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DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Another day, another feature piece on the Rays in the New York Times. This time they take a look at the staying power of the team in the AL East, noting that core of the team could be unchanged in 2009 and beyond. However, Gerry Hunsicker reiterated that due to financial limitations, the team is always "trying to trade people a year too soon than a year too late.". The piece also speculates that Scott Kazmir could be traded along with one or more of the arbitration-eligible players (Edwin Jackson?)...In the piece it is indicated that the Rays likely turned a profit for the first time under Stuart Sternberg thanks to reaching the World Series. [New York Times]
• Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Rays have "started - and are winning - a war for supremacy with the Red Sox" in the AL East and that the rivalry between the Sox and Yankees has been put on ice for now. Silverman says the Rays are good for baseball and refreshing for the Red Sox. [Boston Herald]
  
• Eric Hinske gets to face Brad Lidge again. They are in a Fantasy Football league together. Seriously. [Fanhouse]
  
• There is a rally tentatively scheduled for 4:30pm on Friday at Straub Park in St. Pete. [MLB]
  
• We wish we could have muted Tim McCarver and Joe Buck and instead listened to Sully's wife. She had more insight...Speaking of which, did any of you watching on TV know that Jason Bartlett ran through a stop sign in the 7th inning? Us neither. We listened to Dave Wills call during the Rays' radio broadcast and indicates that Bartlett indeed ran through a stop sign. Of course we never saw replay from FOX TV and McCarver and Buck never even bring the issue up. [Sully Baseball]
  
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN takes a look at what the World Series means for the Rays moving forward and how this is a team that could be better next year. [ESPN]
• Jon Heyman says there was no disappointment, anger or bitterness in the Rays locker room following their game 5 loss...There is a part of us that wished the Rays had taken the World Series loss a little tougher. But then again, this is what has been great about the Rays all season. They are able to get over losses very quickly and move forward. [SI.com]
  
• Jordi over at The Serious Tip opens up about what the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays meant to him. [The Serious Tip]
• Will never happen. NEV-er. [Chicago Tribune]
  
• A Joe Maddon pumpkin? Wow. That's all we got. Wow. [The Heater]
• Mike Wlodarczyk is blogging from the Arizona Fall League. [Rays Prospects]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule...

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Just the links for now...the "Pepper" post for games 1 and 2 will be up in a little bit.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Ben Zobrist will get the start in RF tonight over Gabe Gross. [The Heater]
  
• Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays' roster is official and it is the same as the ALCS. No Eric Hinske and no Shawn Riggans. [The Heater]
• The World Series preview is up at Deadspin. [Deadspin]
  
• "If you care about sports, you will root for the Rays when the World Series opens tonight". Dan Shanoff goes on to list a number of reasons why all fans outside of Philadelphia should be firmly behind the Rays. [The Sporting Blog]
• Wag Rankings breaks down the players' wives. (thanks Kevin) [Wag Rankings]
  
• Jayson Stark and Jim Caple debate who will win the World Series. Caple says Rays will sweep. [ESPN]
• Hugging Harold Reynolds peruses Craigslist looking at the ticket market for the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
  
• Tyler Hissey interviews a Phillies writer about the team. [Scout.com]
  
• The Blue Workhorse has "23 Reasons to Root for the Rays". [The Blue Workhorse]
  
• Here is a breakdown of the World Series, position-by-position...We are not sure where they got Dioner Navarro's statline. Not even close. [SI.com]
• A new take on the old "Rays are bad for baseball" shtick. Rumors and Rants feels that the Rays are proving that equality in baseball is not necessary. [Rumors and Rants]
  
• The Phillies have lost a World Series to every team in the AL East, except the Rays. [The Big Lead]
• A World Series preview from Rays Digest. [Rays Digest]
  
• Jonny Gomes says the brawl with the Yankees in Spring Training set the tone for the season. [New York Daily News]
• Howard Bryant wonders if the Rays will be able to maintain the success if they win the World Series or if they will go the way of the Marlins after each of their titles. [ESPN]
• Philly Burbs breaks down each team's "intangibles". (thanks Chris) [Philly Burbs]
• A look at where several of the players on the field tonight were the last time the Phillies won the World Series. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
  
• Stu Sternberg also runs a softball team in Rye, NY. [New York Times]
• A roundtable at Fanhouse discusses the World Series. They (mostly) like the Rays. [Fanhouse]
  
• The Hardball Times has a scouting report on Scott Kazmir. [The Hardball Times]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule...

