June 2008
Longoria and Hinske homer to blow past Pirates
Rays 10,
Pirates 5
When you begin to come into view of PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the thing that catches your eyes is the magestic and magnificient splendor that is the Roberto Clemente Bridge. This river by-way is the perfect way to stroll into the ballpark for another night of great baseball, and of course, a Rays win.
When you enter Jacob’s Field/Progressive Field, it is the fact that you are above the main bowl of the stadium and all the action is below you. The fat that there is a monster wall in leftfield, and a scenic picnic nook in center is not lost on the effects of stadium’s collossial scoreboard. Every stadium in America has a unique feel and has a signature element to it that sets it apart from all other stadiums. What is it that set the Trop apart from everywhere else in the majors?
First thing that comes to mind is the AC. 74 degrees year round and no showers in the forecast. No birds flying in and taking that last frie, or any army of ants or flying pests beside the occasional horsefly visit on your cup. But the thing that most people think of when they think Trop. is………………catwalks.
I know, I know. If the stadium had been built 5 years later, it might look more like Camden Yards with a roof, or Safeco Field with its gigantic three paneled monster ceiling. It might have a fans design, a sail design, or maybe, just maybe a retro-modern take on the tin roofs of Key West. The catwalks are the things people seem to be curious and comment about the most.
No matter if no one hits one for an entire series, you have to go through the “Trop Catwalk speech” so visitors know what is going on when the pinball bounces. Shane Hillebrand and Carlos Pena have planted ball on the catwalks, Jonny Gomes has hit them more than any other Ray( 7 times), but they are still that X-factor that can turn a game from a serious adventure to a joke in a nano-second on ESPN or another sports show. Let’s hope that the MLB does give us a All-Star game based on upgrades and committment by both the team and the ownership group…………..We deserve to show America our playground, and they can play by our rules.
*******************************************************************************************************************
Trivia Fact of the Night:
Fernando Venezulea is the only person to win the Rookie of the Year award and Cy Young Award in the same season.
******************************************************************************************************************
Why again did we send Evan Longoria down in Spring Training to the minors? For game seasoning.
Well, the Rookie is actually becoming the big cheese for the Rays this year by hitting his 3-run homer to left center that was clearly over 410 feet from the plate. It was Longoria’s 15th homer of the year to lead both the club and put some distance on his MLB Rookie lead over Joey Votto( Reds) and Geovany Soto ( Cubs).
Not only did Evan hit a critical 3-run shot that brought Tampa Bay it’s 48th win of the year, but Longoria was not done there.
Longoria now has 3-straight games of at least 3-hits and 1 homer. The last rookie to have such a streak was Johnny Fredrick of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1929. Longo lead all rookies, and is 8th in the AL in Slugging Percentage at .540 for the year, despite missing the first 11 games of the year while in the minors.
He has a chance to be only the third rookie in the last 50 years to have 15 homers, 20 doubles, and 50 RBI’s by the All-Star break. The others were Devon White (1987), and Fred Lynn (1975). And his 15 homers is the most by a rookie before the All-Star break since Bob Hamelin of KC (16 homers) in 1994.
And it was not a one-man show for the Rays Friday night. Eric Hinske also got into the act by hitting his own 3-run shot 2 rows short of going out of PNC Park. If the wind would have carried it a few more yards, Hinske would have been only the 23rd person to hit one out in that location in the stadium’s history.
Longoria went 4-5 last night, but Hinske’s 2-3 was not overshadowed at all by the rookie. Hinske also scored 3 times for the Rays in the win. Hinske now has 13 homers and is tied with Carl Crawford with 44 RBI’s for the squad. Crawfoird also went to deep center in the 6th inning.
But the true story of the night was Rays starter Scott Kazmir. Kazmir began the game in dominating style until he ran into some trouble in the 4th inning. Scott had been mixinng his pitches well, but had a loose control on his slider tonight and it cost him with a homer to Freddie Sanchez in the bottom of the 4th.
Scott tried to get a great handle on the slider, but it was not breaking great tonight and slipped up and over the outside corners to give up 4 runs in the 4th inning. Kazmir got only 4 strikeouts in 5 innings of work, and also got his 7th victory of the year for the Rays.
Tonight was also the first game back for Carlos Pena, who had been on the DL for 15 days to heal a broken finger on his throwing hand. Rays Manager Joe Maddon moved Carlos down into the 6th slot in the order to not put extra pressure on Pena until his hand is fully healed. Carlo went 0-4 tonight, but took some mean swings on the bat and hit a few monster fly balls.
