Well, this is a sobering statistic

The above graph and related article was posted on the blog boingboing. Click here for a link to the actual story and support the site. They have some interesting postings.

This graph depicts the S&P's annual returns, plotted by the frequency of occurance in ranges such as 0-10%, 11-20%, etc. As one would expect, the majority of the years fall into the 0-10% range. There were only 5 years each that fell into the 41-50% and 51-60% bracket.

Now, for the sobering statistic, until 2008, there was only 1 year each in the -31 - 40% and -41-50% columns. There was only 1 year in history with a loss greater than 50%. 2008 is currently sitting at -39%. The graph below was created a week or so ago before the S&P had a recent run up of about 130 points. Regardless, we could be looking at a historical 1 year annual loss for the S&P.

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Rays looking at some guys with questionable character traits

I know Maddon did an admirable job last year with Upton and his occasional lack of effort, but this might be a bit much. Apparently, during the Winter Meetings, the Rays have talked with Milton Bradley, Jason Giambi and, get this, Delmon Young!

Let's break down each of these...

Milton Bradley is a career .280 hitter with 6 teams in 11 seasons. He has long had anger management issues, but during a lunch with the Rays this past week, Maddon feels as if he has outgrown and was quoted as saying "people grow up, people change." Last year was his 1st season as an all-star, but his splits for the season showed a major drop-off in the 2nd half of the season due primarily to an injury. He could certainly shore up the DH and RF spots, but to be honest, he could probably explode at any minute. My take - PASS.


Giambi posted pretty good power numbers last year with a low batting average of only .247. Then again, oddly enough, Pena only hit .247 as well. His average has been in decline, but the power has stayed fairly consistent regarding homers and RBI's. For some reason I have always liked Giambi and feel like he might have another season or 2 in him. He is dependable in the DH spot and would be able to fill in for Pena here and there at 1B. Of course, the steroid allegations are going to follow him wherever he goes, but I believe he's a good guy. In fact, I met him once at a Chili's in Tampa, he was very cordial to my family. My take - Risky, but make a low offer and see if he takes it.

Delmon Young - This is really an interesting one. The guys has some character issues and was occasionally disruptive. I thought that was one of the reason's why they jettisoned him to the Twins last year? That deal was a big one for the Rays as they got Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza out of it. Sure, Delmon hit .290 last season, but for a guy that played in 152 games, he only hit 10 HR's with 69 RBI's. The rumor is that the Twins are not looking for starting pitching and a 3rd team would have to be involved, possibly the Rockies. The Rays would send either Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to the Rockets, who would send 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins to the Twins and send Young back to Tampa. The upside here is still pretty high, but here's my take - Only do this if you can guarantee I won't look back years from now and analyze the trade based on the combination of both deals. What I mean is, I don't want Delmon to stink it up and then say it was basically a deal where we lost Sonnanstine or Jackson for Garza and Bartlett, catch my drift?

Now, here's my suggestion for the Rays... GO AFTER BARRY BONDS! That's right, I said it, go sign Barry Bonds. If you are willing to bring one or more of the 3 above into the fold, why not go get the most feared slugger of our era. Steroids or not, the guys is an on base machine and would be more than willing to DH if any team would just sign him to a deal. He said last year he would play for the league minimum and donate a substantial portion to charity. The guy doesn't want money, I don't think he cares about any more records, he wants a ring. He has had a few lengthy layoffs with the knee injury from 2005 where he only played 14 games then not playing at all last year. He turns 45 in July, but for some reason, I think he could post stats from the DH position that would blow away the guys listed above. Plus, think of the opportunities to drive in runs if he is always on base ahead of Pena, Longoria, etc. Lastly, Friedman and Maddon would have him sign a clause or something in his contract that doesn't allow big comfy recliners in the locker room. My Take - take a flyer and see what happens, it would probably be cheaper than any of the 3 above and would put more butts in the seats!

Until next time,
- Steve

Shark Diving gone awry

Whoa, just watched this video this morning. These guys were shark diving in a cage in Baja Mexico and a shark busted through the door of the cage!

There are 2 videos, one unedited and one that was edited. Both are below. Also, go to Youtube and click on the link to watch in high definition, much clearer if you have the bandwidth.

Unedited Original Footage


Edited Footage


Until Next Time,
- Steve

Top 10 Hardest NFL Hits

In response to the fact that the Bucs defense didn't hit any of the Panthers that hard last night, I came across this video collection on digg.com, here's a link to the story on digg (the original is on askmen.com).

http://digg.com/football/The_Top_10_Hardest_Hits_in_the_NFL_w_Video

And here are the videos/pics for each one:

10. Sean Taylor on Brian Moorman - 2006


9. Hines Ward on Keith Rivers - 2008


8. John Lynch on Chris Henry - 2006


7. Roger Craig on Tim Krumrie - 1989: Current Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Tim Krumrie overcame a tremendous leg injury during Super Bowl XXIII that could have ended his career. In a nose tackle with the Bengals, Krumrie was kneed by Roger Craig, causing a shattering of both his tibia and fibula. Though video footage of the hit is rare, it’s regarded as one of the hardest – and most graphic – hits in football history. At risk of going into shock, Krumrie initially refused to leave the locker room after he was carted off the field. He had surgery to implant a 15-inch steel rod into his leg.






6. Bart Scott on Ben Roethlisberger - 2006


5. Tanard Jackson on Dallas Clark - 2007


4. Lawrence Taylor on Joe Theismann - 1985


3. Sheldon Brown on Reggie Bush - 2007


2. Darrell Reid on Chris Henry - 2007


1. Jack Tatum on Darryl Stingley - 1978: Darryl Stingley’s tragic story is necessary to mention in discussions about both the worst NFL hits in history and the most serious injuries. A running back with the Patriots, Stingley was paralyzed on a shot from Jack Tatum’s forearm during a preseason game. The hit broke two vertebrae in Stingley’s neck, making him a quadriplegic. Though no penalty was ever called on the play, it’s considered controversial because of the way Tatum hit Stingley to the head. Stingley died in 2007 at the age of 55, due to complications of quadriplegia.

If you are seated next to Willy Wonka on your next flight...

If you are seated next to a man in a purple suit and top hat, please run away from him because Willy Wonka should not be on any flights due to prior convictions.

Nice huh... thought that might give you a laugh this afternoon.

Until next time,
- Steve

So, I guess we are in a recession?

Yesterday, almost all of the gains we achieved in the shortened Thanksgiving week were erased in a measly 6 hours. The S&P dropped 9%, what normally takes a full year to happen.

If you love numbers and historical analysis of the markets, the following New York Times article had tons of great info.

Click here for the article.

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Attack of the Car Wash Water Snake

These guys just wanted to wash off their Jeep...



