The Rays knew they were in turmoil last year when they had to cut their payroll to $35 Million -- the second lowest payroll in Major League Baseball. Fans weren't (and still aren't) coming to the games; this, obviously, means a huge budget cut.
It's not merchandise, or TV ratings that have taken a hit. It's ticket sales, and why? Well, it is because of the location in St.Petersburg across the bridge. It takes about thirty minutes, without traffic, to drive to Tropicana Field for Tampa residents. On top of what your going to pay on a trip of gas, your going to pay a fair price for tickets, plus an unreal amount for concessions.
This just isn't going to work if the economy is in the slump it's in right now. Along with that, there are an abundance of things that people would rather do than go to a ball game, on a Friday evening, at the Trop.
Many want the stadium to move to Tampa, and forget about Tropicana Field. But two things are stopping them. One: Bill Foster, mayor of St.Pete, says they aren't going anywhere but St.Pete. Two: Former owner, Vince Naimoli, signed a lease to keep the Rays in Tropicana Field until 2027. Yes, 2027.
Although the Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is looking for a home in Tampa for the Rays, Foster continues to say,"The Rays aren't going to Tampa or Hillsborough County." This is what we need to keep the Rays in the Tampa Bay area, not.
It isn't Vince Naimoli's fault that he signed the contract. Little did he know stadium location would become a problem, along with the already outdated stadium.
If the Rays want to stay in the area, these two sides have to meet in the middle. Attendance rates aren't going up, nor will they no mater how good the Rays get.
St.Pete has to give up on their hopes of the Rays staying there and let them move across Howard Franklin Bridge and take a shot on the Rays staying. If Sternberg gets tired of Foster, then residents will be saddened to find that the team will be moving out of town into somewhere like Nashville, or Las Vegas.
If the Rays do move to Tampa, which would take approval from the tax payers (who would be paying for most of the stadium), then sales will most-likely rise. But look at the Buccaneers franchise who also are in Tampa. They didn't sell out a single game last year, and many of their games were blacked out.
It would be a huge chance, but the Rays need this move, and they need it soon.
June 30, 2011
June 29, 2011
The Rays offense can't come up big, despite Shield's 10 K's
The Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan blasted a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Not only did this give the Reds the first points of the game, it gave the Reds the advantage they needed the rest of the game, to take the series against the Reds.
James Shields allowed more runs in that one swing of the bat then he has allowed in his last three games, which all were complete games. It was Hanigan's first home run since April 3 when he blasted two against the Brewers.
Edison Volquez started on the mound for the Reds. He pitched 6.1 innings, and allowed three runs off four hits. Two of the runs allowed were a result of Evan Longoria's double in the sixth inning.
Longoria once again stayed out of his home slump with a two-run double that gave the Rays their first runs of the game. The Rays were still losing after this because of a three run blast earlier in the game. These were Longoria's fifth and sixth RBIs at home this entire year: three of those six have come during this series. Nevertheless, Longoria has brought in thirteen runs in the past six games.
BJ Upton stepped up in the next inning and hit a solo home run in what would be the final run of the ball game. This was his fourth homerun in his last six games.
Edison Volquez, the Reds starting pitcher on Wednesday, went through the first four innings with only two baserunners -- both got on base on walks -- until Casey Kotchman got the Rays first hit of the game.
What may be one of the biggest stories of this game, Johnny Damon tied Ted Williams for 71st on the all-time hit list."You know what?" BJ Upton said about Johnny Damon,"I want him to keep making history as long as he is here. It's fun to watch. I'm happy for him."
Reds took the best two-out-of-three series at Tropicana Field To go along with that, the Rays still only have one all-time win against the Reds franchise.
James Shields allowed more runs in that one swing of the bat then he has allowed in his last three games, which all were complete games. It was Hanigan's first home run since April 3 when he blasted two against the Brewers.
Edison Volquez started on the mound for the Reds. He pitched 6.1 innings, and allowed three runs off four hits. Two of the runs allowed were a result of Evan Longoria's double in the sixth inning.
Longoria once again stayed out of his home slump with a two-run double that gave the Rays their first runs of the game. The Rays were still losing after this because of a three run blast earlier in the game. These were Longoria's fifth and sixth RBIs at home this entire year: three of those six have come during this series. Nevertheless, Longoria has brought in thirteen runs in the past six games.
BJ Upton stepped up in the next inning and hit a solo home run in what would be the final run of the ball game. This was his fourth homerun in his last six games.
Edison Volquez, the Reds starting pitcher on Wednesday, went through the first four innings with only two baserunners -- both got on base on walks -- until Casey Kotchman got the Rays first hit of the game.
What may be one of the biggest stories of this game, Johnny Damon tied Ted Williams for 71st on the all-time hit list."You know what?" BJ Upton said about Johnny Damon,"I want him to keep making history as long as he is here. It's fun to watch. I'm happy for him."
Reds took the best two-out-of-three series at Tropicana Field To go along with that, the Rays still only have one all-time win against the Reds franchise.
Rays defeat Reds for first time with Longo's walk-off homerun
Longoria has been in a giant slump for the home crowd at Tropicana Field. But on Tuesday night, his walk-off homerun with none on, and zero outs gave the Rays their first franchise against the Reds.
Evan Longoria has hit five homeruns in the last eight game, the four previous homers all came in away games. This time he slammed a 0-1 pitch from Reds pitcher Logan Ondrusek into left-field. Longoria has hit only three homers and has only four RBIs in his 24 games in Tropicana Field.
"Going into the ninth, it was a pretty tough game for me offensively, again. But to turn it around with one swing of the bat was a good feeling," said Longoria who was 0-3 before his walkoff homerun.
Longoria was backed up by David Price, tuesday's starting pitcher, and Johnny Damon. Or should I say, Longoria backed up Damon.
David Price, Tuesday nights starting pitcher, took a perfect game into the fifth inning. Johnny Gomes was credited with the first Reds hit which was a hard one-hopper to the Rays shortstop Reid Brignac. It was first ruled error by Reid Brignac, who attempted to backhand the ball, but later in the game the ruling was changed to a single.
David Price pitched 7 2/3 innings and allowed two runs and six hits, he also pitched twelve strikeouts which ties a career high. He struck out four of his first five batters, and his final three all went down on fastball that were clocked at 97 mph.
As well as David Price, Cueto had a no-hitter through three, until Johnny Damon broke it up with a solo shot hitting leadoff in the fourth. Damon drove in three runs for the Rays. This included the two run double that gave the Rays the lead in the bottom of the eighth.
David Price said after the game,"That was a big hit by Johnny. It was a clutch hit. He's got about 2,600." 2,653 hits to be exact, which is one hit away from tying Ted Williams for 71st place on the all times list.
It wasn't over there though. Johnny's double gave the Rays a 3-2 lead, and the Reds had one last chance to put themselves on top, or tie it up.
Kyle Farnsworth came in to close the game. Jay Bruce smashed a solo homer to tie the game at three. This was Bruce's 18th of the season, this was also hit first homer in 84 at-bats.
Obviously, we all know what happened after that. Longoria came up in the clutch with the walk-off homerun.
Game Notes: David Price got a no decision, Brandon Phillips went one for four with a double on his 30th birthday
June 28, 2011
Rays Corner- The Rays can't hit the ball, Reds win ball game in Gomes
The Cincinnati Reds called the shots tonight. Everything went right for them, while the Rays could not hit a single thing. The inadequate blunders in the field by the Rays, led to points on the scoreboard for the Reds.
Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake was a major part of the victory, as well as former Ray, Johnny Gomes.
Gomes went 1-3, with a solo home run that hit the farthest cat walk in his return to Tropicana Field. This was part of a two-run fourth inning that gave the Reds a 4-0 lead. Gomes has now hit nine fair balls off of the cat walk: that is the most by any player since Tropicana Field opened in 1998.
Most of the fans in the stadium we're cheering for Gomes after his homerun. There multiple signs all over the stadium that were fan-made. Gomes was an established player in the Rays franchise before he became a free-agent after the 2008 season.
Gomes wasn't even the most crucial part of the offense for the Reds though. It was Brandon Phillips who led the Reds offense with four hits, two runs, and two RBIs.
As for the Rays hitting, it was one of the worst performances I have seen from this team in a few weeks. If you are shut out by a pitcher with a 3.89 ERA then that is a very bad performance. The way the Rays have been hitting the ball as of late, I did not expect this by any means. It's just sad that it had to happen at home. The stands are empty enough as it is, you're not going add on to the slim 19,891 person crowd with an offensive performance like this. That is a completely different story though.
