The Rays make the playoffs?
There was a better chance that No. 1 fan Dick Vitale would become a mime.
Tampa Bay has never had a winning season. Check that. It has never had a season it didn’t require Patron and a chaser. The Rays were odoriferous in every way possible from their uniforms to their players to their stadium, which still is more suited for tractor pulls than baseball.
Then along come the 2008 Rays — the Devil is gone; so, too, is the curse — to remind us what is right about sports.
With six weeks left, the Rays have already tied their single-season record for victories. Somebody get the Kleenex ready in the Bronx. The Rays aren’t going away, almost guaranteeing the Yankees are going to miss the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons.
“We thought we had a good team in spring training, but we knew we had a lot to prove,” third baseman Evan Longoria said.
Longoria is an example of why this club is easy to pull for: He’s one of three Tampa Bay all-stars younger than 24, the first team to pull off that feat since the 1986 Mets. The Rays had the charity solo representative for 10 years.
The Rays have staying power for two reasons: Manager Joe Maddon has changed the culture and they can really pitch. Maddon, who looks part crazy uncle, part mad scientist, is a terrific strategist. That’s how he carved out a solid reputation as the Angels’ bench coach.
But he’s more than numbers. When he basically bowed his back and told his team not to step off from the Red Sox earlier this season in Fenway, that said a lot.
These weren’t the same ol’ Rays.
And if there were any doubt, it was erased on the mound. They rank fourth in baseball with a 3.75 ERA. After a dismal trading deadline performance, the Rays’ acquisition of reliever Chad Bradford was a brilliant stroke. He will bolster a bullpen that could soon welcome the electrifying presence of former first overall pick David Price.
In short, the Rays are this year’s Rocks, their magic dust sprinkled over 125 days rather than a single month.
Grin and bear it.
Alfonso Soriano is a unique player.
When he’s hot offensively, he’s the best player in the National League. When he’s not, he’s one of the worst, given his defensive issues and lack of interest in running the bases. Soriano is simmering again, compiling 22 hits in his last 57 at-bats, including six homers. Manager Lou Piniella practically sent a limo to escort Soriano off the disabled list. When Soriano leads off, the Cubs are 44-20, compared with 26-27 when anyone else is in the top spot.
Righting the ship.
The Pirates haven’t made the playoffs since 1992, Barry Bonds’ last season with the team. After a series of awful drafts (pick any number of first-rounders), lopsided and illogical trades (see Aramis Ramirez and Matt Morris) and bad contracts (Jason Kendall and Kevin Young), the Pirates finally have their blinker on, ready to make a U-turn. Under the leadership of new GM Neal Huntington, there’s hope. Nobody was happy when he traded away popular outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, but fans are reluctantly starting to understand the new direction.
This team needs to go young, to end the insanity of stop-gap signings.
With Jeff Karstens pitching like an ace and Brandon Moss a capable bat, the Pirates are taking progressive baby steps.
“When I traded (Karstens and Jose Tabata) for Nady and (Damaso) Marte, I had buyer’s remorse,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “That’s how I knew it was a good deal for both teams.”
Footnotes.
Ryan Howard is becoming Edward Scissorhands at first base. He has committed an alarming 14 errors, the most by a Phillie since Dick Allen in 1975. . . . Talking to the Boston Herald, Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe provided the most candid quote on former and current teammate Manny Ramirez: “He’s about as steady as they come when he wants to play. And clearly, he wants to play right now.” Ramirez went 13-for-23 with four home runs in his first week as a Dodger. . . . One of the best lines from my visit to Coopers- town. Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams on the obsession with stats, including the quality start: six innings, three runs. “I hate it. That’s a 4.50 ERA. I don’t want that guy on my team,” Williams said. Amen. The quality start is to baseball what the 1,000-yard rusher is to the NFL. It glorifies mediocrity.
Eye on …
Denard Span, OF, Minnesota Twins
Background: Seems like yesterday I was watching Span work out at Coors Field as one of the top draft prospects in 2002. The Rockies were prepared to take him with the ninth pick overall. The sides couldn’t agree on a $2 million signing bonus. So the Rockies took Jeff Francis and Span ultimately dropped to 20th to the Twins. The miscalculation cost him nearly $1 million.
What’s up: There’s reason to believe he’s going to make that up — and then some. He might need the Wells Fargo truck to transport his checks if he keeps playing like he his now. Since his second recall from the minor leagues at the end of June, Span is hitting .319 with an on-base percentage over .400. He caught the attention of the baseball world last week when he turned Adrian Beltre’s flyball into an obit, leaping high above the left-field wall at Seattle’s Safeco Field and robbing a home run. Said Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras as he watched the replay on TV: “It seems like he’s on the highlights every night.”
What’s next: Span — pronounced Spawn — is occupying a renowned place. Even when Michael Cuddyer comes back from injury, manager Ron Gardenhire said the rookie is going to hit leadoff and play somewhere in the outfield everyday.
Renck’s take: Forget the A’s for a second. The best example of baseball on a budget is Minnesota. The Twins’ track record for drafting, cultivating and trading for talent is stunning. A lot of teams trot out the idea that they are better off not signing their stars to eat up too much payroll. Problem is, few, if any, can continue supplying quality replacements like the Twins. After trading ace Johan Santana and losing center fielder Torii Hunter to free agency, the Twins are poised to win the AL Central. Why? They have younger versions of the pair in Francisco Liriano and Span.
At issue
Ultimate Fighting vibe — good for a team’s motivation?
What: Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder went MMA on pitcher Manny Parra, slapping and shoving the right-hander after the two exchanged words.
When: The startling scene played out in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park. Parra, disappointed that he was lifted for a pinch-hitter, began heading to the clubhouse. Fielder suggested it would be in his best interest to stick around and watch the remainder of the inning. The pair disagreed, and as Parra put his jacket on, it appeared to clip Fielder. The big first baseman went nuts, getting physical before teammates intervened.
Background: This is the second public incident involving the Brewers in a calendar year. Last August, manager Ned Yost got into it with catcher Johnny Estrada. The team tanked after the confrontation, with at least one Brewer telling me Yost had lost the clubhouse. Soon after, the Brewers lost a shot at the postseason. Yost’s reaction to Fielder’s fracas was insulting. He suggested that the media was rude for asking about it, comparing it to knocking on a neighbor’s door to discuss his family’s problems. OK, Ned Flanders, next time tell your players to fight where cameras aren’t present or risk the wrath of all us Homer Simpson scribes.
Renck’s take: There’s nothing wrong with a little intensity and wanting accountability from teammates. The fallout is usually dramatic regardless. It can either galvanize a club or send 25 cabs in different directions. The Brewers won two straight after the dust-up. For a team whose mental toughness was questioned last season, that’s a good sign. The reality is that the window is closing on this group, heightening tensions. If the Brewers don’t make the playoffs this year, there’s no telling how long their 25-year drought will extend.
Ups and downs
THREE UP
1. Phillies: Reinforced bullpen with Scott Eyre as Tom Gordon’s career appears over.
2. Angels: K-Rod in line for two milestones: saves record and richest reliever contract ever.
3. Cubs: They entered weekend with as many home wins as Padres and Nationals had wins.
THREE DOWN
1. A’s: Life without Haren, Harden and Blanton has been tough since the all-star break.
2. Tigers: Even Jim Leyland’s media tirades can’t help this wildly inconsistent team.
3. Rockies: Doubleheader sweep by Nationals makes playoff run almost impossible.
