And So It Ends....

With yesterday’s loss to the Yankees, the 2009 baseball season ends for your Tampa Bay Rays. We had an exciting season for the most part, as the Rays were in contention until the middle of September. An 84-78 record is nothing to frown at, especially with this team’s history. There is still a sense of disappointment in not making the playoffs just one year removed from making the World Series. However, think about how far this team and baseball community has come. Attendance was up even though the economy is still struggling. The team had its first league leader in homeruns as Carlos Pena tied for the American League lead. He also became the first player to tie or win a league homerun title while missing over 25 games. Finally, we saw what it’s like to have real expectations. I am proud to be a fan of a team in which winning 84 games in a season can be disappointing. It keeps both the players and fans hungry, and it will leave everybody wanting more next year. I am proud to say I am a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays and I am excited for next season when the Rays will be competitive once again. When do pitchers and catchers report? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why this team is ready for 2010, and the fans should be ready as well.

To Those Of You Who Want Upton And Burrell Traded....

To those of you who want BJ Upton and/or Pat Burrell traded, stop dreaming. I read it in blog comments every day. I hear it on sports talk radio almost every day.

Of course the two players have been sub-par this year, and the 2009 Rays would have been better without them, but you have to look at contracts, control, and potential. The main reason that the Rays wouldn't be able to move Upton or Burrell is the fact that they also have to have a trade partner willing to take on the contracts and give fair value.

I will get Pat Burrell out of the way because this will be easier. Burrell will be owed $9 million next season. He has struggled mightily and has failed to come close to expectations. What team that you know of would take that contract off the Rays' hands? Anybody? Beuler? Exactly, nobody will take the contract. The Rays can't afford to release Burrell and pay him all that money to suit up for another team. All that can really happen is that Burrell bats 5th or 6th every night and hopefully next year he meets or beats expectations.

Now let's look at BJ Upton. He is arbitration eligible so he will garner some sort of a raise, but not a huge raise because he is coming off a down season. He is under team control for 3 more seasons, so there is no real need to move him for fear of not being able to lock him up long-term.
Upton may not have been valuable at the plate this season, but he sure has been solid in the field. His speed and cannon have saved multiple runs throughout the season.
Now, I don't know if injuries were a real of fabricated excuse for Upton's mediocre season at the plate, but we know what Upton can do when he is on his game. He has so much potential. After this down season, the Rays would not get anywhere close to fair value for Upton's potential. Trading Upton would basically be a player dump and would say the Rays have completely given up on Upton. It is way too early in his career to give up on BJ Upton, and the Rays front office is much smarter than that.

So, for those of you who want to see Upton and Burrell traded, stop wasting your time and wishes. Stop calling into talk shows and stop writing comments on blogs about it. It's not going to happen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

RIP 2009

After all the magic that took place in 2008, the 2009 baseball season is now officially over. With the 4-3 loss last night to the Mariners, the Rays are eliminated from playoff contention. This was just a formality, as the season was doomed by an inconvenient 11 game losing streak. However, it is still a sad day. This season had high expectations coming off a World Series appearance. So, today, we pour out a bit of our beer and throw a couple of peanuts and Cracker-Jacks on the ground for our dead season. RIP 2009. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why we should all be in mourning today.

Give Me One Reason....

Why Joe Maddon is going to continue to stress the starting pitchers' arms. He is going to continue to pitch James Shields and Matt Garza on normal rest, while giving Wade Davis one extra day. With the Rays out of the playoff hunt, why not shut these guys down and have them ready for 2010? One of the reasons the Rays have struggled this year is tired arms. Since 2009 is gone, I see no reason why Joe Maddon shouldn't be thinking about 2010. Is he worried that a sub-500 record will look very poorly on his job? If that's the case, he should have thought about that all season while making many questionable decisions. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Riddle Of The Day

Q: A guy is at home with 2 men in masks. He leaves, makes 3 left turns, then returns home to the 2 men in masks. What just happened?
















A: A batter faced the Rays' bullpen with the game on the line in the 8th or 9th inning.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is the answer.

Question Of The Day

Was anybody else not sure what to do when the Rays won the game last night?

I didn't know if I should celebrate, say "it's about freaking time," or still be pissed off that the Rays lost 11 in a row and blew their shot at the playoffs.

I went with option b. I will still consider finishing over .500 a success. It will be disappointing, but a success, especially compared to seasons of the past. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Embarrassment

Embarrassment \Em*bar"rass*ment\, n. [F. embarrassement.]

1. A state of being embarrassed; perplexity; impediment to freedom of action; entanglement; hindrance; confusion or discomposure of mind, as from not knowing what to do or to say; disconcertedness. [1913 Webster]

The embarrassment which inexperienced minds have often to express themselves upon paper. --W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

The embarrassments tom commerce growing out of the late regulations. --Bancroft. [1913 Webster]

2. Difficulty or perplexity arising from the want of money to pay debts. [1913 Webster]

3. Going from being a playoff contender to out of contention by losing 11 straight games

(from www.dictionary.net)

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why the last 2 weeks have been a major embarrassment.