Longoria played, once again, without his batting gloves. This time, his superstition didn't work for him: he went 0-2 with a walk. He was thrown out on an odd fly ball scenario in the sixth inning. Ben Zobrist was on second and Longoria on first when Matt Joyce hit a low fly ball to left-center field. The Reds left fielder Fred Lewis was tracking down the ball and Longoria thought that Lewis was not going to get to the ball. Longoria rounded second and passed up Ben Zobrist, who was tagging up. Longoria kept on running and ended up passing Zobrist on the base path. This resulted in an automatic out for Longoria; Zobrist tagged up and ran to third. That play ruined a good-looking inning that had two on with no outs. Casey Kotchman hit a ground ball to end that inning. That was probably the best chance in the entire game for the Rays to score.
That wasn't Longoria's only mistake of the game. He also was charged with an error at third base when he misplayed a grounder in the fourth inning.
Some of the Reds hitters had Jermy Hellickson (7-7) figured out, which accounted for his four runs against him (three earned runs). Although, Hellickson usually isn't a strikeout thrower, last night he tossed nine strikeouts despite pitching only six innings.
Cesar Ramos came in to replace Hellickson when he ran out of gas. Ramos was in .1 innings where he let up two hits, and let up a run that was not earned. Adam Russell came in after that and pitched for 1.2 innings without allowing a single hit. To finish the game Andy Sonnastine came in and allowed only one hit.
The Rays just swept the Astros in a three-game series in which they scored 26 runs. They certainly were astonished by the way they played today. Hopefully they can come out tomorrow with more motivation for the home crowd.
"That was a bad game," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We just aren't, offensively, playing the same game here. The answer, I don't know what it is. I honestly don't." Maddon is right. How does this happen? Are the players unmotivated? What is it that give the Rays such an offense shift from one game to another? No one knows these answers, just as Joe Maddon pointed out in his post-game press conference.
Let's hope the Rays can improve off of this horrid performance.
Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake was a major part of the victory, as well as former Ray, Johnny Gomes.
Gomes went 1-3, with a solo home run that hit the farthest cat walk in his return to Tropicana Field. This was part of a two-run fourth inning that gave the Reds a 4-0 lead. Gomes has now hit nine fair balls off of the cat walk: that is the most by any player since Tropicana Field opened in 1998.
Most of the fans in the stadium we're cheering for Gomes after his homerun. There multiple signs all over the stadium that were fan-made. Gomes was an established player in the Rays franchise before he became a free-agent after the 2008 season.
Gomes wasn't even the most crucial part of the offense for the Reds though. It was Brandon Phillips who led the Reds offense with four hits, two runs, and two RBIs.
As for the Rays hitting, it was one of the worst performances I have seen from this team in a few weeks. If you are shut out by a pitcher with a 3.89 ERA then that is a very bad performance. The way the Rays have been hitting the ball as of late, I did not expect this by any means. It's just sad that it had to happen at home. The stands are empty enough as it is, you're not going add on to the slim 19,891 person crowd with an offensive performance like this. That is a completely different story though.
Longoria played, once again, without his batting gloves. This time, his superstition didn't work for him: he went 0-2 with a walk. He was thrown out on an odd fly ball scenario in the sixth inning. Ben Zobrist was on second and Longoria on first when Matt Joyce hit a low fly ball to left-center field. The Reds left fielder Fred Lewis was tracking down the ball and Longoria thought that Lewis was not going to get to the ball. Longoria rounded second and passed up Ben Zobrist, who was tagging up. Longoria kept on running and ended up passing Zobrist on the base path. This resulted in an automatic out for Longoria; Zobrist tagged up and ran to third. That play ruined a good-looking inning that had two on with no outs. Casey Kotchman hit a ground ball to end that inning. That was probably the best chance in the entire game for the Rays to score.
That wasn't Longoria's only mistake of the game. He also was charged with an error at third base when he misplayed a grounder in the fourth inning.
Some of the Reds hitters had Jermy Hellickson (7-7) figured out, which accounted for his four runs against him (three earned runs). Although, Hellickson usually isn't a strikeout thrower, last night he tossed nine strikeouts despite pitching only six innings.
Cesar Ramos came in to replace Hellickson when he ran out of gas. Ramos was in .1 innings where he let up two hits, and let up a run that was not earned. Adam Russell came in after that and pitched for 1.2 innings without allowing a single hit. To finish the game Andy Sonnastine came in and allowed only one hit.
The Rays just swept the Astros in a three-game series in which they scored 26 runs. They certainly were astonished by the way they played today. Hopefully they can come out tomorrow with more motivation for the home crowd.
"That was a bad game," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We just aren't, offensively, playing the same game here. The answer, I don't know what it is. I honestly don't." Maddon is right. How does this happen? Are the players unmotivated? What is it that give the Rays such an offense shift from one game to another? No one knows these answers, just as Joe Maddon pointed out in his post-game press conference.
Let's hope the Rays can improve off of this horrid performance.
June 26, 2011
Rays Corner- Longoria's two homeruns lead the Rays to the sweep
This afternoon, the Rays excellent hitting gave them the victory. The pitching was there to back them at the end, but it was homeruns from the teams leaders, like Evan Longoria and BJ Upton, that led the Rays to a sweep in Houston.
Joe Maddon was debating with himself whether he should send his last remaining positional player to pinch-hit for the Rays. This was probably one of the biggest at bats for the Rays: down by one, the bases were loaded, with two outs. His last remaining player was Matt Joyce, and Sean Rodriguez was stepping up to the plate. Joe Maddon decided to pull Sean Rodriguez out, and put Matt Joyce in to pinch-hit.
The decision paid off as Matt Joyce doubled and brought in Johnny Damon and Ben Zobrist. Joyce didn't even think Maddon was going to use him right then. Joyce thought that he was going to be subbed in for a pitcher later on in the game.
"If I have a chance to really think about it, it's pretty easy. When everything is rushing through your head ... there's all these different thoughts. But at the end of the day the one thought that is overriding was, the bases are loaded, two outs, this is your best chance to win the game was right there." Maddon explained the decision to pinch-hit Matt Joyce,"And that is what I went with."
Of course, it wasn't just that double that won this game for the Rays. Longoria and Upton were both key factors in the game, and in the series.
Longoria's groove without his batting gloves continued. He hit two crucial home runs. His first homerun was in the sixth with one out, and Johnny Damon on third: that blast to left field tied the game at 7-7. Then, with two men on in the ninth, Longoria struck again to put the icing on the cake. This one was to deep left and gave the Rays a comfortable four run lead in the bottom of the ninth.
Longoria had four hits on six at bats tonight, including his two homeruns, five RBIs, and three runs. Longoria finished the series against the Astros with eight hits, including the three homeruns he had, and ten RBIs. And you can't forget, that was all without batting gloves! The way it has been going, he may never touch those gloves again!
"I don't know, I feel pretty good right now. It's all in the way my swing's feeling and it just so happens that it started happening without the batting gloves." Longoria said,"So I'm just going to continue until either my hands go or I've got to change it up again."
BJ Upton homered for his third straight game. His homer came in his first plate appearance, in the top of the first inning. It was a three-run shot, 434 feet to left-center field. Upton didn't stop there though. He went 2-5 in the game with two runs, four RBIs, and two walks.
Since the Rays ran out of pinch-hitters, they were forced to use Saturday'starting pitcher, Wade Davis, to the plate to pinch-hit. It turned out to be a good decision as Davis got his first career hit. This also made him the first pitcher in Rays history to get a hit as a pinch-hitter. Later that inning he got thrown out at home in a collision that shook up Astro's catcher Carlos Corporan.
Jeff Niemann did not pitch a good game. He only got three innings on the mound, allowing seven hits, and five runs. Neimann was pulled, six Rays relievers were transistioned in and out of the game. JP Howell ended up getting his first win of the year. Juan Cruz was the best pitcher for the Rays, tossing two innings and only allowing one hit. Wilton Lopez recieved the loss for his four runs allowed for the Astros, taking him to 1-4 on the season
The entire lineup hit very well today for the Rays. The top of the lineup was the only reason the the Rays won this game though. They really came up big when it counted. Especially Evan Longoria, who is your great of the game. The good is BJ Upton. The ugly is the seven spot for the Rays that went a combined 0-5 between Kelly Shoppach and John Jaso.
