Rays of Light

Moving Right Along

A few weeks have past since pitchers and catchers first reported. Since then things have gone very well; that is to say no one’s gotten injured, arrested, or had difficulties delivering their wife’s baby. Nope, February has been all smiles around the Naimoli Complex.

Then again, that’s what February is for: To look around, see all the fresh talent and winter-rested and/or surgically repaired joints and muscles, and admire the myriad of possibilities. Stuart Sternberg followed this line of feeling when he showed up Tuesday at Naimoli for the first time on Tuesday.

“We are in a great place,” he said. And for the moment, he’s very right.

Everyone is looking good, or at least better. The big outfield three look matured, strong, and loose. Iwamura’s presence is great. He’s brought a high-energy attitude, a slick glove, a bright bat, and a staggering amount of Japanese press. Scott Kazmir is the leader of the pitching staff, and despite still looking like he’s a freshman in college, he also looks like a confident ace. Jonny Gomes‘ right shoulder has shown no early signs of worry. BJ Upton knows what he has to do to improve and he’s at least giving it his all. Ty Wigginton seems at ease. Elijah Dukes is still the great natural athlete and it’s been over a month now since his last incarceration.

On top of that, those who are likely headed back down to Durham or Montgomery have shown some great stuff. Brendan Harris, Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann, Reid Brignac, Fernando Perez, Wes Bankston, Joel Guzman, Shawn Riggans, and even Yamid Haad each have exhibited the kind of athleticism that is making this team so exciting.

Sternberg’s excitement spilled over into a nice preseason soundbite, “[The goal is] to win 50 games at home this year…The 50 wins at home is sort of my bugaboo.” It’s always good to know just what the owner’s bugaboo is, and that he uses the word ‘bugaboo.’ Winning 50 at home in 2007 would indeed be a great step for this organization.

The Rays start up the Grapefruit League Friday against the Yankees. Coming into March it’s hard not get the sense that the Rays are, as a whole, as willing and able to begin a season as they ever have been.

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Of Ties and Zim

The geezers in suits invaded the Naimoli Complex on Monday, and they stood out like the Queen of England walking her poodle and puffing a cigar on a dirt road in Hazard County.

With the sounds of infield practice scuffling in the background, Joe Maddon addressed a semi-circle of these haves with hypnotizing calmness just outside the Field 1 dugout. From the little I could hear from my post on the other side of the cattle guard, it sounded like Maddon’s standard puppies and ice cream rhetoric.

When Maddon’s schmoozing was done and he left to join the team on the field, one of suits leaned towards another suit, and in a low voice that sounded as though he were trying to bum an answer in history class, asked, “That was the GM, right?”

Suit #2, who was a bit more connected with reality, corrected him.

Don Zimmer proved to be a much better candidate for strategic overhearing. The jolly ball of baseball walked briskly over to where Maddon had been; that prime-rib of a neck of his jiggling with each step.

“I’m 76 years old, and I just told them I want to sign a 14-year extension. I want to be doing this ‘til I’m 90,” he said.

He tossed around a handful of one-liners, and had the stiffs genuinely laughing. After taking a group picture, he left the scene a little better than how he found it.

Now I know why Zim is in the dugout, and have a better understanding of what the title “Senior Baseball Advisor” actually means.

Hammel Has a Shot at the Rotation

A Look at Carlos Pena

TMI on Dan Micelli

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I wonder if this is the year

The Hall of Fame veterans committee is set to announce their findings on Tuesday and a few names are legit possibilities. With that in mind, i’d like to take the time to quickly highlight a book I was sent recently to review. I am not generally a history of baseball kind of guy, so I am not as familiar with older players. Because of that, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as others I’ve been sent. However, if you do like baseball history, this is a good read for you.

The book takes you inside a number of players being considered by the committee and Sam Reich makes the case for some of them. One of the names mentioned is Ron Santo, who many feel is well overdue for his induction.

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, you can do that right on their website.

Go out and get the book and get yourself some info.

