What Is The World Coming To?

We are not sure we can live in a baseball world where Joe Torre loses his job and somehow Dusty Baker finds another one.

Joe Torre: For all the vitriol we spew at the Yankees and their fans here at RI, there are few people in baseball that we respect more than Joe Torre. Sure other managers, if given a $150-200 million payroll for 12 seasons, would have won. But there is not another manager in baseball that would have gone to the playoffs 12 straight years and won 4 titles. Everybody has an off-year. Torre never let the Yankees have an off-year. Amazing.

So that leaves us with one last thing to say…and this is directed at Randy Levine and the next generation of Steinbrenners…THANK YOU. Thank you for being idiots. Thank you for getting rid of the best manager in baseball. You just made the AL East a lot more winnable for the other 4 teams.

Dusty Baker: Is an idiot, and we wouldn’t want him anywhere near the Devil Rays. We would rather let Hal McRae manage the team again.

The Hangover: And The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ For Evan Longoria

Scottsdale Scorpions (1-10)

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Mesa 6, Scottsdale 2. Reid Brignac led of for Scottsdale, going 2-3 and hitting a olo home run, his first in the AFL. Evan Longoria was 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk.

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Scottsdale 9, Peo Javelinas 3. Evan Longoria was 3-4 with 2 doubles, a home run and 3 RBI in Scottsadale’s first win. It was Longoria’s 4th home run. John Jaso also homered for the Scorpions, going 1-2 with 2 RBI. Reid Brignac was 0-4. Mike Prochaska started and picked up the win, going 3 innings, and allowing 1 run on 3 hits, and a walk, while striking out 2. Calvin Medlock relieved and pitched 2 scoreless innings striking out 2.

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Phoenix 3, Scottsdale 2. Evan Longoria went 1-4 and is now hitting .317. He also committed his 3rd error of the AFL.Longoria is 4th in the AFL with a 1.063 OPS. He is tied for the league lead with 4 home runs, is third with 8 RBI and second with 4 doubles. Chris Nowak started at first base and went 1-3 with an RBI. Nick DeBarr and Evan Meek each pitched in relief. DeBarr threw 2 perfect innings with a strikeout, while Meek strike out two, but gave up a hit an a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

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OFF DAY

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• 2007 has been unkind to the state of Ohio. [The Sporting Orange]
• Was anybody esle disturbed a little to see a member of the Orioles in the Boston dugout and throwing the first pitch in game 7? [The Kansas City Star]
• We believe the Dustin Pedroia should be and will be AL Rookie of the Year…But Baseball America thinks that Delmon Young was only the 13th best rookie (5th best in the AL)…seriously. [ArmchairGM]
• Yet another blogger that thinks Joe Torre should take a year off and then replace Joe Maddon as manager of the Devil Rays. After hearing Torre refer to the Yankee’s contract offer as an “insult”, we are starting to warm to the possibility if Maddon gets off to a bad start in 2008 or if the Rays fail to reach .500 at the end of the season. It is not a secret that George Steinbrenner considers Tampa his home turf and has never been fond of the Devil Rays franchise. Taking the Tampa job and beating the Yankees could be the ultimate answer from the manager that is a lot more fiery and calculating than his public persona would suggest. [Quick Hits From The Sidelines]
• Keep in mind that Joe Torre and Don Zimmer are close, and Zim was none-too-happy about the way the Yankees handled his pal Torre. [tampabay.com]
• More funky baseball math. This time, Roto Authority suggests that Andy Sonnanstine was the 4th unluckiest pitcher in 2007 which suggests he could be much better in 2008. [Roto Authority]
• Minor-ity Report take a look at David Price and compares his numbers to Mark Prior. Not the first time we have heard the comparison, but Price’s numbers in college were actually better than Prior’s and Price has an extra year of college under his belt. And did we mention that Price is left-handed. We are starting to get giddy. [Minor-ity Report]
• Despite a big dropoff in production in 2007, the Devil Rays still believe that Reid Brignac is their future shortstop. It just won’t be in 2008. [TBO]
• “The only thing that keeps this organization from being recognized as one of the finest in baseball is wins and losses at the major league level.” – Devil Rays GM Chuck Lamar…We are not sure why this is one of “The 35 Dumbest Sports Quotes Ever”. Isn’t it true? [LiveJournal]
• Jon Garland or Jose Contreras for Carl Crawford? Contreras? No. Garland? Not likely. He is set to make $12 million in 2008 and will be a free agent at the end of the year. [Mets Blog]
• Then again, MLB Rumors cites “industry sources” that “The Devil Rays and White Sox have worked over the past couple months on possible deals this off season that involve Jon Garland and Carl Crawford”. Maybe THIS GUY qualifies as an “industry source” [MLB Rumors]
• In the four professional sports leagues in North America, there are 92 teams. Sports Frog ranks the Devil Rays 89th, ahead of only the Memphis Grizzlies (90), Charlotte Bobcats (91) and the Houston Texans (92). See? The Rays don’t always finish last. [Sports Frog]
• RJ Anderson discusses his upcoming book about Chuck LaMar. [The Stat Pack]
  