This was the Rays third straight interleague series. They went a combined 8-1 in their interleague games. Their only loss came in game two against the Brewers. Today is the beginning of their fourth straight interleague series where they will take on the Cincinnati Reds back in their home, Tropicana Field.
Joe Maddon was debating with himself whether he should send his last remaining positional player to pinch-hit for the Rays. This was probably one of the biggest at bats for the Rays: down by one, the bases were loaded, with two outs. His last remaining player was Matt Joyce, and Sean Rodriguez was stepping up to the plate. Joe Maddon decided to pull Sean Rodriguez out, and put Matt Joyce in to pinch-hit.
The decision paid off as Matt Joyce doubled and brought in Johnny Damon and Ben Zobrist. Joyce didn't even think Maddon was going to use him right then. Joyce thought that he was going to be subbed in for a pitcher later on in the game.
"If I have a chance to really think about it, it's pretty easy. When everything is rushing through your head ... there's all these different thoughts. But at the end of the day the one thought that is overriding was, the bases are loaded, two outs, this is your best chance to win the game was right there." Maddon explained the decision to pinch-hit Matt Joyce,"And that is what I went with."
Of course, it wasn't just that double that won this game for the Rays. Longoria and Upton were both key factors in the game, and in the series.
Longoria's groove without his batting gloves continued. He hit two crucial home runs. His first homerun was in the sixth with one out, and Johnny Damon on third: that blast to left field tied the game at 7-7. Then, with two men on in the ninth, Longoria struck again to put the icing on the cake. This one was to deep left and gave the Rays a comfortable four run lead in the bottom of the ninth.
Longoria had four hits on six at bats tonight, including his two homeruns, five RBIs, and three runs. Longoria finished the series against the Astros with eight hits, including the three homeruns he had, and ten RBIs. And you can't forget, that was all without batting gloves! The way it has been going, he may never touch those gloves again!
"I don't know, I feel pretty good right now. It's all in the way my swing's feeling and it just so happens that it started happening without the batting gloves." Longoria said,"So I'm just going to continue until either my hands go or I've got to change it up again."
BJ Upton homered for his third straight game. His homer came in his first plate appearance, in the top of the first inning. It was a three-run shot, 434 feet to left-center field. Upton didn't stop there though. He went 2-5 in the game with two runs, four RBIs, and two walks.
Since the Rays ran out of pinch-hitters, they were forced to use Saturday'starting pitcher, Wade Davis, to the plate to pinch-hit. It turned out to be a good decision as Davis got his first career hit. This also made him the first pitcher in Rays history to get a hit as a pinch-hitter. Later that inning he got thrown out at home in a collision that shook up Astro's catcher Carlos Corporan.
Jeff Niemann did not pitch a good game. He only got three innings on the mound, allowing seven hits, and five runs. Neimann was pulled, six Rays relievers were transistioned in and out of the game. JP Howell ended up getting his first win of the year. Juan Cruz was the best pitcher for the Rays, tossing two innings and only allowing one hit. Wilton Lopez recieved the loss for his four runs allowed for the Astros, taking him to 1-4 on the season
The entire lineup hit very well today for the Rays. The top of the lineup was the only reason the the Rays won this game though. They really came up big when it counted. Especially Evan Longoria, who is your great of the game. The good is BJ Upton. The ugly is the seven spot for the Rays that went a combined 0-5 between Kelly Shoppach and John Jaso.
This was the Rays third straight interleague series. They went a combined 8-1 in their interleague games. Their only loss came in game two against the Brewers. Today is the beginning of their fourth straight interleague series where they will take on the Cincinnati Reds back in their home, Tropicana Field.
Rays Corner - The Great Pitching Continues Against the Astros!
Wade Davis is by no means expected to be dominant. But right now he is on his game. He has won three straight games for the Rays, after not winning a single one between May 8 and June 12.
Joe Maddon expressed his thoughts about Davis after the game last night,"He played a good game. (He) was a good baseball player tonight. He pitched well. He did a lot of good things defensively as well as with the two bunts. He had himself a really good night."
Davis is usually a slow starter, and usually doesn't show his full potential until after the All-Star break. He said he is very encouraged that he is getting it going now. Last night he threw seven innings, allowing only five hits, one earned run, tossing three strikeouts,and one walk.
"Everything is coming together a bit better in the second half, hopefully I can build off the momentum," Davis said after the game,"We're playing good and I think it will be good for everybody."
Last night it paid off for the Rays offense, as Upton and Longoria both had stellar nights. The Rays dominated Bud Norris, who started for the Astros and got the loss. Upton went 2-4 with a homerun, two RBIs, and one walk.
Upton started with an RBI single to left, bringing in Evan Longoria. Later in the sixth inning, Upton smashed his second solo shot in the last two days, with no outs. His homerun made it 4-1, Rays. He also had a beautiful diving catch in the field.
Upton was humble about his excellent performance."Our pitching is essentially keeping us in ball games and I think that's what this team is about timely hitting. I don't think right now anybody is really standing out, we're just getting hits at the right time.
Upton wasn't all for the Rays offense though. Longoria stepped up big again too. He went 2-4, with two runs, two RBIs all off of his two doubles, and once again, without batting gloves. His RBI double in the first gave the Rays this first run of the game. His second hit was another RBI double, but in the ninth inning. He later scored on a RBI single from Casey Kotchman.
"They're a little bit sore but my swing feels good, it's in a good spot." Longoria said about his batting gloves,"It's not a direct result of the gloves by any means, or no gloves, but superstitious as we are I'll keep it going that way." Longoria will bat again without batting gloves on Sunday despite his sore hands.
In the sixth inning, the Astros tried making a comeback. The bases were loaded, but the Rays got out of that when Brett Wallace grounded out to end the inning.
Astros were back at it in the seventh. Keppinger got on, and then with one out Pence had himself an RBI double, to make the game 4-2. Lee reached on a very odd error by Sam Fuld. In deep left he looked as if he made the catch, but then the ball came out in transition. The Rays escaped that inning with a double play from Matt Downs.
The winning pitcher was Wade Davis who is now 7-5 on the season. He pitched seven innings, allowed five hits, one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts.
The losing pitcher was Bud Norris who now has dropped to 4-6 on the season. He pitched five innings, allowing six hits, and three earned runs. He tossed five strikeouts and threw three walks.
The Great - Evan Longoria and BJ Upton - Obvious reasons. Their performance at the plate is leading the Rays right now. Timely hitting boys!
The Good- Wade Davis - As BJ said, pitching is a huge factor on this team right now, and is not putting pressure on the Rays hitters
The Bad- The Errors in this game that could of been easily fixed. The error by Sam Fuld in the field, and Reid Brignac in the infield. Both are stupid mistakes.
Joe Maddon expressed his thoughts about Davis after the game last night,"He played a good game. (He) was a good baseball player tonight. He pitched well. He did a lot of good things defensively as well as with the two bunts. He had himself a really good night."
Davis is usually a slow starter, and usually doesn't show his full potential until after the All-Star break. He said he is very encouraged that he is getting it going now. Last night he threw seven innings, allowing only five hits, one earned run, tossing three strikeouts,and one walk.
"Everything is coming together a bit better in the second half, hopefully I can build off the momentum," Davis said after the game,"We're playing good and I think it will be good for everybody."
Last night it paid off for the Rays offense, as Upton and Longoria both had stellar nights. The Rays dominated Bud Norris, who started for the Astros and got the loss. Upton went 2-4 with a homerun, two RBIs, and one walk.
Upton started with an RBI single to left, bringing in Evan Longoria. Later in the sixth inning, Upton smashed his second solo shot in the last two days, with no outs. His homerun made it 4-1, Rays. He also had a beautiful diving catch in the field.
Upton was humble about his excellent performance."Our pitching is essentially keeping us in ball games and I think that's what this team is about timely hitting. I don't think right now anybody is really standing out, we're just getting hits at the right time.
Upton wasn't all for the Rays offense though. Longoria stepped up big again too. He went 2-4, with two runs, two RBIs all off of his two doubles, and once again, without batting gloves. His RBI double in the first gave the Rays this first run of the game. His second hit was another RBI double, but in the ninth inning. He later scored on a RBI single from Casey Kotchman.
