HER RAYS!

Good Deed, Good Time, Illness and Complete Failure!

Right before I headed to the Trop today, plans were changed and suddenly I had four free tickets for the game.  If it would have been sooner I would have offered them up to a lucky Her Rays reader, but it was last minute.  I didn’t want the tickets to be wasted though, so I took them to the game and gave them away to four lucky people standing in line.  There’s nothing better than being generous to unsuspecting strangers.

Sunday games are interesting to say the least.  There are lots of little people there.  Some of them are super cute and others well let’s just hope their moms think their cute. 

The game was great.  Shields pitched awesome.  I made a comment about his booty the other day.  I must take it back.  He must have been wearing baggy pants, cause his bum looked pretty good in person. 

Rocco Baldelli is scorchin.  I’m talking about his baseball skills people.  He was three for three today.  I hope the other teams keep leaving that third base line open for him.

Everything was super.  We were enjoying the game, but about the sixth inning my friend started to feel a little queasy.  It could have been the altitude since we were in the upper deck, but we’re not sure.  I was pretty bummed, but I really didn’t want to see him hurl all over some innocent kid so we left.  Luckily the Rays had a healthy lead.

This is where the story goes sour.  In the car we were listening to the game on the radio.  My friend is fine at this point?  Guess a little fresh air did the trick.  Anyway I was in the car when I heard that Barty hit his first homerun.  The car!  I missed it.  I should have been there!  He was four for four today, but I missed the big one.  Fail!  Ugh, my heart hurts.  Sorry Jason, I would have cheered super loud.  Even louder than I did in the car.

The Rays won big and swept the O’s, and as a bonus they picked up another game on the Red Sox.  Let’s hope they can keep this up when the Yankees get to town.  Go Rays!!

(AP photo/Steve Nesius)

ROC  ON!!

Go Rays!!

The Rays scored two touchdowns and held the O’s to a field goal.

Forget instant replay, can we please have a mercy rule.  Games like these are brutal.  I mean it’s fun to see the team score a buttload of runs, but at some point you’re forced to channel surf.  The chick flicks were calling.

Mr. Kazmir had a good crowd.  Now if only he could stay on the field a little longer.  However he didn’t give up any runs so I guess we’ll let it slide.  Especially when the O’s pitcher only lasted for three innings and gave up seven runs.

It makes me wonder though why Kazmir can’t get past the sixth inning, I mean besides the pitch count, walks and exorbatant amount of foul balls.  Is he fond of the number six?  Does it remind him that cold ones come in six packs, or of a double menage a trois? (isn’t that technically an orgy?)  Wow, we probably don’t need to go there.  Maybe we just need to come up with some great things having to do with the number seven. 

Salas gave up some runs.  I should have more to say about this but I was busy watching Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black at that point.

Benny hit a grand slam.  It is unfair but I kind of have some negative feelings for him.  Basically because a lot of times when he is in the game, Barty is not.  I’m sorry Ben, and I really do appreciate the grand slam and I’ll work on being more pro Zobrist.

People do you know what this means?  The Rays are winners.  Winners I say.  This is their first winning season.  Ever.  Don’t call to much attention to it though so they just keep going. 

Let’s hope the Rays saved a little offensive power and Sonny can get another win today.  Go Rays!! 

Holy Shitske!

People the Rays won again.  I know right?  Hinske made that web gem.  Edwin pitched seven innings and only gave up one run.  The bullpen gave up a couple of runs, but they still saved the game.  Floyd and Aybar took care of the offense.  This team can play some baseball.  There were 14,000 people there to witness it first hand.

The attendance for this series has been a hot topic.  That’s why I must make a confession.  Besides all of the normal excuses of money, work, etc., there is one other reason Rays fans don’t get out to the games during the week.  Thirsty Thursdays.

Depending how far you want to stretch the Tampa Bay area, there are three to five minor league teams that play here.  So some people, yes I’m guilty, abandon their major league team.  Why?  Because sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.  It could also have something to do with the dollar beers, and the gulf breeze as you watch outdoor baseball.

This does not mean that I love the Rays any less.  I mean, have you met me?  I just prefer to go to the Trop on the weekends.  Sorry Rays.  Keep up with the whole being awesome thing and I’ll see you this weekend.  Go Rays!!

(photo ESPN)

Mr. Maddon’s outfield traffic laws.

Red – Carl Crawford.  Stop.  Do not proceed until you have a note from your doctor.

Yellow – Rocco Baldelli.  Caution.  Approach the fly balls with caution.  Please do not go balls out all the time.  Do not break yourself.

Green – Justin Ruggiano.  Throw caution to the wind.  No more being safe.  Risk life and limb to bring the ball in.  Your time is now, go!

Earlier this season I wondered if Justin could bring the sexy back to the outfield.  Well now that Maddon has unleashed him I think we just might see that happen.  Spectacular final catch last night to save the game.  Rays win! 

Mr. Garza and Mr. Pena, you guys rock my world. 

Let’s hope the Rays can pick up the series win tonight.  Oh and it would be nice if the Yankees could manage a win.  Sheesh.  Go Rays!!

If you play the odds, you knew this one was coming.

Roy Halladay is a really good pitcher.  The Rays have beat him 3 times this season.  C’mon, he was due.  He might have blown a gasket if the Rays beat him again.

