My Vote for the 50 Best Players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame

The baseball world announced today that pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and first baseman Frank Thomas will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. All three are definitely qualified, with long, accomplished careers.

While the aforementioned will be inducted, baseball still struggles with a long line of candidates who played during the "PED era" of the 1990s and early 2000s - an era marked with high steroid and other performance drug use. Throughout the baseball blogosphere and twittersphere, numerous writers have offered points and counter-points on what the Hall of Fame should do about the issue.

Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame has done nothing, frustrating writers and fans alike.

At the blog Baseball Past and Present, writer Graham Womack came up with a different approach. For the fourth year, he polled his readers to select the 50 best players not in the Hall of Fame. When I offered to be a part of this year's effort, Graham sent me a list of over 500 retired players spanning from the early days of baseball through the Negro Leagues, the Japanese Leagues, to players of the current era. The only caveat is they had to be out of baseball for five years - the same qualification used by the Hall of Fame.

Going through Graham's ballot took me over a week. Although I thought I was knowledgeable about my baseball history, there were numerous names I never heard of. Baseball-Reference.com and other baseball history sites were a huge help as I researched every name I didn't know. I took the ballot very seriously.

After compiling over 200 ballots, Graham published the results on his site on Monday. It's a long but great read.

My ballot was quite different than the final results. Here are my picks for the 50 Best Players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (My Hall choice/final result).

1. Jeff Bagwell - Yes/Yes
2. Roger Clemens - Yes/Yes
3. Barry Bonds - Yes/Yes
4. Charlie Finley - Yes/Did not make list
5. Tom Glavine - Yes/Yes
6. Shoeless Joe Jackson - Yes/Yes
7. Greg Maddux - Yes/Yes
8. Minnie Minoso - Yes/Yes
9. Mike Mussina - Yes/Yes
10. Buck O'Neill - Yes/Did not make list
11. Sadaharu Oh - Yes/Did not make list
12. Tim Raines - Yes/Yes
13. Pete Rose - Yes/Yes
14. Frank Thomas - Yes/Yes
15. Buzz Arlett - Yes/Did not make list
16. Mike Piazza - Yes/Yes
17. Tip O'Neill - Yes/Did not make list
18. Craig Biggio - Yes/Yes
19. Ollie Carnegie - Yes/Did not make list
20. Jim Creighton - Yes/Did not make list
21. Edgar Martinez - Yes/Yes
22. Oliver Marcelle - Yes/Did not make list
23. Newt Allen - Yes/Did not make list
24. Victor Starffin - Yes/Did not make list
25. Rafael Palmeiro - No/Yes
26. Sammy Sosa - No/Yes
27. Mark McGwire - No/Yes
28. Pete Browning - Yes/Did not make list
29. Dave Orr - Yes/Did not make list
30. Charley Keller - No/Did not make list
31. Gavy Cravath - No/Did not make list
32. Charley Jones - Yes/Did not make list
33. Dick Allen - Yes/Yes
34. Albert Belle - No/Did not make list
35. Maury Wills - No/Did not make list
36. Bernie Williams - No/Did not make list
37. Harry Stovey - Yes/Did not make list
38. Isao Harimoto - Yes/Did not make list
39. Smead Jolley - No/Did not make list
40. Gil Hodges - Yes/Yes
41. Masaichi Kaneda - Yes/Did not make list
42. Jim Kaat - No/Yes
43. Benny Kauff - No/Did not make list
44. Jeff Kent - No/Yes
45. Fred McGriff - No/Yes
46. Ross Barnes - Yes/Did not make list
47. Dave Concepcion - No/Did not make list
48. Chuck Foster - Yes/Did not make list
49. Curt Flood - Yes/Did not make list
50. Bud Fowler - Yes/Did not make list
51. Don Mattingly - No/No
52. Jack Morris - No/No
53. Alejandro Oms - Yes/Did not make list
54. Home Run Johnson - Yes/Did not make list

As you can see, quite a few differences. I found many Negro League players and olde-time players I thought needed more recognition than they currently receive, so they made it on my list as Hall recommendations. Maybe one day the Hall of Fame will have a batch recognition of names from the past.

