I realize it's not a moving game Friday against the Nats. However I do have a pair of season tix w/ a parking pass if anyone would like to attend Fridays game on me. The seats are aprx. 10 rows up in RF directly behind where the RF plays and a walkway from the Rays tank.

Someone did send me two free bleacher passes I'd rather give whoever that was 1st dibs. Whoever does want them will have to drive to NPR to pick them up 54/Little Rd.  E-Mail me at Connormanning1@yahoo.com if' you wantem or whoever wants'em and I'll e-mail you back with directions. 

90 % chance of rain!

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With the season a quarter way in the bag and TB at .500 20-20 thru the 1st qtr the question looms, what needs to be done to make the playoffs. Well, for one the Rays need to go 23-17 the next 3 qtr's to win 92 games which should win a seat in the playoffs. we've started the 2nd qtr at 0-2 so again, what needs to be done?

Here' s the Top -10 things to do starting today:

10 - Re-name Dale Mabry - Evan Longoria Hwy.

9- Place Kazmir on the 15 day DL with the option of extending his DL stint.

8- Sonny = BP he's been atrocious as a starter.

7- Give Percie a 1-way ticket back to Cali

6- Bring up Wade Davis

5- Bring up "King" David Price minus the knuckler/ curvature experiment.

4- Zo - Rilla gets the starting nod daily.

3- Gross & Kapler re-assigned.

2- Joyce & Jennings promoted. I gotta see Jennings man.

1- The number one thing to do is waive Dioner "the automatic out" Navarro. He's the worst catcher in MLB. He costs this team runs, wins, and excitement. He's a below avg. catcher that's slow, fat, can' t hit, and completely SUCKS! If I have to witness the round man the rest of the year I'll get an ulcer. Maddon needs to quit his patience B.S. and realize this guy is nothing less than horrible!

Go Rays!

He's the Rays & Devil Rays all time leader in steals. He's 20 for 20 with "NO pick offs" so far this season on the base paths. He's a hit taking away machine in LF. He's in the 7th season of his M.L. career. Did I mention he has a nice smile? He's the all time leader in TB history in steals, he's the longest tenured Tampa Bay player in history, has the mostest opening day starts in TB history, is a two-time all star. Did I mention he's fast. I mean real fast, super fast, ultra fast man! He was on track to lead the league in triples last year until wrist injury occured forcing him to miss 43 games and still finished 2nd. He could have won the triples title for the 4th time if it weren't for the injury in which he would have been only the 4th player in the history of MLB to do so. He bacame the 7th player in M.L. history to reach 1000 hits and 300 SB's before his 27th birthday. Rickey Henderson, Ty Cobb, Tim Raines, Cesar Cedeño, Eddie Collins and Sherry Magee are the others. His 1000th hit before the age of 26 is 9th all time joining the list of Derek Jeter, Adrian Beltre, Ivan Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Andruw Jones. Perdie good company, eh? Hey, I could go on and on and profess my man-love toward the greatest TB player ever. My question: why the feet dragging? I haven't heard of any new negotiations between TB management and the speedburner from Houston, Tx. Last season Carl Demonte Crawfords 2009 option was picked up prior to the 2008 season. Are Silverman & Friedman waiting to see if he stays healthy? I know they recognize H.O.F. numbers when they see them. The let down if something doesn't get done contractual wise with the player who has been the face of the Rays would be monumental.