Anyway the Rays lost, Toronto 6 – Tampa 2.  James Shields deserves a lot of credit.  He didn’t have it tonight but once again he found a way to pitch almost seven innings. 

Let’s just hope that Navi is okay.  He evidently had cramping in both hamstrings.  That shit is not funny.  Give the guy, whom some call whiskers, a banana and some Gatorade stat.  The Rays cannot be losing him right now.  I refuse to call him fat.  I love that chubby switch hitting catcher.

I also love Rocco Baldelli and he was looking particularly good in his dress whites tonight.  There’s just something about a man in uniform… Sorry but I’m missing Longo a bit.  My other fave is playing solid though.  Great job Barty.

Let’s hope the Rays can pick up the win tomorrow and go on to win the series.  Grrrrza’s on the mound.  Go Rays!!

Winning another series, puppies and AJ the mole.

Well the Rays won another series.  This is something we should be really happy about.  It’s just kind of a bummer since they were so close to the sweep.  The atrocious call pissed me right off, but the Rays had a chance to put the White Sox away in the 9th.  It’s okay boys, I still love you.

Even if I was totally distracted this weekend.  In a moment of temporary insanity I welcomed a new addition.  Meet Rocco.

I’ve heard it’s very dangerous to name your children after sports stars, but a pet is okay right?  I love Rocco, even when he’s down and out and hairy, so I should be able to love a dog with the same name.  Plus it sounds really cool.  Also a bonus, since I’ve had him Mr. Baldelli is rockin the homeruns.  Coincidence?  I like to think not.

Oh and one other thing.  I’m glad we’re done playing the White Sox.  Mr. Pierzynski is a dirty little weasel.  After the game the only thing that would have made me feel better would have been to turn that weasel into a mole and play my favorite game.

Sorry Katie.  Go Rays!!

 You’re done.  Now stand still while I shove this up your….

 I turned on the TV tonight just in time to see Nick Swisher’s ugly mug hit a two run homerun.  Wasn’t that a fine how do ya do.

However after that the Rays decided, if Swisher can do it we can do it, and the scoring began.  Everybody was hitting, to the tune of 14 hits total.

There was one run that prompted me to bust out a happy dance though.  Rocco hit a homerun!  It totally warmed my heart.  I mean it was quite a dance, I could have pulled something.  Don’t worry me and Rocco are all good.

The Rays won and gave themselves the best record in baseball.  Tampa 9 – Chicago 4.  Let’s hope they can keep it going tomorrow.  Go Rays!!

 I wrote a guest blog for a fun White Sox site.  As usual I didn’t really write anything meaningful but if you’re bored… check it out.

(photo yahoo sports)

Huh?  They lost.

The Rays won the series, but lost the final game tonight.  LA 5 – Tampa 4.  A lot of blame could be thrown around, but basically the Rays didn’t play a very clean game so they got beat.

They seemed to have the momentum going their way after they tied it up in the 8th.  I would have loved to have seen Rocco in to pinch hit there for Zobrist.  Then again I’d always love to see Rocco over Benny so I’m not very objective.  The crowd would have went nuts, but who knows how Rocco is really feeling.

Balfour came out after pitching a great 8th, to start the 9th.  I’m sure this is because the game was tied, but I honestly don’t think he expected to go back out.  I might be suffering from sleep deprivation but I think I saw him in the dugout in his sweatshirt just chillin with the guys.  Doesn’t matter, but he did give up a lead-off walk.

Then Ruggiano missed a fly ball.  Staats and Kalas seem to think he lost it in the lights.  I think he made a bad decision and decided to let it drop instead of going for it.  We all make bad decisions, but that one really blew.  What would an announcer say?  It changed the whole complexion of the game.

Funny how we can’t accept the losing now isn’t it.  Let’s hope the Rays can get back to their winning ways in Chicago.  Go Rays!!

BJ has obviously been cursed.

Somewhere out there is a woman scorned.  She is a crazy, clingy chick and when BJ realized that he ran for the hills.  So what does an unstable person do?  She put a curse on him and his base running legs.  I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier.  Think about it, he has been cursed the entire season on the base paths.  Tonights call against him is proof.  He didn’t do anything wrong and he was still out!  Even Maddon is at his wits end.

So what should he do?  He could just hit homeruns, then they couldn’t call him out on the basepaths.  The curse might cause him to trip or something but that we can live with.  He could also try to make amends with the crazy chick, but that could be dangerous.  What if she messes with his throwing arm and he can’t gun down runners like he did tonight.  The best solution would be to somehow cleanse himself from the curse.  Do the Rays have a voodoo doctor?

Oh, the Rays won tonight!  LA 2 – Tampa 4. 

Evan Longoria is not for a tobacco free Florida.  He was caught on camera dippin.

Barty had a good game.  He had a nifty double play in the first, the single that broke up the no hitter, and a bunt double.  Love him.

Shields started off rough again, but settled in and pitched eight innings.  How do I say this delicately…Either his pants are baggier or he has added some junk to the trunk.

Gabe Gross made a great play at the wall robbing Texiera.

Santana was filthy with almost no hits, but his relievers couldn’t hit the strike zone at all.

Aybar singled to drive in the game winning runs.  That’ll do.

Wheeler pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.  It was like Nestea.  Totally refreshing!

Rays win!  Shh, they might even have the best record in baseball.  Let’s hope they can keep it up tomorrow.  Go Rays!!