The Hangover: Evan Longoria Picks Up In Arizona, Where He Left Off In Durham

Peo Sequaros 5, Scottsdale Scorpions 4.
The Arizona Fall League is under way and several prospects from the Devil Rays organization are on the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, including Evan Longoria and Reid Brignac. Also joining The Dirtbag and the Cajun God of Baseball are pitchers Nick DeBarr, Calvin Medlock, Evan Meek and Mike Prochaska as well as John Jaso and Chris Nowak. On opening day, Longoria and Brignac combined to go 0-7 while Calvin Medlock gave up the tying run despite striking out 3 in 2 innings. Longoria picked up the pace on day 2, with a 2-run home run in the first inning. He finished 1-4. Nick DeBarr pitched a perfect 8th inning.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Yankees have spent over $1.1 billion on player salaries since their last world series championship. To date, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have spent slightly more than $350 million in quest of their first. At this rate, the Rays have another 20 years before they reach futility level of the hapless Yankees…right? [Empyreal Environs]
• ArmchairGM reports “sources” that say the Devil Rays have “serious interest in (Jorge) Posada. This is not going to happen. The Tigers just picked up Pudge Rodriguez’ option at $13 million. Pudge and Posada are both 36. Pudge had an OPS of .714 this season while Posada’s OPS was .969. Pudge played in 129 games compared to 144 for Posada. Posada is going to be seeking $15 million per year for the next 4 years. The Rays may have “serious interest” but they are not paying a 36 year old catcher $60 million. He might be worth it in 2008. But both Pudge and Posada have already pushed the shelf-life of a catcher and are likely to not have much left in the tank. [ArmchairGM]
• Chris Mason was named the AA starting pitcher of the year, Minor League Baseball’s equivalent of the Cy Young award. It is too bad they couldn’t name the award after a former minor league pitcher that had an incredible minor league career. [MiLB]
• If the Rays fail to reach .500 in 2008, Joe Maddon will likely not be brought back for the final year of his contract. If Joe Torre is fired by the Yankees and does not land a job for 2008, the Rays could have considerable interest in signing the manager. The problem is Torre will be 69 in 2009. It is difficult to determine if Torre would be willing to work with a roster that is filled with talented, but very young players. Torre has only ever succeeded with veteran-ladened rosters. It is not out of the realm of possibility, but it is a longshot at best. [One More Dying Quail]
• The Rays released their 2008 schedule and everybody is awfully excited about the return of Lou Piniella. For the third consecutive season, the Ray will open the season on the road and for the second time in three years, the Rays will open the season in Baltimore, risking a cold, bad weather opener. [tampabay.com]
• Rays Digest hands out their team awards. Our favorite is Al Reyes taking home the award for “Best Relief Pitcher”. They could have also named the award, “Only Relief Pitcher” or “Least Suckiest Guy Wearing A Devil Rays Uniform Pretending To Be A Major League Pitcher”. Of course, they somehow came up with four (!) pitchers that were honorable mentions. [Rays Digest]

AL East Roundup: Bobby Abreu Decides To Earn His King’s Ransom

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	26	12	–	7-3	L1	—
New York Yankees	18	20	8.0	5-5	W1	117
Toronto Blue Jays	18	22	9.0	5-5	W3	115
Baltimore Orioles	18	23	9.5	4-6	L5	114
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	17	22	9.5	4-6	W3	115

White Sox 5, Yankees 3 (gm 1). Mike Mussina gave up 5 runs in 5+ innings for the Spankees in game 1.