With the Cubs once again home without a World Series trophy, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune is desperate for a story. How desperate?

"Of course, if we had won it, we'd be in the World Series by now," Maddon said. "We'll just have to wait one more day, hopefully, to get that done."...He meant one more game, as Friday was a travel day. And he did add an important qualifier with the word "hopefully." But still …When your team gets as close to the World Series as the Rays were—seven outs away, seven-run lead—and then unravels, the task ahead is about a lot more than waiting "one more day."

It amazes us that some writers get paid to write this shit. We are not sure if Phil Rogers is familiar with how the game of baseball works. But actually, it is that simple. The Rays are still one win away with two games at home and their two best starting pitchers. One more day. One more win. That's it. And somehow Phil Rogers turned that one benign quote into a 700 word cluster***.

Apparently Phil Rogers would prefer Maddon to just give up and go back to the shitpile with the Cubs.

Damn, we are an angry blogger right now. Nothing would give us more pleasure than to be on the mound with a ball and have Phil Rogers step into the box. Dude is a little too comfortable.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• We have asked this before and we will keep asking until somebody gives us a satisfactory answer: Why is it OK for football teams to play in domes and it is not OK for baseball teams? Football is a game that is often better in bad weather. Some of the greatest and most memorable games in the history of the NFL were played in severe conditions. And yet baseball, a sport of precision, is stopped when it rains. The NFL has 6 teams that play indoors (Colts, Falcons, Vikings, Saints, Rams, Lions) and yet nobody ever complains. Anybody care to explain? And don't give us that "tradition" crap. We love the tradition of baseball more than most but anytime somebody brings up tradition we ask them why they aren't taking dumps in an outhouse any longer. [New York Times]
• Everybody is rooting against the Rays. Good. Keep it that way. Screw the networks and their bottom line. If the Rays go to the World Series we hope those FOX TV executives choke on their champagne when they are cruising the Mediterranean on their luxury yachts. What fan gives a flying hoot what ratings are? Either you watch the game or you don't. Why do some people care if other people watch? Jesus. Somebody get us a uniform. We are ready to run through a wall for Papa Joe. [Los Angeles Times]
• Really? The Hartford Courant is going to compare JD Drew's winning hit to the ALCS-winning, walk-off home run by Aaron Boone in 2004. Do they have Bonobos writing at the Hartford Courant? We worry about the sanity of Hartford. If all their stories are this idiotic the IQ of the entire town is in serious trouble. [Hartford Courant]
• You know those Red Sox fans and how they are the bestest fans in the whole world. How the entire Red Sox Nation was born in South Boston with a little red sock tattooed to their asses. How their ancestors came over on the Mayflower wearing a Red Sox cap and how they would prefer a league in which every season is just a Best-of-162 game series with the New York Yankees...Well those diehards were so diehard that they were seen piling out of Fenway in droves on Thursday night in the 6th and 7th innings. Big League Stew has the top 10 things overheard from the exodus. To which we would have added: "Who is Carl Yaster Zemski?" [Big League Stew]
• Big League Stew answers the question: "Why cowbells?" for those not familiar...Stu Sternberg (and Joe Maddon with his 9=8) both understand a very simple premise in marketing. Keep things simple. Keep them corny. The initial reaction will often be to snicker. But stick to it, and eventually corny becomes cool. [Big League Stew]
• Rob Neyer explores James Shields nickname "Big Game". The reason is suggestion #2 from Neyer. Joe Maddon believes it and wants Shields to believe it also. It is that simple. [ESPN]
• Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs got kicked out of Fenway during game 5, to which we ask: Who wears a shirt with their own picture on it? Knobbs does. [Home Run Derby]
  
• Rhyne Hughes is having himself a nice little Arizona Fall League. [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

THE GOOD: Speed. The Rays have it and the White Sox don't. Game 2 marked the first time ever that Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Fernando Perez started together in the outfield. Add Rocco Baldelli at DH and all the speed came in handy. Upton hit a triple to left-center that not many people would have turned into a triple. Perez caught a ball in the right field bullpen that not many would have even considered running after. CC stole a base in the 8th without even a throw and would later score on a single. And Rocco would score all the way from first on a pop up just behind the second baseman. On the flip side, the White Sox had 6 hits in the game with a runner on base. Not once did a runner advance more than one base on any of those hits...Dr. Jekyll. Scott Kazmir after the first inning. Kid K managed to fight through his early struggles and keep the Sox and his pitch count in check, making it into the 6th inning. Kazmir needed only 55 pitches in innings 2-5...Aki Iwamura. He doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but it seems like all of them give the Rays the lead.