Until next time,
- Steve

Dem's squash plans for auto industry bailout - stocks are tanking again

Sheesh, what a week. As I write this, news came across the wire about 4:10pm ET, that the democrats delayed an auto industry bailout package. The broader markets were already down for the day, but then the free fall started and the Down ended the day down another 5.28% and the S&P 500 finished down 6.71% while the NASDAQ, that beacon of hope in this stock market, only finished down 5.07% (that was obviously sarcasm if you didn't pick up on it).

The stakes are high. The Detroit automakers employ nearly a quarter-million workers, and more than 730,000 other workers produce materials and parts that go into cars. About 1 million more people work in dealerships nationwide. If just one of the automakers declared bankruptcy, some estimates put U.S. job losses next year as high as 2.5 million. I honestly don't know how I feel personally about these bailout packages. Undoubtedly we all know someone whose employment might be affected by these companies (not just Auto Manufacturers) going out of business. However, the interesting thing is the corporate greed that manifested itself in the hearings earlier this week when the CEO's of GM, Ford and Chrysler made their way to capitol hill to plead their case.

Think about this... there are 24 daily non-stop flights from Detroit to the Washington DC area, but these CEO's each took their own private jets. Even if they flew 1st class on commercial flights, which would still be despicable, at a cost of somewhere north of $1,000, it would still dwarf the cost of the private jet flights which were estimated at anywhere from $10,000-$30,000 EACH.

The following is an excerpt from an article in the Washington Post (full link here) that is just one more example of why these guys and their companies don't deserve any help whatsoever!

So it was hard to feel sorry for the executives when Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), late in the hearing, reminded them again that "the symbolism of the private jet is difficult," and mischievously asked the witnesses whether, in another symbolic gesture, they would be willing to work for $1 a year, as Nardelli has offered to do.

"I don't have a position on that today," demurred Wagoner (2007 total compensation: $15.7 million).

"I understand the intent, but I think where we are is okay," said Mulally ($21.7 million).

"I'm asking about you," Roskam pressed.

"I think I'm okay where I am," Mulally said.

And don't even think about asking him to fly commercial.

Until next time
- Steve

Dow closes below 8,000 for the 1st time in over 5 years

Wow, another huge down day on Wall Street.

On fears primarily related to the impending auto industry collapse, the Dow closed below 8,000. This is the lowest point since March of 2003. Same for the S&P 500.

I read an article in the most recent Time magazine regarding a possible collapse by GM. If GM were to fail, it would not affect just the 200,000 or so employees of GM, but could expand to approximately 1.2 million jobs. This is because of the extensive supply chain of parts and other jobs related to GM. With the economy continuing the way it is, I sure don't know of any of my friends out shopping for new vehicles!

Hang in there folks, until next time,
- Steve

Double Digit % Increase in Electric Bills Coming

Aaaahhh, the good news of the economy continues. Tampa Electric (TECO) customers are looking at an 12% increase in January. Progress Energy, who just increased bills 11% last month, are increasing another 13% in January.

Here's a link to the story on TBO.com.

Until next time,
- Steve

Maddon wins AL Manager of the Year

Rays Manager Joe Maddon was named AL Manager of Year today by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Here's a link to the article on MLB.com.

Continuing the theme from Evan Longoria's unanimous selection as Rookie of the Year, Maddon was only 1 vote short of a unanimous selection as Manager of the Year. The only other manager to get a 1st place vote was Ron Gardenhire from Minnesota.

Until next time,
- Steve

Top 10 Microsoft Moments

I love these type of articles. They look back over the history of companies and dig into significant times in the company's growth. Because of Microsoft Windows celebrating 25 years yesterday, November 10th, Time.com has provided a look back at the top 10 Microsoft moments. Here's a link to the very insightful article.

Because of all the stock splits, the adjusted stock price when the company went public on March 13th, 1986 was only $0.0955. Based on today's stock price of $20.84 that is a 21,722% increase! That's even with the stock down over 60% from it's all-time high in December of 1999. No wonder Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world!

Until next time,
- Steve

Longoria wins Rookie of the Year in the AL

To add to Carlos Pena's recent gold glove award, Evan Longoria has been named a unanimous winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in the American League. He was named in 1st place on all 28 ballots and was a runaway winner over Alexi Ramirez of the White Sox.

Despite missing 30 games due to a broken wrist he suffered on August 10th after being hit by a pitch, he led all Major League rookies with 27 home runs and a .531 slugging percentage. In addition, he led the American League with 85 RBI's, 60 extra base hits and 238 total bases.

Evan had 2 walk off homeruns during the season and 3 in one game on September 18th against the Twins. He played excellent defense throughout the season, finishing with a .961 fielding percentage, 6th among American League 3rd basemen.

Let's hope the awards continue with Joe Maddon's being named Manager of the Year!

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Is Jason Giambi on the juice again?

Check out this pic... He must be pumping up because the Yankees released him and he needs to impress a new team since he's a free agent.

Would you all take him in Tampa? Or could we afford him?

Until Next Time,
- Steve

Check out Taggalaxy.com

Here's a link: http://www.taggalaxy.com/

This is a really unique website where you search for tags of photos posted on flickr. A huge globe is then represented, or possibly other globes with related tags.

I searched for our hometown, Plant City, and here's what I got.



Until next time,
- Steve

Obama not willing to spread his own wealth?

Interesting take on Obama's "Spread The Wealth" economic policy. The following cartoon was in the editorial section of today's newspaper.

Click the image below for a larger view.



Until next time,
- Steve

McCain takes his turn on Saturday Night Live

McCain actually showed a lighter side on the clip that may have resonated with folks. He seemed much more at ease than even the last debate against Obama. What do you think?

Until next time,
- Steve

Best Reason Yet to Vote for McCain

Last night my daughter Jacelyn spent the night with her G-Ma and PopPop (G-ma is short for Grandma because Kelly's mom didn't want to be called Grandma, G-ma sounded much more cool). Anyway, G-ma is telling me this morning in church about a conversation between her and Jacelyn regarding the upcoming election. It went something like this...

Jacelyn: G-ma, have you voted yet?
G-Ma: Yes, I voted early.
Jacelyn: Who did you vote for?
G-Ma: I voted for McCain.
Jacelyn: I like him too, more than Obama.
G-Ma: Why?
Jacelyn: He just looks like a President, the other guy doesn't.

There you have it folks, the best reason yet that I have seen to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin!

Until next time,
- Steve

Boy shocked trying to steal McCain Palin yard sign

Okay, now I know this has gone too far...

Until next time,
- Steve

Shifting Gears on the blog, let's talk Politics

Hi folks,

After a couple of days of recovering from the World Series, I am going to shift gears a bit for the next week or so and go into political mode here on the blog.

I make no excuses for the fact that I am a conservative republican and support McCain and Palin for this election. However, that being said, I am intrigued by the rhetoric from both sides in this campaign. Barack Obama reminds me a lot of Bill Clinton. While conservative republicans certainly didn't agree with many of the views of Clinton, he was a smooth talker who could make you believe almost anything. That's what we have to be careful about with Obama. He is very smooth as well, has a calm, cool demeanor about him, but when you take a look at the issues at hand for conservative Christians in this election, he fails on almost every issue. Here is a summary from the Christian Coalition Voter Guide for the 2008 Presidential Election. You can find more info and the entire publication at their website by clicking here. Clicking on the image below will give you the full size view.


