The Rays and the Red Sox...one more time

The Rays and Red Sox have played a lot of games since 1998. The Red Sox have won most of them. There's been some important ones (mostly for the Sox). There's been some controversial ones. And there's been some fighting ones.

But there has never been one as big as tonight's game.

8.37 EST, Tropicana Field, St Petersburg. The Rays will start playing for a place in the World Series.

It is almost unbelieveable.

And it's fair to say that as excited as I was throughout the regular season, and for the ALDS, I am even more pumped right now. Gametime is 1.37 AM here in the UK, but you can bet your house that I will be staying up to watch it. James Shields against Daisuke Matsuzaka for the first step towards the American League pennant. How could I miss it?!

And it is only right that, after all the battles (with the bat and ball, and with the fist) this season, the Rays' route to the World Series should come down to a final matchup with Boston. It was the fight for the toughest division in baseball all season long, and it was hard-fought. Not to mention close. 8-1 to the Rays at the Trop, 7-2 to the Sox at Fenway. I think it is fair to say that the two teams are pretty evenly matched.

Actually, typing that last sentence still makes me laugh a little. I mean, if you look at the two rosters there's no question that in terms of name recognition, the experience, and perhaps even the individual talent, the edge goes to the Red Sox. Yet somehow the Rays have kept up with (and indeed ahead of) them all season long. It's almost beyond belief. And now we just need to continue defying belief four more times, and we'll be in the World Series.

The fact that we are four wins away from the World Series also almost defies my own belief, hence the fact that I have typed World Series so many times - if I say it often enough, I might actually start believing its true!

Rays' roster news is that Joe Maddon has decided to bring in an extra pitcher for the longer series. And, perhaps surprisingly, Edwin Jackson is the man. E-Jax was unlucky to miss out on the fourth starting spot for the postseason, and now will be in the 'pen for potential long relief situations. I'm happy he's going to get to be part of things, but I'm sure he will understand when I say I hope we don't see him pitch at all - as it will likely mean one of our starters has been knocked out early!

Making way for Jackson will be Eric Hinske, which must have been a terribly tough decision to make. Hinske has been a bit out of form recently, and didn't get any play in the Division Series, but he has been a key part for the club all season long. Unfortunately as things stand Gabe Gross is the preferred choice to start in right, and Fernando Perez and Willy Aybar offer more possibilities off the bench. Still, it's tough when someone who has been a big part of us getting here has to miss out. Also still out are Troy Percival and Shawn Riggans. Perci has been pitching well in instructional league, and would almost certainly be the one in line should anyone get injured. Meanwhile Riggans has recovered well from the surgery that ended his regular season, but just not quite quickly enough to make it for this series. If we get to play another one though...

Talking of which, I've been trying to work out what I think is going to happen in the series. You know, hoping to give you some kind of prediction. But while you can all guess what I hope will happen, the truth is I just don't know. I haven't got a clue. The Sox could put their experience to good use and overcome the Rays. The Rays might use their lack of fear and battle past the Sox. It might be one-sided. It might be nip-and-tuck. I literally have no idea. I'm massively excited. And incredibly nervous.

And I can't wait for it to get started.

Tigers swept, now questions to answer

Detroit Tigers 5 - Tampa Bay Rays 6 (10 innings)

There are certainly easier ways to a sweep.

Not letting a (admittedly impressive) rookie one-hit you into the seventh inning for one. Not having your closer blow a save with his first pitch, and then give up the go-ahead run to the first batter in extra-innings for another. And not having your shortstop get hurt in trying to put together a second comeback after the first two have occurred.

But who wants the easy way, right?

2-0 down, and nothing to show apart from an Evan Longoria infield hit is where the Rays found themselves at the seventh-inning stretch yesterday. But, then the fight kicked in. A run was pulled back in the seventh. But then Grant Balfour gave up a hit (surprising enough) that went over the fence (shocking - his first homerun given up all year), and it was a 2-run lead again.

No worries. Kyle Farnsworth on to pitch for the Tigers, and Eric Hinske takes him deep, 3-2. An out later, and its BJ Upton batting with a man on. He takes a pitch and drives it over the fence in deep left-centre, his first homerun for over a month, 4-3 Rays lead. Sweep on.

Not so fast though. Troy Percival comes in, and on his first pitch gives up a game-tying homer. He's still 24-27 in save opportunities this year, but has become rather prone to the longball. Still, he gets through the rest of the ninth. The Rays can't score in the bottom, however. Perci comes back for the tenth, and its deja vu all over again, as he gives up a second lead-off homerun. The Rays must come from behind again.

So they did. Willy Aybar draws a lead-off walk. Then came a nasty, and potentially costly sequence of events. Jason Bartlett tries to bunt Aybat over, but gets hit on the finger. He had to leave the game, and although x-rays have showed that there is no break, its certainly a big worry. Our run of form around the All-Star break showed just how big a loss he is when injured. Shawn Riggans took over the at-bat for JB (as the last position player on the bench), and first pitch gets drilled in the chest by a fastball from Rodney. Ouch. He went down, and things looked really nasty. But catchers are tough, and he eventually made his way down to first. And next batter, he made it to second, as Aki bunted the runners over. Upton walked to load the bases, and Carl Crawford shot a single through the infield to tie the game. Evan couldn't get the run home, but Carlos Pena worked Rodney to a full count, before taking ball four to walk in the winning run.

An important win, with both the Red Sox and Yankees also victorious, but one that was a lot tougher than it ought to have been. I don't lay the blame for that totally on Perci, but his recent trend of giving up homeruns is definitely worrying. And blowing saves has consequences - not always losing games, but with Bartlett getting hurt in extras, the knock-on effect is potentially huge. Evan Longoria will play shortstop tonight, and I guess possibly tomorrow as well, but hopefully Bartlett won't miss any more than that. Fingers very seriously crossed.

One interesting titbit from the game - Trever Miller came on to get the last two outs in the tenth, and so was the pitcher of record. The win was his first w/l column number in 121 appearances - a MLB-record span of games without a decision. Congrats on a long awaited W Trever.

Tonight, Matt Garza starts against the Indians, and is up against Cliff Lee. That is going to be one tough game for the Rays. But, with all due respect to everyone else involved, the biggest matter of interest right now for many Rays fans is whether #5, Rocco Baldelli will be in the lineup. We do need a right-handed bat... Truth be told, I'm not sure whether he's going to be activated or not. But having him in the lineup would be a huge boost for the team.