Maddon always comments that when Carlos hit them(pitches) a mile, even for outs, he is close to regaining his stride and the rest will take care of itself.
For the first time in a long while, Rays reliever J P Howell got roughed up a bit by an opposing team. Howell, who is 6-0 this season, has been the glue that has held the seams between the Bullpen and the starters this year.
J P lasted 1 inning and gave up 2 hits and a lone run to the Pirates. He currently has a 3.02 ERA, and is a huge part of the Rays Bullpen that have held opponents’ to a .213 average, best in the majors this year.
Please note for the Boston Series beginning Monday, tickets still remain for all 3 games at the Trop., but fans are urged to purchase tickets in advance due to the large crowds expected for the series.
The Rays are 9-1 at home with crowds over 30,000 fans, and 11-2 in front of crowds of 25,000 or more this year. The Rays have drawn 867,648 fans thru 43 home games, an increase of 42 percent over last year. Only the Washington Senators, who moved into their new ballpark has a double digit increase with 20 percent so far in 2008.
Akinora Iwamura will miss the nest 3 games to fulfill his suspension in his actions during the last Boston series. Aki was not granted any reduction in the length of the suspension, while Boston outfielder Coco Crisp suspension was reduced from 7 to 5 games.
“I was very disappointed that my hope didn’t come through,” Iwamura said through an interpreter. “It hurts me that I cannot start the first day against Boston. But at the same time, it’s decided by the Commissioner and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Aki will miss the rest of the away series against the Pirates, and the first game of the Red Sox series at home.
Crisp, on the other hand, will miss the entire Red Sox-Rays series next week.
Major League Baseball’s decision “baffles” Rays manager Joe Maddon. The third-year skipper said he will seek an explanation from the appropriate decision-makers.
“I don’t agree with it at all,” Maddon said. “I think it should have been reduced. I think it’s way too severe because of the fact that we were reacting to the situation, and furthermore, the guy [Crisp] that pretty much created the entire moment gets his reduced by two days.
“Honestly, none of that makes any sense to me whatsoever.”
Rays Ride C.C. to Sweep of Cubs
Rays 8,
Cubs 3
I opened my laptop today and went straight to ESPN.com to see if they are finally taking the Rays off the “fluke” label.
Much to my amazement, we are still thought to be a minor blip in the Red Sox radar for another World Series title. Funny, I thought we just SWEPT the BEST team in baseball. I must be in a sugar induced coma and miss the last few games.
I thought it was a great tribute by Rick Vaughn, the Rays PR guru, in making that “SUT” sign that hung over the organist area in the Trop during Wed. night’s game.
It was a great personal tribute to Rick Sutcliffe, an ESPN baseball announcer and great player who is undergoing colon cancer surgery and could not be here for the Cubs vs Rays game.
Rick got to know Sutcliffe while with the Baltimore Orioles PR staff before coming to the Rays.
**************************************************************************************************************
Trivia Fact of the Night:
The first Interleague game was played on June 12,1997,when the Texas Rangers hosted the NL San Francisco Giants. The giants won the first contest 4-3.
**************************************************************************************************************
The 34,441 fans in attendance were magical last night and gave the Trop. an aire of what kind of atmosphere a playoff game would have in this dome. Everywhere you looked you saw Cub and Rays bantering out their espective teams chances that night.
But, I hinge the Cubbie fortunes on one play that signified their series with the Rays. The Cub brought in a Japanese star this season, Kosuke Fukudome to play outfield for the Chicago Cubs. He has been met by instant cult status in the North side of Chicago and has been a important part of the Cubs winning ways.
In the 3rd inning, with Fukudome on first after walking to start the inning, Dioner Navarro called for a pitchout on the second pitch to Ryan Theriot. Navarro had caught Fukudome in “no-mans land” and proceeded out to the pitching mound to get Fukedome to committ either to 1st or 2nd.
Fukedome faked to first and Navarro threw a strike to Willy Aybar that made Fukudome retreat towrds second. a three quarters of the way to second, Aybar threw to Iwamura who outran Fukudome for the out.