The question you must ask yourself, is, "Does my one vote count?" Yes, it most certainly does! The following video may help you understand the impact you could have on this election.





Until next time,
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - That hurts...

Feels like I just got punched in the stomach. Congrats to the Phillies. I'll post tomorrow morning when I feel like writing.

Oh yeah, why did Fox have to show the last pitch 9 times for each of the fielders to show them running to the mound, that was a bit excessive don't you think? :-)

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Game 5 delayed until Wed the 29th

The last 3 1/2 innings of game 5 will not be played tonight as per MLB.com

Click here for the article.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Kelly and I on T.V.

Here's the link to watch the video directly on Youtube.com. Click the link right below the video on the right to "Watch in High Quality." I also have it embedded below, but the quality is not as good.

You can see me at about 6 to 8 seconds in. I have on a white Longoria jersey, on the aisle. The homer went just to my right. You can also see me at about 40 seconds. Then, at 48 seconds, I'm right behind the guy in a plaid shirt on the left of the screen. About 51 seconds, Kelly comes into plain view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWwY6HdrDoA



Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Singin' In The Rain

Now we have a nice little controversy to go along with a game 5 suspended by rain. All the media outlets are saying that if the Rays had not tied the game in the top of the 6th inning that the decision would have been tougher on whether or not to suspend the game or to call it because it was official after 4 1/2 innings. At this point, it seems like Selig had already made his decision that it wasn't going to be called, no matter what. The players seem to be okay with that as well. Several mentioned in interviews that they did not want a possible clinching World Series game to end like that, called early. Selig's plan was simple, he was going to have the longest ever rain delay to make sure the game was played. 24 hours? 48 hours? Didn't matter, the game would be finished.

You see what's happening don't you... the ball is starting to bounce back the Rays way again. All season long, this team of destiny has had things happen that just defy a little bit of logic and allow them to win. Here's another example. In a game with horrible conditions, Pena and Longoria have started hitting again, Upton is running out ground balls and stealing bases in a mud pit.

Now, we are setup for the latest hero, David Price, to finish out game 5. I fully expect him to be the new "starting" pitcher when the game resumes. Then, back to Tampa for game 6 and 2 very favorable pitching matchups for the Rays with Shields and Garza as the Rays become the 5th team in history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Why is everyone in a panic?

Question - why is everyone in a panic?

1. Is it because the normally accurate Andy Sonnanstine started walking more people in one game than he typically does in 4 or 5 games?
2. Is it because the historically potent offense we saw in the ALCS against the Red Sox is now a blubbering mess, striking out and not getting big hits when they need them?
3. Is it because they are down 3-1 and going up against a pitcher who has won his last 4 postseason starts?
4. Is it because an ESPN writer named Gene Wojciechowski was quoted in his column today saying, "As much as it pains me to say it, the Tampa Bay Rays are cooked, finished, done, toast, history. The only way they win this World Series is if Bud Selig declares the Philadelphia Phillies, I don't know, academically ineligible"
5. Is it because we are starting to doubt Joe Maddon and his decision making prowess?

Bottom line - I was discouraged the past 2 nights. I want to attend another game at the Trop. I don't want to the season to end. But, I do know this, we have been treated to one of the best season's ever in terms of the turnaround of a once doormat franchised which became a national sensation.

Whatever your reason for your panic, some of which are probably very valid, I leave you with the following list of 10 teams that have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a postseason LCS or World Series. Also, take a look at the teams, I am 100% sure the media and lots of fans had given up on them. What are you going to do tonight? Give up, or cheer your team to victory so we live to play another day?

1. 2007 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Indians
2. 2004 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Yankees
3. 2003 NLCS Marlins come back against the Cubs
4. 1996 NLCS Braves come back against the Cardinals
5. 1986 ALCS Red Sox come back against the Angels
6. 1985 ALCS Royals come back against the Blue Jays
   
7. 1985 WS Royals come back against the Cardinals
8. 1968 WS Tigers come back against the Cardinals
9. 1958 WS Yankees come back against the Braves (Milwaukee)
10. 1925 WS Pirates come back against the Senators

Here is a video to get you fired up for the Rays victory tonight!



Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Got 'em right where we want 'em

Hey Ray's fans,

Can you believe there was a World Series game at the Trop last night? What an atmosphere. I noticed lots of folks were upset and discouraged with the loss. What a short memory we have Rays fans! Remember game 1 of the ALCS? The Rays lost to Dice-K and the hitting looked anemic. The Phillies gave us Cole Hamels and again, due to good pitching, hitting was less than exciting. There were a couple of good points, actually three... Aki had 3 hits, Zobrist got on base and scored a run and Crawford hit his 1st post season homerun. Other than that, everyone else put up an zeroes.

I fully expect the Rays to come back tonight and post some big numbers. Then, go to Philly and try to take 1 or 2 games to get homefield advantage back. I am thinking this is going to be a 6 or 7 game series. You have to think the Phillies will probably win the games that Hamels starts.

Sorry for the somewhat short post today... but I have to get some work done today!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Kazmir to Start Game 1

Hi folks, looks like we have Scott Kazmir starting game 1 of the World Series. Sort of ironic if you think about it. Scotty got the win in the All-Star game which gave the Rays home field advantage in the Series. This could prove very pivotal as the Rays had the best home record in baseball this season, winning at a .703 clip. Also, another point of irony is that Brad Lidge, the Phillies dominant closer was the losing pitcher in that all-star game.

On a separate issue, I also wanted to ask you to compare the following pictures. My buddy Smitty thinks I looks a lot like Scott Kazmir. Even some of our friends who we sit near at the games thought I was his brother. What do you think? I included a couple of my pics for comparison. Oh yeah, Scotty's picture is 1st.

I wonder if I showed up at the game in a Rays uniform if I could sneak into the clubhouse or dugout or something? Obviously, something would be up when I started throwing right handed, but maybe I could get on the field? Naaahhhhh, forget about it, I don't want to get kicked out of the stadium for game 1 of the World Series!

Now that we are off topic and talk has shifted into sneaking into sporting events, how many of you have heard of Barry Bremen? Here's a link to his page on Wikipedia. Barry has snuck into all sorts of sporting events over the years. From his Wiki Page: From 1979 to 1986, Bemen posed as a Major League Baseball Umpire in the World Series (maybe we'll see him tomorrow), a player in the MLB All-Star game, a player in the NBA All-Star game, a referee in the NFL, a professional golfer, an emmy award winner accepting an award on someone else's behalf and my personal favorite, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader!

That's it for now, look for an in depth analysis soon on the series and our real chances.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Post game live video

Hi folks, another quick post with a video from the post game after last night's win.