If he is activated, then of course someone will have to make way for him. And it is pretty certain that that someone will be Jonny Gomes. I'm not sure if Jonny has any minor league options left, or if he will have to be waived, but either way no-one will be more disappointed than me to see him depart. He is such a likeable player - a true feel good story in every sense, combined with hustle and the epitomy of team-spirit. His presence will definitely be missed in the clubhouse - and around the city I think as well. It can't be a coincidence that the Rays annually run a 'Take Jonny to School' competition for local kids. But he just hasn't done it with the bat this year, and I fear that watching a called third strike as a ninth-inning pinch-hitter last night will be his last action as a Ray.

I hope it isn't, a clubhouse can never have enough Jonny Gomes.

Cubbies Sweep!!

How 'bout dem Rays?!!

I've just finished watching last night's finale, and don't really have time to write anything substantial now, but I just had to jot down how impressive a series that was. As I've said before this year, its not just the winning, but rather its the way we're doing it. Last night Shields made an excellent start, but ran into trouble in the seventh, giving up three runs and being chased from the game.

Up until that point our hitters had been quiet, and had just a solitary run - and in years gone by a rough inning for our starter would all too often signal the end of the game as a competition.

Not this year. Bottom of the seventh, two walks, two hit by pitches, and Carl Crawford facing a lefty with the bases loaded an nobody out. Second pitch, swing, Grand Slam!!! That was followed by a BJ Upton triple, a double and steal of third from Eric Hinske and an Evan Longoria sacrifice fly. 7 runs, 8=3, game and series over.

A sweep of baseball's best team. I think it is time to take these Rays seriously.

Astros in town tonight, Matt Garza on the hill. Lets go Rays!!!

Getting heated in Texas

Tampa Bay Rays 3 - Texas Rangers 6

So, no sweep of the Rangers, and I think that this game will have to go down as one of those days. I guess that as a team, things are going to go wrong over the course of the season, and its just as well to get them all out of the way in one game. Well, we did that yesterday, and still were within shouting distance right up until the final out.

Actually, it was shouting that seemed to be a major problem all over the field last night. There was BJ Upton running into Gabe Gross while the latter was camped under a lazy fly ball - with both seemingly oblivious to each other's calls for the ball. There was CC backing off from another lazy fly that Jason Bartlett was going for - but, called for or not, ultimately couldn't catch up to. There was Eric Hinske objecting rather too much to a called third strike in the sixth, and getting ejected. (In Eric's defense, the pitch tracker showed that the ball was way outside).

And then there was Matt Garza. He was having one of those days. Things were going wrong in the field behind him, and he didn't seem to be agreeing too much with Dioner Navarro's pitch-calling. Things came to a head in the fourth when Garza let forth a tirade into his glove during a trip to the mound from Navvy, prompting a swift visit from pitching coach Jim Hickey. He calmed things down the best he could, and Garza got the next two batters to end the inning (though not before sailing a pitch out all the way to the backstop). He obviously wasn't happy though, and as he got to the dugout, he got back into it with Navvy, prompting a bit of a shoving match that had to be separated by other players and coaches in the tunnel. Unsurprisingly, Jason Hammel came out to pitch the fifth.

Still, it wasn't all doom and gloom. BJ Upton hit his fifth homer of the season, and Evan Longoria continued his incredible defensive display at third, making a full-stretch diving grab in foul territory to end the first that will be right up there among the best plays of the year.

And even with the loss, its still another series win, and we head to Anaheim now with a chance (all beit a small one) of a winning road trip. Which would be some achievement. Edwin Jackson is on the hill tonight, looking to bounce back from a rough start last time out in Boston.

Don't mess with us

Due to various things going on (the most significant being my return to footballing action after a couple of years of not playing - a decision that my leg muscles are still not convinced was a good one) I got to watch exactly five innings of the Rays-Red Sox series. And, considering it resulted in a second Fenway-sweep of the year, thats not a bad things.

But one of the five innings was inning two of game three, perhaps the most significant of the series. I had seen, of course, the highlights of the controversy in game two. Now, maybe I'm biased, but Coco Crisp's slide on Aki was completely unjustified. It was out of order.

Just in case you haven't seen it, let me recap. Crisp had stolen second earlier in the game, a play on which, in receiving the throw, shortstop Jason Bartlett had blocked the bag with his knee. Maybe it was intentional, but Bartlett doesn't strike me as that sort of player, it looked to me more as though he was just getting in position to catch a slightly off-line throw. Whatever. Crisp jammed his thumb sliding in, and did not take it well.

So, fast-forward a couple of innings, and Crisp is stealing again. This time, Aki is covering the bag, and the throw has Crisp out comfortably. But he slides through, taking out Aki with a raised forearm, the sort of slide that would be over-the-top if he was trying to break up a double play. Understandably, the Rays were far from impressed, and Joe Maddon let everyone know when he went out to the mound later, getting in a shouting match with Crisp in the Boston dugout.

Now, game three, and everyone knows whats coming. Even Crisp. At some point, a pitch is coming inside. (This is a part of baseball, by the way, that I find rather childish, and that it is accepted by all does not reflect well on the sport as a whole). Anyway, Crisp comes up in the second inning, and the pitch from James Shields does indeed hit him. Now Shields, even the NESN commentators (who managed to completely overlook the Sox players misdemeaners) acknowledged, did it the right way - he kept it low, well away from Crisp's head. It was intentional, but meant to send a message, and not to injure.

So that should have been the end of it, warnings all round, controversy over, on with the game.

But Crisp, showing himself to be a petulant child, decided that while it was ok for him to take out our (innocent) second baseman, no-one is allowed to come after him in return. He took a couple of steps up the line, and then charged at Shields.

I imagine you've all seen what followed - Shields took a swing and missed, Crisp connected, before being taken down by Dioner Navarro. Then came the cavalry, led by, who else, Jonny Gomes. As he demonstrated in the Shelley Duncan incident in Spring Training, Jonny is not one for letting his teammates get targeted. He led the charge, and along with Aki and Carl Crawford got some shots in on Crisp. Elsewhere, evidently, Edwin Jackson and a couple of Sox got into things, while the Boston third base coach slammed Shields to the ground (an action for which he has escaped punishment).

