The Rays new superstar pitcher David Price is not going to be on the roster for the beginning of the season. Even though he was ridiculously good during the post season last year as a closer, especially against the Red Sox, manager Joe Madden decided it was best that Price go back to AAA Durham for some extra fine tuning. It isn't the first time the Rays did something like this.
Last year Even Longoria, the new face of the Rays, started the season in the minors for the first month. Longo was eventually called up to take over third base and the rest was history. He was one of the driving forces that led the team all the way to the World Series and racking up some honers as rookie of the year. Would that of happened if he started the season, who knows, but now he is one of the most solid ball players in the league.
What does that mean for Price? My guess is that he will be called up to the show in may and take over the 5th spot on the starting pitching rotation. If the Rays can afford to get Price more work in to improve any weaknesses than I am all for it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tired of Bracketology
Its been relatively slow in the world of Tampa sports right now. The time between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of baseball is when I hang up my fandom for a while and relax a bit since I'm not a huge basketball follower. It is march though and all fans of sport knows what that means, March Madness!!! Did you fill out your bracket? I didn't and I could care less. Sure it might be fun to take an educated stab at who's going to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and then compare your bracket with the secretary down the hall who made her picks based on what mascot she likes the most, but id rather catch some more zzzz than listen to any ones attempt to predict the future. Of course there will always be the 'bracket guy' who informs you to know end on how his ten brackets he filled out are doing. There should be a rule that only allows one bracket per person. Any more than that is pretty much cheating. This whole bracketology craze is getting bigger and bigger every year. Even the white house is infected. Although I am bashing the people who cling to their picks as feverishly as fantasy football geeks, I do give credit to President Obama for filling on out and letting ESPN run the hell out of it. I heard people say that he shouldn't be waisting his time on trivial things, but it makes him seem more like a cool human being rather than some robotic tool that runs our country. I cant wait for this March Madness to be over and baseball season to start , but until them Ive got Uconn taking the title over North Carolina 81-79.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Never bad to spring for last minute game tickets
Wednesday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. I don't know if the stars and the moon aligned the night before or if devine intervention smiled down upon me for once, but finding sweet tickets for the Rays home opener in my hometown the night before the game and actually having the day off of work and school made the 100 mile trip south just so worth it. I have recently discovered that waiting for the last moment to buy tickets actually works out.
The day before the official start of spring training baseball the only seats available at the Charlotte sports park in Port Charlotte, at that particular time, were berm seats. Berm seating it like sitting in the lawn section at a Dave Matthews Band concert, with out the overwhelming smell of weed and dirty hippie body odor. My roommate and I decided to purchase tickets later since there didn't seem to be any reason why that section will sell out. Later on in the night after I returned from a late class, we decided to take another peak at the Rays Ticketmaster website. What my friend and I read next made it a night to celebrate. Two tickets, first base line, 15 feet right of the Rays dugout and 2Nd row from the field. Not to shabby since it was stated that the entire spring training season is sold out.
Instead of sitting on a sloped grassy hill by the outfield , we were right up front in reserved seats. Our seats were 100 times better than what we originally thought was possible at only twice as much. The price difference was only nine dollars for the better seats. For that extra nine dollars we were able to be within 2 feet of Evan Longoria. I was about 2 people away from having my hat autographed by the all-star rookie of the year. He was only one of many players that I was able to get close to. It is so exciting to be only feet away from all my favorite ball players and coaches.
Most baseball enthusiasts will either have tickets bought well in advance or settle for crappy bleacher seats when they wait till the last minute. I, on the other hand, was able to receive better tickets than 90% of everyone else less than 24 hrs before a "sold-out game".
The day before the official start of spring training baseball the only seats available at the Charlotte sports park in Port Charlotte, at that particular time, were berm seats. Berm seating it like sitting in the lawn section at a Dave Matthews Band concert, with out the overwhelming smell of weed and dirty hippie body odor. My roommate and I decided to purchase tickets later since there didn't seem to be any reason why that section will sell out. Later on in the night after I returned from a late class, we decided to take another peak at the Rays Ticketmaster website. What my friend and I read next made it a night to celebrate. Two tickets, first base line, 15 feet right of the Rays dugout and 2Nd row from the field. Not to shabby since it was stated that the entire spring training season is sold out.
