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 []

, Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton has been chosen to coach a group of Major League Baseball AllStars as they tour Taiwan next month. This of course raises several questions. The first few come from the audience (via )…,cheap 49ers nike jerseys,brady jersey 365djerseys.com G6; What the. How did he even…; what.. WHY???? Michael, these are all very good questions. Let’s speculate: But maybe the biggest question is: why does an MLB AllStar team need a hitting coach? We have long said that hitting coach might be the most overrated coaching position in sports. Hitting coaches don’t turn bad hitters into good hitters. Occasionally, a hitting coach might help a good hitter out of slump if the mechanics have gone haywire,andre johnson jersey 365djerseys.com W7. But that’,cheap 49ers jerseys;s about it,http://cheap-dodgers-jerseys.weebly.com/. But in the meantime, maybe we can just hope he learns something from the allstars.

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…

We have long championed the cause that Evan Longoria is the most valuable player in baseball. Maybe he doesn’t have the highest WAR and he is yet to win an MVP. But based on his age, talent level, position, marketability and most importantly, a reasonable contract that won’t expire until 2016, Dirtbag may be the most valuable commodity in baseball. , sorta (thanks Dustin),Indians Jerseys. Longoria’s a different animal. His agent, Paul Cohen, ought to have a very, very short client list after negotiating that disaster of a contract for Longoria. The Rays control him through 2016, when he will still cost a maximum of $14,http://cheap-expos-jerseys.weebly.com/,050,000. And that’s if he makes the AllStar team and fulfills incentives related to MVP voting,ngata jersey 365djerseys.com F2. Of all the people listed so far, Longoria might represent the most valuable asset Fisher agrees that Longoria may be the most valuable player, but says he is not the most valuable asset,NaVorro Bowman Jersey 365djerseys.com O0. That honor goes to one of two people, one of whom gave Longoria that contract, Andrew Friedman (the other is Theo Epstein). So who could possibly be more valuable going forward than a lockedup 24yearold third baseman worth 5.3 and 7.2 wins in his first two major league seasons? Well, it might just be the guy who will pay Longoria less through 2016 than he was worth in just 2008 and 2009. That’s Andrew Friedman, executive vice president (and general manager) of the Tampa Rays. Longoria’s contract, as you know, is far from the only coup of Friedman’s career. The Rays are bursting at the seams with young, cheap talent. While it’s difficult to pin down exactly what Friedman makes for his remarkable efforts, he’s no doubt going to make less for his performance than Longoria himself. Friedman might be the most valuable asset in baseball. It is an interesting question. If the Rays could only keep Longoria or Friedman, but not both, which would you choose? We would probably choose World B. Friedman,Cheap Sabres Jerseys. As for how much Friedman makes…Based on , it can’t be much.

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.

It is time for one of our favorite annual features, the AntiPennant Race, the race for the worst record in baseball. The reward for the “winner”,cheap cardinals jerseys 365djerseys.com Z3,Wholesale Brewers Jerseys; is the first pick in next year’s amateur draft. This year is extra special as this marks the first time the Tampa Bay Rays are not in contention to win. In fact, last season the Rays became the first team to ever be awarded with the top pick in consecutive seasons (until recently, the top pick alternated between leagues),http://china-nhl-jerseys.weebly.com/, winning the AntiPennant in and . The first year this feature ran (2006), the top pick was not a sure thing, but David Price was the clear favorite. Last year, without an obvious favorite for the 2008 draft,cheap panthers jerseys, we decided to name this feature after the inaugural namesake. Without further ado,Cheap New England Patriots Jerseys 365djerseys.com K6, we present the 3rd Annual David Price Sweepstakes and the race for the top pick in the 2008 draft! Notes on the AntiPennant Race…

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.

Are we the only ones that find it just a little suspicious that the Tampa Bay Rays first offday during spring training came on St. Patrick’s Day,Cheap Ravens Jerseys 365djerseys.com H3? It is a spring training tradition for teams to wear green caps (including the ) or jerseys (including , ) on the holiest of days. Even a couple of basketball teams have gotten in on the fun (including the ). [Green hat tip to for the images] So it seems a little bit like a conspiracy worthy of Oliver Stone, that the one team in baseball that just recycled their green caps and jerseys in favor of two shades of blue, would have the day off and thus be spared from having to decide whether or not to don green caps or jerseys. In fact, we could probably see this coming last year. In spring training, the Rays, who were already rumored to be losing the green, actually made professional sports history, becoming the first team to wear less green on St. Patrick’s Day,cheap saints nike jersey. It’s true. They played their St. Paddy’s day spring training game ,[TWO STEPS OR DIE] Joe Maddon’s Confidence Grows Rays Index. Maybe the team chose to avoid all of the obvious jokes, but we aren’t believing for a second that this was just a “quirk in the scheduling”. There was one possible solution…,http://cheap-devils-jerseys.weebly.com/;Is two weeks in the new colors too soon for a “,Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale;Turn Back The Clock” Day?