THE BAD: Mr Hyde. Scott Kazmir in the first inning. It was Kazmir at his absolute worst. 37 pitches in the first inning...The Rays and Bucs start at the same time on Sunday. Not sure this has ever happened before, but the Bucs are going to be relegated to the Picture-In-Picture.

THE TELLING: WIth the second pitch of the game, Scott Kazmir hit Orlando Cabrera. After the fireworks between Cabrera and Grant Balfour the day before, it sure looked intentional. It hit Cabrera in the lower leg. Dioner Navarro had set up outside. Harold Reynolds was absolutely convinced that it was intentional and it looked intentional. BUT. We hope. We really, really hope Kazmir is not that dumb. Even if you think a message needs to be sent, you can't send that message in the first inning of a playoff game with no outs when Cabrera has about an 80% chance of scoring and putting your team in a hole. So we are going to give Kaz the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was just the most errant of wild pitches in the first inning.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Here is video of Joe Maddon's post-game press conference. [ESPN]
• Here is video of Rocco Baldelli and JP Howell after the game. [ESPN]
  
• The cameras at the USF game spotted Evan Longoria in the stands with some female companionship and referred to her as "an 0-4 day tomorrow" as in that is how Dirtbag would perform in game 2 after spending the night with her (Longoria went 1-4, so she must not have been that great). [Deadspin]
  
• Ozzie Guillen called game 2 "White Sox baseball" with "12 hits, we got two runs and those two runs were in the first inning. We got Kazmir on the ropes and we let him go. And we left [12] people on base. You're not going to win many games like that." [Chicago Tribune]
  
• More surprising than Akinori Iwamura's go ahead home run? How about the Aki mohawk. Yes. Yes he did. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Stuart Sternberg appeared on 670 The Score, a Chicago radio station. Here is a link to the audio...There is not another single principal owner in baseball that is this accessible. Not even George Steinbrenner would do this in his hay day, and we love it. [670 The Score]
  
• Before the series we predicted that JP Howell would be put into a situation that could decide the fate of the series. Brittany Ghiroli breaks down this very scenario from game 2.
  
• The Twins writer over at Bugs and Cranks had to eat some crow after the Twinker Bells didn't even show up for the ALDS. [Bugs and Cranks]
• October is when bullpens reign supreme...and Yes, the Rays' bullpen is what sets the Rays apart. [Fox Sports]
  
• Baseball America has updated their list of the top 20 prospects of the International League. Three Rays make the list including Wade Davis (#3), Reid Brignac (#4) and Jeff Niemann (#16). [Baseball America]
• The Arena ranks which potential world series matchups would be the most attractive. Of the 16 potential matchups, the Rays come in 3, 7, 9 and 10. [The Arena]
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says that losing the first 2 games is just par for the course for the White Sox. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Mark Buerhle says the Rays remind him of the '05 White Sox. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Jason Beck says it will not be easy for the Rays to eliminate the White Sox in Chicago. [MLB]
  

Apparently the gift for a 3rd anniversary is "ALDS WIN".

Tonight the Rays took a 2-0 lead in the ALDS and for some reason that seems secondary to what we should really be celebrating.

Today (we think...we might be off by a day) marks the 3rd anniversary of the day Stuart Sternberg took control of the Rays. Looking back three years to the day, could we have imagined that the TAMPA BAY RAYS would be 1 win from the American League Championship Series? What a sweet ride it has been.

*Raise the glass* To Mr. Sternberg and the rest of the Tampa Bay Rays...Cheers.

THE GOOD: Evan Longoria. Dirtbag became just the second player to homer in each of his first 2 playoff at bats. The first player to accomplish this feat was Gary Gaetti. Coincidentally, Gaetti was Longoria's hitting coach at triple-A Durham...The Bullpen (again). Grant Balfour came in with 1 out in the 7th inning and the bases loaded. He then proceeded to do what he does best. The Mad Australian struck out the next 2 batters, but not before apparently annoying Orlando Cabrera, who took exception to Balfour's antics and kicked dirt towards the mound. JP Howell then took over in the 8th, striking out the first 2 batters he faced and retiring the side in order. Dan Wheeler started off shaky giving up a home run, but then settled down and got the next 3 batters for the save. 2.2 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 5 strike outs.