Instead of sitting on a sloped grassy hill by the outfield , we were right up front in reserved seats. Our seats were 100 times better than what we originally thought was possible at only twice as much. The price difference was only nine dollars for the better seats. For that extra nine dollars we were able to be within 2 feet of Evan Longoria. I was about 2 people away from having my hat autographed by the all-star rookie of the year. He was only one of many players that I was able to get close to. It is so exciting to be only feet away from all my favorite ball players and coaches.
Most baseball enthusiasts will either have tickets bought well in advance or settle for crappy bleacher seats when they wait till the last minute. I, on the other hand, was able to receive better tickets than 90% of everyone else less than 24 hrs before a "sold-out game".
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Rays 2008 Turnaround
Major League Baseball is back!! After the outrageous season the Rays had in 08, I couldn't be more excited for whats to come. This level of anticipation is a first for many. Before the inaugural "Rays" season, nobody really cared. Nobody talked about them, unless it was the Sports radio guys in the morning reiterating how dismal the season was. After 10 years of being a losing franchise the "Devil Rays" made some key moves that changed everything in this bay area football town. In order to move from a shit hole of a team into a somewhat competitive team, there needed to be a lot of changes.
The first step was to give the team a face lift. They started at the very beginning it the organization, the name. The Devil Rays became the Rays. Then came the new look. The Rays went from looking like a collage team to looking like an actual major league squad. If you look like crap you play like crap. Look good, feel good, play good. Those uniforms needed to be filled with actual ball players and not some horrible impersonations of players. The Rays made some great personnel changes during the off season. In order to create a good clubhouse atmosphere the trading of Duke and Young were necessary. After clearing out the trash, the Rays brought in some great talent.
Since the old Devil Rays were usually the worst team in all of baseball, they received the No.1 draft pick several times. Add that with the outstanding farm team the Rays have and there is great potential to develop young all-star quality plays. Take Evan Longoria and David Price for example. Longoria spent some time in the farm systems and proved that he could become one of the greatest players ever. He is the future of the Rays. Like Jeter is for the Yankees, Longoria will be the core of the Rays organization. There might have been some doubt about that at first, but winning Rookie of year, being named an all-star, and almost taking the American League MVP shut up all the nay-sayers. Longoria was clutch for the Rays turnaround. As for Price, he just pitched a couple times during the playoffs and closed out game 7 against Boston in the ALCS to put the Rays in the World Series for the first time ever. No biggie. He will eventually be the ace of the starting pitching rotation. Lets not forget that they are both under the age of 24 and have a long future with the Rays.
New name, check. New look, check. New players, check. There is just one thing missing (other than fan support), a new philosophy. This is where Joe Madden comes in. The head coach of the Rays is a genius. He has a great approach to his coaching style. He can be compared to the retired football coach Tony Dunge. With hard work and dedication to his craft, Madden changed the mindset of the whole team. He convinced the team that if they believe in them selves, they can compete with anybody. Madden was the driving force that kept the team focused throughout the high and low moments of the 08 season.
After reconstructing the Devil Rays into the Rays, Tampa had the pleasure of hosting The World Series. A feat that nobody would have predicted. Somewhere, someone is laying back on the beach sipping on mojitos laughing his ass of because he was stupid enough to put a bet down in Vegas saying that the Rays would win the AL and end up in the World Series. Up to 2007 the Devil Rays were the laughing stock of MLB, now the Rays are the Hottest team in all of baseball. A lot changes when you go from losing 100 games to winning 100 games in one season.
The first step was to give the team a face lift. They started at the very beginning it the organization, the name. The Devil Rays became the Rays. Then came the new look. The Rays went from looking like a collage team to looking like an actual major league squad. If you look like crap you play like crap. Look good, feel good, play good. Those uniforms needed to be filled with actual ball players and not some horrible impersonations of players. The Rays made some great personnel changes during the off season. In order to create a good clubhouse atmosphere the trading of Duke and Young were necessary. After clearing out the trash, the Rays brought in some great talent.
Since the old Devil Rays were usually the worst team in all of baseball, they received the No.1 draft pick several times. Add that with the outstanding farm team the Rays have and there is great potential to develop young all-star quality plays. Take Evan Longoria and David Price for example. Longoria spent some time in the farm systems and proved that he could become one of the greatest players ever. He is the future of the Rays. Like Jeter is for the Yankees, Longoria will be the core of the Rays organization. There might have been some doubt about that at first, but winning Rookie of year, being named an all-star, and almost taking the American League MVP shut up all the nay-sayers. Longoria was clutch for the Rays turnaround. As for Price, he just pitched a couple times during the playoffs and closed out game 7 against Boston in the ALCS to put the Rays in the World Series for the first time ever. No biggie. He will eventually be the ace of the starting pitching rotation. Lets not forget that they are both under the age of 24 and have a long future with the Rays.
