It is July 30th, and for the second season in a row the Rays are rumored to have a shot at a big bat for the middle of their lineup. While it clearly did not affect the outcome of our season last year, not landing Jason Bay hurt a little for the first week of August. Now we are rumored to be interested in, but not limited to, Victor Martinez. Now I do not do enough blogging to know whether listening to Topkin is a smart thing, but he is claiming we are much less interested in Martinez now that we cannot get Lee as well. My question, however, is with the Red Sox also after Victor, the deadline looming tomorrow, and our team's playoff likelyhood slipping, would any of you be disappointed if we do not make a move to improve our club? While V-Mart may not be the answer, his bat heading to Boston would sting a little. And maybe its desperation, but it seems like we need some improvement on this club. I don't mean to sound naive, but if nothing it may provide a moral boost after losing a huge series to New York. Longer post than I expected but I'd love the insight.

How many starts do you guys think Niemann will have before being replaced by David Price? Is it dependant on Price's development, or is the team just waiting for a certain date to bring him back up to the Show? I guess, in other words, when do you see David Price coming back to the Rays?

I need 18 more words so how about winning the series in Fenway? And without BJ Upton? F'n A Cotton!

Being a Buccaneer fan, I was almost totally convinced that Brett Favre would be our quarterback this season. The way this panned out really looked like he was going to come to Tampa Bay.

That idea is finished. As of tonight, Brett Favre is now a New York Jet. The Packers recieve an undisclosed draft pick for Favre, who will now most definitely be the starter for the Jets.

This could perhaps be the end of Chad Pennington's career as a Jet. The scenario that seems to play out is Kellen Clemons sitting behind Favre for a year or two, grooming to be the starter.

JScott:

What a mess, you gotta wonder immediately how this impacts Jeff Garcia and every other Quarterback on the Roster not named Josh Johnson. This is clearly a case of Bruce Allen dragging his feet. I'm fine with the outcome, but if your putting your hat in the pool for BRETT FAVRE all the while stabbing each of your QB's in the same breath, you do everything you can to get Favre on your team. I also think Gruden might have lost his desire when he had 75 reporters in his face on an uneventful Training Camp morning... I don't think he was prepared or wanted to experience that onslaught day in and day out... Never the less it was an interesting and exciting couple days, but life goes on without Favre in Tampa...

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I was sitting in my barber shop waiting area today reading a Sporting News  magazine from the beginning of the season. As most sports magazines did, they previewed each team and predicted where they would finish. The trend for the Rays 2008 preview is a little talk about them making it to .500 this year, a little talk about Longoria, and then a tangent about how there is no way Carlos Pena can follow up 2008 with anything close to his 2007 season. While no one could have expected his 46 home runs last season, why is it such a stretch to think he could be just as good this year? Here we are two weeks into the season, and he already has six home runs. And not only that, but it seems like every time he hits one, its tying the ballgame, or giving us the lead. He is like Sammy Sosa's antithesis when it comes to home runs. He is only hitting .209 right now, but thats only going to go up. I'm just trying to understand where all the negativity about Pena's numbers dropping off is coming from. 2007 doesn't look like a fluke for him so far. He just looks like a player who has been a journeyman long enough, and has finally put it together. And I am glad he's done it in Tampa.

Do any of you think it is possible that Evan Longoria's growth and maturation as a baseball player could have been stunted by all of the goings on this spring? Looking back at how well he played, and combining that with all of the publicity he got and the fan base he gathered, maybe sending him back down did considerable damage. Now, I have not watched any of his at bats in Durham since the season started, so I am not sure if they have been quality at bats. But starting the season hitless through the first week and a half does not sound like the Longoria that was sent down at the end of spring. Is it possible he had convinced himself he would be in the majors? Could the let down be slowing his progress as a player? This is all pure speculation, but we know one thing for sure. Maddon and FriedCo. are getting a look at how Longo handles his first slump.