Yankees 8, White Sox 1 (gm 2). The Yankees salvaged a split in the nightcap as Bobby Abreu remembered that he makes $15 million for a reason. He hit his first home run since the second game of the season. Hideki Matsui had 3 hits and drove in 4. This was a huge win for the Yankees as their next six games are against the Mets and the Red Sox. How fun would it be if the Yankees were 10 back a week from now?

Blue Jays 2, Orioles 1. AJ Burnett went the distance and struck out 10 in the game that somebody had to win. And the Orioles have yet another 5 game losing streak.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• Alex Rodriguez is now 8-47 (.170) in his last 13 games as his average has fallen from .367 to .311. The slump may in part be due to the recent struggles of Jason Giambi who normally hits behind A-Rod.
• Trying to shake the Yankees out of their recent funk, Joe Torre tried a new lineup last night. Alex Rodriguez did not hit 8th.
• John Lester will get a start this weekend at AAA as the next step in his return from cancer.
• The Top 10 Red Sox surprises of 2007, in pictures. #1 should have been a picture of a Yankees fan rambling on with every excuse in the book trying to explain that it is “still early” and “we’ll be fine” and “we just want to make the race exciting this year”. Oh wait. That’s not a surprise.
• Josh Beckett will miss his start tomorrow, with just his latest blister problem.

AL East Roundup: Can Roger Clemens DH On His Off-Days?

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	25	11	–	8-2	W2	—
Baltimore Orioles	18	20	8.0	6-4	L2	118
New York Yankees	17	19	8.0	5-5	L1	119
Toronto Blue Jays	15	22	10.5	2-8	L1	116
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	15	22	10.5	2-8	L1	116

Red Sox 6, Orioles 5. Sometimes a team just has one of those seasons. It might be a little early but the Sox are definitely having one of those seasons so far. Trailing 5-0 in the 9th inning, the Evil Empire Jr. rallied for 6 runs to take the rubber match of the series against the Orioles and all of the sudden the Sox have opened up a 8 game lead. The one bit of bad news was Josh Beckett being forced to leave the game early with skin inflammation of a finger. Any hopes of Beckett going 35-0 went right out the window.

Mariners 2, Yankees 1. The Yankees have now played 13 series this season and have only won 3 after losing 2 of 3 to the M’s this weekend. Derek Jeter is having another great year and Jorge Posada is hitting well, but outside of them, nobody is hitting, including Alex Rodriguez who has 1 home run in May. But hey, Maybe Roger Clemens can play DH on his off days. Well, on the off days that he doesn’t want to go golfing.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• Joe Torre has more important matters on his mind as his brother remains in critical care following a kidney transplant.
• Scott Proctor dropped his appeal of his 4-game suspension and will be able to return on Thursday.
• As if the Roger Clemens story wasn’t enough of a circus, it looks like if things go as scheduled, his first start for the Yankees will be in Fenway Park.
• Josh Beckett has a history of blisters on his fingers, but he is hopeful that this time he won’t be forced to miss a start.
• Miguel Tejada has now played in 1,118 consecutive games, giving him the 5th longest streak in history.
• Derek Jeter committed his 7th error on Sunday, but it was his first since the 11th game of the season.