Now, I'm not one for encouraging fighting, but I for one could not be happier with the way the Rays reacted. It sent a clear message - mess with us, and we will stand up for ourselves, and stand up for each other.

I hope Crisp is pleased with himself though. He turned a minor incident (if you can even call it an incident) into a full blown fight and 8 suspensions. That his is the longest, at 7 games, hardly makes up for that. I would be entirely happy if I never have to speak of him again.

The suspended Rays are - Shields (6 games), Gomes and Jackson (5 games), CC (4 gamess) and Aki (3 games).

That all rather overshadowed the baseball, which as I said I saw little of, so can't really comment on where the Rays came up short. But it is a disappointment - we're going to have to win at Fenway eventually, and with them missing Big Papi, this was a prime opportunity.

Still, on with the action, and while I have been typing this, I have been watching the first game (from last night) of our weekend series in Arlington:

Tampa Bay Rays 12 - Texas Rangers 4

And Scott Kazmir clearly picked up in June where he left off in May. He went 8 excellent innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 runs, striking out 6 and looking really on top of his game. He is just a joy to watch. Al Reyes came in to pitch the ninth, and gave up a couple of runs - but by then our hitters had put the game out of reach.

It was a story of timely offense early on, giving Kaz plenty of room to work with. A massive homerun from Evan Longoria tied the game up in the fifth, before BJ Upton also sent one over the fence an inning later to put the Rays ahead for the first time. The lead was extended when Cliff Floyd scored on a wild pitch, and then further by an Eric Hinske sacrifice fly, and another big homerun, this time a two-run shot from Dioner Navarro.

Things were really blown open though in the ninth, when an RBI-triple from CC, a Texas error, a two-run homer from Hinske and a two-run single from Jason Bartlett added six more runs to give the score a far more lopsided final than might really have been warranted.

Still, it was a great way to bounce back from the Boston series, against a tough Texas team. I really don't think I can overstate how good the Rays' team spirit is.

Elsewhere this week, you will have course seen the Rays took high-school shortstop Tim Beckham with the number one overall pick in the draft - and then followed a few rounds later by taking his older brother as well. As always, its a bit of a lottery, but the scouts seem to be very excited about Beckham, so I shall be following his progress with interest.

Tonight, the Rays send Andy Sonnanstine to the hill for game two against the Rangers. I doubt I shall get a chance to see any of it, and I'm not too sure about tomorrow's game either, as I am playing in my work's football tournament - wisely or not. Hopefully I will both manage to last the whole tournament without collapsing, and get home in time to watch some baseball as well. Wish me luck!

Net lag: Another series win

Texas Rangers 12 - Tampa Bay 6
Texas Rangers 3 - Tampa Bay 5

Just a quick note on games 2 and 3 of the Rangers series, as I was rather doing other things while I had the two games on, and while Tuesday's loss was very disappointing, Wednesday's was extrememly encouraging.

On Tuesday, Andy Sonnanstine made his second poor start in a row, giving up 7 runs, although only a couple of them were earned, after a rare error by Evan Longoria (on an admittedly tough play). The roll of the ball was off for Evan all night in fact, as a couple of times he let the ball go, almost certain it was going foul, only to see it straighten up and hit the bag at third. Homeruns from Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd gave the Rays a chance, but the game was put out of reach by - who else - Josh Hamilton, hitting a grand slam. He didn't have an outstanding series by any means, but I'm sure that that hit meant a lot to him. And as someone who has followed his struggles and his comeback, I'm pleased for him.

I was more pleased, however, about Wednesday's performance. Matt Garza was on the hill, and pretty much unstoppable in what must be his best outing for the Rays yet. He was perfect through the first three innings, gave up a couple of runs in the fourth, but then bounced back to stop the Rangers from there on in. He threw 8 innings and allowed just 4 hits while striking out a season-high ten.

The key inning for the Rays was a four-run fifth, in which two of our runs scored on bases-loaded walks. We drew 9 walks in total during the game, matching our season high. With a three-run lead, Troy Percival came in for the ninth, but with two outs felt the same tightness he experienced last week in Oakland, and left the game. Dan Wheeler came in, and after allowing one of the inherited runners to score, got the final out and the save thanks to a fantastic diving catch from BJ Upton.

The win kept us top of the pile in the East, but the bad news is that while scans have shown nothing serious, Perci has been placed on the DL. Its a pretty big blow, not just for his work on the mound (which has been excellent) but also because of his leadership. He should be back as soon as the 15 days are up however. To take his roster spot, the Rays have reinstated Willy Aybar from the DL. Its going to be interesting to see how he fits back in. To be honest I don't think he's needed, while he is solid enough, I don't want him taking playing time away from Evan at third, and as a utility backup Ben Zobrist is a better option, for while Aybar has more pop, Zobrist can play everywhere (he made the start in right on Wednesday) including shortstop. Its going to be interesting to see whether we keep the extra position player, or if another move is going to be made soon to fill Perci's spot in the 'pen.

Last night we started a four-game set with the White Sox, with Edwin Jackson on the hill. News on that will, I'm sure, follow soon!

Net lag: K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-Kazmir

Texas Rangers 3 - Tampa Bay Rays 7

Well, its Wednesday morning, which must mean that its about time to talk about Monday night's game.

Which, I think it would be fair to say, I enjoyed a lot. And that is in no small part down to Mr Scott Kazmir. I said a week or so ago that, despite racking up three straight wins he still wasn't at his best. Well, last night he was.

His fastball was not only up to speed, but had some unbelieveable late movement. And his slider was simply devastating. The Rangers had no answers. He struck out 7 of the first 9 hitters he faced, and 10 overall in a 7-inning outing of brilliance. He gave up only three hits, and one run in the sixth, the only inning in which Texas threatened him even marginally. The run actually scored on what became a sacrifice fly thanks to (yet another) superb running catch by Carl Crawford, saving a sure-fire extra-base hit. The win makes Kaz's record 4-1 on the season now, with a 1.50ERA.

After Al Reyes pitched the eighth, Gary Glover came in for the ninth and had his second successive implosion, allowing two runs and only getting a single out - necessitating Trever Miller to come in and finish the job. Which he did nicely.