THE BAD: James Shields. He did get the win, but Shields is turning into a cliche. Give up a 2 or 3-run home run early. Scare the crap out of the fans. Then settle down and work into the 7th or 8th inning. Why "bad"? Because, if he keeps this up in the playoffs, he is going to give us an ulcer...Carlos Pena. Pena had to be removed from the game due to blurry vision after he apparently scratched his eye at home the night before. The Rays are saying that they expect him to be ready to go tomorrow.

THE TELLING: The most important games in a 5-game series are games 1 and 3. Now, all the Rays have to do is split the next 2 games with Scott Kazmir going at home and Matt Garza going in game 3 in Chicago. Earn at least a split in the next 2 and the Rays will be positioned to move on to the ALCS.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Buster Olney says that Joe Maddon has bullpen that can handle any situation. [ESPN]

History shows a closer-by-committee setup usually isn't advisable. But the Rays' committee is very good, and very deep.

• For the playoffs, Todd Kalas has been relegated to the Party Deck above left field. [The Heater]
• If the ALDS goes 5 games, Stuart Sternberg will not be attendance as Wednesday marks the first day of Yom Kippur. [New York Times]
  
• Manny Stiles breaks down the playoff matchups. We are a little confused by the statement, "The Bears and Buccaneers both kinda suck this year." Huh? The Bucs are 3-1. [armchair gm]
• What would the Rays' VH1 song be? Hugging Harold Reynolds says "Now That We Found Love" by Heavy D...We are not sure the Rays have found love yet. How about "Owner of a lonely heart". [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

We wrote an ALDS preview for the fine folks over at The Hardball Times. As usual, we like to call these guest spots "Rays Index on amphetamines" as they tend to be a little longer than what you would normally find here. It is also a bit more biased than you might expect. Oh well. [The Hardball Times]

And this will either be the coolest thing you will see today...or the most disturbing. [Bugs and Cranks]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, we ran a bunch of "Webtopia" links in the evening "Happy Hour" feature. [Rays Index]
• Quick reminder: We will bring you a Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo this afternoon for Game 1 of the ALDS
• Carl Crawford will bat 5th today, but Joe Maddon did not rule out a return to the 2-hole later in the series. [Tampa Tribune]
• When the teams travel to Chicago, the Rays can expect the dirt around home plate to be very wet as it was for the one-game playoff against the Twins...We suspect that will carry over to the base paths as well. [Chicago Sun-Times]
  
• The White Sox "Ain't S#!t" compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Stuart Sternberg spoke with WFAN's Mike Francessa yesterday. Here is a link to the audio. [WFAN]
• Carlos Quentin will not play in the ALDS against the Rays. [USA Today]
• Not sure we want to see a lot of these, but maybe 20 or 30 right behind the White Sox dugout would be nice. [The Heater]
• Carlos Pena will be blogging during the postseason. [MLBlogs]
  
• Not sure where we have seen this before? [St. Pete Times]
• A Chicago Tribune reporter asked several Rays if there was any bad blood stemming from the incident in Chicago during the season in which AJ Pierzynski duped an umpire into a game-changing call. The Rays downplayed any blame for Piehead. [Chicago Tribune]
• 3 of 5 Chicago Sun-Times writers pick the Sox to win the series...The Sun-Times is the White Sox paper. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• One writer wants to set the national media straight about the Tampa Bay Rays. [Fielder's Choice Baseball Card Blog]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

THE GOOD: Ben Zobrist. Is this guy's blood being checked? Zorilla went deep twice yesterday, including a shot to straightaway center field that is a rare sight in Comerica Park.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir. Has there ever been a more disappointing 12-8, 3.49 season? Only Kazmir can make Ramon Santiago look like Ben Zobrist. Santiago entered the game with 1 home run this season. For his career, he had hit 1 home run every 138 at bats. Kaz serves up 2 gopher balls to the most unlikely of batters. It is the equivalent to Jason Bartlett hitting 2 home runs in 1 game. Should never happen. And once again, Kazmir was repeatedly looking back down at the mound after pitches indicating that he was once again struggling with his landing foot...1:05 starts one day after playing a night game in Baltimore. Why? Senior citizen day. Seriously.