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Rays Preview

One thing about me that you probably don’t know is that I am a huge fan of the podcast concept. I have tons of different ones that I subscribe to using iTunes. One particular one that I usually will listen to based on the topic of the day is Around the Minors. It’s a MLB podcast that can be dry at times. This spring, they have had various guests on from the different organization, generally the farm directors, to preview the upcoming season in the minor leagues for each team in the majors. The Devil Rays were featured the other day along with the Pirates. I took the time to splice it up and just post the Devil Rays portion for you. Just use the built in player on this site or click here to download the mp3. Enjoy!!!

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Future Rays Goes To Fan Fest

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BP Prozac

It is difficult to imagine that the same mood lifting benefits of psychotropic drugs cannot be obtained just as easily from watching a Major League batting practice in February.

From the first crack you realize your days of hibernation and living off the stored fat of replays are over. You no longer need to scrape nutrients from the depleted fields of vapid rumors. The fog lifts and you remember what baseball was like. The offseason depression lifts. Baseball is close. (This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. If you suspect you or someone you know is suffering from depression, look for symptoms including, but not limited to: Loss of appetite, feeling ìburdensomeî to others, or watching nearly a decade of Raysí Baseball.)

Friday the Raysí held batting practice thrown by both pitchers and coaches. Shawn Camp, JP Howell, Steve Andrade and Chris Seddon each threw a round of BP.

Live batting practice gives the batters an exercise in pitch selection, as well as affording Jim Hickey an opportunity to look at the pitchersí mechanics.

Each batter got 4 pitches, including breaking balls, and were not expected to swing at anything other than strikes. So when Delmon Young swung wildly through his final pitch, a sound of disapproval came from those coaches watching.

ìThat was a ball, right?î Young asked Shawn Riggans as he exited the cage.

I wasnít catching, but yes Delmon, it was.

This fancy batting practice lacked the kind of gratuitous ball crushing I came for; Iwamura did not even swing at one of his four pitches dished out by Howell. But when the coach got behind the screen and started throwing meat balls to Young, Crawford and Baldelli, I was a pleased camper.

The greatest display came from Crawford. He slapped line drives to every field and showed serious power. He hit the most out of the yard, including one smile-inducing beauty that cleared well above the 400 sign.

Baldelli and Young didnít disappoint either.

Baldelli put on a good show, spraying liners and knocking a few out. But Young was scary with his bat.

I almost felt sorry for the balls with the force of his swing and the sound it made coming off the bat. The ball ripped to all fields, possibly breaking the sound barrier more than once.

Iwamuraís fancy bats didnít hit too fancy, nor did Cantuís normal bats. You could tell Gomes was batting just by the sound of his swing, and he won the award for farthest ball hit; a towering (and I mean towering) shot that bounced off the clubhouse roof in left. So what if it was foul? This was batting practice and I was there to see balls hit roofs and hopefully break not-my-car window.

But the Award for Awesome Awesomeness went to Ty Wigginton.

With the enthusiasm of a man berserk with love, he turned and waved wildly at his family (including the tiny, self-delivered Cannon) who were watching from behind the backstop. He then stepped to the plate, pushed down his helmet and went to work.

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Rays In The Field With Thoughts From Rocco Baldelli

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Report Report II

The sound of thirty simultaneous games of catch owns the air of the Naimoli Complex. The hundreds of resounding pops sound like fat rain drops falling on a conga drum. Itís Thursday morning. Itís the first full squad workout. Itís the official first day of spring for baseball fans.

Itís impossible to take the whole scene in. On every field, every second, there is something well worth a look.

BJ Upton and Jorge Cantu took grounders at second base. Watching the two fielding side by side, you realize just how clunky Cantu is. He is not a second baseman; he has none of the traditional attributes of this position and has a general air of discomfort in his movements. Meanwhile, Upton seems light on his feet and his movement towards the ball comes in one seamless motion. BJ, so maligned for his poor defense, makes Cantuís tenure at second seem doomed. As well it should be.

Brendan Harris and Ben Zobrist took grounders at shortstop. Harris looked good, but the ease of Zobrist’s fielding made it seem as though having his eyes open was unnecessary.

But if any player truly stood out taking infield, it was Iwamura.