I zoomed into the both dugouts as we had friends sitting behind each dugout.



Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays Rally Video

Here's my best attempt to capture the 9th inning rally video that they play at Tropicana Field. I am going to try to recreate it for our Little League Team's next video.



Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - World Series Here We Come

Last night was the single greatest sporting event I have ever attended live. We got to the game about 6pm, plenty of time to catch the end of batting practice. Then my buddy Rhett and I and spent some time in the Ted Williams Hitter's Museum at the Trop. If you have never spent any time there, check it out, you will enjoy the history and memorabilia they have.

When the game started, you could tell Garza was pretty hyped and the adrenaline was flowing. It was very depressing to give up the homer to Pedroia in the 1st. That guy is a pesky hitter and will probably win the AL MVP. After that, however, Garza settled into the game was really hitting his spots. He was jumping out ahead and the curve was dropping off the table. He had the Boston hitters off balance the whole night. I was pleasantly surprised as the game progressed that until the 7th inning, the only hit he had given up was the homer to Pedroia in the 1st.

Getting a double by Longoria down the right field was huge. This was the 4th inning and his double drove in the tying run - we had finally gotten to Lester. Lester also threw a tremendous game. He threw over 70% of his pitches for strikes and was around the plate the whole night. This hit was big for another reason, which was maybe not as obvious. I noticed that in the past couple of games, Longoria seemed to be hitting a lot of weak grounders to shortstop. He was probably pressing a little bit, trying to hit the ball out of the yard every time he came up to bat. The pitchers were throwing him away, but he wasn't trying to go with the pitch, which caused the weak grounders to short. Seeing him go down the right field line showed that he is learning how the pitchers are throwing to him and he's taking whatever he's given and working the pitcher.

Then, Baldelli knocks in a run and Aybar hit's a solo homer as we go up 3-1. At this point, Garza was still in the game mowing down batters. We were anxiously watching his pitch count. I think there was one at bat where it seemed like Varitek had about 12-15 pitches. Then, something exciting happened. Garza came out for the 8th inning. Everyone expected him to be taken out, but Maddon surprised us by letting him come out for the 8th inning. He already had over 100 pitches, so this was a big vote of confidence for Garza.

I have to be completely honest, I got a nasty, sick to my stomach feeling when Bartlett booted the ball to start the 8th. That's 2 errors in the last 2 games for him. Then, Maddon did something else very uncharacteristic of him. When he came out to talk to Garza after that at bat, he didn't take the ball from him. He left him in. Normally, Maddon is calling for the reliever by the time he's at the top step of the dugout. He left him in for 1 more batter and after that, the 8th inning was like a blur. 4 more pitchers took the mound, Howell, Wheeler, Bradford and then, the legend that is now, David Price. The guy had pitched all of 14 innings this year as a late September call up from Triple A. Granted, in the minors he had an awesome year, but this was game 7 of the ALCS and he was coming in with the bases loaded. But, that's Maddon, never know what he's got up his sleeve!

What happened next is how legends are born. Price strikes out Drew to finish the 8th and then comes out for the 9th, after giving up a lead off walk, he sets down 3 in a row to save the game. Then, bedlam ensued... cowbells, loud music, screaming, grown men hugging other grown men who they didn't know, pure insanity!

To wrap up, Smack Apparel has some great shirts already out. Here's one I am going to send to my co-worker in Boston who I had a little side bet with. Whichever team made it farther, the other guy had to where a shirt of the opposing team all day long. I think this will go over well in the Boston office!

Enjoy it folks, talk to you tomorrow,

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - This is what we dream about!

If I would have told you this past April when the Rays broke from Spring Training to start the season that they would be in the LCS, playing game 7 for a chance to go to the World Series, no one would have believe me.

Fans - we have to forget the other night in Boston, we have to forget last night. We have one game, one chance, to make a dream turn into a reality for Tampa. I believe that the Rays are going to play loose tonight, they are going to come out on fire and they ARE GOING TO WIN TONIGHT!!!

Now all of a sudden, we are the underdog again, which plays nicely for us. I encourage you to go out tonight to the game if you can, pay whatever you can for the tickets. If you can't make it, sit at home with your family and watch this momentous game.

To get you fired up, I am including a video below of some friends of ours that were chosen last night to yell "Play Ball" before the game. Pretty cool...




Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Coming Home for Game 6

I am finally able to sit down and write about last night. You just knew that the Red Sox still had some punch left in them. While I was almost physically sick to my stomach after it ended, I had a sort of smile on my face because this is what it's all about in the post season. Sure, you can 2nd guess Maddon's decision to bring Balfour in early and the Dan "Deer in the Headlights" Wheeler decision to leave him in so long, but you know what... those guys have done it the whole season. The old adage is "you dance with what brung ya" (is that a word, brung).

Anyway, I think the odds are still very, very high that the Rays can win 1 out of 2 at home and go to the series. I look for them to continue to hit and bounce back just like they have done all season long. Big game James Shields is going to throw a great game and the hitting will continue. The place is going to be REALLY LOUD. There will be over 41,000 there and we will see the return of Thunderdome. Remember when the Lightning were playing there and they set an attendance record at the time of 27,227? I don't think the Red Sox really know what the Tampa fans have in store for them when they step onto the field Saturday night.

My wife and I are going to the game as my son Cade and his buddy Jacob have a double-header they are playing in. For your viewing pleasure, here's a pick of the boys and the signs we had at the last home game. Check out the Red Sox fan in the background. Click for a larger view.


Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Buster Olney discusses decision to start Kaz tonight

Here is a video of Buster Olney discussing Maddon's decision to start Kaz tonight.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 9=8 in more ways than 1

A friend of mine who I recently re-connected with on Facebook sent this too me...

9=8
Game 2 was 9 to 8
Game 3 Rays won by 8
Game 4 Rays won by 9

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Gross and Zobrist Take Their Faith to the Plate

Check out this article regarding Gabe Gross and his theme song when he comes to the plate, "Blessed Be The Name of the Lord."

We have noticed this all season long and the boys love singing along when he's coming up to bat.




Also, Ben Zobrist has a song played by Toby Mac called "Ignition" when he goes to bat. I read a recent article about Ben Zobrist and learned that his wife, Julianna is an aspiring Christian Music Artist. Here's her myspace page, check out some of the music.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Tarps coming off!

Here's a link to an article on TBO.com regarding the addition of about 5,700 new seats at the Trop that will be made available for the "If" games 6 and 7 of the ALCS and all possible World Series Games.