Rays starter James Shields came out on fire last night at the Trop. Shields pitched 6 innings of 7-hit, 3-run ball before getting into trouble in the 7th inning. In that inning, Micah Hoffpauir hit a double to deep center for a double, then Mark DeRosa walked on 4 pitches and Mike Fontenot hit a ground rule double to the deep gap in left center to put the Cub ahead 2-1. Shields was the replaced by Trever Miller in the game.
Shields ended up with 9 strikeouts for the night to up his season total to 78, good enough for 9th place in the AL this year.
I was sitting there talking to a Cubs fan from the Fort Meyers area of Florida when Carl Crawford came up to bat with the bases loaded in the 7th inning. The guy was telling me this would be a great time for a double play, but I interjected that C C was past due for some excitement and had not hit a triple or better in quite awhile.
On his second pitch to Crawford, Scott Erye laced a ball to the lower right of the strike zone that C C deposited in the rightfield stands for his 5th homer of the year, and a Grand Slam to break this contest wide open for the Rays.
There are so many heroes in the game last night, from Crawford going 3-5 with 4 RBIs, to every meber of the lineup but Gabe Gross getting a hit last night. Eric Hinske again came up big for the Rays getting a RBI double a couple of batters after Crawford’s blast to add to the Rays lead.
James Shields caught a bunt pop-up from Cub;s catcher Henry Blanco that might have stalled that drive a bit. The Cub were on a roll before Shields leaned over and took the short pop for the 1st out in the 7th inning.
The amazing thing is, you could have sat in the Budweiser Brewhouse eating, drinking and enjoying the night and got to your seat by the 7th inning, and you would have seen the best inning of the night. Both teams scored a total of 10 runs that inning, on less than 60 pitches by both teams.
You would have seen a Grand Slam, a ground rule double, a regular double, a Sacrifice Fly, and a couple of singles by both squads. You also would have seen Gabe Gross and Akinora Iwamura each hit by a pitch. Aki’s HBP would drive in a run for the Rays. And last, but not least, you would have seen a B J Upton triple that could have been a Inside-the-Park homer if he had raced to first.
With the victory, the Rays established a few “firsts” for the franchise last night:
With the win, it was the first ever sweep by the Rays of a team with the best record in baseball.
With the victory, the Rays tied their best start ever before the All-Star break, and they still have 22 games before the break.
Climbed to 14 games above .500, a new team highwater mark, recorded their 3rd sweep of a team in first place at the time of the series. And, secured their 5th winning homestand of the year.
All that and only Eduardo Perez of “ESPN’s Baseball Tonight”, can acknoledge and appriciate the change in this team this year. Eduardo is in a bad position on that panel having played here and knows the trials and tribulations of this team. But he also can see firsthand the changes and the attitude that this club has now.
The thing that is truly amazing to me is, that for the first time since I have been a fan, these guys get physically upset and want more out of themselves. And that fever is infectious into the stands, and starting to consume the entire region either by true passion for the sport, or being a bandwagon fan.
Speaking of Bandwagons, be sure to check out ESPN.com today as they feature a story on the Cubbie fans coming out of the woodwork right now. It is an interesting article, and well worth a few minutes of your time.
I am going to paste Rule 9 of the Bandwagoneers Code on here for you, and you see what team’s fan can be put into this rule………hint, hint:
9. Avoid “real” fans
***************************************************************************************************************
These people think they are better than you. They think because they actually do have real family from Massachusetts or wherever, or because they have invested 30 years in a team instead of 30 minutes, that they somehow are more die-hard than you.
They will be suspicious of you. They will ask you questions that can tread dangerously close to revealing that you know little more than how to pronounce “Theriot” or the name of that one underrated player.
Shame on them! How dare they try to make you feel guilty for being a bandwagon fan! They are the stupid ones for wasting time rooting for bad teams, right?
So steer clear of these people. And whatever you do, don’t let them anywhere near your car. They might get the wrong impression when they see that your bumper is covered in Red Sox, Yankees, Lakers, Celtics, Cowboys, Patriots, USC football and Duke basketball stickers.
As though it’s your fault that you have deep, childhood ties to all those teams!
************************************************************************************************************
There are several articles on Cub bandwagoning, and general bandwagon ethics. I found the articles entertaining, and I actually recognized a few Rays hopefuls in that bunch of words. Hmmmmmmm, could be we are becoming a bandwagon team?
As long as you buy more hot dogs and beer, Welcome to the Trop., but please do not try and trump the regulars, we bite when provoked.