It was a cracking day for our batters as well - every starter picked up at least one hit, with Carlos Pena and Dioner Navarro leading the way with 3-4 days. Pena thought that one of his was a homerun, but after selling it to the umpire, he was ordered back to second with a ground-rule double when the final resting place of the ball was discovered - atop the B-ring catwalk. It was only the second ball ever to not come down from there, following a Jose Canseco shot back in 1999.

The only real downside at the plate was the fact that we left 15 men on base - but we did at least get 7 home, the key effort being Eric Hinske's ninth homer of the season, a 3-run blast in the 5th. That stretched the lead at that point to 5, and with Kazmir throwing bullets, it always looked like it would be enough.

The win meant the Rays held (temporarily at least) the best record in all of baseball at 31-20 - the first team in modern MLB history (since 1900) to have the best record through Memorial Day having had the worst record the previous season. Impressive. Trying to improve that record even further last night was Andy Sonnanstine, and more on that will follow tomorrow...

Baserunning: Learn with Hinske

Baltimore Orioles 0 - Tampa Bay Rays 2

Solid win for the Rays last night, thanks largely to, of course, some very solid pitching indeed. Matt Garza continued his sparkling record against the Orioles, pitching 7 1/3 innings, allowing only four hits, no runs, and striking out four. He worked out of a couple of jams as well, and was generally pretty excellent. Trever Miller came on in relief in a vital situation in the eighth, and with the help of a controversial call, didn't disappoint. With a runner on, Aubrey Huff was the first batter that Miller had to face. Huff, who should quite frankly be banned or something for the disgraceful way that he has assaulted Rays pitching since leaving Tampa Bay a couple of years ago, had already had a triple in the game, and looked to have added at least a double to that as he laced a pitch down the first base line, only to see it called foul by the first base umpire.

He was not happy! None of the angles they replayed it from on TV really showed whether it was the right call or not, but I will say this - Huff looked pretty convinced he was right. Miller kept his head in the game though, and came back to coerce Huff to hit into the inning-ending double play. Troy Percival then came in to pitch a perfect ninth, collecting his 14th save of the season.

For the O's, Jeremy Guthrie matched Garza out for out until the fifth inning. There, Eric Hinske got on board with a fading line-drive into left-centre with one out, and then proceeded to give a class on how baserunning doesn't have to be perfect in order to get results. With Jason Bartlett at the plate, Hinske took off on what the O's commentators said was a hit-and-run play, although judging by Bartlett's complete lack of any interest in making contact, I seriously doubt that. He had a pretty good jump actually, but then stopped about two-thirds of the way to second as Hernandez's throw came across the infield. It short-hopped Brian Roberts, who hadn't noticed that Hinske was now hung-up, and so Eric simply trotted on into second for the stolen base.

Bartlett eventually walked, bringing up Aki Iwamura. Aki had one of those days where he made great contact every time up, but it just kept going to where the fielders could get it. This time was no exception, as he lined a ball deep to centre, only to see Adam Jones somehow make a play on it. Hinske had taken off with the ball, and so when Jones did spear it, he had to rush back into second. Why he wasn't tagging, I have no idea. The ball was so far back that had it got past Jones he would still have easily scored from second, and otherwise would have had plenty of time to move up to third.

Still, luck was with Eric it seemed, as Carl Crawford stepped in and rapped a hit through the right of the infield, sending Hinske scampering around to score - thanks to a beautiful slide behind catcher Hernandez.

That run looked to be enough, but the Rays added a welcome insurance score in the eighth - in equally unorthadox fashion. With one out, Chad Bradford came in to pitch for Baltimore, and promptly walked BJ Upton. That saw the O's bench coach (their manager had been ejected for arguing the Huff call) bring in closer George Sherrill. And, before he had even thrown a pitch, Sherrill had made a mistake. He threw an attempted pickoff to first, but did so seemingly without warning to first baseman Millar, and so wildly that he couldn't have got it even if he did know it was coming. Upton moved over to third, and Carlos Pena hit the second ball he saw into deep left-centre. It looked like a sure-fire double, maybe even a triple, but somehow Luke Scott caught up and made an incredible play to rob Pena of a hit. Upton scored, but it could easily have been more. Considering the amazing outfield the Rays have, I think it says something about Luke Scott, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis that they each made a play last night that I would rate as good as, if not better than anything I have seen so far this season. They were outstanding.

The win moves us to 28-20, a game and a half back of Boston in the East. Edwin Jackson goes for the Rays tonight, as we look to carry on our hot home-form. He'll be up against former Ray Steve Trachsel.

Net lag: Lucky 13

Tampa Bay Rays 7 - Oakland Athletics 6 (13 innings)

Watching Monday night's game yesterday, I was struck by just one single thought as the game neared its finish - "please, not another walk-off!" And, after falling to two consecutive walk-off defeats in St Louis, the bullpen was indeed back on form yesterday, denying Oakland 5 opportunities to wrap up the game with a single swing.

The early going made it look very unlikely that the 'pen would ever get the chance to save the game, as James Shields came out very shakily, allowing homeruns in the first and second inning to give the A's an early 3-0 lead. But, the battling batters fought back for him, starting in the fifth, when Eric Hinske belted a two-run homer. An inning later and the Rays had the lead, thanks to an RBI-double from Evan Longoria, and a run-scoring groundout from Cliff Floyd, only for Shields to surrender another homerun (Frank Thomas' second of the night) to tie the game again.

Still the batters swung though, and in the seventh Aki Iwamura doubled home Jason Bartlett to put the Rays back on top. Shields got through the seventh, and through 2 outs in the eighth, before Oakland once again tied the game up, and finished his afternoon. 7 2/3 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs and 4 strikeouts isn't Shields best outing ever, but considering how the afternoon started, its pretty decent.

So, 5-5 game, bottom of the eighth, enter the bullpen. First up, and Gary Glover gets the final out of the eighth. JP Howell pitches a scoreless ninth. Extra innings. Jason Hammel comes in, making his first appearance for 11 days. He got off to a shaky start, allowing a couple of walks, but then really knuckled down, with three excellent scoreless innings.

Still 5-5, top of the thirteenth, Pena is aboard, Longoria steps in and blasts a shot to deep left-centre, his fifth homer of the year, 7-5 Rays. Longoria had an excellent day, going 3-6 with 3 RBI, as well as a stolen base. Troy Percival came in for the save, which, after letting one run score on a triple that only barely stayed in the park, he collected - his 12th of 2008.