The caveat is that some are obstructed view and of course parking, lines, etc. will be worse, but being able to add another 5,700 or so fans... it's gonna be loud!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 1 More Win to close out Boston

Well, here we go again... lots of runs, lots of homers, good starting pitching. Same story again, right folks? Maybe, but I saw something a little different last night than the past 2 games. In game 2, the runs scored were out of desperation, meaning that they had to keep scoring to keep pace with the Red Sox. In game 3, it was almost like it was on accident. I know that's not the best analogy, but they were just scoring almost at will and things were breaking their way. But, in game 4, it seemed like there was an aggression on the basepaths, hitting to the opposite field, putting the ball in play, moving runners over, taking walks, etc. In game 4 they systematically took apart the Red Sox and never really let up. Now, I know this game of baseball is a pretty crazy game, and they could hit a road block with Dice-K tomorrow evening after a day off, but I really believe they can sweep in Boston and finish off the series. If they do it on Thursday night, they would then have 6 days of rest until the World Series opens up in Tampa on Wednesday the 22nd.

Some other notes from the game...

Did you see how hard Jackson was throwing? He hit 99mph a few times. I wonder if maybe a setup role or even a closer role might be the thing for him? Sonnanstine was even hitting 90-91 on the radar gun a few times, which makes his off-speed stuff that much more nasty.

It seems like 5 is a magical number today for the Rays... consider this:

• Longoria now has the most homeruns in the post season as a rookie with 5.
  
• BJ has 5 as well.
  
• Crawford had 5 hits yesterday.
  
• Aybar had 5 RBI's
• And, dare we say it, they only need 5 more wins for a World Series title!

Until next time... Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Ray-Hawk Boy to be on ESPN

I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the 12 year old middle school student from a Manatee County school who was suspended for sporting a Ray-Hawk. Well, he has really hit the big time. In addition to getting to meet the players and get on the field, he is going to be on ESPN's First Take tomorrow (Wed 10/15) at 9am ET. Here's a pic and link to the story on TBO.com.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays up 2-1 in ALCS

Now be serious... did you really think the Rays would destroy Lester and the Red Sox the way they did today? I was confident that they would play tough over the next three games, but what happened today was just a continuation of the magical summer of baseball.

The announcers on TBS were saying that the Red Sox HAD to win this game. And honestly, it looked good for them. They had Jon Lester going for them. The guy hadn't given up an earned run in his last 3 postseason outings (including game 4 of last year's world series and the 1st 2 games he pitched in the ALDS this year).

But these Rays just keep coming at you. It is really uncanny the way they are playing in these pressure packed games. Then again, maybe we don't need to remind them they are are 2 wins away from the World Series.

If Upton keeps this pace up, he may hit more homers in the postseason than he did in the regular season. Longoria is back to being locked in and Pena is crushing the ball. Nice to see Baldelli go deep tonight. All that hitting is great, but the story of the game, I think, was the pitching. According to the announcers Garza fell behind on 19 of the 27 batters he faced. He only three 63 pitches for strikes out of 116 in 6 innings. So, obviously, he wasn't on his "A" game. However, he showed that he could be a grinder in a critical postseason game and get his team a quality start when he didn't have his stuff. Of course, Howell did his normal great job and the the manager we just can't seem to predict, Joe Maddon, let's Jackson close out the game. I think Maddon is doing a great job of getting these guys some postseason experience so they can be ready for anything as they continue to progress.

We have tickets for game 6 at home, but to be honest... I'd happily watch them sweep in Boston and rest up for the series. Can you believe what I just wrote, I can't... "Rest up for the Series!!!"

Wow! Go Rays,
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Whoa...

Nice title huh?

Is this what every game was like when Boston and the Yankees had those momentous series over the years?

To put some perspective into our fun-filled sports day yesterday... Of course it started when we didn't arrive home from FRIDAY's game until almost 2am Saturday morning. Then, up about 7am, played golf with my son and and my dad, back home around 2:15pm. Then, left at 3:45pm to pick up Smitty and his son to head to the Rays game. We got there about 5pm. We were there very early and watched a ton of batting practice and got Garza to sign for us... pretty sweet. Here's a pic of him signing a ball for us.

Then, the game started. Back and forth, back and forth, what an amazing game. We had some pretty cool Red Sox fans who had driven the entire night before from Hickory, NC to come to the game sitting behind us. I remember commenting to them in the 5th inning about how long that single inning took. Turns out, it was 53 minutes. I googled all over this morning and could not find a refernece for the single longest inning in baseball history, but I'll bet that would be up there on the list if there was one!

Last night was the single loudest, craziest game I have ever been a part of. Over 5 and 1/2 hours of intense screaming, yelling, throwing our hands up in disgust and finally throwing our hands up in victory.

As I said yesterday, I don't think either team thought they would waltz in and sweep this series. I think it will be imperative for the Rays to take game 3 in Boston against Lester. That would be a huge momentum boost and get home field back in the Rays favor. Then, if they can knock off either Wakefield OR Dice-K, we could get in a good position to win in 6 or 7.

The big question mark in my book is, "What's wrong with Kazmir?" The guy had 98 pitches in 4 1/3. He had 39 if I remember correctly in the 1st inning. I don't know if he was joking with us or not, but when we were at the game early, George Hendrick was talking with some fans and he actually said that he had no idea what they would get from Kazmir today because he showed up at the game in his suit, ready to travel with his suitcase. Did he not even know he was pitching? It seemed like Hendrick was serious, but he could have been pulling our leg.

Anyway, again, I can barely talk again today, couldn't wake up and make it to church after getting home at 3:30am. It's 10:45am and Cade is still sleeping...

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - We Still Have Some Fight In Us!!!

Hi Fans,

Well, last night is a classic example of what happens when you run into good pitching. Dice-K was off enough to keep us thinking we could get to him, but we just couldn't get the timely hits when we needed them. If anyone in the Ray's Organization or the fans thought we were going to waltz into the World Series by sweeping the Red Sox, they were sadly mistaken. This is a good, maybe even great, team we are playing that has won 2 of the past 4 world series. Not too mention the teams just don't like each other that much.

If you read back on my preview for game 1, I suggested that if Dice-K was wild AND we could get to him early, we might pull ahead for the entire game. Well, he was wild, but then clamped down just enough to keep us at bay. Hats off to him, good game.

I thought it was interesting on the ride home after the game how some fans were calling in bashing Maddon for letting Pena and Longoria swing at 3-0. But ya know what, hands down he is the AL Manager of the Year and has been doing things his way all season long. I say he probably knows what he is doing.

My son and I are going to make a poster for tonight entitled... "We Still Have Some Fight In Us!!!" We'll include the following pictures, hopefully it gets you fired up as well!

Click on the pics for a larger size.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Game 1 of the ALCS

Can you believe we are actually talking about Rays baseball in Tampa on October 9th? Well, believe it, because it's true.

I just stopped in Publix to pick up a few things and bought this shirt. Click on the image for a larger view.



I love shirts by these guys, http://www.smackapparel.com/

I have a little bet going with one of my co-workers. Our company is based in Boston and we agreed that for whichever team makes it further in the postseason, that team's apparel would be worn by the other fan for a day. I'm thinking the shirt above would fit nicely on my friend Dave in Boston.