I also leaned heavily on international names. I would like to see the Baseball Hall of Fame become a global museum and induct players from the Japanese League, Mexican League, and other foreign organizations. That would not only be good for baseball's international popularity, it would also make Cooperstown a global tourist destination, which is good for business. Although many might say the levels of competition between those leagues and the American Major Leagues were too different, my argument is that not every Negro League player was Major League caliber. There is no doubt Josh Gibson homered against some inferior talent and he is a Hall of Famer. I believe the same standard should be held to Japanese, Mexican, and Cuban League players from generations ago. Those players could not go to the Major Leagues as easily as they can now.

There were also five names I don't think are Hall of Famers that a majority of those polled do think should have a plaque in Cooperstown: Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Fred McGriff, Jeff Kent, and Jim Kaat. Palmeiro and Sosa both tested positive for steroids. In their case, I knocked 25% off their career stats, which made them borderline at best. Do the same for Bonds, Clemens, and several others and they still have great enough stats. Palmeiro and Sosa do not. McGriff, Kent, and Kaat had long and distinguished careers, but I don't believe they were great enough.

Finally, you are probably wondering why there are 54 names when I was only instructed to pick 50. That's because I can't keep track very well and confused myself on the print out and wrote the same number next to two different names four times. But on the online form I only voted for 50.

Tampa Yankees probably not moving to Ocala

I didn't want to get into too much news just yet as this site hasn't been on its feet for very long, but this is kinda important. According to the Citrus County Chronicle, the Tampa Yankees will probably not be moving to Ocala, Florida after the 2016 season. In October of 2013, the City of Ocala and the Tampa Yankees had revealed a plan to move the team an hour north and build a new stadium off Interstate 75.

The Chronicle states opposition grew for the project, which would have meant building not only a stadium, but access roads, ramps, and other construction.

At a work session held at the Ocala Livestock Pavilion, an overwhelming number of speakers were in favor of the project, with members of the business community and Chamber and Economic Partnership leading the way.

However, at almost all the subsequent County Commission meetings, the feelings tilted the other way, with the majority of speakers talking against the project.

Looks like the Yankees are staying in Tampa and Ocala Yearlings of 1940-1941 will remain Ocala's only representation in the annals of Minor League Baseball.

Sample Daily Attendance Post

Here is a sample post of what I intend on tracking daily for each team in the Tampa Bay area.

• Team Home Game #:
• Attendance:
• Starting Pitcher:
• Opponent's Starting Pitcher:
• Avg Attendance to Date:
• Avg Attendance vs Opponent:
• Avg Attendance per day of the week:
• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher:
• Promotions (if any):
• Other Factors (traffic accidents, conflicting events, etc):

Introduction

Welcome to Tampa Bay Baseball Market!

According to the most recent MLB attendance numbers, the Tampa Bay Rays drew 1,510,300 people to Tropicana Field in 2013. Over the past six years, their attendance numbers have been as follows (according to Baseball-Reference.com):

• 2013: 1,510,300 (15th of 15)
• 2012: 1,559,681 (14th of 14)
• 2011: 1,529,188 (13th of 14)
• 2010: 1,864,999 (9th of 14)
• 2009: 1,874,962 (11th of 14)
• 2008: 1,811,986 (12th of 14th)

For many pundits in and out of baseball, these numbers are unacceptable. They say the Rays don’t draw. Few even go as far as saying the Rays should be moved. When saying this, they usually cite attendance at other stadiums as comparison.

Here is the big problem with that line of thinking:

That’s the wrong comparison.

Very few fans choose to attend one Major League ballpark over another. This occurs only in metropolitan areas with more than one team (NY, LA, Chicago). So to compare attendance between teams by looking only at total attendance is a foolhardy venture.