AL East Roundup: Yankees Spent $46 Million On Single-A Pitcher

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	20	10	–	7-3	W1	—
New York Yankees	14	16	6.0	6-4	L1	127
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	14	17	6.5	5-5	L1	126
Baltimore Orioles	14	18	7.0	3-7	L2	125
Toronto Blue Jays	13	18	7.5	2-8	L6	125

Mariners 3, Yankees 2. Instead of spending $28 million on a 45-year old starting pitcher, maybe the Yankees should find a new set up pitcher. Kyle Farnsworth, the man with a very fast, and very straight fastball has given up a run in 5 appearances this season. The latest was the tying run in the 8th with New York up 2-1. Mo Rivera than gave up a solo shot to Adrian Beltre in the 9th for the loss.

Indians 10, Orioles 1. The O’s are in prime form as they get ready to host the Devil Rays at Camden Yards on Tuesday. Steve Trachsel gave up only 1 run in 6 innings, and was pulled before the 7th inning. 4 relievers combined to give up 9 runs over the next three innings, in a very Tampa Bayian performance. Of course the difference is the Rays bullpen cost about $26 while the Orioles spent about $50 million on theirs.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• The Yankees spent $46 million on Kei Igawa, and now he is the richest guy in single-A, as he was optioned to Tampa. This is the beauty of the Yankees. And by “beauty” we mean shitty. It is not that they can afford to pay Roger Clemens over $8,000 per pitch. No, the problem with baseball is that the Yankees can send a $46 million pitcher to the minors. How many other teams can afford to swallow high-priced mistakes.
• Of course the biggest question we have is, “Who were the Yankees bidding against?” The Astros are going nowhere and the Red Sox didn’t need him.
• This is why Yankees fans are crazy. They and their reporters suggest idiotic things LIKE THIS. Sure, let’s make Roger Clemens a reliever because Mo Rivera may be struggling. He hasn’t done it since college and I’m sure that is why the Yankees are paying him $28 million. Great idea. *banging head on desk*
• Joe Torre was suspended for last night’s game and Scott Proctor was suspended for 4 games following an incident in Sundays game with Seattle in which Proctor threw at a batter. Proctor is appealing his suspension.

The AL East Roundup:

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	16	8	–	7-3	W1	—
Toronto Blue Jays	13	12	3.5	5-5	W2	135
Baltimore Orioles	12	14	5.0	3-7	L2	133
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	11	14	5.5	5-5	W1	133
New York Yankees	9	14	6.5	2-8	L1	133

Tigers 8, Orioles 4. Another day and another loss for the O’s. Last night’s debacle makes it 7 of 8 for Baltimore. While Oriole losses bring smiles to our little faces, this one we can empathize with. Baltimore pitchers walked 8 batters and threw 2 wild pitches. ouch.

Blue Jays 6, Rangers 1. Roy Halladay pitched a complete game. How rare is that these days, especially this early in the season? There are 20 teams that are yet to have a pitcher throw a complete game. Roy Halladay? HE HAS TWO! If Halladay wins the Cy Young this season, the Jays will look like geniuses. If Halladay is on the DL by the all-star break? well, oops.

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• General George S. Steinbrenner released his missive yesterday, and while he is not happy with the team, Joe Torre and Brian Cashman have his support.

It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of. Let’s get going. Let’s go out and win and bring a world championship back to New York. That’s what I want.- George Steinbrenner

• It is Boston’s other Japanese import that is causing the Yankees grief.
• The benches cleared last night in the O’s/Tigers matchup after the ultra-sensitive Miguel Tejada thought an inside pitch was a little too close.
• Jaret Wright. $3 million well-spent. It is May 1, and Wright is beginning his second stint on the DL, already.
• Gustavo Chacin is latest Blue Jay to hit the DL.
• Tampa Jesuit graduate, Dave Magadan, has the Red Sox hitting on all cylinders.