It really is a neat time here in the Tampa area. It reminds of the Super Bowl run by the Bucs in 2002 and the Stanley Cup run by the Lightning in 2003-2004. The entire city is really behind one cause, and that's the Rays. It's hardly even being mentioned around that there is a huge college football game on Saturday in Gainesville between the Gators and LSU, the Lightning home opener Saturday night, the Bucs big division rivalry game Sunday against the Panthers... it's all Rays, all the time.

Doing some quick analysis of the game tonight leads me to believe that we can probably jump out quick against Dice-K as he does walk a lot of batters. With our speed, if we can get 1 or 2 on early, we can probably get ahead. I don't look for Shields to have many jitters, he seems like a big game pitcher and shouldn't have any problems with the magnitude of this game.

We are going to try to arrive as early as the gates open today and take it all in... I'll provide an update tomorrow morning on the atmosphere of the game.

Go Rays!!!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - What trouble with the economy?

Seems to me like a good investment vehicle in these stressful times are Rays playoff tickets!

To put it in perspective, the Dow's all-time high was 14,164 almost exacly 1 year ago today on October 9th, 2007. As of yesterday's over 500 point drop, the Dow is off 33% from it's high. The NASDAQ is an even worse story. It's high was right before the dot com bust of 2000. In February of 2000 the NASDAQ was at 4696. Today, the NASDAQ will open at 1754, a drop of over 62%. From it's 1 year high last October 31st of 2859, the NASDAQ is off over 38%.

Now, let's talk about Rays' playoff tickets. Check out this article from yesterday regarding playoff tickets at the Trop going for $19,999! I checked on stubhub.com and could not find any priced that high, but did see some for $17,500. I am pretty sure that there is some serious profit taking going on there. Oh, and by the way, the scalping law was repealed by Governor Jeb Bush back in July of 2006, here's a link to an article describing it. (Thanks to my buddy Smitty for the link).

To dig deeper, I decided to compare to our seats and see what they were going for. We sit in section 143, row CC, seats 1-4. Row CC is about 10 rows back in left field, sort of near the State Farm sign on the left field fence. The face value for our seats in the ALCS is only $25.00. Tickets in section 143 for Friday's 1st ALCS game are going for $159.99 to $350 each. I looked closer and there are 2 sets of tickets that are considered better that ours, on the 2nd row, so let's leave those out (they are $249 and $350 each, respectively). All the rest, I would consider not as good as ours, they top out at $175. That's a 700% profit. As I look deeper, the profit is even great in other parts of the stadium.

But, here's 2 things to consider...

1) Do you really want to miss these games? Not us, I'm perfectly happy as long as I have my seats and will be there sitting next to the guy who paid $175 for the same seat I paid $25. But that's what free economy is all about I suppose. Now, if they make it to the World Series, the face value on our seats goes up to $150, who knows how much they would go for!

2) If you do indeed decide to sell any tickets, which I certainly don't fault you for doing in these rough economic times, you absolutely must make sure you are not selling to any Red Sox fans! You can determine this with some easy questions during the selling process. Questions such as:

• Do you like clam chowder?
• What does 9=8 mean?
• Do you like the song Sweet Caroline? (they play it at Fenway before the bottom of every 8th inning - I suggest a parody song at the Trop called Sweet Sonnanstine).
  
• Ask for their response to Tom Brady's injury because if they are upset about that, they are probably Red Sox fans as well.
• Ask if they have eaten any free Dunkin Doughnuts this season?
• Ask if they have been to Kane's Furniture to get a free Papa John's pizza this season?

I'm sure you can come up with many more on your own.

Bottom Line - okay to take some profits on your tix, but choose wisely on who you sell to so we can show Red Sox Nation what Ray's Nation is all about!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - VICTORY !!!

Congrats to the Rays Organization, Fans, the Tampa area, etc., etc., on the Rays progressing to the American League Championship Series.

I was just trying to explain to my son Cade the history he was watching tonight. Some people go 10, 20, 30 years, or even more, in a lifetime without having their favorite team get to the Division Championship Series.

Many times, a team will catch fire at the right time and get lightning in a bottle and go all the way. Simply put, it may not happen again next year, or for many years after. Look at Colorado last year. They won 21 games in a row at the end of the season to get in the playoffs. Then, they made their way to the World Series, but ended up losing to the Red Sox. How did the Rockies do this year? They finished 74-88, 10 games out of 1st in the somewhat weak NL West.

I could sit here and say that this Rays team is different, they were flirting for, or in 1st all season. They are built for the long haul. They have the youngsters in the minors ready to continue the tradition. But, the reality is that we just don't know.

What I am trying to say is this... Let's not take this for granted. If your kid says he wants to stay up late to finish watching the game with you, let them! If you have a chance to score tickets to a home playoff, or if all goes well, a world series game, then go. Even if you are sitting on the last row in the nose bleed section... GO !!! If you can't go to the game, get the family on the couch and watch the playoff games in your Rays gear. Support this team and what they have done.

As a brief review of tonight's clinching game, I love Balfour. The guy just wants to throw as hard as he can. Stomping around on the mound, pounding his fist, throwing nothing but heat. BJ was big tonight with 2 homers and his typical great defense. Carlos was on base regularly, Crawford stole 3 bases. Sonnanstine threw great, only giving up 3 hits, 2 of which were solo homers.

Now... on to watch the other ALDS series. Who are you hoping we play? The Red Sox or the Angels? If it's the Red Sox, we get home field advantage. If it's the Angels, they have home field. What do you think, let us know in the comments.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Rays up 2-0

Well, I thought my throat and head hurt after last nights game, tonight it's even worse! During some parts of the game, Rusty (he's the guy who is always up on the screen doing the contests, etc.) had a handheld decibel meter. The highest it ever got was about 130.1

I decided to some searching online to see really how loud that is... here's what I found (you can find all sorts of interesting stats by clicking here).

• At 115 dB, it's comparable to sandblasting or a loud Rock Concert
• At 125 dB pain begins
• We were only 10 dB away from 140 dB. Listen to this: Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage - Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection
• 140 dB would be comparable to a Jet Engine blast at 100 feet or a gun blast.

Oh yeah, they played a baseball game tonight... As usual, Kaz struggled early and threw about 35 pitches in the 1st. Then he settled in and actually gave up only 2 runs, 1 fewer than Shields on Friday night. These guys are resilient and do not give up easily. Whenever they are down by a few runs, they just start chipping away. I think the telling stat tonight was runners left on base. Both teams had 12 hits, but the White Sox left 12 runners on base while the Rays left 5.

I was so proud of Aki tonight. He is a quiet, unassuming guy who just works his tail off. Remember, he moved to a new position this year in 2nd base. He made some great plays in the field, specifically on a couple of double plays. Then, he hits the go ahead homer to opposite field.

Click here for a link to the game recap on ESPN.com.

