Rays keep winning, quiet Yankees’ bats

June 1, 2021 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. There are answers in the success. There are clues to the internal thinking of a team that is smarter than most. Take this away from the Rays’ 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Monday, for instance. This is yet the latest comment to the persistent question of “why don’t the […]

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Bolts start off well in Hurricanes’ series

May 31, 2021 general

Monday, 4 a.m. He doesn’t score highlight goals. He doesn’t score memorable goals. On most nights, he is not a star of the game; he’s barely in the constellation. So what is Barclay Goodrow doing in the spotlight after Game One of the second round of the playoffs Sunday afternoon? Goodrow scored his first goal […]

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Rays look more and more complete as they win

May 31, 2021 general

Monday, 3 a.m. Not long ago, it was hard to see the true beauty of the Tampa Bay Rays. There were just so many warts in the way. There were blemishes and flaws, scars and scabs. If it wasn’t the pitching that failed to satisfy you, it was the hitting. It was the bullpen, and […]

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Rays scrape out a victory over Phillies

May 30, 2021 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. So what’s tinier than small ball? Micro-ball? Nano-ball? Ant-ball? However you would describe it, you would need a microscope to watch the way the Tampa Bay Rays won a 5-3 decision over the Philadelphia Phillies Saturday afternoon. Call it the incredible shrinking game. Content beyond this point is for members only. Already […]

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Reflecting on the Rays’ trade of Adames

May 29, 2021 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. At the time of the deal, I hated the Willy Adames trade. A few days later, I still dislike it. Supposedly, it’s getting better. I hated the Adames trade because he was a terrific teammate. I hated it because he was a proven defensive player. I hated it because he was capable […]

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Rays jump Royals early to capture series

May 28, 2021 general

Friday, 4 p.m. Yeah, this is better. Glance across the hitting statistics of Austin Meadows, and it’s easy to suggest there isn’t that much different than a year ago. He hit .205 then. He’s hitting .222 now. Neither number is a lot to crow about. But the Meadows of 2021 can flex his muscles a […]

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Vasilevskiy slams door shut on Florida

May 27, 2021 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. All series long, he was in the background, lurking, waiting. Sooner or later, the game was going to come down to Andrei Vasilevskiy. For five games, the whispers had continued that the Florida Panthers, frankly, weren’t cowed by Vasilevskiy. He gave up 16. goals in the first five games of the series, […]

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Margot’s walk-off leads to extra-inning win

May 27, 2021 general

Thursday, 3 a.m. One more question for Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny. Why? No, really, why? Given all the hitters in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform, especially in the last two games when the bats have turned to matchsticks once again, why would you ever pitch to Manuel Margot? What kind of logic is […]

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Rays streak ends despite Hill, Kiermaier

May 26, 2021 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. And the king of the hill remains … Lou Piniella. As impressive as the 11-game winning streak was that died Tuesday night, Piniella’s 2004 Rays did it one better. And, you can argue, they didn’t have nearly as much going on (the Rays won 70 games all year). The Rays lost their […]

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Panthers extend playoff series vs. Bolts

May 25, 2021 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. For the Florida Panthers, hope is barely 20 years old. It wears jersey No. 30. And for the most part, the Panthers seemed to forget he was hanging around. Then again, desperation makes a team do funny things. The Panthers, disappointed in goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger, looked to young Spencer […]

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