THE TELLING: According to Baseball Prospectus the odds of winning the AL East are now 98.0%, so let's not panic...The Twins won again last night, completing a sweep of the White Sox and moving a half-game ahead of Chicago. At this point the ideal scenario for the Rays is to have the teams end up within a half-game of each other after Sunday. This would force the White Sox to make up a game on Monday against Detroit. If the Sox and Twins are tied after the makeup game, they will be forced to play a 1-game playoff on Tuesday. After the game, the winner will have to immediately travel to St. Pete to take on the Rays on either Wednesday or Thursday...The Angels won again, making the magic number for the Angels to clinch the best record 1.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• If you or somebody you know has been a season ticket holder since the inaugural season, can you please drop me a line HERE. Thanks.
• Joe Maddon was impressed with the outing by Troy Percival, but wants to get him into tonight's game to see how he handles back-to-back games, before deciding about the post-season roster...Also Carl Crawford could be reinstated from the DL today to be used as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. Still no word on when he will be able to start swinging a bat. [St. Pete Times]
• Wow. Neil Johnson of the Tampa Tribune wrote a story about Rays fans being disappointed having to wait for a Division Title. The first three paragraphs are about a dog that did not get his favorite treat because the Rays lost a game. Really? A dog? It is bad enough that many think the Rays don't have any fans, but you start a story about Rays fans and you begin with a friggin' dog?...We can't make this shit up. [Tampa Tribune]
• Mohawks on girls? Her Rays has an...um...an...well...gosh...you see it's...we...oh lord. We'll just let her tell you. [Her Rays]
  
• Well, this was only a matter of time...Eva Longoria, Rays fan (we had to read this three times before we realized it might not be a joke). [Orlando Sentinel]
  
• Clearwater mayor Frank Hibbard, mohawk fan (if the Rays make it to the World Series). [St. Pete Times]
  
• Urban Meyer, Rays fan. [St. Pete Times]
• Ronald Blum takes a look at how Stuart Sternberg went from Mets fan to the owner of the Rays. [Yahoo! Sports]
• John Romano is worried about which Scott Kazmir will show up in the post-season...Aren't we all...aren't we all. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Rays slay the Yankees...In poetry. [The Hardball Times]
• Marc Topkin has his list of the top 10 games from this season. [The Heater]
• We tried to follow along with this couple, but we got confused at "Aki". [VIDEO]
• Tom Jones gives us a semi-sarcastic (we think) look at who should throw out the first pitch. [St. Pete Times]
• Anybody that thinks a division title celebration will be muted because of the previous celebration, think again. [Tampa Tribune]
  

[UPDATE: 11:32] The Red Sox beat the Indians, but the Rays overcame a first inning that saw the O's score 5 runs before an out, to get the win. With the victory, the Rays magic number to win the division is now 1. The Angels are currently losing in the 5th inning, 4-2. An Angels loss and the Rays be 1 game behind for the best record in the AL. The Rays won the season-series with the Angels 6-3.

As we get closer to the playoffs, the links are going to start coming fast and furious...On certain days we will provide a late afternoon "Happy Hour" to try and keep the pace...

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Lancaster has a quote from Terry Francona that suggests the Red Sox will concede the division. [Rays Report]
• Carl Crawford is now ceding that he probably will not be ready for the first round of the playoffs...If there was any doubt, this should solidify Fernando Perez' spot on the roster for the ALDS. [Rays Report]
  
• Curious as to who will throw out the first pitch in the Rays home playoff games? Well, it won't be any former members of the organization according to Matt Silverman. "MLB asked us who it'd be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor."...Ouch. The truth hurts. [Washington Post]
• Deadspin suggests Victor Zambrano. [Deadspin]
• Outs Per Swing has an exhaustive list of candidates. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Bugs and Cranks offers 5 suggestions...We like the idea of Mr. T. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Jason Bartlett should hire Brittany Ghiroli as his publicist. Ghiroli breaks down exactly how valuable Bartlett has been to the Rays and she does it much better than we did. [MLB]
  
