Rays fans will have familiar voices during games this season
Sun Sports released a press release this afternoon which states that Rays fans will hear familiar voices from the broadcast booth this season. Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson will be calling games this season along with Todd Kalas who will be covering 150 Rays games this season.
According to the press release, all games will be broadcast in HD and the first broadcast will be on Friday, April 1 when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles.
Tampa Bay Rays fans, please take a moment to remember Officer David S. Crawford. Officer Crawford was killed last night as he investigated a prowler call last night at 10:30pm Officer Crawford was shot and pronounced dead on arrival at Bayfront Medical Center last evening.The shooting occurred just a few blocks east of Tropicana Filed.
Officer Crawford is the third St. Pete. police officer to lose his life in the line of duty since January 1st, 2011. Nine Florida police officers have been killed in the line of duty as well since January 1st. Please take some time to remember the friends and family of those officers.
So the Tampa Bay Rays don’t have any fans…….
This past weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays held their annual FanFest at Tropicana Field, and despite reports to the contrary, the Tampa Bay Rays have plenty of fans. I suppose those were fans, all 25,000 which filed into the Trop and helped to raise more than $100,000 dollars for local charities.
Joe Maddon cooked dinner for a packed house in the Batter’s eye restaurant at his annual event, Thanksmas.
In related Rays news over the weekend, RP Juan Cruz finally solved his visa issues and reported to the training facility in Port Charlotte. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters that Cruz might be this year’s version of Joaquin Benoit as he was also recovering from a shoulder injury at this point of spring training last season.
A key component of the Rays starting pitching rotation this year will be Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson made some starts for the Rays late last summer and looked impressive in doing so. Hellickson reported to Spring training this season with a slightly tweaked hamstring but does not figure that his injury will be an issue. Speaking with reporters, Hellickson said regarding his injury, “It’s getting better. There’s really no concern, just being cautious”.
Tampa Bay Rays continue the mantra that all closers look better at closing time
The Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon announced that the organization signed RHP Juan Cruz to a minor league contract. As free agency winds down, the Rays seem to be acting like a single man at the bar 30 minutes before closing time, trying to pick up whoever is left in the bar when the house lights come on.
Cruz has played 10 seasons in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Oakland A’s and the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his career, he managed a 32-35 overall record with three saves and a 4.15 ERA.
Cruz,32, has historically been regarded as a middle relief pitcher, and was lost for last season after having to undergo shoulder surgery in order to remove a cyst. The Rays now have 28 pitchers on their roster heading into spring training, qand it is believed that 11 pitchers will compete for three open reliver positions.
The signing cannot hurt, and once again, this comes as an addition which comes with little downside, but maximum upside. The Rays have shown a propensity for re-claiming players off the scrap heap. We can only hope that Cruz is yet another one.
Rays fans will have a chance to dine with Joe “The Galloping Gourmet” Maddon
Tampa Bay Rays fans will have a chance to dine with Rays skipper and gourmet, Joe Maddon. The Rays upcoming Fan Fest is going to be held on Saturday, February 19th from 10am to 5pm at Tropicana Field. Admission and parking to the event will be free, but if you want a chance to eat dinner with Joe Maddon, you’ll have to purchase a ticket.
Joe Maddon, nick-named Merlot Maddon, for his affection for wine, also has an affinity for cooking. Fans which want to spend $30 dollars in advance or $40 dollars at the door, can sample his homemade spaghetti sauce, pierogies and sausage.
For the past five seasons, Maddon has worked through his initiative, Thanksmas, where he cooks meals at local homeless shelters. The proceeds from this event will go to the Salvation Army and the Rays Baseball Foundation. Tickets can be purchased in advance on raysbaseball.com or by calling 1-888-FAN-Rays.
If I were able to attend FanFest, I would certainly be buying a ticket to this event.
With versatility in mind, the Tampa Bay Rays sign another player
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon loves to move his players around, both in the lineup and on the field, so with that kind of versatility in mind, the Rays signed veteran infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor-league contract and will invite him to the team’s spring training.
Lopez, 31, has primarily played shortstop in his career, but can play second or third base and has experience both in the outfield and playing first base. The switch-hitter has a career .266 BA along with 88 homeruns and 428 RBI’s. His best season came in 2005 while he was with the Cincinnati Reds. Lopez hit 23 homeruns and drove in 85 runs, batting .291 while winning a Silver Slugger award and being named an All-Star.
If Lopez makes the final Rays roster, ESPN reports that he will earn $1 million in salary with the chance to earn another $1 million in incentives.
Lopez saw his production drop off last year, finishing the season with a .233 batting average while splitting time with both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. However, in 2009 while splitting time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers, Lopez hit .310, 9 homeruns and 57 runs in 680 at bats.