After the tough series in St Louis, a game like this is exactly what we needed - a battling win that included a solid start, excellent relief pitching, and clutch hitting. It was even more important with Boston winning their fourth straight - and I should like to offer my belated congratulations to Jon Lester for his no-hitter. I don't think there is anybody, not even Royals fans, that would begrudge him for it, not after all that he has been through in the last year or so.

Last night, we sent Scott Kazmir to the hill, so I hope that went well. All will be revealed (to me) tonight and then (to you) tomorrow. Unless of course you know already...

The plot thickens...

Tampa Bay Rays 4 - Baltimore Orioles 7
Tampa Bay Rays 8 - Baltimore Orioles 1
Tampa Bay Rays 4 - Baltimore Orioles 2

The fun in Rays-world continues! Three games at Camdem Yards, 2 wins, and suddenly its May 2 and the Rays are sitting in first place in the AL East (on percentage points) at 16-12. How 'bout that?!

I watched games one and two of the series, but missed the finale yesterday afternoon - but all-in-all I liked what I saw. Just like I have done pretty much all season.

Tuesday night things didn't get off to the best of starts, as the O's got to Jason Hammel early and pushed themselves into the lead. JP Howell initially did very well in relief, but he and Scott Dohmann then gave up a couple of runs a piece, giving Baltimore a nice cushion for when the Rays finally found their bats. That happened in the seventh, with a four-run outbreak - the big blow (literally) being a BJ Upton two-run homerun. Unfortunately the O's bullpen then did what is was supposed to, and shut the game down from there on in.

Wednesday was a different story. Andy Sonnanstine was excellent, and the bats were working all game long. Well actually it was as much our batters' eyes, as we drew 7 walks - a very high total for the Rays! We already had the lead when the big seventh inning came around this time, and the five runs we added there were merely the icing on the cake. It was Eric Hinske's turn to get the important hit, as he blasted a fourth-inning two-run homer (his 6th of the year) way over the wall in right that put the Rays on top. Dioner Navarro kept up his good form, going 2-5 with 2 RBI, which leaves his average for the year at an even .400. That is, of course, somewhat artificially high because of the time that he spent on the DL, but regardless his early hitting is very welcome - and a far cry from his struggles in the first half last year.

Yesterday's game was a bit closer, as Matt Garza made his best start so far to get his first win (and, in fact, first decision) of the year. Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival were excellent as ever in relief. With the bat, Jonny Gomes pitched in with his third homer of the season, while the decisive runs came in the seventh on a two-run single from Carl Crawford.

Right, so that brings us up to date with the action, but not on the big decision that is coming the Rays' way this weekend. Who should stay and who should go?

Here is the Rays' pitching staff as is currently stands: Rotation - James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel; Bullpen - Kurt Birkins, Scott Dohmann, Gary Glover, JP Howell, Trever Miller Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler. And between them they are doing a mighty fine job.

But, coming back this weekend are Al Reyes and, the man himself, Scott Kazmir.

Of one move we are fairly certain, and that is that it will be Birkins who is bumped from the 'pen to make room for Reyes. Who goes to make room for Kaz however is far from clear. So here is my run-down of who's done what so far, and who I think deserves to stay:

James Shields - 3-1, 2.54 ERA, 2-hit shutout of the Sox and AL Player of the Week? No-brainer. He stays.

Matt Garza - Injured early, and has struggled a bit. But last two starts have been much better, and his upside is very high. He has options remaining, so could be sent down with no risk, but I can't see that particular move. He stays.

Andy Sonnanstine - Probably has the least impressive stuff of the whole rotation, but he knows how to make the most of what he does have. The first ever Ray to win four games in April, if it wasn't for a single start against the Yankees his ERA would be even better than its current (and still fairly respectable) 4.42. Also has options, which could potentially be the deciding factor. But on performance alone, he stays.

Edwin Jackson - 3 excellent starts and 2 horrible starts. That could sum up E-Jax's whole career up to this point. 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA is pretty decent, and there is no doubting his explosive talent. There is doubt, however, over his control. No options, he would be lost if he was sent down, and we've seen before that he is not well suited to the 'pen. He's worth the risk, he stays.

Jason Hammel - Possibly the most frustrating of the five. I want to like him, but compared to who he's up against he just doesn't have the same upside. He doesn't have the stuff of Jackson or Garza, and he doesn't have the control and pitching know-how of Sonnanstine. 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA is ok for a number five guy, but he's up against two guys who are pitching better and are better pitchers. Like Jackson he is out of options and probably would be lost on waivers, and would likely be of little value in the 'pen at the moment. I'd hate to lose him completely, but at the moment, for me at least, he's the weakest link. He goes.

Whether or not that will be the decision that is ultimately made by Joe Maddon and the organisation, we shall have to wait until Sunday to find out. I can't help feeling that Sonnanstine could be the one to miss out purely because he can be sent down with no risk. But, in all honesty, I think that would be the wrong decision. It wouldn't be a disaster, but it would be wrong.

That's a couple of days away still, and we have important things in the meantime. Such as the battle for first place that kicks off tonight, the first of a three-game series at Fenway. Edwin Jackson makes the start for the Rays, and, bearing in mind what I've just said, I still think he needs a good one. The pressure is well and truly on. BJ Upton is doubtful for the start, after leaving yesterdays game with a sore shoulder. I don't think its too serious though, and he should be available for pinch-hitting, which is good news. I may be staying up to watch tonight - I have to spend pretty much the whole afternoon on a train, so it rather depends on whether I get any sleep or not while travelling!

Disney Sweep!

Toronto Blue Jays 3 - Tampa Bay Rays 5

Everything, every single thing that I have said about the Rays over the last couple of days is going to be repeated now about last night's game that I have just finished watching. Because it was yet another battling performance against a pitcher who looked as though he had his good stuff early. It was another perfect example of stringing together good at-bats. And it was another case of a job well done by the bullpen.

I shall start with the pitching, and while Andy Sonnanstine was not in the kind of form that saw him shut down the White Sox in his last start, he was certainly solid. He allowed the Blue Jays just 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings - one of those scoring on a wild pitch, and another on a mental lapse that saw him and Navvy leave home plate unguarded with a runner on third. Relieving Sonnanstine was Gary Glover, who retired all four batters he faced, Trever Miller and, for the fourth game in a row, Troy Percival. Percy let the first two batters he faced get on base, but then showed the value of his experience as he came right back to retire the next three, and pick up his fourth save of the season.

