Walk-Off Winners

In a departure from our signature daily recap, "Cheese & Whine", today's post is just a compilation of various, random thoughts from the Rays' 2010 debut.

-Evan Longoria is a stud, but his K's are gonna sky-rocket this season as he starts to get a "homerun happy" mentality.

-Soriano is a Troy Percival redux, and my cardiologist is licking his chops.

-CC is ready for another big season and a subsequent big contract from NY- can they really have two CC's on one team?

-Sean Rodriguez was pressing in an attempt to prove his offensive prowess.

-How many games before we get Brian Anderson in the booth with Dewayne?

-No errors by either team in the season opener, somewhat unusual.

-The bullpen is in trouble in JP's absence.

-Jason Bartlett is going to prove to the world that 2009 was his rule not his exception.

-The Rays are undefeated.

The Rocket Scientist’s Random Pre-Vacation Thoughts

Another week is ending, and another vacation is coming up. Before I head to Vegas for the weekend, I have more random thoughts on the Rays and some other random sports to leave you with.

The Rays swept the Royals and won the first game against the Yankees, then lost 3 games in a row. As the season goes on, streaks like this are taking 1 step forward and 3 steps backwards.

Carlos Pena may really be Pedro Cerrano. He needs to forget Jobu and do it himself.

I LOVE LeVon Washington’s desire to play for the Rays. I know nothing about him, other than what I have read in the last 12 hours, but I can tell he is going to give 110%. The Rays need people in like that in their organization right now. Hopefully Scott Boras lets him sign before August.

I really need to see “The Hangover.”

I am very happy BJ Upton had enough fire to get himself ejected last night. It didn’t affect the outcome of the game and the strike-zone was questionable at best in the 9th. It also shows to me that Upton has a fire beneath him and really wants to win. I was surprised and disappointed that Joe Maddon didn’t argue enough to follow Upton to the clubhouse. Maddon needs to put up a bumper sticker in the dugout that says “WWBCD.” (What would Bobby Cox do?)

“Sometimes I wish I was Tiger Woods” (song by Dan Bern, but I have the same thought).

Jeff Niemman is growing on me, quickly. I think he may have some down days, but he is improving and could develop into a very nice number 3 pitcher.

Andy Sonnanstine is killing me, quickly. I think he may have some up days, but he is regressing and needs to develop some sort of hamstring injury that he can work out in the minors. In unrelated news, Wade Davis is tearing it up in AAA still.

Tim Floyd resigning from USC isn’t shady at all, kinda like Roger Clemens “misremembering conversations” or Sammy Sosa forgetting how to speak English. His next job will be Isiah Thomas’ assistant at FIU.

Ben Zobrist is making a serious bid to be an all-star in my mind. Joe Maddon selecting the backups won’t hurt his chances…unless…

Joe Maddon really may pick very few Rays to be all-stars and Rays fans need to be prepared for this. He loves giving extra rest to players, and the all-star break is a perfect time for rest. If I were a betting man (and I am) would bet that he is going to send 2, at most 3 Rays’ players to the game when 4 may deserve to go.

To that quarterback who used to play for the Packers and has retired and unretired about 84214533 times: please go away. Everyone is tired of you and it’s not like you are the player you were 5 years ago. I refuse to say your name until a full NFL season goes by without you playing a single down…or until I watch “There’s Something About Mary” again.

Evan Longoria hasn’t looked the same at the plate since his hamstring injury. He has, however, been looking great in the field and one can only wonder what would have happened if Willy Aybar hadn’t been playing third in the 8th inning Sunday against the Yankees.

If the Rays don’t take 2 out of 3 from the Nationals this weekend, I am going to be frantically hitting my metaphorical panic button. I still might hit that button if the Rays don’t sweep the Nationals.

What do you think Elijah Duke’s welcome will be the first time he bats at the Trop this weekend? My guess is he gets pelted with eggs, baseballs, and demands for child support payments.

I refuse to call Pat Burrell a bust (yet) due to his injury and tendency to be streaky; however his signing and $9 million salary may have handcuffed the Rays. It is quite evident that the bullpen is struggling more than Screech Powers trying to get together with Lisa Turtle. Having some leeway to make a trade for a dominant bullpen arm could be the difference between playing in October and holding 2010 tryouts in September. Andrew Friedman’s hands are tied and he won’t be able to add the help that this team seems to desperately need. In related news, I actually think a healthy Chad Bradford would be an upgrade in the Rays’ current bullpen.

There are very few sporting events better than a game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. One of the best games I’ve ever been to, and will ever go to, was game 7 of the Lightning vs. Flames series.

Where have you gone: Grant Balfour’s fastball? Dan Wheeler’s command? Carlos Pena’s glove? Joe DiMaggio?
Reid Brignac JUST missed connecting on a ball last night for a homerun. I would really like to see him get that first shot and see what he can do when his confidence rises.

Is there anything more frustrating then “buffering” while listening to streaming radio? Well, I can think of a few things, like a crying baby on an airplane or people who use “The Milkshake Song” as a cell phone ring, but it’s close.

Gabe Kapler hit a homerun in the wind-tunnel known as Yankee Stadium. I rank that accomplishment along the line of toasting Eggos.
Gabe Kapler still sucks and hopefully will be the odd man out when Burrell comes off the disabled list.