In baseball terms, looking only at nationwide attendance numbers is like pitching wins, it only tells a small part of the story. Similar to the positive win-loss record of a pitcher whose team scores 10 runs a game, a team in a large market is usually going to outdraw a team in a smaller market, regardless of win-loss record, stadium amenities, traffic, generational loyalty to the team, or even location of the stadium in the city. It would be more shocking if the large market team was outdrawn by the small market team, just as it would be surprising the pitcher had a losing record with such great run support or a pitcher with no run support has a positive win-loss record.

Assuming out-of-town attendees are a negligible percentage of total attendance, we must assume most Major League baseball attendees originate from the local metropolitan area. Hence we have to examine the metro area as the primary source of attendance.

Let’s start with the most optimistic of scenarios. If everyone in the area went to every game, the team would obviously have nothing but sell-outs. Most people would not be able to get in as there are far less seats in any stadium than there are people living in any metro area with Major League Baseball.

So the Rays don’t need every member of the Tampa Bay area to attend every game. But what they do need is for enough people in the area to attend every game, filling every seat every game. For the Rays, that would be 2,511,000 total seats for the 2.8 million metro area population multiplied by 81 home games.

31,000 x 81 = 2,511,000 (total seats to be filled in a season)

2,800,000 x 81 = 226,800,000 (total possible local attendees)

Dividing total seats by total possible attendees, the Rays need 1.1% of the population to go to games to ensure 100% seat occupancy.

Last year, the Rays drew 1.5 million over 81 games. Divided by the total possible attendees, only .66% of the total amount of fans required actually attended games.

Continuing the analogy to more common baseball writing topics, if profit is wins (the goal of ownership) then revenue is runs scored (more is better, but you need to overcome the opposite stat – expenses/runs allowed) , and attendance would be the equivalent of a batter’s strikeout percentage. It is possible for a batter to be successful with a high percentage of strikeouts, but until a batter has a K% with an “acceptable” range as deemed by the public, pundits and fans will have theories abound on how the batter can make better contact.

Likewise, every fan, pundit, and media member has a favorite theory on why the percentage of fans attending Rays games is so low.

Pick your favorite:

• Tropicana Field stinks
• The location of Tropicana Field stinks
• Traffic in St. Petersburg stinks
• Traffic in Tampa stinks
• The high cost going stinks
• The economy stinks
• There are other things to do that don’t stink

By the end of 2014, this site will explore as many of these theories as possible. It will also look at the three Minor League teams in the area from the same perspective. While the Clearwater Threshers are among the top leaders in Florida State League attendance, the Dunedin Blue Jays and Tampa Yankees are not, and Dunedin usually ranks close to the bottom.

We’ll look at all that. It will be fun.

Freelancing on Minor League Baseball

I wrote on two new sites in the past two weeks.

Over at Ben Hill's Ben's Biz Blog, I wrote about my third visit to the Baseball Winter Meetings. Ben was kind enough to post my thoughts on his site, making it the third site on which I have posted thoughts about the Winter Meetings.

Also, in an attempt to write about Minor League Baseball on every website known to man, woman, and child, I contacted John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com to see if I could cameo on one of the premier, most-widely-read sites on the lower levels of baseball. Although the MinorLeagueBall.com site is usually very prospect-heavy, this offseason they have been running a "How I Discovered the Minors" series and I figured that would be perfect for me.

Luckily for me, John said yes. And today my post was featured on his site.

the 1994 Manatees season was the first time I attended a Minor League Baseball contest. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about the game and there is no Retrosheet for Minor League contests. What I do remember was the fans going nuts for Manatees third baseman Lou Lucca and first baseman Dan Robinson coming through with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 10th to give the Manatees the win. I also bought a Manatees hat I wore regularly through my following years in the Army and still have to this day.

I also talk about bringing my little nephew to the ballpark and having a grand ol' time.

Check it out: Discovering the Minors on the Space Coast

Thanks for reading. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.

A Conversation with new Durham Bulls writer Jessica Quiroli

Covering the Minor Leagues is often a thankless profession. Writers work just as hard as their Major League brethren in smaller stadiums, in smaller press boxes, in smaller locker rooms, and for much smaller pay. But for the hardcore fan, their work does not go unappreciated.