He was in the position to get another save mostly thanks to the hitting of Evan Longoria and Eric Hinske. Longoria went 2-2 with a double, a triple, a walk, a sacrifice fly and a steal of third. I honestly could not be more impressed with the start he has made to his big league career. Hinske only went 1-4, but picked up 2RBI pushing his total for the season to 13.

Elsewhere in the lineup, CC moved his batting average above .300, going 3-5 and in the process moving his hitting streak to 11 games. He also added a pair of steals and an RBI. Aki Iwamura and Carlos Pena are still stuggling at the plate - Aki just looks like he needs to take a few more pitches, whereas I have almost lost count of the number of called third strikes that Pena has taken recently. Not like him at all. Meanwhile, Gabe Gross made his Rays debut in right, going 0-3 at the plate, and making a few decent plays in the outfield.

Back to the Trop tonight, and a three game set against the Red Sox. Matt Garza has been reinstated from the DL, and will make the start - outfielder Justin Ruggiano being optioned to Durham as expected to make room on the roster. I'm looking forward to the game tonight, and seeing a (hopefully) healthy Garza go up against the Red Sox hitters.

The only downside is that Tim Wakefield is making the start for Boston, and he has a quite ridiculous record against the Rays - 19-3, with a 3.12ERA. And at the Trop he's 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA. Ouch. Still, now is a good a time as any to get hitting against him!

Stick it out, and the runs will come

Toronto Blue Jays 3 - Tampa Bay Rays 5

Continuing my day-behind blogging for the week, last night I watched Wednesday night's game - the second of the three at Disney. I imagine I shall watch the series finale this afternoon unless I get a mad rush on at work, and jot down something on that this evening.

So, Wednesday's game, and Roy Halliday on the mound for the Jays. Pitching superbly, which is, well, what you'd expect from him really. He breezed through the first five innings, allowing just 3 hits, and only throwing about 50 pitches. He looked really on form. And by the time the Rays came to bat in the 6th, Matt Stairs had given him a 3-run lead to work with, with a pair of homeruns.

But, the 2008 Rays are nothing if not battling. Bottom of the 6th, a double from Navvy and a single from Bartlett, and Carl Crawford comes to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. A single from him, pushing his hit-streak to 10, and the Rays are on the board. Upton walks, loading the bases, and Pena strikes out. Step forward Evan Longoria. He's up to the task, and slaps a 2-RBI single. Tie game. Next up is Eric Hinske, who has been swinging a really hot bat lately. He makes contact again, a single, scoring Upton and giving the Rays the lead. Stringing good at-bats together. Thats what I like to see.

The scoring was rounded off in the 8th, as CC hit a lead-off triple (amazingly his first of the season!), and scored on a sacrifice fly from BJ Upton.

On the mound, Jason Hammel more than matched the hitters in the battling stakes. Six strong innings, in which he only gave up 4 hits - the only downside being that two of them were round-trippers for Stairs, resulting in three runs. He did walk four Jays, but all-in-all he did very well, and certainly won't have harmed his chances of keeping a spot in the rotation. The majors' best bullpen (I know!! I'm making the most of that while I can!) shut the game down for him, Dan Wheeler pitching two scoreless innings, and Troy Percival getting the save for the second night in a row with a perfect ninth.

That's the first two from Disney, I hope we did well last night - but either way I shall be writing about it just as soon as I know!

I blame the time difference...

Toronto Blue Jays 4 - Tampa Bay Rays 6

For those of you keeping score, its Thursday morning here as I write this, I don't know what happened in Wednesday's game yet, and this is about Tuesday's action which I watched last night. Confused? Welcome to the world of a baseball fan in Europe.

Still, I am never someone who lets being a day and a half late with my thoughts on something stop me, and so here is the Disney opener recap.

We won.

Not that that seemed particularly certain in the early going. James Shields still hasn't found the groove yet this season, and he struggled big-time early on. He wasn't helped by a particularly bad play in the second, on which both he and Hinske committed errors - and Hinske was somewhat fortunate not to be charged with two. Still he got out of the second only allowing the two unearned runs, and eventually settled into the game a bit more. His final line of 7IP, 6H, 4R (2ER), 2BB, 5Ks and the win is certainly respectable. Actually, its pretty good. He was relieved with perfect innings from the continually-impressive Dan Wheeler, and Troy Percival notching his second save of the season.

An even bigger help to Shields than the 'pen were the bats, and the bottom half of the order in particular. Evan Longoria got the Rays straight back on the board in the bottom of the second with his second homerun, a shot to straight away centre that just kept on carrying. That was followed by a double from Eric Hinske and an RBI-single from Dioner Navarro on his return from the DL. Hinske then tripled home Longoria in the fourth, and then scored himself on another seeing-eye single from Navvy. One out later, and Jason Bartlett drove him home to push the lead to 5-3. The Rays scoring was rounded off by a solo-shot from Hinske in the 6th.

Twelve hits in total for the Rays, and what was particularly nice was the fact that they were strung together, rather than spead out. Anyone keeping count will have noticed that by the 6th, Hinske had himself a double, a triple and a homer - unfortunately he struck out his last time up, so there was no cycle to put the cherry on what was an excellent day at the plate.

Transactions coming thick and fast now for the Rays - As I've already mentioned, Dioner Navarro returned from the DL (and went 3-4 with 2RBI). That meant designating for assignment Mike DiFelice, who I'm sure everyone is sad to let go. If he does clear waivers and go back to Durham, then I for one will not be worried if either of our catchers have problems or injuries later in the year.

Then we have the sad saga of Dan Johnson. If you remember he's the 1B/DH we claimed off of waivers from Oakland at the weekend. Well, he arrived on the bay on Monday, found himself locked out of the Trop when he went to get some hitting practice, was in uniform for the win on Tuesday, and then found himself designated for assignment on Wednesday. So long Dan, we hardly knew ye. Instigating that move was a trade on Tuesday, in which we sent a minor league pitcher to the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Gabe Gross. Now, I'm not entirely sure that we need another outfielder, but I do think that Gross is an upgrade over Nathan Haynes, who has done little to impress me so far this season. Either Haynes or, more likely, Justin Ruggiano will be sent down when Matt Garza comes off the DL (possibly Friday), setting up a likely Gross/Jonny Gomes platoon in rightfield, with Gross and Haynes backing up in centre as necessary.

