roof. We just can’t see a team named after sunlight plaing in a domed stadium any longer than they have to,reed jersey 365djerseys.com X8. Group may have something to report by June []

Back in early August, the Rays added Chad Bradford from the Orioles for a Player To Be Named Later (PTBNL). It is two months later and the Rays have yet to send a player to the O’s to complete the deal. A couple of weeks ago, O’s GM Andy MacPhail . MacPhail also said the player to be named in the Chad Bradford deal will be announced between the end of the World Series and the start of the winter meetings. That’s quite a gap. But it’,Rob Ryan to Rams reports are false Stltoday;s hardly worth pacing the floor over…”I’ve done everything I can when asked to downgrade expectations,” he said, adding there won’t be any immediate benefits to the acquisition. The winter meetings are to be held December 811. Often in trades involving a PTBNL, the receiving team (in this case the O’s) is given a list of several players to choose from. This gives the receiving team a chance to scout the players on the list and decide which player they prefer. With the seasons completed,cheap anquan boldin jersey, this suggests that the Orioles are scouting one or more players in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL schedule ends on November 22, two weeks prior to the winter meetings. Rays prospects participating in the AFL include Rhyne Hughes,Colts Nike Jerseys, JT Hall,New York Rangers Jerseys, Matt Spring, Chris Mason, Ryan Reid, Wade Townsend, Mike Wlodarczyk and Desmond Jennings. We have been unable to confirm,Updated odds on Pats, NFL from Bovada - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger, but there is some sentiment that if the teams cannot agree on a player, the Rays will send a predetermined amount of “cash considerations” to the O’s in order to complete the deal. There may also be a six month time limit on the deal. MacPhail snippets []

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe. Red Sox 8, RAYS 0 () THE GOOD: Burke Badenhop. Badenhop did have a wild pitch, but he retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced, striking out 2. The 2 innings of work also gives him a bullpen leading 9.2 innings this spring,Cheap Joseph Addai Jersey 365djerseys.com F5, with 7.2 innings coming in the first 5 innings of the game. Meanwhile, Brandon Gomes (more in a moment) has just 4.2 innings pitched this spring, none in the early part of a game against big league hitters. The battle for the final bullpen spot doesn’t seem like much of a batter after all. THE BAD: Brandon Gomes. The final spot in the bullpen looks like it will come down to Brandon Gomes and Burke Badenhop. But after giving up 4 runs in just twothirds of inning, Gomes is making the decision easier for Joe Maddon. Of course, coming off of surgery, the most likely scenario has the Rays placing Gomes on the DL…,Mike Pettine hired by Bills to be defensive coordinator after four seasons with Jets NJ.com;Just Like That. The clock on Spring Training is getting late, and once again, the Rays were shutout and managed just 3 hits. Of course, a big problem is the lack of continuity. The Rays are yet to field what would be considered a regular lineup, even early in a game. Still, as we mentioned previously,cheap Skelton Jersey, the first month of the season is brutal for the Rays. Expect a lot of 21 ballgames. THE TELLING: Rather than face the Red Sox, James Shields struck out 12 in 7 innings of a minor league game…;BJ Upton says he ..Look for Reid Brignac to play today. But again, his injury sounds like a ticking time bomb…;Jim Dundee, the son of the late boxing legend, and huge Rays fan, Angelo Dundee will throw out the first pitch on opening day. Also, Shannon Magrane, the daughter of Joe Magrane and a contestant on this season’s “,wholesale throwback nhl jerseys;American Idol,” will sing the national anthem prior to the second game of the season…,Cleveland Browns Jerseys; THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

This post,Boston Red Sox Jerseys, which will appear before every game,Cheap MLB Cardinals Jerseys, will include starting lineups (when we learn them) and during the game will include a Game Graph that will constantly update the percent chance the Rays have of winning this particular game. Game Graph…,Skelton Jersey 365djerseys.com Y3; Source: Playing A Little Pepper…; Who will receive more points in the AL Cy Young voting,cheap houston rockets jerseys, David Price or James Shields? We really think we are in the midst of witnessing something special with David Price. A coming out party of sorts. And tonight’s game in Yankee Stadium,Adrian Peterson plans on bringing All Day intensity to Honolulu StarTribune.com, going headtohead against CC Sabathia is the game where the rest of the country is going to sit up and take notice…;DAVID PRICE Lineup…; Song to get you pumped up…;