This upcoming season, Rays fans are fortunate to have one of the best in the business cover the Durham Bulls. Jessica Quiroli has been writing about baseball for over eight years on various websites and her own blog, High Heels on the Field. espnW called her one of the top ten women in sports to follow on Twitter, where she can be found at @HeelsOnTheField.

Jordi caught up with Jessica at the Winter Meetings last week in Orlando and talked with her about her previous work, writing about the Bulls, and building a brand.

Rays Index: So who are you writing for these days?

Jessica: I freelance for MiLB.com but I will be writing some for MinorLeagueBall.com and also on my blog High Heels on the Field, and anything else that comes up, but it will mostly be Durham Bulls coverage starting in April.

Rays Index: How did you get the Durham Bulls position? You were in NJ, correct?

Jessica: Well, I don’t exactly work for the Bulls. But I let the Bulls know – they kinda know me from Twitter – I let them know I was moving there and needed credentials for the season and that was that.

Rays Index: The move predicated what team you cover?

Jessica: That’s usually how it works. When I lived in Philadelphia, I travelled a lot to cover the Trenton Thunder. And I also ended up covering the Eastern League for years. Then when I moved to New York, it was the New York-Penn League, because the Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island were right there. Then there is also a high school sports writing position I also got for MaxPreps.com so that worked out as well.

Rays Index: Looking forward to it then?

Jessica: Very much.

Rays Index: In regards to the Durham Bulls, are there any players in particular you are looking forward to covering?

Jessica: Well, I know the team last year was pretty great. I have never covered Triple-A on a regular basis, most of my career has been Double-A or below, so I am really looking forward to seeing the difference at that level. As far as players, Odorizzi I covered when he was with the Royals. I remember then he was really good and thinking this guy is going to be something. So I would like to see him pitch.

Rays Index: I remember when he was in the Florida State League with the Brewers. He was in the Grienke trade.

Jessica: Yeah, when he was with the Royals I said to him “How tough was it for you?” He said it was tough, those were the guys he came up with and it was really hard for him. So I am wondering how he is faring with the Rays.

Rays Index: I always wonder how players feel in regards to guys they come up with. Do they stay in touch, send Christmas cards, etc?

Jessica: You’ll hear them say they stay in touch with certain guys. They say Twitter helps. I think the relationships they create in the Minor Leagues helps them. They need that. Especially the Latin players who have a really hard time adjusting and they need each other. Different situations like that really help the friendships.

Rays Index: You mentioned Twitter. You are very prominent on Twitter. You come out the “Minor League Players to Follow on Twitter” list and your “College Ballplayers to Follow on Twitter” list. How did those start and will you be continuing those?

Jessica: Oh yeah. I will be doing those again. They have become weirdly popular in a way that I did not know was going to happen. I didn’t know players were going to be so serious about it, really interested in it, and asking why they weren’t on it or why they were so low. But then you realize that’s their competitive nature and Twitter has become a huge part of their lives and how they connect with fans.

Rays Index: Both positive and negative. There are a lot of trolls on twitter who tweet “you stink” and other not-so-nice things.

Jessica: And they have to deal with that, yeah.

Rays Index: So is there anyone on Durham that you have communicated with on Twitter and are looking forward to continuing to talk with Twitter-wise?

Jessica: I don’t think so. Most of the guys I am connected with are the (Hudson Valley) Renegades. I am really connected with them on Twitter. I few of those guys I have a really great professional relationship with and so it has been mostly them. Mostly the guys who just got drafted, Jake Hager as well. I didn’t get to see him play, obviously, but most of the guys at the lower levels.

(See Jessica’s latest article on Hager here.)

Rays Index: What brings you here to Orlando for the Winter Meetings?

Jessica: Well, I was asked to speak at the Bob Freitas Speaker Series. I was asked to talk about covering Minor League Baseball and creating a personal brand and developing that and what that kind of career has been like. So I did that today and it went well.

Rays Index: Could give a quick summary of what you talked about in regards to your career and the challenges?