"They're a little bit sore but my swing feels good, it's in a good spot." Longoria said about his batting gloves,"It's not a direct result of the gloves by any means, or no gloves, but superstitious as we are I'll keep it going that way." Longoria will bat again without batting gloves on Sunday despite his sore hands.
In the sixth inning, the Astros tried making a comeback. The bases were loaded, but the Rays got out of that when Brett Wallace grounded out to end the inning.
Astros were back at it in the seventh. Keppinger got on, and then with one out Pence had himself an RBI double, to make the game 4-2. Lee reached on a very odd error by Sam Fuld. In deep left he looked as if he made the catch, but then the ball came out in transition. The Rays escaped that inning with a double play from Matt Downs.
The winning pitcher was Wade Davis who is now 7-5 on the season. He pitched seven innings, allowed five hits, one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts.
The losing pitcher was Bud Norris who now has dropped to 4-6 on the season. He pitched five innings, allowing six hits, and three earned runs. He tossed five strikeouts and threw three walks.
The Great - Evan Longoria and BJ Upton - Obvious reasons. Their performance at the plate is leading the Rays right now. Timely hitting boys!
The Good- Wade Davis - As BJ said, pitching is a huge factor on this team right now, and is not putting pressure on the Rays hitters
The Bad- The Errors in this game that could of been easily fixed. The error by Sam Fuld in the field, and Reid Brignac in the infield. Both are stupid mistakes.
June 25, 2011
Rays Corner - Shields is on fire!
Hello Rays Fans!
Last night was game one of the interleague series against the Houston. Rays had an off day on Thursday, but Friday they came to play. James Shields took the mound once again, with a 7-4 record, a league best 5 complete games, and one of the highest ERAs in the league. His opponent? The 5-3, Wandy Rodriguez, tied for the Astros best record on the team.
The Rays came out of the gate completely dominate at the plate. The first two inning were very quiet, but with two outs in the third inning, Sean Rodriguez, started the Rays off with a single.Ben Zobrist stepped up next. Rodriquez stole second, and then Zobrist hit an RBI single to give the Rays the first run of the game. Longoria decided to play with no batting gloves tonight for his first time since he was a rookie, to see if it would change anything. It sure did make a change. Longoria's second at bat came with a reward, a two-run home run into right field. The next batter stepped up. It was BJ Upton, who has found his mojo these past couple game: he hit a solo homerun. These shots came back to back, the first time this year that has occured for the Rays. The third inning gave the Rays a comfortable four-run lead through three.
"It hurts my hands, really, so it kinda makes pitch selection a little better. I don't want to swing at some balls that I can't really handle," Longoria said about his no batting gloves,"It's coincidental what happened, happened tonight. I guess I'll keep doing it until either it starts hurting too much, or it stops working." Longo went two for four, with three runs batted in, one run, a home run and a strikeout.
But no one can forget about the star of the night, James Shields. He set a goal at the beginning of the year to throw more complete games this year. "I definitely didn't think it would be this many," Shields comments on his complete games,"I thought it would be three or four, something like that. It's unbelievable. It's not how I expected to start, but it is exactly how I want to start. I have to try to keep it going." Shields breezed through the first three innings of batters. In the fourth the Astros got their first hit from Michael Bourn's single. The next batter grounded into a double play and the inning was over.
Joe Maddon has just ran out of words for James Shields. He has expressed his feelings for James on Twitter and in his press conferences. "There's no superlative that I can give you that is adequate, that is really good stuff," Joe Maddon said after the game last night.
James came out of last night allowing only one run on three hits, tossing nine strikeouts, and throwing only one walk. What a performance. This was his third straight complete game, and he has gotten a win in all three of them. This game gave him the third best ERA in the league.
The Great- James Shields
The Good- The Rays top of the lineup. Sean Rodriguez went 3-4, and two runs. Zobrist went 1-3, with a run, a RBI, and a walk. Longoria went 2-4, with a run, three RBIs, and one strikeout..without batting gloves. Upton went 1-3, with a run, a RBI, and a walk. Outstanding hitting from the boys last night. The only other hit was from Kotchman, who went 1-4.
The Bad and The Ugly- The bottom of the lineup who went a combined 1-20 and struck out eight times (4 of those being James Shields at the plate)
Other Notes: JP Howell was active after hurting his foot. 4 of the Rays 5 runs came after catcher JR Towles left the game with chin lacerationgs. He received 11 stitches. Carlos Corporon, the Astros third string catcher, replaced Towles.
June 24, 2011
NFL First Preseason Fantasy Football rankings
QBs
1. Michael Vick
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Drew Brees
4. Peyton Manning
5. Phillip Rivers
6. Tom Brady
7. Matt Ryan
8. Josh Freeman
9. Tony Romo
10. Matt Schaub
11. Matt Stafford
12. Joe Flacco
13. Ben Roethlisberger
14. Eli Manning
15. Matt Cassell
16. Sam Bradford
17. Donavan McNabb
18. Jay Cutler
19. Tim Tebow
20. Cam Newton
21. David Garrard
22. Jake Locker
23. Kyle Orton
24. Kevin Kolb
25.Christian Ponder
26. Ryan Fitzpatrick
RBs
3. Chris Johnson
4. Jamaal Charles
5. Frank Gore
6. Maurice Jones-Drew
7. Michael Turner
8. LeSean McCoy
9. Steven Jackson
10. Rashard Mendenhall
11.Darren McFadden
12. Ray Rice
13. Peyton Hillis
14. Johnathan Stewart
15. Matt Forte
16. LeGarrette Blount
17. Ahmad Bradshaw
18. Knowshon Moreno
19. Daniel Thomas
20. Ryan Matthews
21. DeAngelo Williams
22. Fred Jackson
23. Ryan Grant
24. Shonn Greene
25. Jahvid Best
26. BenJarvus Greene-Ellis
27. Felix Jones
28. Mark Ingram
29. CJ Spiller
30. James Starks
31. Ryan Williams
32. Beanie Wells
33. Joseph Addai
34. Ryan Torain
35. Marshawyn Lynch
36. Roy Helu
37. Mike Tolbert
38. Brandon Jacobs
39. Michael Bush
40. Ronnie Brown
41. Demarco Murray
42. Danny Woodhead
43. Ladanlian Tomlinson
44. Donald Brown
45. Rashad Jennings
46. Reggie Bush (Not with the Saints)
47. Mikel LeShoure
48. Pierre Thomas
49. Chris Ivory
50. Justin Forsett
WRs
1. Andre Johnson
2. Roddy White
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Greg Jennings
5. Hakeem Nicks
6. Larry Fitzgerald
7. Mike Wallace
8. Desean Jackson
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Miles Austin
11. Santonio Holmes
12. Vincent Jackson
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Jeremy Maclin
15. Dwayne Bowe
16. Wes Welker
17. Pierre Garcon
18. Mike Williams (Tampa)
19. Kenny Britt
20. Dez Bryant
21. Brandon Lloyd
22. AJ Green
23. Sidney Rice
24. Steve Johnson
25. Anquan Boldin
26. Percy Harvin
27. Johnny Knox
28. Marques Colston
29. Jerome Simpson
30. Santana Moss
31. Anquan Boldin
32. Steve Smith (NY)
33. James Jones
34. Deion Branch
35. Jordy Neslon
36. Lance Moore
37. Malcolm Floyd
38. Chad Ochocinco
39. Terrell Owens
40. Mario Manningham
41. Bryan Robiskie
42. Austin Collie
43. Braylon Edwards
44. Julio Jones
45. Donnie Avery
46. Hines Ward
47. Jacoby Ford
48. Mike Sims-Walker
49. Julio Jones
50. Greg Little
Sleepers: Bryan Robiskie, Donnie Avery, Julio Jones, Jordan Shipley, Jon Baldwin, Brandon Tate, Josh Morgan, Arrelious Benn, Emmanuel Sanders
TEs
1. Antonio Gates
2. Jason Witten
3. Dallas Clark
4.Vernon Davis
5. Jermichael Finley
6. Mercedes Lewis
7. Jimmy Graham
8. Chris Cooley
9. Owen Daniels
10. Zach Miller
11. Tony Gonzalez
12. Brandon Pettigrew
13. Rob Gronkowski
14. Aaron Hernandez
15. Jermaine Gresham
16. Todd Heap
17. Dustin Keller
18. Kellen Winslow
19. Tony Moeaki
20. Jeremy Shockey
21. Brent Celek
1. Michael Vick