I love the Rays. They have been my team since the Giants and White Sox and other teams were using us to get their own stadium deals. I still remember going to that sporting goods shop on the north side of Hillsborough (next to the boat place) and buying a purplebrimmed Devil Rays cap the first week they were available. It is still the only time in my life that I thought purple was the most beautiful color around. And?I love you guys. I really do. Especially those of you that really can’t stand me. You guys keep me honest. But in the end, all I have ever wanted for this site was one place where you could find all the Rays news. Some of that news is good, some of it is bad, and a lot of it you don’t give a sh*t about,cheap ravens nike jerseys. But in the end, it is ALL here and you guys get to decide what you want to learn about. Occasionally I will interject my analysis and even more rarely, I will add my opinion. In the end, my goal has always been to give you the best information possible,Aldon Smith Jersey, and let YOU come to conclusions. And if that differs from mine,Jacksonville Jaguars Jersey 365djerseys.com R6, that is totally cool. In fact, it is encouraged. I can’,cheap ravens nike jerseys 365djerseys.com J7;t even count the number of times that my opinion on something has been altered by something that one of you guys wrote in the comments or sent me in an email. I have been a teacher in the real world at different times. And a good teacher knows that they don’t know everything. And you guys keep me humble. So thank you. Really,Whalers Jerseys. I am not very good at expressing that, but I do believe it.

Click on the above image for a larger version. Back in April we were messing around on another website and ,Wholesale Expos Jerseys,wholesale ed reed jersey 365djerseys.com Q4. The banner represents all the current and former professional franchises that play or played under the “,Browns Jerseys;Tampa Bay”,[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Duke’s Strong Start, Big Dub’s Rough Start And A Realignment Pipedream Rays Index; banner [Ed. note: Almost all,Cheap J.J. Watt Jersey, we don't acknowledge the Mutiny], and the championships won by those franchises ( for explanations of the various features). Little did we know that six months later the Tampa Bay Rays would have a shot to add the 9th skull and crossbones to the banner built on the blood of the Red Sox and Yankees. Twentytwentytwenty four hours to go…I wanna be sedated

This post,San Diego Chargers Jerseys, which will appear before every game,cheap new orleans hornets jerseys 365djerseys.com, will include starting lineups (when we learn them) and during the game will include a Game Graph that will constantly update the percent chance the Rays have of winning this particular game. Game Graph… [Will be up at game time] Playing A Little Pepper… The Rays have called up Josh Lueke as a shortterm replacement for Jeff Niemann to help in the bullpen. But when the Rays need a starter, should Alex Cobb or Wade Davis be the guy? Just like the backup quarterback being the most popular player on a football team, the most popular player in baseball is the top prospect. And as a result, every Rays fans favorite baseballphrase today is “not stretched out,” as in Davis isn’t ready to be a starting pitcher. If that’s the case (we think it is a stretch,Cheap fitzgerald jersey, pun intended), we don’t mind Alex Cobb getting one start. But if Davis is not the choice longterm, then why is he on the team? All winter Andrew Friedman talked about how keeping Davis gave the Rays starting pitching depth,Chicago Bears Jerseys 365djerseys.com W8. And now the Rays are more worried about 23 innings out of the bullpen each week,cheap peyton manning jersey?….WADE DAVIS Lineup… Song to get you pumped up…

Sports Illustrated is reporting that . Moving Cantu would go a long ways to settling the Rays crowded infield situation. In the shortterm, B,cheap broncos nike jerseys 365djerseys.com B9. J. Upton would likely become the “mostdays” second baseman and Brendan Harris would be on the roster as the backup middle infielder,Red Sox Jerseys. In the longrun, the team may want Akinori Iwamura at second base and either Joel Guzman (sooner) or Evan Longoria (later) at third base. The team is not likely to put MuuRah at second base anytime soon as he has plenty of adjustments that he already needs to worry about. If the Rays want to trade Cantu now is the time to do it. He is still only 25 and his only healthy campaign produced 28 home runs and 117 RBI,Cheap Astros Jerseys. Cantu will be arbitration eligible at the end of 2007 but will not be eligible for free agency for three more years,cheap brian orakpo jersey 365djerseys.com R8. An ideal suitor would be the New York Mets, but we can understand a in dealing with the Rays. The Mets opening day starter at second base is likely to be Jose Valentin,bears jerseys. If our math is correct, and we like to think it is, he is 85 years old. The Mets also have what is considered by many the deepest and strongest bullpen in baseball (it would have to be when all your starting pitchers are in their 50s), and well…The Rays bullpen is not so deep and not so strong.