• MLB Trade Rumors breaks down all of playoff teams/contenders to see which teams have benefited the most from their own first-round picks. The Rays come in 4th behind the Mets, Brewers and Phillies. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has compiled a nice list of the organization's top strikeout-to-walk ratios from this past season. The top two players are from the Venezuelan and Dominican Summer Leagues which is even below rookie league, so don't put too much weight in those numbers. The truly impressive numbers are from Jeremy Hellickson (8.1 at high-A and AA), Heath Rollins (4.2 at high-A and AA) and Mitch Talbot (4.0 at AAA). [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
• Joe Bucs Fan is not happy with Stu Sternberg for leaving the tarps on the upper deck for the first two rounds of the playoffs...For the record, MLB has final say in the World Series. If the Rays make it that far, MLB has already told the Rays to have the tarp removed. [Joe Bucs Fan]
  

Stuart Sternberg was at the Trop last night and this video suddenly appears on the interwebs today...Coincidence? If you watch the video under the assumption that Sternberg is in the banana costume, the comedy factor increases exponentially...And we would love to make fun of Raymond, but ever since his renaissance, he just might be the coolest mascot since the San Diego Chicken.

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

THE GOOD: The Rays still lead the Red Sox by 1 game in the loss column and the Twins by 8 games in the loss column...That translates to a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.

THE BAD: Do people not understand that the Rays still lead the Sox by 1 in the loss column and the Twins by 8 in the loss column for the Wild Card? They must not, or we would not see headlines with the words "Collapse", or references to the Rays' season as "Gloomy", or as "striking midnight". THERE ARE ONLY 14 GAMES REMAINING! And the Twins only have 12 left. If the Twins go 12-0, the Rays still only need to finish 5-9 to force a 1-game playoff. That is because the Twins and the White Sox play each other 3 times. So even if the Twins win all three, the White Sox will have at least 69 losses (they have 60 now). 5-9 GUARANTEES AT LEAST A 1-GAME PLAYOFF.

THE TELLING: After walking the first two batters on 8 pitches Scott Kazmir gave up his first home run to a left-handed batter since 2007. Game Over.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• BJ Upton still does not know when he will be able to return noting that when he suffered the same injury last season he was out 36 days even though he thought it would only be 5. [Tampa Tribune]
• Carl Crawford still is not close to being able to swing a bat but says his surgically repaired finger is progressing well and he hopes to be back in two weeks." [Bradenton Herald]
• Gary Shelton says Scott Kazmir sure didn't look like an Ace last night. [St. Pete Times]
• One of our commenters from the Blog-A-Baloo last night (Scot), was quoted today in the Providence Journal. [Providence Journal]
  
• Her Rays tries to divert our attention from the car wreck that is the Rays, with a picture...She is cute. [Her Rays]
  
• Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot will only be used if the Rays are beset by unforeseen circumstances, such as a starter getting knocked out early due to incompetency or injury. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that the Rays are still maintaining a loose atmosphere despite the recent struggles. [MLB]
• Jayson Stark says the Rays played "like a team that looked exhausted" and feels that not winning the division would be a "gigantic letdown" let down for the Rays. [ESPN]
  
• Stuart Sternberg is confident that attendance will pick up in 2009 noting that season ticket sales will help fill the park next coming off the winning season and business partnerships will increase during the off-season. [MLB]
• Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald wonders if Rays' payoff games should be moved to "a place where fans actually care about the product." [Boston Herald]
  
• We previously heard that Cliff Floyd was contemplating retirement after the season. Now he sounds like he has already decided to come back next season. [SI.com]

Only a few months ago, Floyd was sure that he was going to retire. Now he wants to return as a Ray. "I'm going to play,'' Floyd said. "I don't think you can break this unit up.''

• Outs Per Swing breaks down how everybody has performed since the all-star break...The are some surprising numbers. [Outs Per Swing]
  

THE GOOD: James Shields. It had been a while since we had seen Shields paint one of his Shieldsian Masterpieces. When Shields is on his game as he was yesterday, it is like watching a young Greg Maddux. The Greg Maddux that actually threw fastballs in the low 90s and would work 8 innings. It really is a thing of beauty. 8 innings, 6 strikeouts, no walks. In only 1 inning (6th) did a runner even reach second base. We call him "James the Greater". But maybe "Bulldog" is more appropriate.