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Drew Brees
4. Peyton Manning
5. Phillip Rivers
6. Tom Brady
7. Matt Ryan
8. Josh Freeman
9. Tony Romo
10. Matt Schaub
11. Matt Stafford
12. Joe Flacco
13. Ben Roethlisberger
14. Eli Manning
15. Matt Cassell
16. Sam Bradford
17. Donavan McNabb
18. Jay Cutler
19. Tim Tebow
20. Cam Newton
21. David Garrard
22. Jake Locker
23. Kyle Orton
24. Kevin Kolb
25.Christian Ponder
26. Ryan Fitzpatrick
RBs
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Arian Foster3. Chris Johnson
4. Jamaal Charles
5. Frank Gore
6. Maurice Jones-Drew
7. Michael Turner
8. LeSean McCoy
9. Steven Jackson
10. Rashard Mendenhall
11.Darren McFadden
12. Ray Rice
13. Peyton Hillis
14. Johnathan Stewart
15. Matt Forte
16. LeGarrette Blount
17. Ahmad Bradshaw
18. Knowshon Moreno
19. Daniel Thomas
20. Ryan Matthews
21. DeAngelo Williams
22. Fred Jackson
23. Ryan Grant
24. Shonn Greene
25. Jahvid Best
26. BenJarvus Greene-Ellis
27. Felix Jones
28. Mark Ingram
29. CJ Spiller
30. James Starks
31. Ryan Williams
32. Beanie Wells
33. Joseph Addai
34. Ryan Torain
35. Marshawyn Lynch
36. Roy Helu
37. Mike Tolbert
38. Brandon Jacobs
39. Michael Bush
40. Ronnie Brown
41. Demarco Murray
42. Danny Woodhead
43. Ladanlian Tomlinson
44. Donald Brown
45. Rashad Jennings
46. Reggie Bush (Not with the Saints)
47. Mikel LeShoure
48. Pierre Thomas
49. Chris Ivory
50. Justin Forsett
WRs
1. Andre Johnson
2. Roddy White
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Greg Jennings
5. Hakeem Nicks
6. Larry Fitzgerald
7. Mike Wallace
8. Desean Jackson
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Miles Austin
11. Santonio Holmes
12. Vincent Jackson
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Jeremy Maclin
15. Dwayne Bowe
16. Wes Welker
17. Pierre Garcon
18. Mike Williams (Tampa)
19. Kenny Britt
20. Dez Bryant
21. Brandon Lloyd
22. AJ Green
23. Sidney Rice
24. Steve Johnson
25. Anquan Boldin
26. Percy Harvin
27. Johnny Knox
28. Marques Colston
29. Jerome Simpson
30. Santana Moss
31. Anquan Boldin
32. Steve Smith (NY)
33. James Jones
34. Deion Branch
35. Jordy Neslon
36. Lance Moore
37. Malcolm Floyd
38. Chad Ochocinco
39. Terrell Owens
40. Mario Manningham
41. Bryan Robiskie
42. Austin Collie
43. Braylon Edwards
44. Julio Jones
45. Donnie Avery
46. Hines Ward
47. Jacoby Ford
48. Mike Sims-Walker
49. Julio Jones
50. Greg Little
Sleepers: Bryan Robiskie, Donnie Avery, Julio Jones, Jordan Shipley, Jon Baldwin, Brandon Tate, Josh Morgan, Arrelious Benn, Emmanuel Sanders
TEs
1. Antonio Gates
2. Jason Witten
3. Dallas Clark
4.Vernon Davis
5. Jermichael Finley
6. Mercedes Lewis
7. Jimmy Graham
8. Chris Cooley
9. Owen Daniels
10. Zach Miller
11. Tony Gonzalez
12. Brandon Pettigrew
13. Rob Gronkowski
14. Aaron Hernandez
15. Jermaine Gresham
16. Todd Heap
17. Dustin Keller
18. Kellen Winslow
19. Tony Moeaki
20. Jeremy Shockey
21. Brent Celek
NBA Draft- Morris Brothers
Two brothers, two twins, who would of known they would make it this far in their NBA career? And not just one, but both of them made it. How remarkable is that? Last night the Morris brothers went back to back: Markieff to the Suns at 13, and Marcus to the Rockets at 14. The two were KU's top two scorers and rebounders, and that isn't a surprise. Markieff is 6'9'' with a 8'11'',while Marcus stands at 6'8'' with a 8'10'' reach. Both play power forward, but they can play center. Markieff is the better rebounder and shot blocker, while Marcus is a better shooter by a long shot, while still being a good rebounder. How could these 2 players be so similar yet have numbers that are completely different? Markieff is about defense and getting that rebound, that's what his mind is set on. Marcus has a completely different mind set. While Markieff wants the rebound, Marcus wants the basket, and with his.589 field goal percentage, teams shouldn't have a problem feeding him the ball down low. Teams don't have to just feed Marcus down low though, he has great midrange game as well as shooting the ball in the paint. Markieff is the better three-point shooter of the two and his three-point shooting has much improved since his first year at KU. Marcus is also a smarter player on the floor; he has great vision, awareness, he is fundamentally sound, and he has great leadership skills. Markieff does have the size advantage though, playing power forward as a 6'9'' guy who is very athletic gives you a huge advantage. Marcus is grinding and giving it his all every play on the floor no matter how tired he is. He brings his best energy on every play, unlike Markieff. Overall I think that Marcus should of been taken 7-10 picks above Markieff, but that didn't happen. Markieff is a low post guy that is a good fit with the pick and roll. Markieff is also better at moving his feet. Markieff has an established position at power forward, where Marcus is just a forward and he can play small or power forward. Both of these players are great fits for their team: Suns have Channing Frye at the Power Forward position and Markieff Morris should easily take over that gig. The Rockets have four power forwards, and not a single one of them are better than Marcus Morris. These two brother will face off against each other a couple times this year in what should be a very good match up between the two of them, both at the Power Forward position. After Marcus was picked by the Rockets yesterday Thomasine Morris, the twins mother, said,"I never thought these boys would make it this far". But they sure did, and they are going to be big players in the NBA one day. You just wait and see.
June 22, 2011
Game 2 and 3 of Series vs Milwaukee
Hey guys!
I know that I didn't write about the game last night, I couldn't find the time. But I'm going to write about both of the games for the past two days against the Brewers so lets get started.
Last night was game two of the three game series in which the Rays would take on the Brewers. Once again, the entire Rays team couldn't hit squat. They didn't even sniff the ball most of the game. It was very ugly, and dissapointing. Four. That was the number of hits last night, as the Rays lost their four-game win streak, 5-1. Sure, Greinke pitched very well. But doesn't it seem really superstitious to you that Rays can't hit when Helickson pitches. It's very unusual to see, but and it's just so odd that it continues. At the end of the day Helickson walks away with a loss and six innings pitched. He actually pitched very well; he only allowed two runs, but he only had three K's and four BB's. No matter how good he pitched, your not going to win a ball game with four hits and one run. That's not how you win ball games. Now on the other end, Greinke pitched seven innings and had ten K's with a goose egg in the base on balls column. Jaso had the best game at the plate hitting for the Rays in the seven spot -- he went 2-4 with the Rays only RBI of the game. Upton scored the only run of the game for the Rays.
For every game I decided Im going to start doing a good, bad, and ugly segment. But I decided to change one thing, the Great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This way I dont have to have 2 bad things and one good thing, it can always be even.
The Great: Jeremy Helickson- The kid continues to bring his A-Game, day in and day out. Today he just couldn't get the run support. Eventually his record will start to show for itself how talented he is.
The Good: John Jaso- It's good to see a guy like Jaso have a good game. I think I am starting to come around on him too after all.
The Bad- Reid Brignac- He goes 0-3 in this game, and boy does it show in his Batting Average. He is hitting a whimpy .177 on the year. That is completely awful.
The Ugly- Evan Longoria- I know it is just one game, and he probably doesn't deserve "the ugly" spot, but he continues to have awful games like this. This isn't the Longoria we all know: It's not the two time Gold Glove winner, this is not the three time All-Star, and this is certainly not a Silver Slugger. He needs to step it up, and he needs to step it up quickly because he is a major part of this team.