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.

Ever since B.J. Upton meekly popped up for the final out of of the Rays’ 2010 season, nearly every scribe,terrell suggs jersey, blogger, writer, and analyst following the team has penned his or her to the past seven months of Bay Area baseball. Some have written of , some of , and of . Yet they all convey the overall emotion of a fan’s love of both their team and the game of baseball. After every baseball season, whether good or bad, whether I rooted for a winner or team that lost hope after the second week of April,[DOWN ON THE FARM] Niamann To Make Second Start Since Demotion Rays Index, I am reminded of “”, a brilliant essay written by former Major League Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. Although it is over 1,300 words, the first 91 are among the most poignant ever written about baseball. “It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.” Giamatti’s essay discusses his passion for following the , a team that won 97 games yet finished 2.5 games behind the eventual World Series Champion New York Yankees. Giamatti goes into depth discussing their eventual elimination and how a simple fly ball to center drained the life and feeling from all of the New England faithful. (Note: if baseball had the wildcard in , Giamatti would have never written his piece. Boston would have made the playoffs thanks to winning the season series over a Baltimore Orioles team that also finished with 97 wins and 64 losses. In a 2010 world, the Sox would have clinched the wild card on the day prior to the one Giamatti wrote about and played the Kansas City Royals as the Yankees would have coincidentally played the Texas Rangers.) Of course, it is not only those in New England whose passion comes to an abrupt halt. In every region of America,Cheap Devils Jerseys, wherever fans follow their favorite team, wherever fathers and sons play catch, or wherever people pack stadiums or bars or living rooms, there is a feeling of emptiness every October. Even in Pittsburgh and Kansas City. For us here in the Tampa Bay area, it begins at FanFest, when we reawaken to baseball and explore the new facets of the upcoming season – whether it be a new player, new member of the announce team, or a new feature of the ballpark. There is a joy not unlike a family reunion, when you greet the friends and “family” you parted ways with the October before. You are together again for another season. (From 1999 to 2007 that exchange was not unlike in Return of the Jedi. Fan 1: Together again, huh? Fan 2: Wouldn’t miss it. Fan 1: How we doin’? Fan 2: Same as always. Fan 1: That bad, huh? Then of course came the “new hope” of 2008.) Following Fan Fest, we have the added advantage of seeing our team up close and personal during Spring Training. We are not as beholden as the rest of the baseball nation in relying on beat writers and bloggers to tell us who is winning a positional battle or who is going to make the team. We can make the short jaunt to Port Charlotte and see it with our own eyes. Then comes the magical moment of Opening Day – a day that should be a national holiday – where every fan has hope and everyone is in first place, if even for 24 hours. The real thrill,Cheap Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys, and one we are barely getting used to, is when our team remains in first, or at least in a battle for first from April to October. It is a fun ride. One of scoreboard watching and magic numbers*, wild cards and aces. One I will miss. One I shared with friends, family, and the entire Rays community,cheap matt ryan jersey 365djerseys.com Y2, both online and at the ballpark. Sure we’ve fought, we’ve argued, and we’ve blown a few gaskets, but that’s what a family does. And now that our summertime reunion is over, as Giamatti said, we are left to face the fall alone. (Isn’t it fitting that for most teams, “magic” numbers make hope disappear? Almost as if David Copperfield or David Blaine waves a wand and makes teams vanish from relevance.) As for me, I’d like to thank Cork for my midseason callup and now that the season is over I hope we can talk about extending my contract. Keeping it team friendly, of course.

In the past week, the Rays have lost three players that had accounted for six AllStar appearances, three MVP top10 finishes and two Gold Gloves. Now they may be ready to trade the only guy in team history to throw a nohitter. has a big league source that is “,http://cheap-white-sox-jerseys.weebly.com/;certain” the Rays will trade Matt Garza. The Source also predicts Garza will be dealt to the Cubs. Keep in mind, this may just be speculation on the part of the source. There is no indication that they have any insider information from the Rays or Cubs,Cheap St.Louis Rams Jerseys 365djerseys.com P5. There is also no indication that a deal is imminent. Previously we heard that the Rays would to try and trade Garza because they didn’t like they offers they were receiving now. We also heard that a deal to the Cubs was “;.” . He spoke with “;rival executives” that think the Rays should trade Garza now because he might actually be too expensive in July which may make a deal impossible during the season. Olney says the Royals are expected to put Zack Greinke on the trade market once Cliff Lee signs,bills jerseys. Teams that need a starting pitcher may start knocking on the Rays door if they deem the price for Greinke to be too much,cowboys jerseys,cutler jersey 365djerseys.com D8.

