Just the links today.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• I appeared with Tyler Hissey yesterday on the "Rays Digest Podcast." If you missed it, you can catch all the action here. [Rays Digest]
• In a surprising turn of events, the Red Sox say they are out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• The Charlotte Stone Crabs unveiled their new logos and uniforms. We likey. Especially the batting practice cap with the Stone Crab logo and the alternate cap that is powder blue with a navy blue brim and "C" being clawed by a Stone Crab's claw. [Stone Crabs] [Here are the alternate caps]
  
• Joe Henderson says the Rays can't be sentimental when it comes to resigning Rocco Baldelli. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays Party projects the Rays' 25-man roster. [The Rays Party]
  
• Major League Baseball has been giving away the "This Year In Baseball" awards. The awards are based on fan voting which is why we didn't even mention when Joe Maddon and Evan Longoria took home the TYIBs for Manager and Rookie of the Year. But it is worth mentioning that Grant Balfour placed second for the 2008 Setup Man of the Year. Middle relievers rarely get recognized, and it is nice to see some people noticed how dominating Balfour was this season. One of the most dominating in history. [MLB]
  
• Former major leaguer Ozzie Timmons is the new hitting coach for the Montgomery Biscuits. [Biscuit Crumbs]
  

Just the links today as we celebrate the 122nd birthday of Ty Cobb, spikes high. Which reminds us...If you are looking for a right-handed DH-type, with some positional flexibility and a 2008 OPS+ of 128, there is a certain familiar name available on the market.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• This afternoon, I will appear with Tyler Hissey on the "Rays Digest Podcast" at 2:00. There may be an opportunity to take calls and if you are unable to listen live, the show will be available afterwards. [Rays Digest]
  
• John Romano caught up with Joe Maddon at another night of "Thanksmas"...And for those that have been curious, the article includes a photo of Maddon's new wife. [St. Pete Times]
• In yesterday's report on the updated diagnosis of Rocco Baldelli, WPRI said they had been told by Baldelli's family that Red Sox officials had not contacted Baldelli about playing for Boston. Marc Lancaster reports that Baldelli has indeed met with Red Sox officials. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Ken Rosenthal explains that Mark Teixeira is holding up the free agent market including all of the Rays potential targets. For example, Milton Bradley will not sign with the Cubs or Rays until he knows the Yankees and Angels are not interested. And they could become interested if they don't land Teixeira. [Fox Sports]
  
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks is up to Day 18 of the all-time greatest Devil Rays Advent calendar. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The Yankees are in a legal battle over funding for their new stadium and it somehow involves Rays VP Michael Kalt. To be clear, it appears Kalt is one of the good guys in the mess. [St. Pete Times]
  

THE GOOD: The future of the Rays remains intact. Despite reports that the Rays were offering the Pirates both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac, that now appears to be false. And if that is the case, it is pretty clear that the Rays had little or no intention of tinkering with what has become the foundation of the organization, the farm system. Depth in the farm system is a beautiful thing and it does serve a more important purpose than just being able to trade the pieces away. And with the recent loss of Jake McGee to Tommy John surgery, that depth had already taken a huge hit. Add to that the slowed development of a few prospects (ie. Heath Rollins, Glenn Gibson) and we see how important it is to have depth in the system...Winning the division just got a little easier. RAYSHEADS have to be ecstatic that Manny Ramirez is out of the division and out of the AL. Jason Bay is a decent replacement, but he is no Manny and David Ortiz is suddenly going to start seeing much fewer good pitches. Teams were afraid to pitch to Manny. That won't be the case with Bay.

THE BAD: We have to admit, that for about 20 minutes yesterday (as this site turned into a Live Blog-A-Baloo for the trade deadline), when we heard that the deal to send Jason Bay to the Rays was going to happen, we got a little excited. The package seemed fair, and maybe even a bit of a steal, and we started envisioning a lineup in which Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria are forced to hit 5th and 6th in the order. We were down-right giddy...The future of Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Both could have gone to the Pirates and had a chance to be regulars on that ballclub. Now they are still stuck in triple-A.