HakJu Lee, the shortstop prospect picked up in the Matt Garza trade, is off to a blazing start. It is just 14 games, but even if he continues to pound the ball, he may remain in singleA all season,wholesale Dolphins jerseys. After starting the season on the DL with the Chicken Pox, Lee has 25 hits, including 9 multihit outings in his 14 starts. He has also shown a little power despite his wiry 170pound frame. Seven of his 25 hits have gone for extrabases. All this and Lee is still just 20 years old. And while the Rays are notoriously patient with their prospects, one wonders if a promotion is in line if he continues to dominate the Florida State League pitching. But even if the Rays did want to promote Lee, it is not clear if they can. In front of Lee, playing shortstop in doubleA, is former top pick Tim Beckham. Here is a statistical look at how the two have performed so far this year: If the Rays do reach a point where they believe Lee is no longer being challenged in singleA,Cheap New York Jets Jerseys, they can either promote Beckham to tripleA or they can find a way for the players to coexist in Montgomery. While Beckham has been better offensively this season,cheap buccaneers nike jerseys 365djerseys.com C1, on the surface, he doesn’t look ready for a promotion. His .326 OBP and .317 wOBA (think OPS, but better) would be the lowest marks since 2008. And while we can’t draw too many conclusions from the number of errors, all indications are that Beckham is playing better defensively and deserves to remain at shortstop for the time being. Moving Beckham to second base or making him platoon at shortstop runs the risk that he will regress defensively. Unfortunately for Lee,Throwback NHL Kings Jerseys, it may not matter how well he performs this season,portland trail blazers jerseys 365djerseys.com C3. As long as Beckham remains healthy, he is going to be the doubleA shortstop all season. And that means Lee is stuck in Charlotte.

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe. THE GOOD: Pat Burrell. He got mad at the team. He got mad at himself. And in the first inning, he hit a 3run home run. In his second at bat he added an RBI single. And now we kinda wish he would have gotten upset sooner,SuperBowl Aldon Smith Jersey. Like maybe in Spring Training…Zorilla,Watt Jersey. Ben Zobrist was 34 with a single, double and triple. THE BAD: Blowing Early Leads. The Rays blew another early lead, up 40 after 1 and 50 after 3…Niemann Tired,patrick peterson jersey 365djerseys.com G2? Joe Maddon and Jeff Niemann both say no. But Niemann has now hit his career high in innings pitched and last night his fastball was both not fast and very inconsistent. He was throwing 8993 with too many at the 89 end…,panthers jerseys 365djerseys.com P2;The Bullpen,Cheap Baltimore Ravens Jerseys. Jeff Niemann got pounded for 6 runs, but the score was still 65 when he left. 5 relievers took care of that, giving up 4 runs, including 2 home runs. THE TELLING: Reid Brignac made his second straight start, this time at second base. SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Pat Burrell. DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

We have longresisted the urge to venture into the world of interviews, but we couldn’t be contained any longer. In what may become a regular feature,Cheap Stars Jerseys, we debut our first interview (actually once upon a time we interviewed Chad Orvella). The questions were tough, in part because we wanted to see how good of a dancer Stuart Sternberg is (very good) and in part because you can often learn as much from a nonanswer as you can from a real answer. Below we learn Sternberg’s thoughts on how the economy may impact baseball, whether the Rays can remain viable at their current payroll level, what he would change if he were Commissioner and his goal for the Rays in 2009… The Rays Index interview with Stuart Sternberg RI: Before we get started, give us a short bio on Stuart Sternberg, from a baseball perspective…What was your favorite team growing up? Did you have a favorite player? Did you play baseball? We envision you as a scrappy David Ecksteintype, always smiling, allglove, no bat. What was the first Major League Baseball Game you ever attended? Other than a Rays game, is there one game you attended as a fan that sticks out in your memory? SS: Sandy Koufax,I played through High School and was always a center fielder. Number 3 hitter with a great glove and legs. RI: OK. Let’s get to work…Outside of the contracts handed out by the Yankees, free agent spending was way down this year. Whether it was a renewed sense of fiscal responsibility or just a lack of funds, Major League Baseball appears to be suffering to some degree in this economy. And now we are hearing that the NBA is handing out loans to teams and several professional sports franchises are cutting back staff…If the economy does not show a strong recovery in the near future, what do you foresee as the shortterm and longterm impacts on Major League Baseball? SS: An even greater separation between the high revenue teams and the rest. There could be a greater bunching “The Rest”. Teams that were , in the past middle market will come down a bit to the rest of the pack. Not good news for competitive balance. RI: The Rays were one team that did spend money this offseason. You are already on record as saying that the team likely won’,chargers jerseys;t be able to add payroll during the season…Can the Tampa Bay Rays be a viable franchise with a $60 million payroll? And what do you need to see (on the field and off) in order to remain a viable franchise beyond the 2009 season at the current payroll level? SS: Viable , yes, consistently successful, no. 60 million, and we are stretching it quite a bit here this year cannot do it on a consistent basis.What we are able to do this year is a direct benefit from steps we took in 2006. RI: You, Andrew Friedman and Matt Silverman have received a lot of praise for bringing new ideas and new points of view to a sport that is often resistant to change…,cheap steelers jerseys 365djerseys.com D1;As an owner, have you tried to be active in bringing fresh ideas to Major League Baseball, whether it be on the field or how it operates as a business? In general, how receptive have the other owners been to you and your ideas? And do you feel you have a louder voice among the owners now that you have helped build the Rays into a successful lowpayroll franchise? SS: I think that the voice we have within MLB is some emulation, a direct response to our results last year. We are this years flavor. RI: Along the same lines…If you were commissioner for a day, what is one change you would implement immediately? SS: NO DH. That would be the most beneficial quick change to competitive balance not to mention a much better product. RI: Speaking of which, Bud Selig is 74 years old and if you count his years as acting commissioner, his tenure of 17 years is second only to Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis…If Selig were to retire in the next year or two, give us at least one name you would like to see on the short list to replace Selig and what are the criteria you would look for in the next commissioner? SS: Bud Seligs greatest asset is his love for the game. He believes that if we do what is in the best interests of baseball then we are doing the right thing, I am paraphrasing there a bit. I would expect the next commissioner to have that same mindset though it would be nearly impossible for that person to have Bud’s love for the game and what it represents to our society. People underestimate how important that really is. RI: For Major League Baseball, the steroid issue seems to be like the cockroach that you keep missing with your shoe. It just won’t die, and yet many people both inside and outside the sport have long approached this issue, and continue to approach this issue as just a storm that will eventually blow over…In your opinion, how do we get past the steroid issue? SS: Time, only time. I would say a complete disclosure of all that happened during that era would do it as well, but that can never happen. Too much time has passed and no person or group of people can provide the answers. RI: Last season the Mets and Yankees drew more than 8 million fans combined. This season, the Yankees have seen fullseason season ticket packages increase by more than 20% and even had to cut off sales so that tickets would be available for smaller packages and singlegame sales…Knowing this, could New York City support a third baseball team, specifically in your old stomping grounds, Brooklyn? And, other than encroaching on the territorial rights of the Mets and Yankees, what is the argument for NOT having a third team in New York City? SS: I would think from a financial standpoint it certainly could. The state of California has 5 teams. There is probably another market or two that could support MLB as well. RI: When the Rays first proposed the idea of a waterfront stadium,cheap Dolphins jerseys, it appeared as though the plans and the decisionmaking process were under team control, with input from outside sources such as the St. Pete City Council. Recently it appears, at least on the surface, that much of the decisionmaking process has been taken away from the team…Do you feel this is an accurate depiction and if so, does this concern you? What is the Rays level of input at this point and how much say does the team have on specific issues like where the new stadium will be built? SS: Our organization spent a good deal of time and resources developing and implementing a thoughtful plan for a new ballpark. We never believed we had all of the answers. This is now in the hands of a dedicated group of business and civil leaders who collectively have a better handle on what is needed in the Tampa Bay region. I am extremely pleased with our cooperation with Charlotte County and the magnificent facility that resulted in. We produced a fantastic community asset which is fan focused. It was all done at a fraction of the cost which other spring training facilities have been built or proposed. In addition we brought in a minor league team to make their home there as well. RI: St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker wrote an oped piece for the St. Pete Times discussing the stadium proposal. In that piece, Baker wrote that he hoped the ownership of the Rays “will take steps to more closely identify the team with the city.” It seemed pretty clear to us that Mayor Baker was suggesting that the Rays path to a new stadium might be less difficult to navigate if the team changed their name to the “St. Pete Rays.” Obviously this would go against the Rays attempts to become a more regional entity…Has the mayor (or the City Council) ever made any specific demands or requests in regards to changing the team name? And if changing the team name is not viable option, what other steps can the team make to more closely associate with the city of St. Pete and satisfy the city’s demands? SS: Certainly the ballpark on the ST Pete waterfront would have gone a long way. While there are numerous mentions in the national media of Tampa Bay , the city of St Petersburg is not being ignored. We have a bunch of data which measures the exposure St Petersburg has received, it is quite substantial. RI: Finally…Prior to the 2007 season, people snickered when you said the goal for the season was 50 home wins. That year, the Rays won 37 games at the Trop. People snickered again last March when you set the same goal. But you had the last laugh when the Rays finished 5724 at home. What clearly outlandish goals have you set for the 2009 season? SS: Snickered,cheap browns jerseys 365djerseys.com I4? That’s being kind. Derided is more like it. An outlandish goal? To compete in the American League East a second year. Probably the most difficult task in all team sports.

