Blurbex

No doubt baseball can be dull. But Evan Longoria’s at-bat last night in the 7th inning against Cleveland was one of those moments that make the game worth watching.

He crushed two Rafael Betancourt pitches deep into the left field stands, just foul. Longoria’s body language oozed confidence at the plate. I’m thinking, “You should just walk him, pitcher.”

Betancourt didn’t, and the Rays third baseman jacked one far into the leftfield seats, a fair ball this time, homerun. That bomb broke the game open, and the Rays won 8-4, ending a five-game losing streak to the Indians.

As a rookie, Longoria appears to have already become the most popular Ray, not to mention the frontrunner for this year’s team MVP (as well as AL Rookie of the Year).

• Jonny Gomes got sent down to the minors yesterday, as he should’ve been. The right-handed power hitter was batting .182 with eight homeruns as a platoon player. He was shaky in the outfield as well.

Gomes said he hopes to get called back up to the majors, but welcomes the chance to play everyday for the Triple A Durham Bulls. Good attitude. He’s always been a team guy.

The Rays should call Gomes up if they sense another impending basebrawl. Did you see him early in the season when the fight broke out against the Red Sox? Gomes was bustin’ heads. No fear. Dude’s a bulldog.

• The Rays’ 2007 No. 1 draft pick (taken first overall), pitcher David Price, is playing Double-A ball in Montgomery, Ala. He has an improbable 10-0 record in 14 starts, with a 1.97 ERA.

They say you have to handle young pitchers with kid gloves, but Price was a superstar pitcher at Vanderbilt for three years and is almost 23. How do you not bring him up to the Big League team and give him a taste, see what he can do?

Bookmark to:

So this much seems clear: Brett Favre won’t be playing for the Green Bay Packers this year.

Aside from that, the whole situation is more than a bit murky. The Buccaneers and Jets have been named in news reports as teams Favre might get traded to. And perhaps by the time you read this blog, a trade will have already been completed.

But for now, it’s all just talk. In a press conference this afternoon, Packers coach Mike McCarthy had this to say on his talks with Favre over the past two days:

We agreed to disagree. … The train has left the station, whatever analogy you want.

Apparently, not a single reporter could get clarification on the issue, as the report cited above quoted McCarthy as saying that Favre was not in the “proper mindset” to lead the team. I can only assume that means Favre’s feelings were sufficiently hurt that the Packers did not immediately welcome him back as their starting quarterback once he announced his desire to return to football, and that his appearance at the Packers’ training facility on Monday was little more than a formality in order to expedite a trade. Or perhaps it means that the Packers were not willing to give him his job back without competing for it against Aaron Rodgers, something Favre might not have been willing to do.

Regardless of who is being more intractable, it seems that Packers fans are on Brett’s side and holding the Packers’ brass accountable, if the comments on the Green Bay Press-Gazette are any indication.

Bookmark to:

Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber did a phone interview with sports radio host Jim Rome this afternoon, and after the amiable Q&A about training camp and the obligatory Brett Favre question, it was time for the plug. Ronde and Romey commiserated for a few minutes on the “Beat the Heat” campaign, which aims to educate coaches and parents about the importance of hydration at football practice.  The co-sponsors: NFL teams … and Gatorade. 

Bookmark to:

Uh oh, I’m now doing what I warned the Rays against: watching the standings. It started two nights ago when the Rays beat the Blue Jays while the Red Sox and Yankees lost. I thought, “Hmmm, they gained a game. Good.”

I peeked this morning and saw that that Sox lost again, and the Yanks won. Not too bad. Rays have a three-game lead in the AL East.

But like I said a few days ago: There are more than 50 games left to play (55 to be exact). I think it’s counterproductive for Rays players to start a daily vigil on how the Sox and Yanks are doing.

I know it’s impossible to ignore those scores — the news is everywhere — but the St. Petersburg team has to do its best to downplay the day-to-day importance.

For fans, on the other hand, it just adds to the excitement.

The Rays fared pretty well on their road trip, going 4-3 and taking two out of three (close games) from division foe Toronto (although, collectively, the offense has yet to kick into gear).

The Rays play their next six games at home, three each against the increasingly dangerous Detroit Tigers (6-4 in their last 10) and then the Indians.

I like that Kazmir opens the series on Friday, not so much that the increasingly shaky Andy Sonnanstine pitches against crusty veteran Kenny Rogers on Saturday. Then again, L.L. Cool J performs after that game, and the Rays haven’t lost on concert Saturday nights.

I’m wondering if my bud Sean Daley of the St. Pete Times has started watching the standings? I’m also wondering if he’s excited about watching L.L. shirtless.

Bookmark to:

Not every series can be pivotal, but the three-gamer starting tonight in Toronto sure feels that way.

The Rays just split four games with the Royals in K.C. — not a disaster, but not the tonic the St. Petersburg team needed. The major problems persist, chief among them the offense. While the Rays are no longer in a collective hitting slump — Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena could even be considered hot — they can’t seem to come together at the plate.

Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton continue to underachieve, and for too long the Rays have not been able to spark that rally, that big inning. They don’t knock in runs at key times. They strand baserunners like they have leprosy.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Granted, the Tampa Bay Rays have sustained me through the summer thus far, but I’m amped about the U.S. Olympic basketball team kicking into gear.

U.S.A. Basketball stunk it up in the last Olympics. The chemistry looked shaky; they didn’t play as a team. Finished with the bronze. The ’08 edition looks and feels better; more care seems to have gone into finding players to fill roles rather than just amassing a gang of gunners.