THE BAD: In the nightcap, Ben Zobrist put the Rays in a position to win with his second career grand slam and then put the Rays in a position to lose with his 7th error of the season. Instead of an inning-ending double play, Zobrist threw an easy toss to second into right field, leading to 2 runs...The Rays had at least 2 runners on base in each of the first 3 innings and failed to score...Prior to Ben Zobrist's grand slam, the Rays were 0-8 with runners in scoring position (if you count Fernando Perez' "sacrifice" in the 2nd when he was trying to bunt for a basehit)...After Ben Zobrist's grand slam with 1 out in the 4th, Yankees pitchers faced the minimum over the next 14 batters until Gabe Gross singled off of Mo Rivera to lead off the 9th...Matt Garza's control. He only walked 3 batters in 5 innings, but of his 83 pitches only 47 were strikes (57%).

THE TELLING: In the first game of the double-header, both Ben Zobrist and Fernando Perez, switch-hitters, batted right-handed against the righty Mike Mussina. Joe Maddon told both players they could start as long as they went along with the plan. Combined, they went 2-5 with a single and a double against Moose.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Our good friends at The Serious Tip, turn 2 today...Happy Birthday! [The Serious Tip]
• Because Joe Maddon switched Matt Garza and James Shields in the rotation on Friday and Saturday and because of the subsequent rainout on Friday, the Rays are without a starter for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox. That game would have been Garza's start and Papa Joe could still decide use Garza despite only 3 days rest. Garza only threw 83 pitches last night. Or Maddon could decide to use one of the trio of starters just called up from triple-A, David Price, Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot...This is where we would normally make an educated guess as to what Maddon will do. However this time we have no clue. We could make an argument for all 4. Our gut says Niemann. Thoughts? [St. Pete Times]
• Reason number 705 that we love Stuart Sternberg and why the Rays are lucky to work for him. [Tampa Tribune]

"I just want to be there with the Red Sox fans when they cheer Jeter on, and A-Rod, and their former Damon, and Giambi, and the whole crew. All the guys that they love all year long, year after year, as they sit there and root for them to get hits and strikeouts and all that good stuff. I'd love to share a bar seat with a couple of Sox fans as they root for the Yankees."

• Rays The Stakes wants to know why Troy Percival is still the Rays closer. [Rays The Stakes]
• John Romano thinks Francisco Rodriguez is a better comparison for David Price than Joba Chamberlain. [St. Pete Times]
  
• We saw in the nightcap that BJ Upton was sporting a fresh mohawk. And now we read that Evan Longoria went mohawk in between yesterday's games. Anybody have pictures? [St. Pete Times]
• Jose Molina took exception to being hit by James Shields in the 6th inning of the opener with the Rays up 7-0. Molina gave a long stare to Shields and then was called for interference when he went out of the baseline to try and kick Jason Bartlett, while sliding into second on a double play. [Rays Report]
  
• The Charleston Post and Courier interviewed Carl Crawford, in which he states a strong desire to have a grass ballpark for the Rays. [Charleston Post and Courier]
• If there is any doubt that a sports franchise can survive in the Bay Area, Forbes ranks the Tampa Bay Bucs as tied for the 6th most valuable team in football at $1.1 billion. [Forbes]
  

THE GOOD: Evan Longoria's home run in the 2nd, his 12th. We don't want to stretch this comparison too much, but Dirtbag's stance and swing have always reminded us of Alex Rodriguez and both hitters are very similar in that they both generate an immense amount of power despite having a very easy swing. Longoria just looks like he is flicking the bat at the ball and next thing we know the ball is flying over the center field wall.

THE BAD: All of the Astros' runs came on home runs and both home runs were hit with 2 strikes. We would love to say that the Rays were 2 pitches from winning this game 2-0. And we would love to say that Scott Kazmir pitched great outside of those 2 pitches. Both are true, but neither means diddly. Hunter Pence's solo home run in the 5th can be forgiven as the Rays still had the lead. But with Carlos Lee up with a runner on and 2 outs in the 6th. Kid K absolutely cannot give up a 2-run home run in that situation. That was the most important at bat of the game and Kaz failed.