I am headed to Vegas this weekend and will be playing in the World Series of Poker Event 24, $1500 no-limit hold ‘em event. I will provide results when I get back. Wish me luck!

-The Rocket Scientist

The Rocket Scientists’ Random Post-Vacation Thoughts

Before I left the country for all of last week, I left with a listing of headlines I would like to see. Some of these came true, most did not. After being disconnected from the internet and TV for 8 days, I have now caught up on a lot of what happened over the last week, and here are my random thoughts.

-I highly recommend the vacation I took to all of you. I went sailing with my family for a week in the British Virgin Islands. It was an unbelievable experience and one of the best vacations I have ever taken. (Author’s note: Thanks again mom and dad!)

-The Rays Republic is everywhere. I was wearing my Rays’ cap while hiking The Baths in Virgin Gorda. I was asked by a couple to take a picture of them. Why did they ask me? The guy was also wearing a Rays’ hat. That pumped me up. I love seeing Rays’ fans everywhere! (Author’s note: If the person who asked me to take this picture is reading this, please comment so we can get in touch and compare trips. I hope yours was as good as mine).

-Blowing a 10 run lead is inexcusable. I don’t want to hear about momentum shifts or the other team hitting well, just save it. There is no reason for the bullpen to not be able to get 3 outs without giving up 6 runs. That is a travesty and I am very happy I did not watch that game. Games like this may come back to haunt the Rays later this season.

-I feel really bad for Jason Bartlett. This injury might cost him a well-deserved trip to the all-star game. I hope people come to their senses and realize he absolutely deserves a trip to St. Louis, even if he misses 3 weeks. There are so many reasons for this, but his MLB leading .373 batting average is a major reason. The Rays NEED this guy back as soon as humanly possible.

-I feel so worse for Aki. Aki has given his heart and soul to this team. He has played his heart out for a losing team, then learned a new position and played stellar defense. I can’t think of a less deserving player to tear his knee. I wish him the best in his recovery. In the event the Rays do not pick up his option next season, I want to thank him for giving 100% to the Rays all the time.

-Carl Crawford finally got caught stealing after getting picked off at 1st. Although it’s not a good thing, I love that he still went for 2nd and ended up running into an out. It was an aggressive out and not a base-running mistake. Keep it up CC.

-If Evan Longoria can really get on a prolonged hot streak, the sky is the limit for him this season. I just looked at the stats this week and saw he now has 55 RBI’s on the season, 6 more than the next highest in the majors.

-I think I am going to be the only person in LA cheering for the Magic.

-I asked for a 3 game hitting streak from BJ Upton. Well, he currently has a 5 game hitting streak. That’s a good start. However, in those 5 games, he has 6 strikeouts and 2 walks. I would be much happier if those numbers were closer to even. Still, his average is finally over the Mendoza Line (.200), hopefully now he can keep inching it forward to .250 and beyond.

-Speaking of players who have been slumping, I found Navarro’s stats from this past week, but haven’t really heard much about his play. Does he still play with his head not in the game?

-How long is Andy Sonnanstine’s leash? If he has another bad game, it may be time for him to head to the pen and give Wade Davis a chance. He can’t be any worse.

-Scott Kazmir is throwing off a mound already. That’s probably a good thing, as I’d love for the kid to come back stronger than ever. However, the thing he really needs to find (other than the strike zone) is his confidence. I actually would like him to face some inferior competition so he gets the swagger back that he had in 2007.

-Troy Percival, please just do us all a favor and retire.

-I am loving everything I have read about JP Howell’s week. He can go a long way to solidifying the bullpen. I also noticed that Grant Balfour pitched 2.2 innings of solid ball Saturday, but his pitches were still down around 94. Where is that 98mph heat that we saw last year?

-I would love to go out for a beer with Dale Thayer.

-Randy Choate is doing his job nicely, filling in for injured Brian Shouse. In fact, he is going to make Joe Maddon make a tough decision as to who he keeps when Shouse is healthy.

-How did Gabe Kaplan make the team over Matt Joyce? If Ben Zobrist isn’t going to be an everyday right fielder, I am excited for the day that Matt Joyce has that job. I also think it is way too early to judge the Joyce for Jackson trade, even though Jackson just pitched (another) gem. Give it time, this trade should even out.

-What will happen first? Pigs fly or Rays win in Cleveland?

-Who is Joe Dillon? Where did he come from?

-Jeff Niemman is getting better every start. Although his last start was cut short due to a rain delay, I see he struck out 4 in 3 innings and only walked one. Niemman’s season started off rough, but I am gaining more and more confidence in him as the season progresses. More importantly, he looks like he is gaining confidence in himself as well.

-Anyone else smile when the pitching matchups for this series came out and Zack Grienke was not on the list of Royals’ scheduled pitchers?

-It is time for Reid Brignac to step his game up.

-11 out of 17 outs in David Price’s last performance were strikeouts? Damn.

-The Rays are currently 5.5 games out of first in the AL East. If they can put together a few weeks of solid, inspired baseball, that deficit can be easily overcome. The key word is if. This team needs 100% effort from all 25 players on the roster, not just 5-10. It also needs a manager who goes for the win every game and who isn’t looking ahead to September. In my opinion, the Rays have not had a combination of those over a consistent basis this season the way they did in 2008. Where is the passion and desire? The Rays have all the tools they need. I think now is as good of a time as any to put it all together. That’s just my thought though, it’s not rocket science.

-The Rocket Scientist