Kaz also made another rehab start at Vero Beach yesterday, and will make one more at Durham before returning to the Rays, likely on May 3. Kaz and Garza returning is obviously going to mean that one of the current rotation will have to miss out, and at the moment its too close to call between Hammel, Jackson and Sonnanstine. My heart says that Jackson should stay, but my head says that its two years on, and he's still showing no signs of consistency. But we shall see.

A frustrating week

Moreso for the Rays than me personally, though it has to be said I have not really been in a blogging mood for some reason. Its actually pretty hard to work out when you can write something when you are watching games at the time that I was watching them this week - I watched Monday night's game on Tuesday evening, Tuesday's game on Wednesday and I didn't see either of the two in Minnesota. Which, by the way, was a ridiculously scheduled two-game road trip.

So what's been going on in Rays-world?

Well firstly, I was very pleased that I saw Evan Longoria belt his first big league homerun. Six games in and he's hitting .300, with 3RBI and looking every bit like he belongs.

Pitching-wise, Andy Sonnanstine had a nightmare on Monday, giving up 7 runs (including 3 homeruns) in only 3 1/3 innings. He actually didn't get tagged for the loss, as the hitters battled back nicely with 3 homers of their own (CC, Upton and Evan). Al Reyes gave up the winning run, and has since been added to the dis-Ray-bled list. Kurt Birkins has taken his place, after finishing his rehab assignment.

On Tuesday, Edwin Jackson had his first poor start of the year, having one of those days where he just can't find the plate. He's always been a little bit wild, so lets just hope that those days are going to be the exception rather than the rule this year. Up in Minnesota, James Shields and Jason Hammel both had solid starts - Shields getting a no-decision, and Hammel a his first W of the season. JP Howell also had a solid outing in relief - I've been impressed with how he's looked coming out of the 'pen so far this season.

Onto the hitting front, and things are still something of a mixed bag. Carlos Pena hasn't found his groove yet - although you can't deny his power. He's only managed 10 hits, but 6 of them have been homers. Thats a pretty good ratio! Worrying though is the fact that he left last night's game with a tight hamstring - hopefully its nothing serious.

Aki and CC meanwhile slowly seem to be finding their rhythm, though I will be happier when their averages have pulled up more towards BJ Upton territory. He hit his first couple of homers of the season this week. Eric Hinske also went deep twice, in consecutive games against the Twins. Shawn Riggans added his second homer of the season, while Mike DiFelice has been rolling back the years - he's 6 for 18 with 4RBI at the plate, and behind it he has been just as impressive calling excellent games for the young pitchers.

This weekend its three games against the White Sox at the Trop, and I shall be doing my best to catch all of them. Jeff Niemann is starting tonight, and I'm hoping he can match the performance from his debut where he gave up just one run in 6 innings.

E-Jax the stopper

Seattle Mariners 0 - Tampa Bay Rays 7

Finally I have written something that didn't immediately come back to haunt me! Yesterday I remarked that Edwin Jackson had looked the best of the rotation the first time through, and attempting to halt a 4-game skid, he showed it again yesterday with what must go down as one of his best ever outings in a Rays jersey.

Despite what the final score may suggest, the game was a real pitcher's duel, with Miguel Batista matching Jackson strike for strike through most of the early play. Neither team got their first hit until the fourth, but while the M's could muster only a single, in the bottom of the frame Eric Hinske belted a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right-centre to give the Rays a lead that frankly we never looked like conceding.

Jackson just kept on throwing strikes - even the pitches he missed with didn't miss by much. The signs are very encouraging - we all know he has great stuff, but all too often its his control that lets him down. Not last night. While he did give up four walks, as I said they were almost always good pitches that just missed. His final line of 8IP, just 2 hits given up, no runs, 4BB and 6Ks just underlines how impressive he was. Trever Miller came on to get the final three outs, helped by the second of two Bartlett-Aki-Pena double plays. That is a DP combination that is already looking like it could become one of the best in the league.

With Jackson's fantastic effort on the mound, the offense really didn't need to give him that much help. But as so often seems the way, a good pitching performance can help wake sleeping bats. Mike DiFelice blooped a single in the sixth, scoring Jonny Gomes, and then repeated the trick almost exactly in the 7th, this time scoring a pair to round out the scoring. Those were the last two of 5 runs in the 7th, following a two-run single from BJ Upton, and the first, and easiest, RBI of Justin Ruggiano's career - a pinch-hit, bases-loaded, four-pitch walk.

Good days at the plate for DiFelice (2-4 with 3RBI), Aki Iwamura who was 2-3 with two walks, and for Jonny Gomes who was 2-2 with 2 walks, one of them intentional, and two runs.

The Orioles are coming to town next, with James Shields starting tonight (which I won't be watching), Jason Hammel on Saturday (which I probably will), and a player to be named getting the nod on Sunday afternoon. Its looking likely that that man is going to be Jeff Niemann, which I am naturally looking forward to. A roster move will have to be made before that can happen, which I presume will see Jae-kuk Ryu returning to Durham.

(Opening) week in review

But first, yesterday's game:

Tampa Bay Rays 0 - New York Yankees 2

And while its obviously a shame to see even a mini winning streak snapped, you can't help but admire the way it happened. A pitching duel between a couple of the best starters that the American League has to offer. Ok, so James Shields didn't have his best stuff, and scattered 8 hits in 5+ innings of work, but he kept on working, and aside from a solitary mistake that Hideki Matsui belted for a two-run shot, could easily have shutdown the Yanks completely.

Unfortunately for the Rays, those two runs were all New York needed thanks to an outstanding effort from Chien-ming Wang, doing exactly what a staff ace is meant to. He held the Rays hitless for 4 1/3 innings, and left two batters into the seventh, with a line of 6IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB and 6Ks. And as if that wasn't enough, in relief they sent in Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera. Its the first time I've seen Chamberlain pitch, and wow. He is very impressive.

There really was nothing doing for the Rays on offense, a blown safety squeeze play aside, but in a game like that, you've just got to accept that the opposition pitchers have their best stuff, and get your swing back for the next game.