C.C.s  the kind of guy who could be the leaderof the new era. The let's keep this team together ballclub. Do I believe C.C. would remain a Ray for less if he signs a multi-year deal, yes. It's that kind of ballclub, that kind of team and team chemistry. If C.C. signs and stays in which I hope he does smiles will loom across the Tampa Bay area. In fact, I more than hope he does. This guy is fantastic , myself and all my softball teaqmmates will truly miss Carl if he's not a Rays next season as he's our favorite player.  Crawford can go on to set M.L. records and team records that may never be broken if he can be a career Tampa Bay Ray. He can don the derby with a "TB" on it with his bust in Cooperstown if things go right.. It's not too early to think it. Another 7-8 years and C.C. may have it. He cartainly has dominated the speed game in his era which is an important aspect of getting into the H.O.F. Yeah, I'm jumping the gun thinking Cooperstown. At 27, and in his 7th year of M.L. baseball Crawford is one gifted dude that's put up great numbers on mostly pathetic ballclubs! To think of what he can do in the two hole in a competitve line up in the years to come can be extraordinary. Matt, Andrew, pick up the option now. This guys special. Find the money somewhere to pay him. Get a PT job. Just keep C.C. in a TB uni.

What a GREAT game winning HR for C.C. last night!

     After witnessing the shalacking of the Red Sox last night and being enthralled in "how great" it would have been to see Mathew get his no-no against the Red Sox, then came the disturbing fact. If Dioner Navarro had been catching just how many of those runs would be off the board? I believe it may have been a MUCH closer game if the hitless round man from Venezuela had been in the game. Consider these stats:

1-HR, 3 -RBI, 181 BA, .192 OBP, .264 SLG%, 1-bb, 14 K'S  13-H, 72 AB's

That my friends is totally unacceptable! Oh, wait, do I hear all the naysayers and what great defense Navi plays and what a great game he calls EHHHHHHHHH! :::Buzzer::::. I liked the game Hernandez called last night and caught, how 'bout you? Moreso Hernandez has something Navarro hasn't had all season, a multi-hit game! He also has 1 -HR & 3 RBI as does Navi in just 14 AB's.

Call me negative if you must but Doiner needs a one way ticket to Durham or even Montgomery. He is absolutely killing this ball club being in the line up. It's not just the multi-hit game and HR of Hernandez last night. It was the night before with Navarro batting behind Pat "I used to be the bat but Navi hits behind me" Bat Burrell. Burrell on 3rd in the 2nd, 1 - out, Navi hits a little pop out to LF. The run doesn't score. Later in the game he comes up with 1 - out, runners on 2nd & 3rd and he hits a deep fly ball to 2nd base.

People are asking questions what to do with the offense. The answer is getting Navarro the hell out of it. This team cannot perform with the automatic out in it every single night.

My rant is over, defend Navarro if you must. The bottom line is this team is a better team with Navarro not on it. Play Hernandez, Jaso, Riggans when he's back to health. Anyone but DOINER!

In the SI article that follows it appears stat mongers are giving the Rays a "finders fee" on taking away runs in the field being as important if not more important than scoring runs.

Enjoy:

April 06, 2009
Baseball's Next Top Models
Statistical models, that is. Systems for analyzing defensive play are feeding the new rage in the poststeroid era—run prevention. Teams are investing big money not only in slick fielders but also in the advanced metrics that are the game's last stat frontier
ALBERT CHEN

ASK TORII HUNTER where he ranks among the best defensive centerfielders, and he appears perplexed. "You mean, where I rank with guys now, or in history?" he says. The Angels' Hunter takes his defense as seriously as you'd expect from someone who says, "To catch a ball, I'd commit suicide." And to most of the baseball world, for that matter, it's conventional wisdom that he's one of the best fielders, period. Try to prod Hunter into naming another American League centerfielder in his class defensively, and he just shakes his head. The Indians' Grady Sizemore, perhaps? "Nah," Hunter says. "He's got some work to do. He takes bad jumps." The Tigers' Curtis Granderson? "He's up there, but he has to learn to take better routes," Hunter says. "You shouldn't dive as much as Grandy dives." Hunter's replacement in Minnesota last season, Carlos Gomez? "Dude is quick, but he also goes from points A to B to C to D when he should be going A to B," says Hunter. "And he's too aggressive with his throwing. Just look at his errors. [Gomez had eight.] I had none. Zero." He flashes a smile and shrugs. Case closed, as far as he's concerned.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...911/1/index.htm