The U.S. squad begins pre-Olympic games tonight vs. Canada (8 p.m., ESPN). It sure seems like the American players are motivated to re-establish hoops dominance on the international stage. Most of the players made long-term commitments to get to this point.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Bucs camp starts Saturday and I don’t care.

Well, I care a little, I guess, but not like I used to in the past. I picked up the sports section today and there was the obligatory story about keen areas of competition expected in camp — running backs, receivers, etc. — and I barely skimmed it.

Last year, and the years before, I would’ve been all over it.

Why? The Rays, man.

Until this year, I, like so many Tampa Bay sports fans, slogged through late June and July — with the NBA Playoffs over and our baseball team already 20 games under .500.

Football training camp represented a rebirth. Throw me a crumb about the battle for who’s going to return kickoffs, or the human interest story on the 127th kid who’s overcome adversity, and I am on it.

Hey, I’ll probably still read those stories, but they won’t be the lifeline they’ve been before. And I’ll read the Rays stories first.

Bookmark to:

I was sitting in the back row of the press box at Tropicana Field Friday night when an imposing figure sat down beside me. Dude was about 6-feet-2, thick, wearing a black brimmed hat. This is no garden-variety baseball beat writer, I thought.

I introduced myself.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Dear Green Bay Packers,

After a long, illustrious career with one of the most storied franchises in NFL history, I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up the cleats.

I’m 38 years old, a three-time MVP winner, and the career league leader in yards passing, touchdowns and victories, including a triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. There’s really nothing left for me to accomplish, and so, (chin is trembling) on the heels of a successful 2007 campaign, I feel now is the time to leave on a high note, ride off into the sunset and possibly open up a car dealership in my hometown of Kiln, Mississippi. Thank you for allowing me to serve the Packers organization and its fans (what is this salty liquid stinging my eyes?) for the past 16 seasons. Rest assured that my retirement will not in any way affect my close relationship with the team or city I’ve grown to love and which has shown so much love and loyalty in return. Whenever you need me, (oh, geez, I’m bawling like a baby) I will always be available for promotional appearances, scouting advice and the obligatory honorary coin toss.

Ever your humble quarterback,

Brett Favre, Packer for life

(more…)

Bookmark to:

While the start of Bucs training camp is still 11 days away, it’s never too early to begin strategerizing for Fantasy Football season. This year, a few good sports from CL’s editorial department are itching to take on you, the reader, in our first annual Fantasy Football Challenge. Do you have what it takes to do statistical gridiron battle with us this fall? I doubt it. (Let’s face it: you’re weak and you don’t know your football from your pinball.) But if you are one of the brave souls ready to face the virtual ass-whoopin’ of a lifetime, let me know. Send an e-mail with the subject line “Fantasy Football” to joe.bardi@creativeloafing.com, and I’ll forward you all the details.

There are no prizes, of course. That would be gambling, and we all know gambling is very wrong. (Except when done on sacred Native-American land, cruise ships, foreign countries, or in Nevada, New Jersey, Connecticut, Mississippi, etc.) However, we will be featuring breathless coverage of the league on the CL Blogs and at tampa.creativeloafing.com. This is your chance at fantasy gridiron greatness. Don’t screw it up rookie!

(Photo Credit: Nightthree)

Bookmark to:

Ex-Ray, ex-drug abuser Josh Hamilton warped minds last night with his display of power-hitting at the MLB Home Run Derby, part of the All-Star Game festivities.

Without going into rules particulars, Hamilton swung at 38 pitches (friendly throws from a batting-practice pitcher). He knocked 28 out of the park, and lots of ’em were moon shots. That 28 is a record for one round in the event.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Last week I laid some groundwork for this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, how Harrah’s planned to halt play once they got down to the final table of nine people until November in order to jack up mainstream media interest and let ESPN’s not-so-live TV coverage catch up. Let the media frenzy begin.

The WSOP Main Event started July 3, with 6,844 people ponying up the $10,000 to participate, resulting in a prize pool of $64,333,600. Anyone who managed to beat out more than ten percent of the field managed to take home some dough, starting at $21,230 at 666th place. At 3:30 a.m. this morning, Michigan pro Dean Hamrick was in the uncomfortable position of being knocked out at 10th place, resulting in a booby prize of almost $600k.

The final nine received a payout of $900k — the minimum they will be winning once play resumes — and a 117 day vacation that they’ll likely spend negotiating endorsement deals, studying opponents and training, training, training. $900k is a lot, but 1st place will take home over $9 million, along with an easy, almost-guaranteed lifetime income as a sponsored pro. There are a few amateurs, a few pros, a mix of ages, and five different countries represented among the surviving few. All men, though, as the final female player was eliminated in 17th place.

Locally, our own former CL columnist (and current traitor) Jaden Hair got a little windfall from the WSOP. Her husband Scott (that’s him looking stern in the pic) — a good online poker player — managed to ride a short stack into the money for a cool $27k, finishing 466th when his pocket aces got two-outed by pocket queens. Bad beat, Scott. And Jaden, out of respect for you, I refrained from making a joke about “riding the short stack”.

Bookmark to:

The St. Pete Times is asking readers to choose from among its picks for the top 25 Super Bowl plays ever, with the results to be announced over the course of the season, culminating with the top vote-getter the Friday before the Super Bowl, which will be held this year in Tampa.

Allow me to skip ahead lo those many weeks and cut to the chase. (more…)

Bookmark to: