689 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

Rays and Sox had the benches clear in the Rays win 7-4. Rays player got hit, Red Sox threw behind a Rays player, then Luke Scott gets pegged in the leg and the benches clear.

Joe Maddon seemed furious after the game during the press conference, calling the actions by the Red Sox "absurd" and "idiotic." Valentine responded by saying "boys will be boys."

Seems like the Red Sox sure like to clear their benches a lot.

I saw this on SC this morning, but they did a poor job of setting it up - So a Rays player gets hit, then a Rays player has a pitch thrown behind him, then another Ras player gets hit (Luke Scott)? That's absurd. Scott should have full on charged the mound at that point. I'm with Maddon, that is completely idiotic and classless by the Sox.

[Chris B]

Rays and Sox had the benches clear in the Rays win 7-4. Rays player got hit, Red Sox threw behind a Rays player, then Luke Scott gets pegged in the leg and the benches clear.

Joe Maddon seemed furious after the game during the press conference, calling the actions by the Red Sox "absurd" and "idiotic." Valentine responded by saying "boys will be boys."

Seems like the Red Sox sure like to clear their benches a lot.

I saw this on SC this morning, but they did a poor job of setting it up - So a Rays player gets hit, then a Rays player has a pitch thrown behind him, then another Ras player gets hit (Luke Scott)? That's absurd. Scott should have full on charged the mound at that point. I'm with Maddon, that is completely idiotic and classless by the Sox.

ACtually, about an hour after I posted this, I was watching Baseball Tonight and they showed the full events:
1. In the bottom of the 6th, the Rays hit Pedroia. Now, there was already one guy on and Ortiz up next, so clearly this was not intentional, which is what Maddon said in his presser.
2. Flash forward to the top of the 9th. Luke Scott up to bat. Pitch 1: thrown behind him. Pitch 2: called strike. Pitch 3: ball thrown very inside by the chest. Pitch 4: another inside pitch. Pitch 4: Luke Scott hit by pitch on kneecap.
3. Luke Scott starts yelling at pitcher (for good reason), benches clear.

It'll be interesting to see what happens for the rest of the weekend. I'm guessing the umpires will give warnings to both teams prior to the start of the game.

[BSLChrisStoner]

NBC Sports Hardball Talk: Longoria hoping to begin rehab assignment this week
http://hardballtalk....ment-this-week/

[BSLChrisStoner]

Operation Sports: Best Organization in Sports: The Tampa Bay Rays
http://osatwork.com/...tampa-bay-rays/

[Oriole85]

Operation Sports: Best Organization in Sports: The Tampa Bay Rays
http://osatwork.com/...tampa-bay-rays/

I've said for sometime, if there was ever such a thing as "ungrateful" sports fans, it would be the Rays. They don't draw -- I don't care what you say about the stadium -- winning should solve that. And more importantly, even if you want to use that excuse, they're ratings were down last year(not sure what they are this year). So you can fault the stadium and it's location all you want, but you can't even use the economy as an excuse on this one. Sternberg was pretty pissed about the whole sitatution last year in the playoffs. The one thing I disagree with him is blaming the fans though like he did, he needs their support, there is enough in the media to criticze the fans.

[Chris B]

Not good for the Rays:

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria's rehab assignment was suspended indefinitely Monday night after he experienced some discomfort in his partially torn left hamstring.

http://www.tampabay.... ... um=twitter

[BSLChrisStoner]

DRaysBay: Upton being too aggressive
http://www.draysbay....-too-aggressive

[BSLChrisStoner]

DRaysBay: Tear 'Er Down, Friedman
http://www.draysbay....r-down-friedman

[Chris B]

DRaysBay: Tear 'Er Down, Friedman
http://www.draysbay....r-down-friedman

Interesting article. I really am excited to see what teams do during the deadline, now with 2 wild card spots open. Just look at the AL East. 4 teams are vying for a Wild Card and we have each fan base debating if their team should buy or sell.

[BSLChrisStoner]

DRaysBay: Jennings Needs to Refine Approach
http://www.draysbay....refine-approach

[BSLChrisStoner]

Baseball Analytics: Soft Stuff Vexing Upton
http://www.baseballa...g-bj-upton.html

[BSLChrisStoner]

MLB.com: Longoria returns
http://tampabay.rays...e=recap&c_id=tb

[BSLChrisStoner]

Baseball Analytics: Price waging a ground war
http://www.baseballa...ground-war.html

[BSLChrisStoner]

FanGraphs: Zobrist shortstop once again
http://www.fangraphs...top-once-again/

[SBTarheel]

Heck of a comeback by the Rays tonight in Anaheim..Down 8-0 by the 3rd inning, it's now tied in the 6th.

They're very dangerous moving forward.

[BSLChrisStoner]

FanGraphs: The Rays Bullpen Makes Big Spenders Look Dumb
http://www.fangraphs...nders-look-dum/

[Oriole85]

FanGraphs: The Rays Bullpen Makes Big Spenders Look Dumb
http://www.fangraphs...nders-look-dum/

Case and point: the Orioles. After years of handing out terrible contracts to the likes of Danys Baez, Jamie Walker, Mike Gonzalez (who we gave up a pick for the "privilige" of getting him), and Kevin Gregg. The Orioles didn't put a lot of money in the bull"pit" this year with the likes of O'Day, Strop (last year I know), Ayala, Lindstrom, Patton. I've felt recently, it's not so much a lack of spending which has kept up in the cellar but it's not doing so in the right places in many cases. So bottomline, don't spend a lot of $$$ on the 'pen, spend it elsewhere.

[SBTarheel]

Tampa fans are embarrassing themselves with this attendance..9K the other night with the team playing so well.

Meanwhile, they had 35 in Seattle last night.

[Russ]

Tampa fans are embarrassing themselves with this attendance..9K the other night with the team playing so well.

Meanwhile, they had 35 in Seattle last night.

I have to think they are a down cycle away from moving.

[Oriole85]

I have to think they are a down cycle away from moving.

I thought that as well until I read this article.

http://www.bizofbase...rials&Itemid=39

Where do you think they should move to?


DC was really the last major market without a team and that was a fiasco in itself. I think if there was a viable market that the Expos could've gone to instead it would've. DC was the only option.