Next game is Sunday at 4:07pm ET.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - History was made

Hi folks, this will probably be a somewhat short post tonight (at least in comparison to the last couple of days). As many of you know, I was at the 1st playoff game in Rays history tonight with my son Cade, my buddy Smitty and his son Jacob. The boys got 3 balls in batting practice, here's a pic (my son Cade is on the right, Jacob is on the left):



The game was simply put... Electric. It was the most exciting atmosphere for a sporting event I have ever been to.

Some of my notes from the game:

• From a pitching perspective, Shields looked great tonight. He really only had one inning where he was off and only 1 bad pitch, the 3 run homer he gave up. Balfour was dominant when we needed him. He came in with the bases loaded and struck out 2 in a row. Even when Howell as always looked solid again. Wheeler had us a little scared when he gave up the solo homer to Konerko. The last two outings he's had when trying to close he's given up a couple of homers. His velocity seemed to be down a little on his fastball, 87-88 mph.
  
• Hitting - Longoria, Longoria, Longoria. I know we are a little biased because he plays for our team, but the flair for the dramatic is, well, dramatic! I Tivo'd on my computer the TBS broadcast and just checked out his at-bat. Each time he came up Harold Reynolds was comparing him to Cal Ripken Jr. We can only hope we get to see a fraction of what Cal Ripken Jr. was in Longoria over the next 10 years or so.

Well, my throat is pretty dry, I have a headache, so I am going to turn in.

Rays 1
White Sox 0

Game 2 tomorrow night, see you there!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Roster is Set

Hi folks, well, it looks like the roster is set. Here's a link to an article on Tampabay.com.

While it's not really official until tomorrow morning, here's what we know so far:

Starting Pitchers

• James Shields
• Scott Kazmir
• Matt Garza
• Andy Sonnanstine

Relief Pitchers

• Grant Balfour
• Chad Bradford
• J.P. Howell
• Trever Miller
• David Price
• Dan Wheeler

Catchers

• Dioner Navarro
• Michel Hernandez
  

Infielders

• Willy Aybar
• Jason Bartlett
• Akinori Iwamura
• Evan Longoria
• Carlos Pena
• Ben Zobrist

Outfielders

• Rocco Baldelli
• Carl Crawford
• Gabe Gross
• Eric Hinske
• Fernando Perez
• B.J. Upton

DH

• Cliff Floyd

Honestly, I am little shocked that they decided to not keep Edwin Jackson on the roster. For some reason, I have always felt like he is the kind of guy who was really coming around. My fear is that this might be a big blow to his confidence because of how fragile he tends to be. Another absence, although probably having as much to do with injuries as poor performance, is Percival. I was there for some early games in the season when he saved something like his 1st 14 or 15 in a row without giving up any runs. The heavy metal music would start blaring when he came in and it was lights out. Too bad he's not there. I do admit that I was really glad to see Crawford in there. I think he'll be somewhat of a spark plug tomorrow night being back in the lineup. I would love to see one of his patented triples down the right field line.

I briefly saw an article on MLB.com via my blackberry that mentioned the batting order, but when I got home to make this posting, I couldn't find it. It might mean it wasn't accurate and got pulled, but here's what I remember about the starting batting order (of course Shields is starting on the mound).

1. Akinori Iwamura
   
2. B.J. Upton
3. Carlos Pena
4. Evan Longoria
5. Carl Crawford
6. Cliff Floyd
   
7. Gabe Gross
8. Dioner Navarro
9. Jason Bartlett
   

I don't think I'll sleep much tonight! I'll be picking up my son Cade from school tomorrow about 10:30am and heading to the game with my buddy Smitty and his son Jacob. I honestly cannot believe we are about to go to a playoff game. What a magical summer!!!

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Pitching Rotation

Hi folks, day three of my bloggin' through the playoffs series.

Let's take a look at the pitching rotation for the AL Division Series, which is best of 5.

1st, a look at the stats for the 5 primary starters most of the season:

Pitcher	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	K's	QS
James Shields	215.0	14	8	3.56	1.15	160	22
Andy Sonnanstine	193.1	13	9	4.38	1.29	124	13
Matt Garza	184.2	11	9	3.70	1.24	128	15
Edwin Jackson	183.1	14	11	4.42	1.51	108	15
Scott Kazmir	152.1	12	8	3.49	1.27	166	13

I think probably everyone agrees that Shields, Garza and Kazmir will be in the rotation. As I mentioned in yesterday's post Kazmir hasn't looked right for a little while throwing so many pitches early in the games, but he deserves to be there. If Maddon goes with a 4 man rotation, which I think he probably will, the 4th spot comes down to two pitchers with very similar stats, Sonnanstine and Jackson. Jackson has 1 more win, but Sonnanstine has 2 fewer losses. Jackson's ERA is only .04 more than Sonnanstines, so that's really a wash. Interesting that Jackson has 2 more quality starts, but Sonnastine walks fewer than Jackson (showing in the much lower WHIP for Sonnanstine). After that, you have to look at the intangibles. Jackson has always been a little shaky. When he's on, he's very good, but when he's not... well, let's no go there! I think Jackson has better stuff, a more lively fastball, better breaking pitches, but less control. I am just going on a gut call here, but I think Jackson might be the man. I saw him pitch in a late season game against the Twins and he pitched into the 8th inning. In that inning, the crowd was pumped up and really behind him. For the last batter he faced that inning, he pumped 3 consecutive fastballs at 96, 97 and 98 MPH. I think with the atmosphere in the Trop (if that's where he gets to pitch), Jackson could really do some damage against a free swinging team like the White Sox. If it's the Twins, they are a bit more disciplined.

There you have it, lots of analysis of stats and I go with a gut call for Jackson.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - 25 Man Roster

1st off - I am glad the Rays finished the season with a win today. Feels a little better going in to the playoffs.

As for the rosters, what do you think? Which 25 players should Rays management go with to get the team to the World Series? I think most of the questions probably center around 2 areas, those that were injured recently (Crawford, Percy, etc.) and pitching. Remember, they can submit a new 25 man roster for the Division Series.

Here are my thoughts...

Infielders / Outfielders / DH (13 Players)

1. Dioner Navarro - A given, an all-star this season and had the team's highest batting average.
2. Carlos Pena - Monster comeback after his injury. After coming off the DL on June 27th, he's hitting .261 with 11 HR and 67 RBI's.
3. Akinori Iwamura - Steady the whole season in the field and at bat.
4. Jason Bartlett - He has quietly gotten his average up to .286 and contributes with the glove and some spead on the bases with 20 SB.
5. Evan Longoria - What more can I say, the AL Rookie of the Year.
6. Willie Aybar - He can play almost any position on the field. Solid reserve.
7. B.J. Upton - He's back from his injury and I think the mid-season attitude problems are no more.
8. Carl Crawford - He's taken BP two days in a row and is making his case for the postseason. Bottom line - if he can play, he should be there. He has been the face of the franchise for years and deserves the spot. Take a look at this article from today.
9. Michel Hernandez / Shawn Riggans - If Riggans is off the DL, we go with him, otherwise Hernandez is an okay right handed bat, you have to have a backup catcher for Navarro.
10. Gabe Gross - this guy is clutch. He may be the starting right fielder next season and has been great in a platoon role this season.
11. Cliff Floyd - Provides a veteran presence the team needs in the 1st postseason for many players.
12. Fernando Perez - this guy can flat out fly on the basepaths. Plus, he seems to have a little pop from the right side which this team desparately needs.
13. Rocco Baldelli - Baldelli gets this spot over Hinske. Call me crazy on this, but before today, Hinske hadn't hit a homerun since August 18th, that's over a month. Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that Maddon played Baldelli in the last three games in a row in Detroit. With a few days to recover, he should be ready to contribute in the playoffs.
    