After that game the Rays relaly needed to bounce back, if they want to stay competitive in the AL East they can't be going on losing streaks. With Rays top pitcher David Price on the mound, the Rays couldn't afford to lose again. The game started looking like DP (David Price) was going to have an awful game on the mound: the Brewers scored two runs in the first inning. Then the .193 hitting Kelly Shoppach stepped up the the plate in the top of the second inning ,with Casey Kotchman on, and blasted a two-run homerun to even the game up. The next couple innings Rays would get men on but couldn't score, then in the 6th inning the Rays got on top with a BJ Upton single, bringing in Sean Rodriguez. The bottom of the lineup came up big all day, including a three-run homerun that was absolutely crushed by Elliot Johnson. It flew past the Brewers bullpen and into the middle of the stands in right field, 402 feet. Brewers attempted a comeback in the 9th inning, but it was too much. The Rays take this game along with the series, 6-3.
The Great- Kelly Shoppach- Why was this performance so great? He went 1-3 and scored two times, along with a homerun. I mean what a game for a guy that is hitting .194.
The Good- David Price- Pitching eight innings with ten K's and only one walk, almost got him the great spot. But I couldn't give it to him since he was an AL Cy Yuong contender. But it was a great game that he pitched and hopefully he can keep getting this kind of run support.
Runner-up - Elliot Johnson
The Bad- Kyle Farnsworth- What is this? He lets three straight hits and a run. There was nothing else I could find that was really bad in this game, so I had to go after this.
The VERY VERY Ugly- Evan Longoria- He has now gone a total of 0-8 in the last 2 games, with two strikeouts and 0 base on balls.
I know that I didn't write about the game last night, I couldn't find the time. But I'm going to write about both of the games for the past two days against the Brewers so lets get started.
Last night was game two of the three game series in which the Rays would take on the Brewers. Once again, the entire Rays team couldn't hit squat. They didn't even sniff the ball most of the game. It was very ugly, and dissapointing. Four. That was the number of hits last night, as the Rays lost their four-game win streak, 5-1. Sure, Greinke pitched very well. But doesn't it seem really superstitious to you that Rays can't hit when Helickson pitches. It's very unusual to see, but and it's just so odd that it continues. At the end of the day Helickson walks away with a loss and six innings pitched. He actually pitched very well; he only allowed two runs, but he only had three K's and four BB's. No matter how good he pitched, your not going to win a ball game with four hits and one run. That's not how you win ball games. Now on the other end, Greinke pitched seven innings and had ten K's with a goose egg in the base on balls column. Jaso had the best game at the plate hitting for the Rays in the seven spot -- he went 2-4 with the Rays only RBI of the game. Upton scored the only run of the game for the Rays.
For every game I decided Im going to start doing a good, bad, and ugly segment. But I decided to change one thing, the Great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This way I dont have to have 2 bad things and one good thing, it can always be even.
The Great: Jeremy Helickson- The kid continues to bring his A-Game, day in and day out. Today he just couldn't get the run support. Eventually his record will start to show for itself how talented he is.
The Good: John Jaso- It's good to see a guy like Jaso have a good game. I think I am starting to come around on him too after all.
The Bad- Reid Brignac- He goes 0-3 in this game, and boy does it show in his Batting Average. He is hitting a whimpy .177 on the year. That is completely awful.
The Ugly- Evan Longoria- I know it is just one game, and he probably doesn't deserve "the ugly" spot, but he continues to have awful games like this. This isn't the Longoria we all know: It's not the two time Gold Glove winner, this is not the three time All-Star, and this is certainly not a Silver Slugger. He needs to step it up, and he needs to step it up quickly because he is a major part of this team.
After that game the Rays relaly needed to bounce back, if they want to stay competitive in the AL East they can't be going on losing streaks. With Rays top pitcher David Price on the mound, the Rays couldn't afford to lose again. The game started looking like DP (David Price) was going to have an awful game on the mound: the Brewers scored two runs in the first inning. Then the .193 hitting Kelly Shoppach stepped up the the plate in the top of the second inning ,with Casey Kotchman on, and blasted a two-run homerun to even the game up. The next couple innings Rays would get men on but couldn't score, then in the 6th inning the Rays got on top with a BJ Upton single, bringing in Sean Rodriguez. The bottom of the lineup came up big all day, including a three-run homerun that was absolutely crushed by Elliot Johnson. It flew past the Brewers bullpen and into the middle of the stands in right field, 402 feet. Brewers attempted a comeback in the 9th inning, but it was too much. The Rays take this game along with the series, 6-3.
The Great- Kelly Shoppach- Why was this performance so great? He went 1-3 and scored two times, along with a homerun. I mean what a game for a guy that is hitting .194.
The Good- David Price- Pitching eight innings with ten K's and only one walk, almost got him the great spot. But I couldn't give it to him since he was an AL Cy Yuong contender. But it was a great game that he pitched and hopefully he can keep getting this kind of run support.
Runner-up - Elliot Johnson
The Bad- Kyle Farnsworth- What is this? He lets three straight hits and a run. There was nothing else I could find that was really bad in this game, so I had to go after this.
The VERY VERY Ugly- Evan Longoria- He has now gone a total of 0-8 in the last 2 games, with two strikeouts and 0 base on balls.
June 21, 2011
NFL CBA Situation
Hey guys I'm back.
I couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk about my favorite subject of the sports world. So, I had to do it tonight. It is about the NFL, more specifically the CBA that has the NFL in lockout. ESPN revealed the full details of the CBA that was proposed from the NFL to the NFLPA. In other words the deal was proposed from the Owners and Roger Goodell to the players and DeMaurice Smith.
In this new agreement the players will get 48 percent of all revenue, all revenue being the total money the NFL makes. In the previous CBA, owners would take 1 billion dollars off the top, After that has been taken off the top, the remaining 8 billion dollars would be split 60/40: 60 percent for the players and 40 percent for the owners. Now it will be split 52/48, owners with 52 percent and players with 48. The players share will never drop below 46.5 percent. But on top of the 52 percent for the owners, they will also get expense funds for new staium contruction, sources tell ESPN. This seems like a very fair deal to me.
Players think they will be able to cope with the 48 percent of the revenue because of the projected revenue growth by 2016. Another reason is the devices in the agreement that require a team to spend close to 100 percent of their salary cap, this accourding to ESPN's John Clayton. The mandatory minimum spending increase is a factor that worries alot of lower-revenue teams. This means that if the salary cap was set at $100 million then a team's payroll would have to total up to be at, or close to $100 million. In the previous agreement the payroll floor was less than 90 percent of the salary cap. This is a good thing for high-revenue clubs, but not for the low-revenue teams. With the revenue increase the players will be making plenty of money so this deal might just work out. But there are lots of other details that have to be just right.
The next addition is the rookie wage scale which alot of people have been wanting for quite some time now. If you did not already know, the rookie wage scale will keep teams from paying rookies too much, making sure they don't get more than the veterans who have been in the league for years. This came into place because of the salaries of young players like Matthew Stafford, San Bradford, and Jamarcus Russell. This has to be put in place, and most people understand that. This will now become part of the deal but according to sources it is still being "tweaked".
Next up is the 18-game schedule that has been very much discussed around the league. Although it has been much discussed, at this point in negotiations the 18-game schedule is jsut a negotiable item and is not part of the deal.
The next thing that has been very rarely talked about but was a very important puzzle-piece to the deal is the retirees plan. They have a good plan as it is right now. In the beginning of negotiations, retired players were not part of the deal and they got no benefits. In the new deal offered to the players, retired players will benefit from improved health care. Penison benefits will come as the revenue is expected to double to $18 Billion by 2016.
Another small detail is the Thursday Night Football deal. The new 16-game Thursday night TV package will begin in 2012, and this would be included in the new CBA.
If all these factors are right, then this could be a done deal no later than mid-July. The meeting that ended today lasted 5 hours according to Roger Goodell. Things are certrainly moving in the right direction which is good new for everybody. The deal is most likely to be sealed in one to three weeks, and the new league year is expected to begin in mid-July. The silver lining to all of this in my opinion? The players are ready to commit to a 10-year deal if the sides can agree on all of the terms, according to John Clayton. Any disagreement in talks could lead to loss of preseason games and it could even threaten the season opener. Tuesday is day 98 of this dreadfulk lockout, which makes this the longest work stoppage in NFL History.
Thanks for reading
Christian
Soruces: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6687485
I couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk about my favorite subject of the sports world. So, I had to do it tonight. It is about the NFL, more specifically the CBA that has the NFL in lockout. ESPN revealed the full details of the CBA that was proposed from the NFL to the NFLPA. In other words the deal was proposed from the Owners and Roger Goodell to the players and DeMaurice Smith.