Perhaps it was the burn of the ravenous Japanese mediaís cameras, but he moved with a kind of exaggerated ease. He is a show off, no doubt, but a genuine pleasure to watch at third base. After watching him in just one practice, I find it hard to believe his defensive prowess will not carry over to the States.

Not so pleasurable to see were Iwamuraís bats, which are made just for him by Nike. They are so brazenly ostentatious that he must hope images of the bats never reach pitchers he will face, or he will certainly shatter the single season record for getting plunked.

But in his defense, Iím sure Nike is paying him a nice bag of money in order to get him to abandon any semblance of tact or taste.

Elijah Dukes confirmed my suspiscion that I do not wish to get on his bad side. From a distance his bulk stands out considerably among Delmon Young, Rocco Baldelli and Carl Crawford. But when heís standing near you (and perhaps this is a product of an unfair illusion created by his long history of well documented volatility by the media) he has an aura of instability, along with forearms the size of fire logs, that steer you away from wanting to test any theories you may have about his mental state.

But then again, he does look like a good guy to have on your side. So no hard feelings, eh Elijah?

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Newsweak

BJ Upton began his path to super-utility on Tuesday by taking ground balls at second. Upton is a man without a position since the landing of Iwamura, and desperately needs to prove he can help the Rays, or he may find himself a man without team.

Upton is becoming an interesting case as his career now swerves onward by way of the latest set of expectations. If he doesnít pan out, it will be difficult not to point a finger towards those who saw fit to continually alter his game throughout his development. But he is only 22, so there is still plenty that could go well.

Seth McClung was not at Tuesdayís practice in order to serve jury duty. There is no word on the outcome of the trial, but with McClung on the jury, it is safe to assume the defendant walked.

Joel Guzman, Elliot Johnson, Hee-Seop Choi and Jorge Velandia are the only position players not to show up early. I sympathize with them, as showing up early for work is traditionally for suckers.

For 2007, Scott Kazmir is expected to sign for $425,000. Thatís a bargain, as he will be making around $14,166 per start. Barry Zito is not a bargain, and will make around $567,000 per start.

Tony Peguero and Juan Salas continue to be stuck in the Dominican Republic with visa issues. This has been in the SP Times for 3 consecutive days, and I ignored it twice.

Casey Fossum reports his bum arm is on the fast lane out of bum town, reporting that his bullpen sessions are going off without a hitch. Looks like Raysí fans are going to get one more year of the Fossum Flop, who is an adequate place holder at $2.2 million for 2007. The club has a $3 million club option for 2008, with a $300,000 buyout.

And as for the man with the plan, Carl Crawford reported that his wrist feels good, but will wear extra protection of both wrists just in case.

Despite a majority of position players already reporting, tomorrow marks the official report date, and workouts will begin at 9:30 at the Naimoli Complex. The SP Times was used in this report.

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What is wrong with players today?

I started to write a post about the Devil Rays this morning, but after browsing the headlines for MLB on ESPN today, I’ve realized that baseball, and sports in general are filled with crazies. Listen to these headlines:

A-Rod: Friendship with Jeter cooled - Why do I care about if these guys are friends? Play together, play hard, and shut your mouth. End of story.

Sweeney says issues with Bonds in past - Does this really make the front page? Is Brian Sweeney that big a name to where his relationship with Bonds is headline news? Who cares if Bonds says he gave him steroids. I am so sick of steroids I can’t even began to express it to you. Why can’t people just play the game honest and clean?

Boss’ hand-picked successor apologizes for DUI arrest - This has got to make big George a little worried about dying or stepping down.

Hall of Famer Kell cited in hit-and-run accident - If you hit someone, be a man. Stay and wait for the cops.

Those are four of the biggest stories right now, not even mentioning the fact that Manny is still being Manny and Bernie Williams and his saga with the Bronx Bombers continues. I hate Spring Training more than any time in the year of baseball. It’s the most exciting time, yet yields the least amount of actual news to report. As a result, we get half stories and crap drama. I say enough with this garbage. Let’s stop reporting it and stop wasting our time with it.

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