Pitchers (12 pitchers)

1. James Shields - All year long, probably the most consistent starting pitcher on the team
   
2. Scott Kazmir - Something just doesn't look right with Scotty, would you agree? However, he can have electric stuff. I think he needs to get back to his slider more and then work guys up the ladder and sit 'em down.
   
3. Matt Garza - That trade before the season when we sent Delmon Young to Minnesota for Garza and Bartlett looks pretty good doesn't it? Garza seems to have the right makeup for the postseason.
   
4. Andy Sonnanstine - It comes down to Sonnanstine and Jackson for the final starting spot if Maddon chooses a 4 man rotation. A coin flip if you ask me. Jackson probably has the best stuff on the staff and did win 14 games. I was at a game last week when he pitched into the 8th inning and had three consecutive pitches 96, 97 and 98 mph. Sonnanstine seems as if he was pitching all season with smoke and mirrors, but he did get 13 wins. What do you think?
   
5. Edwin Jackson - See above note on Sonnanstine, one of these is a starter and one is in the bullpen.
   
6. Grant Balfour - 1.54 ERA and 12.7 K's per 9 innings. Get's the ball and just throws hard.
   
7. J.P. Howell - 6-1 record and 2.22 ERA. Kept us in lots of games this season.
8. Dan Wheeler - Great job in the closer role when Percy went down.
9. Trever Miller - Consistent middle to long reliever.
10. Chad Bradford - Great mid-season pickup, with that submarine delivery, he can come in and get some important outs to get to the later innings.
11. David Price - Sure, he has no MLB postseason experience. Heck, he barely has any MLB experience at all. Yes, he is the number one prospect in the whole organization. And, finally, mark my words, Yes - he will exit this postseason in much the same way Francisco Rodriguez did in 2002 when the Angels won the world series and K-Rod became a huge success.
12. Troy Percival - This is a tough one. He basically willed the team to wins early in the season. But the leg injuries have hurt his velocity. Maybe he gets a chance to pitch in the final game of one of the playoff series and makes a heroic exit from the game. I'm kind of sentimental on this, but if it wasn't for him, we may not be here. His last three outings, each for 1 inning, he hasn't allowed any earned runs.
    

Notable absences

Other than Hinske, the only other position player who maybe could maybe play a big role is Zobrist. I actually feel bad for the guy. I think he was called up at least 4 seprate times this season. As for pitchers, a 12 man staff looks pretty good, but if we went with one more pitcher, then maybe Jason Hammel or Jeff Niemann? Then, you have to drop a position player, possibly Fernandez or Baldelli. Also, if Crawford cannot go in the 1st series, you probably do add the extra pitcher. Another absence, Jonny Gomes. I wish we could have a slot on the team like they do in hockey for the resident goon. The guy you want on your side if there's a brawl. Jonny would be that guy. However, when you look at his batting average (if you can find it, it's only .182), there really isn't a spot for him.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Tomorrow we will talk about the pitching rotation.

Go Rays!
- Steve

Bloggin' Through the Playoffs - Season in Review

Hi everyone,

After an absence that has been way too long, I will be blogging every day that the Rays are active in the post season. I am considering today day number 1 since the actual schedule came out today and we know when the Rays are opening the postseason.

First, let's take a step back and review this truly magical summer.

It all started around Christmas time 2007 when I talked my buddy Smitty into looking at some season tickets for the Rays for 2008. We had started taking our two boys and the family to more games in 2007 and had a really good time. I had a feeling the team would be better, but no idea what was in store.

We settled on a 20 game package that included 14 home Saturday games and 6 weekday games. Here are some highlights...

1. I tried to count how many walk-off games we attended, and I think we were actually at about 6. For those that have attended a home game and seen the team come back in the 9th inning to win, it is electric.
2. For games that I personally attended, we only lost 2 the entire season.
3. Both of our boys are in a Carlos Pena Chevy Youth Baseball Commercial that aired during the season. Here's a link to some video I shot during the taping of the commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR6HL4zGHoU. Our 2 boys are in the front row in their little league D-Backs uniforms. Carlos Pena spent time talking to all of the kids and was an absolute joy to be around - he quickly became one of our favorite Rays.
4. At the 1st Yankee home series of the year, the boys were selected out of the entire stadium to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch. Ironically, I was out of town traveling and not at the game, but my dad was there to share in the moment.
5. Probably the greatest highlight was when I received an invoice in the mail for playoff tickets. To be completely honest, I didn't even pay attention to the policy at the beginning of the year... I remember hoping for an 82 win season, to finish above .500, we got a whole lot more than that! Here is a pic of our uncut sheet of all possibly home playoff games, all the way through the World Series, it's a thing of beauty:

Tomorrow, I'll start discussing prospects for the 25 man roster for the AL Division Series. Feel free to leave some feedback in the comments section.

Go Rays!
- Steve

How'd you like to try and hit this curveball?

Clayton Kershaw is a rookie pitcher this season with the Dodgers. Check out the video below of his curveball buckling the knees of Sean Casey. Vin Scully is calling the spring training at bat.

One legged little leaguer

This brings new meaning to the scripture found in Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ. Of course, there are more important things in the world than sports, but often times, it is sports that motivates us. Seeing this child, who tragically has only 1 leg, play the greatest game ever invented is one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen.


One Legged Inspirational Little Leaguer - Watch more free videos

This is what sports is all about...

In the following video, see a great story of players from an opposing team helping a player who was injured and unable to complete a homerun trot. This is spirit of sports exemplified to the highest degree.

20 Most Overpaid Athletes

Great Forbes story on the most overpaid athletes in America.

Click here for the story.

A home that costs a cool $1 Billion

The world's fifth richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is having this home built.

Click here for the full story on forbes.com.

Awesome kick save by a pitcher

Check this out!!!


Awesome Baseball Save By Pitcher - Watch more free videos

This is what youth, prep and college sports should be about

Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky had never hit a home run in her career. Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman was already her school's career leader in them. But when a twist of fate and a torn knee ligament brought them face to face with each other and face to face with the end of their playing days, they combined on a home run trot that celebrated the collective human spirit far more than individual athletic achievement.

Click here for the rest of the story.