Jessica: You have to love it. Things are always changing and I am always looking for something new and new work. At this point it what I am known for. I like people know and read my work and respect my opinion knowing that this is what I do. I cover Minor Leagues and I cover prospects.

This is not usually my thing. Normally, I don’t like having this much attention, but MiLB asked me and I wasn’t going to say no.

Rays Index: Do you ever see High Heels on the Field being such a site that you would have people writing for you, or is it just your personal site?

Jessica: I’ve brought in writers to take it over for a week and things like that. I have thought about that too, what would I do with the whole thing? I have considered that. I am in my fifth year, but I don’t know. I want to expand it more and I have done that in the past year. I want to give other writers the opportunity to cover something in the Minor Leagues that I am not looking at. Or someone who works for the Minor Leagues. I had someone do that. So it’s a matter of what direction I want to bring it in eventually. But I do want to bring in other writers. But of course a lot of times, I don’t have time to do something with it. It’s not my job, you know. It is not a paying thing. The paying thing has to come first.

Rays Index: So you would be open to contributions, if there are readers who are interested?

Jessica: Absolutely.

Rays Index: Being that it is High Heels on the Field, do you limit it to women only?

Jessica: No, no, no. Not at all. Guys have to be comfortable. I have had players write for the blog. They wrote about their experience, what they go through, and they never mind. It’s great. I actually just had a story up about the charity, Minor League Baseball relief for what happened in the Philippines. That was a really great story to cover. And was different from anything I had done before. That’s another way I want to expand it. To have stories that are not just about the game or one player, but are about something bigger.

Rays Index: I did notice on your website it said you have written two fiction novels. Can you tell us about those?

Jessica: (Laughs.) I did not think you were going to bring those up. I decided to write a series where the main character is a female minor league baseball writer. Her name is Lauren Day. She is not me, but she is based on a lot of people, although it is a little bit based on my own life and experiences. I wrote two short novels, long short stories. I am still deciding if I want to do a third or move forward because I think I am done with that. It didn’t get a lot of attention, but I loved taking what I had learned in the Minor Leagues and presenting it in fiction.

The first story is about a first round pick who decides he wants to quit baseball and the second one is about the difficulty of sports journalism and how everything is sort of changing. Some people like the change, others don’t. There are traditionalists and purists and people just going to school today just to do media. Both stories focus a lot on being a sports writer, being a journalist, and what that life is like.

Rays Index: Where can people find those?

Jessica: They are available on Amazon and Smashwords.

Rays Index: Are you going to try to make a Rays game this year after covering the Durham Bulls, especially after the September call-ups?

Jessica: Maybe. I don’t know. That would be neat. I know now I am looking forward to covering the guys I saw in the New York-Penn League. I want to see them get up to Triple-A and watch their growth. I definitely like where I am at but there is something about seeing them debut, you know? Just watching that progression, it is really great to see that happen.

Rays Index: Thoughts on Taylor Guerrieri? (Guerrieri will begin the 2014 season serving a 50 game suspension for substance abuse.)

Jessica: I watched him in the NY-Penn League. He was probably one of the best prospects I have ever covered. I was amazed by him. Amazed. He is a good guy. When I say that I am careful, because you don’t them personally. But when I say that I mean he has tried so hard and he has show how hard he is willing to work. He is a hard-working player. He has his wildness and he has his stuff he needs to figure out, but I think it is important for Rays fans to know that I saw a guy who needed to get better and needed to apply himself and he did that. Whatever personal stuff he has going on, he will be fine. It is so early in his career, and you don’t want people to say that he is a top prospect and a screw-up. He is really not.

Really all those guys I covered on the Renegades. They will be in the Midwest League this upcoming season. That team worked hard. Julian Ridlings, Justin Choate who is gone now, Aaron Griffin, Chris Kirsh, Darryl George. I watched a team of guys who were intense and had the drive. And with Taylor, give him a chance. He’ll be fine. He has so much talent.

