Rays

Tampa Bay is falling in love with Casali already

July 29, 2015 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. The bond with the crowd comes quickly. It can hit like a thunderbolt, and it can attach a fan with a player for an eternity. It can be because of effort, the way it was with Mike Alstott. It can be because of grit, the way it once was with Marty St. […]

Tagged as: Alstott, Casalli, Rays, St. Louis, Zobrist

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Crusher Casali hits 2 more HRs to pace Rays

July 29, 2015 general

Wednesday, 12:15 a.m. When he is old, when his hair is gray and his knees ache from all those days behind the plate, when baseball has defined him as only pro sports can, he will look back on this week. And Curt Casali will smile. His grandchildren will surround him, and they will beg for […]

Tagged as: Beckham, Casali, Odorizzi, Price, Rays, Tigers

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The best of Tampa Bay’s athletes across the board

July 20, 2015 general

Monday, 6 a.m. As a standup, grin-for-Twitter photo, it captured it all. Youth. Wealth. Fame. Three sports, three stars, three faces-of-a-franchise. Three NFL Pro Bowls. Three major league baseball All-Star games. Three NHL All-Star games. They stood shoulder to shoulder in the recent snap. Evan Longoria. Gerald McCoy. Steven Stamkos. You could not help but […]

Tagged as: Bucs, Lightning, Rays, Rowdies, Tampa Bay, Top Athletes

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How about a Franchise Four for our other teams?

July 17, 2015 College Sports in Florida

Perhaps you had problems with the execution. Perhaps you thought the voters botched the play. On the other hand, as ideas go, it was fun. Nice memories, healthy discussion, stats to compare. What could be better? When Fox-TV had fans vote for their “Franchise Four” on the night of the baseball all-star game, there was […]

Tagged as: Bucs, Bulls, Gators, Lightning, Rays, Seminoles, Top Four

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Remembering C.C., the best Ray of them all

July 15, 2015 general

Wednesday, 6 a.m. For years, there was no light shining on his highlights. The stadium was empty. The team was losing. The footage of the game was something to save to go between softball and poker. So no wonder it is that the world seems to have forgotten about Carl Crawford, the best Ray there […]

Tagged as: Crawford, Longoria, Price, Rays, Shields, Zobrist

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At the break, would you take Cash or Maddon?

July 13, 2015 general

Monday, 6 a.m. Joe Maddon was Picasso. Every night, he was trying to paint a masterpiece. Kevin Cash is Sherwin-Willliams. Every day, he’s trying to paint a house. That, people, is the best comparision I can give between the last two men who guided the Tampa Bay Rays. Maddon was a wine-sipper. Cash celebrates victories […]

Tagged as: Cash, Maddon, Manager, Rays

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Rays’ bullpen leads the team as it shuts down Astros

July 12, 2015 general

Sunday, 5:17 p.m. The hitting continues to struggle. The starting pitching comes and goes. There are still too many players on the disabled list. But the bullpen. The bullpen can play. When it is rested, when it is ready, the relief corps of the Tampa Bay Rays can be a sight to see. And if […]

Tagged as: Boxberger, bullpen, Jepson, Moore, Rays

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Ramirez gives Rays a reason to smile

July 10, 2015 general

These days, no one asks Erasmo Ramirez why he is smiling. These days, it’s pretty obvious why the pleasant right hander is grinning. And why he’s making everyone else grin, too. Ramirez ran his record to 8-3 Friday night as the Rays finally found a spot of sunshine in a season that had turned gloomy. […]

Tagged as: Astros, bullpen, Ramirez, Rays

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Could these Rays lose 100 games before it’s over?

July 10, 2015 general

Friday, 6 a.m. How bad could it get? How far out could they finish? The faster these Tampa Bay Rays fall, and the further, the easier it is to wonder. This team continues to plummet, past the clouds, past the mountain tops, and toward the rocks below. You know it will end up painful and […]

Tagged as: 100 Losses, Archer, Boxberger, Last Place, Losing Streak, Rays

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Is Shelton the reason for Rays’ hitting woes?

July 9, 2015 general

Thursday, 6 a.m. Hang around the ballpark long enough, and old arguments become fresh again. It’s like a rerun, like a debate circling the bases until the same old points are worth repeating. For instance, there is the one about why so few fans go the Rays games. Heard that one? There is the one […]

Tagged as: Crawford, Hitting, Rays, Shelton, Upton

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