In this new agreement the players will get 48 percent of all revenue, all revenue being the total money the NFL makes. In the previous CBA, owners would take 1 billion dollars off the top, After that has been taken off the top, the remaining 8 billion dollars would be split 60/40: 60 percent for the players and 40 percent for the owners. Now it will be split 52/48, owners with 52 percent and players with 48. The players share will never drop below 46.5 percent. But on top of the 52 percent for the owners, they will also get expense funds for new staium contruction, sources tell ESPN. This seems like a very fair deal to me.
Players think they will be able to cope with the 48 percent of the revenue because of the projected revenue growth by 2016. Another reason is the devices in the agreement that require a team to spend close to 100 percent of their salary cap, this accourding to ESPN's John Clayton. The mandatory minimum spending increase is a factor that worries alot of lower-revenue teams. This means that if the salary cap was set at $100 million then a team's payroll would have to total up to be at, or close to $100 million. In the previous agreement the payroll floor was less than 90 percent of the salary cap. This is a good thing for high-revenue clubs, but not for the low-revenue teams. With the revenue increase the players will be making plenty of money so this deal might just work out. But there are lots of other details that have to be just right.
The next addition is the rookie wage scale which alot of people have been wanting for quite some time now. If you did not already know, the rookie wage scale will keep teams from paying rookies too much, making sure they don't get more than the veterans who have been in the league for years. This came into place because of the salaries of young players like Matthew Stafford, San Bradford, and Jamarcus Russell. This has to be put in place, and most people understand that. This will now become part of the deal but according to sources it is still being "tweaked".
Next up is the 18-game schedule that has been very much discussed around the league. Although it has been much discussed, at this point in negotiations the 18-game schedule is jsut a negotiable item and is not part of the deal.
The next thing that has been very rarely talked about but was a very important puzzle-piece to the deal is the retirees plan. They have a good plan as it is right now. In the beginning of negotiations, retired players were not part of the deal and they got no benefits. In the new deal offered to the players, retired players will benefit from improved health care. Penison benefits will come as the revenue is expected to double to $18 Billion by 2016.
Another small detail is the Thursday Night Football deal. The new 16-game Thursday night TV package will begin in 2012, and this would be included in the new CBA.
If all these factors are right, then this could be a done deal no later than mid-July. The meeting that ended today lasted 5 hours according to Roger Goodell. Things are certrainly moving in the right direction which is good new for everybody. The deal is most likely to be sealed in one to three weeks, and the new league year is expected to begin in mid-July. The silver lining to all of this in my opinion? The players are ready to commit to a 10-year deal if the sides can agree on all of the terms, according to John Clayton. Any disagreement in talks could lead to loss of preseason games and it could even threaten the season opener. Tuesday is day 98 of this dreadfulk lockout, which makes this the longest work stoppage in NFL History.
Thanks for reading
Christian
Soruces: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6687485
6/21/11- Longoria is Back!
Good Afternoon everyone.
The Rays took traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers last night. It was Jeff Neimann, in his first start back from his back injury, who took on Chris Narverson. It was a pitchers duel until the 7th inning: besides the one run on a fielder's choice that knocked in Johnny Damon in the first inning. Then in the top of the seventh inning, the Rays started to destroy Nerverson. This is where I want to talk about how Longoria stepped up. Just about a day ago Longoria couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, even if he did it would be a slow roller or an easy grounder. Yesterday was the same, but when that seventh inning came around he was the old Longoria everyone has known to love. Usually with men on Longoria would strike out, or hit a little dribbler. This time, with Ben Zobrist on second base, Longoria smashed one into center. After that Sam fuld came up to the plate and hit Longoria in, giving the Rays a 5-0 lead! Milwaukee's Johnathan Lucroy hit a solo homer (415 ft!) into center in the bottom of the seventh. Then Longoria once again stepped up to the plate with men on, specifically two on and two out. I just thought,"Longo we need this right here, you can't strike out. Step up and be a leader". He went up 2-0 in the count and then smashed a 3-run homerun to left field. Now that is being a leader. That is the Longoria I know and love. Longo finished the game 2-5, with 4 RBIs. Neimann finished with his 2nd win of the year, 6 IP, and 5 Ks. Great game overall for the Rays.
Now we move on to game two of the series tonight where Jeremy Hellickson takes on Zack Greinke. I would imagine this game will be a pitchers duel. Jeremy Hellickson has a record of 7-5 with a 3.09 ERA. Helli will take on Zach Greinke who is 6-2 with a 5.23 ERA. Jeremy's record really doesn't show how he has been pitching because he hasn't gotten a sniff of run support in the last 2 games; in fact, the Rays haven't scored a single run when Jeremy Hellickosn pitches. I know the Brewers have the best home record in baseball, but the level at which the Rays are hitting and pitching right now, I think they will pull this one out.
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow.
Christian
The Rays took traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers last night. It was Jeff Neimann, in his first start back from his back injury, who took on Chris Narverson. It was a pitchers duel until the 7th inning: besides the one run on a fielder's choice that knocked in Johnny Damon in the first inning. Then in the top of the seventh inning, the Rays started to destroy Nerverson. This is where I want to talk about how Longoria stepped up. Just about a day ago Longoria couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, even if he did it would be a slow roller or an easy grounder. Yesterday was the same, but when that seventh inning came around he was the old Longoria everyone has known to love. Usually with men on Longoria would strike out, or hit a little dribbler. This time, with Ben Zobrist on second base, Longoria smashed one into center. After that Sam fuld came up to the plate and hit Longoria in, giving the Rays a 5-0 lead! Milwaukee's Johnathan Lucroy hit a solo homer (415 ft!) into center in the bottom of the seventh. Then Longoria once again stepped up to the plate with men on, specifically two on and two out. I just thought,"Longo we need this right here, you can't strike out. Step up and be a leader". He went up 2-0 in the count and then smashed a 3-run homerun to left field. Now that is being a leader. That is the Longoria I know and love. Longo finished the game 2-5, with 4 RBIs. Neimann finished with his 2nd win of the year, 6 IP, and 5 Ks. Great game overall for the Rays.
Now we move on to game two of the series tonight where Jeremy Hellickson takes on Zack Greinke. I would imagine this game will be a pitchers duel. Jeremy Hellickson has a record of 7-5 with a 3.09 ERA. Helli will take on Zach Greinke who is 6-2 with a 5.23 ERA. Jeremy's record really doesn't show how he has been pitching because he hasn't gotten a sniff of run support in the last 2 games; in fact, the Rays haven't scored a single run when Jeremy Hellickosn pitches. I know the Brewers have the best home record in baseball, but the level at which the Rays are hitting and pitching right now, I think they will pull this one out.
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow.
Christian
June 20, 2011
6/20/11 Blog
Hey guys!
I went to the Rays game, just like I said I was going to, and my seat was right next to the Rays dugout. I always go early for a couple autographs, and I got three in this game. 2 at the beginning, which was Sam Fuld and Elliot Johnson who are two rising players; then after the game I met and talked with Ben Zobrist. This game was more of a pitchers battle rather than hitters. James Shields pitched yet another complete game; which gives him a league-leading 5 complete games before the All-Star break. If that alone doesn't get him into the All-Star game I don't know what will. Another thing I want to point about about the Marlins is what a terrible year Hanley Ramirez is having. Expected to be great once again this year, and once again he is sub-par. Batting an ugly .201 average. This game he didn't even see the field, playing the DH spot. The Rays really hit well throughout this series, while the Marlins did not at all, obviously this leads to their 1-17 free fall to the bottom of the NL East. The Rays once again swept the Marlins although it was not a pretty game 3 in this series. Rays would get a couple of hits in some innings but no one could step up and knock a run in. In the 8th inning, the score was 1-1, when Casey Kotchman knocked in Matt Joyce (who started the inning off with a single) giving the Rays a 2-1 lead. It was a very good game to watch. The thing I really did not like was Longo, which you may refer to as Evan Longoria, had 2 errors, and it wasn't just 2 errors- it was stupid errors that professional baseball players shouldn't even be making. That is not a gold glove performance. I'm sure he will rebound from this performance but it was just so odd to see from a guy like Longo.