Attending the Winter Meetings

For the third time since I moved to Tampa in 2006, this week I will be making the drive to Orlando to attend the Baseball Winter Meetings. Each time I’ve gone, I’ve written about the experience.

The first time, I was in awe of the Major Leaguers and baseball personalities milling around the lobby of the Swan and Dolphin Hotel. I was a complete outsider, a fan taking it all in with a fly-on-the-wall approach.

The second time, although I was writing in earnest, I still didn’t know anyone. Again, I wandered through the Swan and Dolphin lobby with no direction or purpose. Although I did touch base with a few fans from Twitter and one national baseball blogger.

This time, I think I will feel a little more a part of the horde. Although I am not a “formal” media member, I have tweeted, chatted, emailed, or interviewed some folks in the baseball industry who I know will be attendance. There are people I am looking forward to seeing and talking to – I might even do an interview or two.

One person I hope to meet and chat with is new International League and Carolina League reporter Jessica Quiroli. Jessica is a veteran Minor League reporter who has covered many leagues and many players. She is one of the best in the business. And now she will be covering the Rays top minor league team, the Durham Bulls.

We’ll see who else I run into and mingle with. Perhaps I might even be on the cutting edge of a rumor or breaking news: Will the Rays trade David Price? Will Matt Joyce be dealt? Can I get Andrew Friedman to sign my 6-year old left-handed nephew to a developmental contract?

Mariano Rivera and the Face of Victory

In case you missed the hoopla, hoorahs, and heaping helpings of hubble-bubble, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera retired at the end of the 2013 baseball season. After 19 years in the game playing for only one team and being on the winning side of several championships, there is no doubt Rivera had a great career. For his accomplishments, some have mentioned he might be the first unanimous Hall of Famer.

But before we crown Rivera the greatest player ever – which is what a unanimous Hall voting would do – I’d like to ramble a bit why I think the public loved him so much and whether or not any Rays player could ever reach such lofty acclaim.

First, on an interesting aside, did you know there are no punters in the NFL Hall of Fame? Nor are there any long-snappers. Both of these specialized positions work under pressure. So why are baseball closers held in such high regard?

Closers end games. Most of the time, anyway. The final relief pitcher of the night is a very emotional position. Not only on the field, as they attempt to solidify their teammates’ victorious efforts for the evening, but also for the fans. Closers are the gatekeepers to celebration. Successful closers are front and center in the memories fans have of the final out of championships. As Rays fans, we remember David Price was on the mound when Akinori Iwamura fielded the last out of the 2008 ALCS. No matter what else Price does for as long as he is in a Rays uniform, that play will be one of our most lasting impressions.

Despite pitching only the ninth and sometimes the eighth inning, Mariano Rivera “closed” the Yankees’ championships in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. His final pitch to end each game set Yankees fans in New York City and all over the world in a frenzy of celebration.

To Yankees fans – one of the biggest and most influential fanbases in Major League Baseball – the image of Mariano Rivera brings to mind championships. The concept is almost Pavlovian.

Had Rivera not been automatic, he would have denied fans the opportunity to celebrate. Average or below average relief pitchers bear the brunt of fan bases that went into the final innings of games expecting to win. Winning would have sent the fans home happy, feeling the expensive tickets, pricey parking, and way too overpriced beer were worth the cost because their team won.
Financially, fans that go home happy are more likely to return to the ballpark.

Of course, there is ample data that the closer position is statistically overrated. However, “saves”, even for the forward-thinking Rays, are still a driving force in the appearance order of the bullpen – although one might argue Joel Peralta and perhaps even Alex Torres were more valuable to Joe Madden. (As a matter of fact, only Kyle Farnsworth and Josh Lueke allowed more walks and hits per inning out of the Rays bullpen than Fernando Rodney.) Because he pitches the ninth inning, Fernando Rodney is the Rays face of victory with his bow and arrow routine, crooked cap, plantains, and other pro wrestling-like gimmicks.