THE TELLING: Several outlets are already declaring the Rays "losers" at the trade deadline. On the one hand we understand the perception that the Rays missed an opportunity to improve the club. Of course, these are the same people that still feel the Rays are behind the Sox and Yankees in the standings. We could understand saying the Rays were "losers" if they had turned down an offer. But seeing the package the Pirates received for Jason Bay, it is clear that the Rays would have never been able to match that deal. And remember the Rays are still going to be adding pieces to the mix. It is just those pieces will come from the farm system.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• We missed this in the minor league feature earlier today, but a source with the Princeton Rays tells us the reason Tim Beckham missed 3 straight games this week, was due to a death in his family.
• Marc Lancaster is reporting that it is believed that the Pirates and Rays never discussed a deal that included both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. And apparently the Pirates coveted Jeremy Hellickson and not Wade Davis as several media outlets were reporting yesterday. [Tampa Tribune]
• Andrew Friedman said there is very little chance of the Rays making any deals in August in which players must first clear waivers. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Trop comes in tied for #10 in PETA's annual list of the "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks". [PETA]
  
• We are not sure we agree with Bugs and Cranks who still has the Rays on top of their power rankings. We gotta go with the Angels, especially after trading for Mark Teixeira. [Bugs and Cranks]
• And the latest installment of Bugs and Cranks comparison of wins #63 from each of the Rays' first ten seasons. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

THE GOOD: The Ghost of Tom Seaver. At some point in the 3rd or 4th inning, we suddenly remembered a story told by Tom Seaver. Occasionally Seaver would come back to the dugout after warmups or after the first inning and tell his teammates that they only needed to score 1 run that day. Matt Garza was that good last night. With the Rays up 1-0 after Eric Hinske's home run in the 3rd, we just had a sense that the game was already over, the Jays just didn't know it yet. At one point Garza retired 14 of 15 from the 3rd until the 7th inning...Big double-play started by Jason Bartlett with men on first and second to end the 2nd inning. The Rays turned 3 double-plays on the night...Another gold glove play by Evan Longoria in which he went into foul territory for a ground ball and made a strong, accurate throw to first to get the runner by 2 full steps.

THE BAD: Somebody missed a sign in the 5th. With Dioner Navarro on first with no outs, Eric Hinske took a called third strike with Navi on the move with the pitch. Navarro was thrown out stealing to kill a potential rally.

THE TELLING: With the Angels running away with the West, it is looking more and more like 5 teams remain in contention for the final 3 playoff spots, with the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees in the East and the White Sox holding a half-game lead in the Central over the Twins. The Twins are 1 game behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card. No other teams are within 5 games of a playoff spot in the AL (division or wild card). Detroit is an outside possibility, 5.5 back in the Central, but the Rays could add a nail to their coffin this weekend at the Trop.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Sorry, no Live Blog-A-Baloo for today's afternoon tilt, but we should be back next week.
  
• The Jays were originally scheduled to start lefty John Parrish, but instead called up right-hander Scott Richmond who will be making his major league debut. [MLB]
  
• Saturday's game, which features a concert by LL Cool J afterward, is now sold out. [Bradenton Herald]
• No surprise here... The Rays did not get Mark Teixeira. He was traded to the Angels. [ABC News]
• Joe Maddon was surprised (as were we) that the Angels landed Mark Teixeira, knowing that the Angels rarely trade away their young talent. [MLB]

"I am [surprised at the Angels making a big deal]," Maddon said. "They've never been one to part with youth. And so this is a bit of a radical departure from the past. While I was with the Angels there were no real significant acquisitions. No real names like a Teixeira. We got Alex Ochoa one year. We got Jimmy Abbott one year, though he was kind of on the back side of things. So we never really got that. As much as they hate to see Casey go, they know it's going to augment them."

• More trade rumors from Outs Per Swing. [Outs Per Swing]
• And even more at the bottom of this post. [Outs Per Swing]