This was set up for a glorious win by the Rays. Ailing Dirtbag comes off the bench to pinchhit Matt Joyce home to cap a threerun eighth for a 65 lead. Six outs by the solid bullpen seemed a pretty solid bet. But with one out in the eighth and Jack Wilson at first, Merlot Joe decides to use a Ted Williams shift on Jack Cust leaving the left side of the infield open. Wide open. Naturally, Cust fights off a J.P. Howell offspeed?pitch and hits the ball to the left side of the field,Skelton Jersey. What likely would have been an inningending double play instead opens the floodgates. Rather than leaving Howell in the game, Merlot Joe, likely bored, decides to bring in Joel Peralta, who has had a nasty habit of late of giving up the long ball. BOOM,cheap ray rice jersey 365djerseys.com I0! Miguel Olivo, thinking he is Tony Oliva,cheap matt schaub jersey, belts his third homer of the series and the game is over. This is what some folks would call “overmanaging.” Merlot Joe’s maddening (Maddoning?) mixing and maxing has more often than not worked this year, but when it blows up it really blows up and this was a baseball version of Dresden. Well, at least Derek Shelton’s forces came to play for a change. Speaking of Shelton, Hat tip to Kelly Shoppach?who drilled an 02 mistake by Erik Bedard for his first double of the season (ouch) and put the Rays on the board. In what nearly brought Joe to a complete vomit, before that at bat, the Rays radio team relayed a chat with Shelton, in which Shelton said he was baffled why Shoppach isn’t the same guy that hit 21 homers and .261 under Shelton’s tutelage in Cleveland back in 2008,Throwback Minnesota Wild Jerseys. Well there you have it,Carolina Panthers Jerseys 365djerseys.com A9. And there you have a nauseating loss that should have been a fantastic win.

We wondered if Reid Brignac would still get some starts at shortstop even after the return of Jason Bartlett from the DL. And it looks like that is … Though SS Jason Bartlett was back in the lineup Wednesday after spending nearly three weeks on the disabled list, manager Joe Maddon said he is going to ease Bartlett back into his everyday role…Not pushing Bartlett could help the Rays with what Maddon considers a good problem: INFs Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac are playing so well, Maddon said,Wholesale Kevin Kolb Jersey 365djerseys.com Z8, “I’ve got to keep them active somehow.” The Rays have perfected the art of demoting players without actually demoting them,china nhl jerseys sale. Players don’t get sent to the minors,cheap womens bills jerseys. They go on the DL and extended rehab stints. Players don’t lose their starting jobs. Joe Maddon just wants to keep other players fresh. “Easing back into an everyday role,” sounds suspiciously like Briggy Baseball is still going to start against a lot of righties until he cools off or Bartlett heats up,wholesale robert griffin iii jersey 365djerseys.co,womens 49ers jerseys.

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: Rained Out In Motown. This means one less Andy Sonnanstine start will count in the Rays’ final record,cheap utah jazz jerseys 365djerseys.com W8. The game will be made up on June 13 which was on offday between a series in Baltimore and a home series against the Red Sox. THE BAD: Jeff Faine,cheap jets jerseys. I don’t have a problem with Jeff Faine skipping Josh Freeman’s workouts. I do have a problem with Faine using Freeman’s workouts as an opportunity to spew NFLPA propoganda,http://cheap-rams-jerseys.webs.com/. are. It is Faine saying the workouts are not a substitute for the real thing. And there is no real thing because the owners have shut the league down. In the end, Faine,Cheap J.J. Watt Jersey, who is the Bucs rep in the NFLPA, is causing his own team more harm than he is helping the players’ union. THE TELLING: The Rays picked up pitcher Jay Buente off waivers from the Marlins and assigned him to tripleA. To make room on the 40man roster, Rob Delaney has been designated for assignment...Elliot Johnson was placed on the DL, with Reid Brignac activated from the bereavement list to fill the roster spot…This was the Rays third postponed game of the year… THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA… DOWN ON THE FARM… Joe Maddon on rainout (via TampaBay,49ers Smith Jersey 365djerseys.com S7.com) Dirk Hayhurst has some sweet bowling moves. Skip first 20 seconds. Dirk Hayhurst maintains composure while being interviewed by a porn star