SO, one week down in 2008, and the Rays sit with a 3-2 record. Which, but for a disastrous Al Reyes inning on Wednesday, could easily be 4-1. So plenty of positives all round. Here's just a quick selection:

Cliff Floyd - Early days I know, but the signs are good that Floyd is going to be just what we were hoping for - a good presence in the clubhouse, and a big bat in the DH slot. A .333 start with a couple of homers and 5 RBI is definitely a welcome return, and hopefully not having to play the field will allow him to keep it going throughout the season.

Eric Hinske - A non-roster invitee coming into spring, Hinske made the team, and the opening day start. He's hitting 4-10 through the first week, with two 2Bs and a homer, and has played some nice defence as well.

Jason Bartlett - Ok, so Jason has had a slow start with the bat, but I am already a convert thanks to some superb play at shortstop. The difference in range and sure-handedness is already there for everyone to see compared with previous incumbents, and he's already saved the pitching staff a hit or two.

The Rotation - Speaking of which, while the returns haven't been spectacular the starters have begun the season nicely. Only Matt Garza really had any major problems; Shields and Sonnanstine didn't have their best stuff but battled fantastically to keep the team in the games. Star of the four though is Edwin Jackson, who pitched like we've all been hoping he can in giving up just a single run in 6 innings against the Yanks.

Dan Wheeler - I've saved the best till last though, as Dan Wheeler has simply been the star of the early going. Four relief appearances, 4 innings, and not a single run, hit, walk, or anything much else given up. The Rays gave him a pretty big new contract just before the season, and he's already putting the work in to show that he deserved it.

I write all of that, of course, safe in the knowledge that I have now jinxed everybody mentioned and that they will immediately fall to pieces. I know how it works, but I shall just have to cross my fingers and hope. First test will be the series finale in New York tonight, where Jason Hammel will make his first start of the season. He's likely to be the odd man out when Kaz returns, so he needs to make a good impression while he can - which won't be easy considering he hasn't pitched for well over a week now.

A second home for 'Rays from across the pond'

And hello everybody! To those of you who have read my blog over the past couple of years on MLBlogs, and to those of you who are finding me for the first time now that I have opened a parallel Blogspot blog - you are all very welcome.

I'm sure that many of you will be aware of the relaunch and redesign of MLBlogs - and the many problems it has caused. I'm not planning at the moment to close down my original blog, and I'm still hoping that the issues will be sorted, and that MLB Advanced Media will stop ignoring regular users in the hype over their 'celebrity' bloggers. But just on the off-chance, I figure I may as well set up shop and get things rolling here.

For now, I'm going to be cross-posting a lot off stuff between the two RAPs (that's Rays from Across the Pond for the uninitiated), although if I have the time I am planning to post some more general baseball bits and pieces over here in addition to the Rays-centric stuff on MLBlogs. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, here is my post from yesterday with my thoughts on the Rays' opener, and MLB.tv...

EDIT: I've also reposted a few of my recent posts below, and put in a link post for some of my favourite older ones.  I don't like the new blog emptyness!


A new, good start.

Ok, so here we go. 2008. So many things to talk about.

Baseball first, as it should be of course. And I would firstly like to thank the Orioles (and in fact baseball in general) for scheduling openers as day games. This meant that I could watch the Rays take on the O's at a very reasonable 8.05pm start time. Nice.

As I'm sure you know, James Shields got the nod for the Rays in Kaz's absence, and a very good job he did too. After a somewhat shaky first inning (understandable in the circumstances) in which he threw 28 pitches and gave up two runs, he was lights out from there on. Final line - 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 2 K's. And perhaps most encouragingly, despite not having his best stuff, only 86 pitches in total - if he can keep that up once his arm is stretched out more then several complete games are sure to follow.

Coming in behind Shields, Trever Miller, Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler pitched 2 innings for just a solitary hit, which while not indicative of anything is of course a positive start considering the shambles that was our 'pen in 2007.

Then we come to the hitting. And I will start on a slightly disappointing note for me. As anyone who has read this blog in the past will know, I was looking forward to Jonny Gomes getting regular play out in right. But while I wouldn't swap him for anyone (and scroll down to number 18 on this list for just an example of why), even I recognise that he is a little bit too all-or-nothing. I still think he can achieve big things given the chance, but once again he will be sharing playing time this year.

And the man he will be splitting right with is something of a surprise - Eric Hinske. A non-roster invitee, Hinske had a great spring, and deservedly got the start on opening day. He didn't disappoint either, belting a fourth-inning line drive homer. That shot extended what had become a Rays lead in the second thanks to a swinging-bunt by CC and a 2-run single by BJ Upton. Jason Bartlett and Dioner Navarro added RBI-singles in the 6th to round off a 6-2 win to put the Rays proudly atop the AL East. Navvy had a very strong day at the plate, going 3-4, as well as collecting a stat that I'm guessing we won't see very often from him - caught stealing at home plate! Part of a double-steal of course, but still...

All in all, it was a very encouraging start - nothing to get too excited about of course, but with the exception of a shaky first the all round performance was very solid. Hopefully its going to stay that way!

As its the start of a new season, there are of course many things changing, and one of them is, I'm afraid, going to result in one of my semi-regular complaints about MLB.tv. Now don't get me wrong, I love that I can watch the Rays from an ocean away, but seriously guys, you don't do yourself any favours. My complaints today are twofold - firstly I assume that MLB.tv are hoping that people switch to the Silverlight media player. Well, I would be happy to try it, except that it won't install on my old computer. Fine, I can live with that. Except that the Media Player no longer has the nice options for resizing the picture. Last year (and during Spring Training) you could watch it at the standard half-window size, expand it to the full window, or make it full-screen. Now the full window option has been removed and the full screen option is the native media player zoom, resulting in poorer quality. Why take options away?

The second issue is that judging from last night's game, MLB.tv is now presenting its games in widescreen. Ok, so I don't have a widescreen monitor, I'm going to have big black bars at the top and bottom of the picture when I watch fullscreen. I can just about live with that. But when, as was the case last night, the game isn't shown in widescreen anyway, that means I have the black bars on both sides as well - leaving me with a picture that takes up maybe 70% of the screen rather than all of it. Now I don't know how many games are now transmitted in widescreen, but I'm guessing that most of the ones that are shown on local networks are not. Which means I'm going to have to put up with small pictures and big black borders this year. Nice.

Still, baseball is back, and for that I am thankful.