It was hard to believe my eyes yesterday when I saw McIlroy with a -16 final score at the US Open. Leading the rest of the pack by 8 strokes. Many said it would of been a good tournament without McIlroy in it. But thats not how most will remember it. It will be remembered as the major that McIlroy doubled everyone's score. And with that young rising talent, comes comparisons to Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time.I think it is possible, but very unlikely. Watching Tiger was incredible, and don't get me wrong, Rory's performance was awe inspiring too, but this is a one time things. I don't see this happening multiple times like Tiger. I don't think Rory will even come close to the amount of majors that Tiger will have won at the end of his career.
Shifting back to baseball now, where Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1st baseman, hs fractured his arm and will be out for 4-6 weeks. At this point he hasn't been put on the DL, but probably will once the Cardinals will find someone to call up and take his spot on the roster. This is a huge hit for the Cardinals, who are tied atop the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. Both of these teams have a 40-33 record. They might be able to stay in playoff contention, and I think they still can. 4-6 weeks is not much of the season in Baseball, and if they can just stay even, or just under .500, then they can stay in playoff contention.Could this injury possibly lower Albert Pujols value when he is on the market next year? I guess only time can tell.
One last story for today, that I am adding on to this blog. The Dodger TV Deal that was going to save the franchise was rejected by the Major League Baseball, more specifically Bud Selig, today. The ruling invalidates a divorce settlement between Frank McCourt (the Owner of the franchise) and his ex-wife. If McCourt does not make payroll on June 30th, MLB could take over the Dodgers franchise and put the team up for sale. The MLB issued this statement today
"This decision was reached after a full and careful consideration of the terms of the proposed transaction and the club's current circumstances," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "It is my conclusion that this proposed transaction with FOX would not be in the best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, the game of Baseball and the millions of loyal fans of this historic club."
I think the end result will keep the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but it is likely that the team could move.
That's about all for today, Thanks for reading.
Christian
I went to the Rays game, just like I said I was going to, and my seat was right next to the Rays dugout. I always go early for a couple autographs, and I got three in this game. 2 at the beginning, which was Sam Fuld and Elliot Johnson who are two rising players; then after the game I met and talked with Ben Zobrist. This game was more of a pitchers battle rather than hitters. James Shields pitched yet another complete game; which gives him a league-leading 5 complete games before the All-Star break. If that alone doesn't get him into the All-Star game I don't know what will. Another thing I want to point about about the Marlins is what a terrible year Hanley Ramirez is having. Expected to be great once again this year, and once again he is sub-par. Batting an ugly .201 average. This game he didn't even see the field, playing the DH spot. The Rays really hit well throughout this series, while the Marlins did not at all, obviously this leads to their 1-17 free fall to the bottom of the NL East. The Rays once again swept the Marlins although it was not a pretty game 3 in this series. Rays would get a couple of hits in some innings but no one could step up and knock a run in. In the 8th inning, the score was 1-1, when Casey Kotchman knocked in Matt Joyce (who started the inning off with a single) giving the Rays a 2-1 lead. It was a very good game to watch. The thing I really did not like was Longo, which you may refer to as Evan Longoria, had 2 errors, and it wasn't just 2 errors- it was stupid errors that professional baseball players shouldn't even be making. That is not a gold glove performance. I'm sure he will rebound from this performance but it was just so odd to see from a guy like Longo.
It was hard to believe my eyes yesterday when I saw McIlroy with a -16 final score at the US Open. Leading the rest of the pack by 8 strokes. Many said it would of been a good tournament without McIlroy in it. But thats not how most will remember it. It will be remembered as the major that McIlroy doubled everyone's score. And with that young rising talent, comes comparisons to Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time.I think it is possible, but very unlikely. Watching Tiger was incredible, and don't get me wrong, Rory's performance was awe inspiring too, but this is a one time things. I don't see this happening multiple times like Tiger. I don't think Rory will even come close to the amount of majors that Tiger will have won at the end of his career.
Shifting back to baseball now, where Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1st baseman, hs fractured his arm and will be out for 4-6 weeks. At this point he hasn't been put on the DL, but probably will once the Cardinals will find someone to call up and take his spot on the roster. This is a huge hit for the Cardinals, who are tied atop the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. Both of these teams have a 40-33 record. They might be able to stay in playoff contention, and I think they still can. 4-6 weeks is not much of the season in Baseball, and if they can just stay even, or just under .500, then they can stay in playoff contention.Could this injury possibly lower Albert Pujols value when he is on the market next year? I guess only time can tell.
One last story for today, that I am adding on to this blog. The Dodger TV Deal that was going to save the franchise was rejected by the Major League Baseball, more specifically Bud Selig, today. The ruling invalidates a divorce settlement between Frank McCourt (the Owner of the franchise) and his ex-wife. If McCourt does not make payroll on June 30th, MLB could take over the Dodgers franchise and put the team up for sale. The MLB issued this statement today
"This decision was reached after a full and careful consideration of the terms of the proposed transaction and the club's current circumstances," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "It is my conclusion that this proposed transaction with FOX would not be in the best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, the game of Baseball and the millions of loyal fans of this historic club."
I think the end result will keep the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but it is likely that the team could move.
That's about all for today, Thanks for reading.
Christian
June 19, 2011
Getting my summer blog going!
Summer 2011 has started, and school is out for the summer. I figured with my free time I could write about what I do day in and day out. Consisting mainly of my sports opinions and jam-packed with info about all sports. First, I need you all to know that I am in St.Petersburg right now. Just visiting family and beach-going, things of that nature. But I will still try to post daily. When I am back home in Wichita, Kansas I will be posting everyday, and no less than every other day. I will mainly post about the Rays (my Rays), but I will also give my opinion on interesting and popular sports topics.
Kicking things off, I am going to the Tampa Bay Rays game tomorrow against the skidding Florida Marlins. This game starts at 1:40 ET. So this is a normal, early Sunday game. The All-Star worthy James Shields (6-4, 2.60 ERA) will take on Chris Volstad (2-7, 6.07) who has lost 6 of his last 8 starts. Volstad has had an ERA over 5 in every start since April 18th. James Shields is coming off an outstanding performance in which he pitched a complete game shutout. He also pitched another shutout, earlier this year, against the Marlins.
And some unforunate news for Red Sox, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford was placed on the 15-day DL today. This is his 1st trip to the disabled list since 2008. He strained his left hamstring which occured Friday night "while beating out an infield hit in the first inning" (ESPN). The open spot on the roster was filled by outfielder Josh Reddick. I'm surprise he was put on the DL, I figured it would be a week maybe. But, these can bother a player for a long time if it isn't completely healed.
Shifting over to a new sport, Golf. Where we head to the Congressional Country Club in . Bethedsa, Maryland, where Rory McIlroy has set 18-hole and 54-hole records at the US Open. His -14 score, leading the rest of the pack by 8 shots, has broken the record heading into Sunday. Hopefully McIlroy has learned from his nightmare of a mistake at the 2011 Master's.
Thanks for reading and I will be back tomorrow to talk more about the Master's and some more baseball.
Christian Hardy
Kicking things off, I am going to the Tampa Bay Rays game tomorrow against the skidding Florida Marlins. This game starts at 1:40 ET. So this is a normal, early Sunday game. The All-Star worthy James Shields (6-4, 2.60 ERA) will take on Chris Volstad (2-7, 6.07) who has lost 6 of his last 8 starts. Volstad has had an ERA over 5 in every start since April 18th. James Shields is coming off an outstanding performance in which he pitched a complete game shutout. He also pitched another shutout, earlier this year, against the Marlins.
And some unforunate news for Red Sox, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford was placed on the 15-day DL today. This is his 1st trip to the disabled list since 2008. He strained his left hamstring which occured Friday night "while beating out an infield hit in the first inning" (ESPN). The open spot on the roster was filled by outfielder Josh Reddick. I'm surprise he was put on the DL, I figured it would be a week maybe. But, these can bother a player for a long time if it isn't completely healed.
Shifting over to a new sport, Golf. Where we head to the Congressional Country Club in . Bethedsa, Maryland, where Rory McIlroy has set 18-hole and 54-hole records at the US Open. His -14 score, leading the rest of the pack by 8 shots, has broken the record heading into Sunday. Hopefully McIlroy has learned from his nightmare of a mistake at the 2011 Master's.
Thanks for reading and I will be back tomorrow to talk more about the Master's and some more baseball.
Christian Hardy
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