If you had to trade one starting pitcher, which would you prefer to trade,robert griffin iii jersey? Here is a case for each pitcher… James Shields: Has three years and ~$30 million remaining on his contract, so he is getting expensive. However, that is still a good deal for a pitcher of his caliber. He will be 30 in 2012, so he is starting to get a little older. Should still be a dominating pitcher for next three years, but could regress a little in 2012. Value may never be higher than it is right now. David Price: It doesn’t get much more valuable than a young, hardthrowing lefty. The Rays still have Price under control for four more years, but he is also about to get very expensive. Those . And there is little hope for an extension at this point. Wade Davis: A nice solid backoftherotation starter that will eat innings. Rays still have Big Dub under control for the next six years for just $34.1 million. That’s a great deal,cheap dallas mavericks jerseys 365djerseys.com O6. But Davis may also only be the 7th or 8th best starting pitcher in the organization. Could be attractive for other small or midmarket teams looking for an affordable starting pitcher. Jeff Niemann: He is arbitrationeligible for the first time this year and is under team control for three more years. Those three years could cost ~$15 million without an extension. There are also injury risks as The Giraffe tends to need extra rest more often than the other guys. We have long been proponents of moving Niemann to the bullpen, but he has more value as a starting pitcher. Jeremy Hellickson: The Rays still have Hellboy for five more years. But how good will he be? Since coming to the majors, his strikeouts are way down, and his walks are way up. Worstcase scenario is that he is a richman’,49ers Willis Jersey 365djerseys.com L6;s Andy Sonnanstine. That is, he lacks the stuff to dominate and gets too cute around the strikezone. Bestcase is that he rediscovers his swingandmiss potential and becomes a solid #2 or #3 starting pitcher. Also consider that his agent is Scott Boras, so there is no hope that he will sign an extension. Alex Cobb: Cobb reminds a little of Wade Davis. That is, he will probably be a solid backoftherotation innings eater. Some think his changeup will make him better than Davis. We need to see more first,jay cutler jersey. Alex Torres: We don’t know much about Torres yet. Great stuff, but he reminds us a little of Victor Zambrano. That is, we are not sure that he knows how to harness his stuff,Bruins Jerseys. Depending on what you believe his upside is, may only be the 6th best starting pitcher in the system.