AL East Roundup: Red Sox ManRam The Yankees

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	16	8	–	7-3	W1	—
Toronto Blue Jays	12	12	4.0	4-6	W1	135
Baltimore Orioles	12	13	4.5	4-6	L1	134
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	11	14	5.5	5-5	W1	133
New York Yankees	9	14	6.5	2-8	L1	133

Red Sox 7, Yankees 4. How are the Rays ever supposed to pick up ground on the Sox, if Boston keeps getting to play weak teams like the Yankees? The Sox went all Big Papi and ManRam on the Yankees. Both David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit home runs for Boston. Ramirez had the decisive blow, a 2-run shot in the 8th that put the Sox up 7-3. After losing 5 of 6 to the Red Sox in a little over a week (and 2 of 2 to the Rays), the Yankees have fallen 6.5 games behind the Sox and once again sit alone in last place of the AL East, a game behiiiiinnnnnd the TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS.

Indians 6, O’s 1. All of the sudden the Orioles have lost 6 of 7 and are back in their familiar position (below .500).

Blue Jays 7, Rangers 3. You don’t hear us make too many predictions around here. One of our biggest pet-peeves is somebody that makes 20 predictions and gloats when they get one or two right. Still we are starting to get a sense that this will be the story of the Blue Jays for the rest of the year. After their win yesterday they are now 12-12. We know this team has talent and they have had injuries, but even when the roster is healthy this looks like a .500 team. We would be surprised if this team finishes more than 2 games above or below .500.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• Not surprising, there are rumblings in the Bronx that Joe Torre’s job security is very thin right now. George Steinbrenner has a history of firing managers early in a season. In 1985, he fired Yogi Berra after a 6-10 start. Of course, Berra wasn’t coming off his 11th straight playoff appearance and did not have 4 championships on his resume. If Steinbrenner was younger, we might think this could happen, but we would be shocked if it happened now. On the other hand, Steinbrenner almost fired Torre last October and he already has a manager-in-waiting on the bench, that goes by the name Don Mattingly.
• You wont ever hear Derek Jeter publicly defend Alex Rodriguez, but as team captain he is quick to defend Joe Torre.
• The Orioles activated Jaret Wright before Sunday’s game in order to start against the Indians. He only lasted 3 innings.
• Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne was named “Sports Douche of the Week.” A little harsh. We would have gone with Ron Mexico.

AL East Roundup: Ladies And Gentlemen…Your Last Place New York Yankees

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	12	7	–	7-3	L2	—
Baltimore Orioles	11	9	1.5	7-3	L2	142
Toronto Blue Jays	10	10	2.5	4-6	W2	141
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	9	11	3.5	5-5	W2	140
New York Yankees	8	11	4.0	4-6	L5	140

Blue Jays 10, Red Sox 3. The Blue Jays are a lot like the Devil Rays these days and we are not just talking about their aversion to the first part of their nickname and a distancing from their team colors. With all their injuries, especially to BJ Ryan, the Jays only hope is to outscore their opponents, and they have the offense to do it. Roy Halladay struck out 10 in 8 innings and the Jays knocked around 15 hits. Mike Lowell homered for Boston, his third in 3 games.

A’s 4, O’s 2. All four runs by the A’s were scored after the Orioles played hot potato with the baseball. Aubrey Huff hit a triple. Who was playing in the outfield? Stevie Wonder?

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AL EAST...

• Better them than us. The NEW YORK YANKEES ARE IN LAST PLACE.
• Apparently the Rays aren’t the only team with bullpen issues. The Yankees bullpen is in disarray. We have to agree if Joe Torre is already using the Great Mariano in the 8th inning, bringing Andy Pettite out of the bullpen and his main setup man is Kyle Farnsworth, who has the weakest 98 mph fastball in baseball. Oh yeah, and your submarining lefty gives up grand slams to left-handed hitters.
• Derek Jeter was removed from last night’s loss to the Rays with a bruised thigh after being hit by a pitch. He is not expected to miss much time.
• Alex Rodriguez says he wants to stay in New York after this season. We would expect him to say nothing else.
• BJ Ryan is not coming back anytime soon. The Jays moved him to the 60-day DL. Sounds an awful lot like his season is in jeopardy.
• The Orioles lost reliever Scott Williamson to the DL.
• Yet another injury for the Blue Jays. This time it is Greg Zaun headed to the DL. At this rate, Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby and Garth Iorg will be suiting up for the Jays.