New name, check. New look, check. New players, check. There is just one thing missing (other than fan support), a new philosophy. This is where Joe Madden comes in. The head coach of the Rays is a genius. He has a great approach to his coaching style. He can be compared to the retired football coach Tony Dunge. With hard work and dedication to his craft, Madden changed the mindset of the whole team. He convinced the team that if they believe in them selves, they can compete with anybody. Madden was the driving force that kept the team focused throughout the high and low moments of the 08 season.
After reconstructing the Devil Rays into the Rays, Tampa had the pleasure of hosting The World Series. A feat that nobody would have predicted. Somewhere, someone is laying back on the beach sipping on mojitos laughing his ass of because he was stupid enough to put a bet down in Vegas saying that the Rays would win the AL and end up in the World Series. Up to 2007 the Devil Rays were the laughing stock of MLB, now the Rays are the Hottest team in all of baseball. A lot changes when you go from losing 100 games to winning 100 games in one season.
Monday, February 9, 2009
A-Rod too! The steroid era solidifies
Sports illustrated posted an article containing information that Alex Rodriguez, The New York Yankees star 3rd baseman, tested positive for steroid use in 2003. Let the media field day begin. The shit storm has hit the fan. There was no possible way to watch the daily Sportscenter without hearing A-Rods name come up. Speculation on the 2 time MVP's next move would be filled the airways. Should he just be a man about it and admit that he used steroids or will he deny ever touching the stuff just like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are doing? Well, little did we know that question would be answered so quickly. Its official, there will be a steroids ere in the Major League Baseball record books. A-Rod owned up and opened up about his steroid use during his years with the Texas Rangers, 2001-2003. In an interview with ESPN,s Peter Gammons, Rodriguesz tries to salvage whats left of his career when asked if he had used performing enhancing drugs(PED's).
"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform,
and perform at a high level every day. Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid,
I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."
and perform at a high level every day. Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid,
I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."
He pretty mush blames it on the fact that even though steroid use without a proper prescription from a physician is illegal, PED's usage was almost the norm for baseball society at the time.
Most baseball fans thought that A-Rod was one of the last clean big hitters that played in the steroid era. These fans didn't worry too much about what would happen to the history books when Barry Bonds claimed the home run title, because they knew that their golden boy Alex would eventually pass Bonds and become the respectable, clean home run king that America wants. Guess what, WRONG!!! Now that one of the least expected players in the game to use PED's has been caught, was anybody clean? Face it, the baseball hall of fame will induct players that have used steroids. Hardcore fundamentalist baseball fans would have a heart attack if a juicer makes it in the HOF, even though a large portion of the greatest players in their respected times have been caught cheating, if not accused of cheating. You cant keep a whole era of baseball out of the record books. It would be like ignoring the part of American History when we found land and then proceeded to destroy the native culture and take their land. Like it or not, there will be a black eye on baseball for long time. The steroid era is pretty much over, but who really knows now these days.
Most baseball fans thought that A-Rod was one of the last clean big hitters that played in the steroid era. These fans didn't worry too much about what would happen to the history books when Barry Bonds claimed the home run title, because they knew that their golden boy Alex would eventually pass Bonds and become the respectable, clean home run king that America wants. Guess what, WRONG!!! Now that one of the least expected players in the game to use PED's has been caught, was anybody clean? Face it, the baseball hall of fame will induct players that have used steroids. Hardcore fundamentalist baseball fans would have a heart attack if a juicer makes it in the HOF, even though a large portion of the greatest players in their respected times have been caught cheating, if not accused of cheating. You cant keep a whole era of baseball out of the record books. It would be like ignoring the part of American History when we found land and then proceeded to destroy the native culture and take their land. Like it or not, there will be a black eye on baseball for long time. The steroid era is pretty much over, but who really knows now these days.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Im a tampa homer
Today is the age of digital technology. Over are the days of slow, heavy, and overbearing gadgets that once cluttered our lives. Just like well trained athletes who dedicate there lives for a shot at immortality and glory, technology strives to grow in an endless competition to be smarter, stronger and faster. As technology progresses so does the art of communication. Today in this very modern era, for now, it seems so asinine that in order to convey ideas and thoughts in the “good old days” people would have to chisel pictures out of stone, paint on cave walls, send smoke signals, and even use a feather pen and a bowl of ink to write documents as best as possible with out making an error, because doing so would bring upon the agony of balling up your time and hard work only to realize that you could never make it in the NBA when your Magic Johnson hook shot misses the waste basket by five feet. Now ideas and opinions can be shared as fast as it takes someone to type it out and hit enter, via the blog. (what ever happened to the days when journals and diaries were supposed to be locked up and hidden away from outside eyes underneath a mattress).