Since Rivera was on the Yankees since before the Rays existed, and since the Yankees have had winning ballclubs for most of that time, there is no way any current Rays player has added as much significant emotional value to the Rays fanbase as Rivera has to Yankees fans. However, are there any Rays players who have added even a minor amount of significant emotional value? Might any of them have a chance to be at least as locally acknowledged as Rivera was on the national scale? Might the Rays present any Rays players with a sand dollar, no less the elaborate sand castle they presented to Rivera?

(Note: Significant Emotional Value (SEV) is not a measurable statistic. Rivera’s stats are insane. He dominated with one pitch for 19 years. However, some defensive-minded backup catchers play just as often and stick around with one skill as well. If we cheered framing pitches like we do saves, perhaps Jose Molina would be at the end of a Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately for Molina, that’s not the case. Framing pitches carries little significant emotional value for the fans. At least most of them.)

Taking a look at Rays “Face of Victory” candidates, the first potentially heralded hero would be any closer the Rays decide to keep for more than a two years, which unfortunately hasn’t happened since the days of Roberto Hernandez (1998-2000). Knowing the Maddon/Friedman front office as we do, that probably won’t be the case anytime soon. I doubt Fernando Rodney returns to the Rays in 2014. If Rodney does stay with the Rays, he would need at least one World Series winning moment before he becomes the face of celebration for the Rays. To Rodney’s determent, closers usually don’t age well (see Troy Percival or Kyle Farnsworth).

Next on the list of possible leaders in Significant Emotional Value is David Price, who, like Rodney, might be counting down his days in a Rays uniform. While Price has a huge head start, clinching the biggest win in Rays history to date, even if he signs a new contract and stays with the Rays, unless he moves back to the bullpen, I don’t believe he would be on the mound for too many more clinching moments. It’s possible he could turn out a performance like Josh Beckett in the 2003 World Series, but moments like that are few and far between. Odds are he would be pulled in the sixth, seventh, or eighth inning of the clinching game so Madden could put the game in the hands of his bullpen.

The third player who could possibly receive a bevy of booty upon retirement because of his emotional impact to Rays history is Dan Johnson. There is no doubt “The Great Pumpkin” holds a near, dear, and special place in the hearts of Rays fans thanks to his numerous late inning heroics. But is it enough? I would think when Johnson does retire, the Rays might have him throw out a first pitch and maybe present him with a plaque of his finest moments. That would be a nice gesture. But there would be no number retirement, no induction into the Rays Hall of Fame, and certainly no gifts from other teams.

After the departure of Dan Johnson, Jose Lobaton picked up the baton of unlikely outcomes. Lobaton earned his ice cream several times in 2013, including an exciting game-winner in the ALDS versus the normally unhittable Koji Uehara, who coincidentally was on the mound for the Red Sox when they won the World Series, upping his own Significant Emotional Value. If Lobaton continues the ice cream celebrations could Cold Stone Creamery permanently retire a flavor in his honor? Would even a Tampa Bay area local ice cream parlor dare to take a flavor off the shelf in honor of the Rays backup catcher?

(By the way, I think the Hard Rock Casinos and Café “retiring” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” because a baseball player used it as his entrance music is the most shameless and ridiculous attempts at publicity I’ve heard in a long time. Metallica playing live for Rivera a few weeks before he retired was a very cool and novel tribute. But the Hard Rock people have nothing to do with baseball nor with Mariano Rivera. Now no Hard Rock establishment, whether in New York or anywhere else, will play “Enter Sandman”. Forever. Because of a baseball player. I hope the Seminole Hard Rock Casino knows I am going to request it each and every time I visit because of principle.)

This finally brings us to the most famous Rays player and the most famous Rays player song – a song that may just be retired on every Tampa Bay rock radio station the day this player hangs up his cleats. Of course, I am talking about “Down & Out” by Tantric and Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. Longo is the best bet to be the Rays version of Mariano Rivera. With his heroics in Game 162 (the “9/11” of baseball nicknames, by the way – completely unoriginal), Longo already has one classic moment under his belt. He also has the ability to rack up more with his long-term, team-friendly contract. Currently, he is on pace to be our Chipper Jones. But if we are lucky, Evan could be the face of several World Series championships.