THE TELLING: This was the first series loss at home for the Rays since April when they dropped 3 of their first 4 home series. They had won 9 series in a row at the Trop...The Rays now have a 3 game lead in the wild card over the A's and 3.5 games over the Yankees.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• As expected, the Evan Longoria-as-the-backup-shortstop era did not last long. After yesterday's game, Justin Ruggiano was demoted to Durham and Ben Zobrist will be called up to take his place. With Jason Bartlett's wife about to give birth, Zobrist will fill in for a day or two. [Rays Report]
• The St. Pete Times has a still-image of the questionable slide by Carlos Lee in which Joe Maddon though Lee grabbed Aki Iwamura while trying to turn a double play. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Carlos Pena will participate in pregame drills on Tuesday in Miami and is expected to come off the DL either this weekend or the beginning of next week. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Stuart Sternberg showed up for last night's game (wearing a Rays jersey) and once again said that the Rays would be willing to add pieces down the stretch as long as it is "something that's right."...In other words, the Rays are not going to deviate very far from the plan that has gotten them to where they are. Keep in mind that the Rays are playing with "house money" in 2008. The team is at least a year ahead of schedule in terms of competing. The Rays are not about to get into a bidding war with other teams for high priced players, but they may be willing to add mid-level talent to fill in holes...And for those that believe CC Sabathia will never happen. Consider that the Rays could bring him in and then let him walk at the end of the year and take 2 compensatory draft picks. So the question then becomes: Are the prospects given up worth the two draft picks that will come later? [Bradenton Herald]
• Stuart Sternberg also noted that if the proposed waterfront stadium fails to pass, the Rays would remain in the Trop for "at least four years and not 14 at this point." [The Heater]
• Finally, Stuart Sternberg made an interesting comment about the DH rule in the AL. Noting that it hurts a small-market club like the Rays because "We don't have the cash to pay a guy who doesn't field." [The Heater]
• Her Rays recaps yesterday's loss in a way that only they can. [Her Rays]
  

This video is a bit dated and comes via Deadspin. Quite frankly we are not sure why we never ran it (we blame DRG) as it has been sitting on the RAYSHEADS Facebook page for quite some time. But somebody put together a video in which they examine the history of the "Fist Bump". Several members of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays make appearances in the clip, including Stuart Sternberg, Joe Maddon, Jonny Gomes and Carl Crawford who claims he wouldn't be where he is today without the fist bump.

Also, Papa Joe explains to us how it went down the first time somebody tried to fist bump him...a story that we are sure most of us can relate to.

"Well the first time I was introduced to the fist bump, I didn't really know what to do. He stuck his hand out to me and I didn't know if he was going to hit me or if I was supposed to grab it or latch on to it."

The Tampa Bay Rays Educate You On The Fist Bump [Deadspin]

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[UPDATE 10:06PM] We touched on this quite a bit in the Live Blog-A-Baloo. Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays and Scott Kazmir have agreed to a 3-year, $28.5MM deal with a 4th year team option for $11MM. In essence, the Rays have bought out two of Kid K's free agency years.

Stuart Sternberg just appeared as a guest on WFAN's "Mike & The Mad Dog" show. Among the several topics covered was the Tampa Bay Rays' recent willingness to give long-term deals to their young stars. After reminding the hosts that the team had also secured James Shields, Sternberg dropped this minor Cherry Bomb...

"We are exploring something with our other star pitcher as we speak right now"

The show's hosts did not push Sternberg further on the topic, but it can be assumed that he was referring to Scott Kazmir, and the quote suggests that the team is in active negotiations with the young Ace.

Other topics covered...

• Sternberg referred to the attendance for the Orlando series as "dissapointing" and his tone suggested that the team will not schedule any future series at the Disney complex.
• On the proposed waterfront stadium, Sternberg made it clear that the stadium would either be open by 2012 or it will not happen. If the referendum does not pass this fall, there will not be another attempt to get it passed.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Last day with a reduced schedule...Things should return back to normal tomorrow. Sue us.
  
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog takes a closer look at the Rays defense and sees lots of improvement even if the team does miss Delmon Young in right field...Gotta admit, Young's arm is the only thing we miss about that guy. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
• The Sporting News believes that the improved defense is why the Rays are winning...We love the new defense, and it is certainly helping the pitching, but the Rays are winning because the entire pitching staff believes they can win. Their is a new confidence we have never seen before. [The Sporting News]
• Bleacher Report thinks Jason Hammel's control issues on Tuesday night may have cost the team the game and himself a spot in the rotation. [Bleacher Report]
• Stuart Sternberg was in attendance in Baltimore and spoke about the new-look Rays. [MLB]
  
• Bugs & Cranks suggests a new slogan for the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays based on recent comments by Stuart Sternberg. "Two pounds of bologna in a one pound bag". We like it. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Carlos Pena called the accusations that he was trying to steal signs "Totally ridiculous". [The Heater]
• 15-12 marks the best opening month in Rays history (actually one win was in March) besting the previous best April of 12-12. [AP]