Although I have been against the idea of having a personal web log, blogs are hitting the mainstream and are becoming as trendy as Starbucks. When I hear the word blog, I can’t help but think about people trying to promote themselves, bitch about the things that pissed them of on a particular day, and the ability to talk trash at speeds previously unheard of. Name anything right now, there’s probably a blog about it. Naturally I will embark on my blogging quest in the area that I might possibly know best about ( other than frying chicken wings), sports. If there is anything that I can build up a hype for, share my discontent for, and do a lot of arguing about, it’s the wide world sports.
Although I have been against the idea of having a personal web log, blogs are hitting the mainstream and are becoming as trendy as Starbucks. When I hear the word blog, I can’t help but think about people trying to promote themselves, bitch about the things that pissed them of on a particular day, and the ability to talk trash at speeds previously unheard of. Name anything right now, there’s probably a blog about it. Naturally I will embark on my blogging quest in the area that I might possibly know best about ( other than frying chicken wings), sports. If there is anything that I can build up a hype for, share my discontent for, and do a lot of arguing about, it’s the wide world sports.
Is there any real use to sports blogging? I mean, one person breaks a important news story and then every single sports news medium takes it and runs with it. ESPN, sports radio, and even online news sources talk about the same thing, whatever the new hot developing story. The one difference is the way to respond to current events. ESPN allows for basically no way to respond to your teams decision to fire your head coach and GM. If your favorite receiver shoots his leg off right before the playoffs, there is a two minute phone call you could make to the radio station, after waiting on hold for an hour. When the Fighting Irish return to prominence and bring home the national championship, I could just watch it on TV, or maybe have an email read over the AM airwaves, or I could unload a small novel of opinions and insight on why my team is better than yours.
I will be entering a few online communities to share my thought on whats going on in the sports world. Pewter Report is a good site right now with the recent firing of John Gruden and Bruce Allan. Some people thing it was the wrong move, while others are glad to see potential change. There are rumors that the best player on the Lightning might be traded to some team in Canada, which would be the most idiotic decision ever. I can dedicate my entire blog project on the Lightning and how much they just crap all over themselves. Spring training is around the corner and the AL champs, Tampa Bay Rays, are only getting better. Sure the Yankees spent $400 million over the off-season (in this economy?), and the Red Sox are always scary as hell, but the Rays should do a repeat of last season and take over the AL east.
The great thing about sports is that everyday is different, there will always be an outlet and a need for hot spots opinions. Its time to expand from bar room arguments on who is the real No. 1 in the BCS, to the web where you can actually convey a smart, concise, articulate opinion over an are to where anybody can see it. In the words of Jim Rome, “Have a take, don’t suck”
Tampa Sports Fanatic
In the world of sports, there is an endless array of events going on. As of right now, the Super Bowl is coming to Tampa, whose home team Just reorganized the head staff, the lightning are resurgeing after a poor first half of the season, and the Rays are less then a month till spring training after their miraculous 08 season. Being a resident of Tampa makes me bias when it comes to the home teams, but there will be no problem of taking an objective look. There will always be someone who opposes your thought of what happening in sports, and they will be more than happy to do so.
My goal is to write to both sides of the sporting community, writing posts on both pro-Tampa sports sites( the pewter report, Bucs football, the heater-rays baseball) and anti-Tampa sport sites( Any Boston or New York blog sites), defending my teams (Bucs, Rays, Lightning) or condemning other's.
My goal is to write to both sides of the sporting community, writing posts on both pro-Tampa sports sites( the pewter report, Bucs football, the heater-rays baseball) and anti-Tampa sport sites( Any Boston or New York blog sites), defending my teams (Bucs, Rays, Lightning) or condemning other's.
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