Then just maybe when he calls it a day the entire baseball world will shower him with praise and parades.

Of Nerds, Domes, and Distractions

Tonight, the Rays come home. Finally. The Rays last played at Tropicana Field on the 23rd of September, a full two weeks ago. Since the last time the gang spent the night in their respective home beds, they’ve played in five cities in two countries, and they’ve won six games and lost four.

But this time going home means more than just the comfort of a warm bed or a home cooked meal. It means shedding distractions. And over the last two games, the two key Rays have had their mental composure shook by the beatings in Boston.

While I already covered the Fenway Faithful’s Game 1 ode to Wil Myers, a much more experienced Rays player lost his cool after Game 2. After leaving one too many pitches up in the strike zone and give up a gaggle of runs, David Price could have done what other pitchers through the years have done. He could have:

• Destroyed a Gatorade cooler with a bat a la former Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano
• Punched a cooler like White Sox pitcher Chris Sale
• Beat up old school Powerade coolers with a bat a la former Dodger Carlos Perez
• Tossed his glove and cursed cameramen like former Mariners hurler Tim Belcher
• Thrown a ball into the stands like former Rays pitcher Chad Qualls
• Or fired a ball into the press box like current teammate Fernando Rodney once did

But Price is too 21st century for that type of outburst. Instead he took to Twitter and ripped TBS analysts Dirk Hayhurst (another former teammate, by the way) and Tom Verducci in a tweet. Regardless of the content, and Price’s opinions of Hayhurst’s career or Verducci’s athletic ability, this isn’t the first time Price has taken to twitter to express his frustration. Little can we forget in late 2010 when Price tweeted about Rays fans, saying their attendance, or lack thereof, was “embarrassing”.

Of course, Price “apologized” for his most recent outburst as he did the 2010 comments, with a sad, cliched “if I offended anyone, then I am sorry” statement. But the distraction lives on, looming over a series that already has the Rays needing to play do-or-die baseball for the next three games.

Thankfully, the Rays are at home for the next two games, where the sold-out crowd at Tropicana Field will be behind them, doing their best to will them to win. And thankfully for David Price, he probably won’t be pitching in Boston again anytime soon. Red Sox fans might try to get under his skin with a “Nerds, Nerds, Nerds” chant.

Riding Rightfielders: Wil Myers isn’t the first

Those who watched Friday’s debacle in Game 1 of the ALDS saw an unusual sight: Rays rightfielder Wil Myers getting confused and letting a fly ball drop between him and Desmond Jennings. Of course, the ball bounced over the wall, the Red Sox scored, kept scoring, and the Rays lost.

What was particularly interesting was the fan reaction to Myers. Throughout the rest of the game, Red Sox fans in rightfield rode Myers mercilessly, chanting his name – “My-ers” “My-ers” – while he stood stoically in his position. Then, when he came to bat, the chants continued, this time joined by the rest of the stadium.

This is not the first time a power-hitting young rightfielder was jeered by the Fenway Faithful. On October 23, 1986, during Game 5 of the World Series, Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry was the target of a similar chant. “Dar-ryl” “Dar-ryl”, the Red Sox fans sang, hoping to get under the skin of the young superstar who had his own adventures in Fenway’s rightfield.



Absolutely well put by Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola, by the way.

Of course, neither Strawberry nor Mets fans let the chants get to them. While Strawberry recovered well enough to hit a dagger home run in Game 7 of the Mets’ eventual series win, Mets fans co-opted the “Dar-ryl” chant, turning a negative heckle into a positive show of love.

So that’s my recommendation to Rays fans: don’t call Red Sox fans “classless” or anything other derogatory terms because they are riding a Rays player.  They are merely chanting his name. Co-opt the chant, claim it, and own it. Use it loud and proud at Tropicana Field. Be passionate, not prissy.

As Ty Cobb once famously said, “Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It’s no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It’s a struggle for supremacy, survival of the fittest.”

The Red Sox and their fans drew first blood. It’s time for Myers and the Rays to be their worst nightmare.