Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Philly pool: How many arrests?

Besides sharing your headlines, let's hear how many people you think will be arrested tonight in and around Philadelphia while celebrating the World Series title?

I'll say 32.

Phillies win World Series

Here's a video from Philadelphia's NLCS celebration that should mimic tonight.

Have any headline ideas?
Here are some of my early leaders ...
Sunset: Rays go down in World Series
Rays grow dim: Phillies win World Series

Share your own.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sporting News: Maddon top AL manager

The Sporting News picked Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon as the American League manager of the year today. This won't be the last manager of the year award that Maddon wins.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Phillies win Game 1

The Phillies may feel a little freedom after winning tonight's Game 1 of the World Series. The Rays have a formidable home-field advantage.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Longoria wins Sporting News award

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has been named the Sporting News' American League Rookie of the Year. Cubs catcher Geovany Soto won the magazine's NL rookie award.

Before we get confused, the main Rookie of the Year awards are picked by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Hoo-Rays gets my vote

Perusing the headlines and newspaper layouts from Sunday's Rays-Red Sox game and I have to give the Bradenton Herald the headline award with HOO-RAYS!

The St. Petersburg Times has the best celebration photo, though.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Rays to start selling title goodies Monday

This won't help anybody here in Montgomery ... unless an enterprising Biscuits retail manager is able to procure a few things while he's in Tampa Bay.

But the Rays will start selling American League championship merchandise Monday at the team's stores at Tropicana Field and in Tampa.

World Series tickets will also go on sale Monday -- with conditions. Those who won the chance to purchase tickets through raysbaseball.com can buy tickets for Games 1 and 2 on Monday. Any remaining tickets (if there are any remaining) will go on sale at raysbaseball.com at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Fans can still register for the chance to purchase tickets for potential sixth and seventh games.

Ticket packages are also available for those who place deposits on 2009 season tickets. Call 727-342-5757 or hit raysbaseball.com

Rays roll into World Series

Matt Garza turned in an admirable effort to help the Rays shake off miserable performances the last two games and the Rays are headed to the World Series.

Garza allowed two hits over seven-plus innings in Tampa Bay's 3-1 pennant-clinching win over the Red Sox tonight.

The Rays, who had the worst record in baseball last year, won the American League championship and will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Tampa Bay had a 3-1 series lead over Boston before losing twice to force tonight's Game 7.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Someone can pull out a fork

The Rays followed Thursday's demoralizing loss with another tonight, losing 4-2 to the Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay, after leading the ALCS 3-1, now have a Game 7 on Sunday at Tropicana Field.

It's not looking good for the Rays after a listless performance tonight. How many times will we hear about Boston being a "team of destiny" over the next week?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

That sting could linger

The Rays lead 7-0 when the Fenway Park crowd jumps up for William Howard Taft's seventh-inning stretch, only to watch Boston rally for an elimination-avoiding 8-7 victory.

Tampa Bay still leads the series 3-2 with Game 6 at Tropicana Field on Saturday, but this one could hurt for a little while.

The Rays, having never been in such a postseason spotlight, or much of a spotlight at all, have a day to think about what happened. With Tampa Bay up 7-0, the plastic was likely being draped in the clubhouse and the champagne, all nice and iced, hauled out.

The Red Sox get a day to compare to their rallies against the Yankees in 2004 (from a 3-0 deficit) and the Indians last year (down 3-1).

Rays not everyone's favorite

Chicago Tribune: Rays' rise a fastball into guts of Cubs

A few lines ...
The absolute worst team—the lamest of the lame. A franchise as fouled up as any in sport. Tampa Bay is the Bozo the Clown of baseball. But it is on the verge of winning the Grand Prize Game.
I never have met a Tampa Bay baseball fan in 49 of our 50 states. I never have seen anybody in a "TB" cap, which could have something to do with not wishing to advertise a deadly infectious disease.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

School frowns on hairy enthusiasm for Rays

It's good to see that the Tampa Bay Rays' effort to disrupt the educational process has been stemmed at Lincoln Middle School near Bradenton, Fla.

'Ray-hawk' gets Manatee student in trouble

Think of the children.

Zachary Sharples, 12, perhaps sensing the seriousness that Lincoln places on this matter, has transferred to a different school district that happens to place less emphasis on such distractions.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Biscuits help Javelinas win AFL opener

Matt Spring singled, while Ryan Reid and Mike Wlodarczyk threw an inning each as the Peoria Javelinas beat Surprise 10-3 in their Arizona Fall League opener today.

Phil Hughes of the Yankees gave up one hit over five innings, though he walked five, for the win. Wlodarczyk worked a perfect seventh. In the eighth, Matt Wieters of the Orioles tripled off Reid and scored on a groundout.

There was one change in the Tampa Bay contingent from what the Rays announced in August. Wade Townsend replaced James Houser, who missed his last start of the season with Montgomery due to a forearm strain.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Rays going to ALCS

B.J. Upton homered twice to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox today to reach the American League Championship Series.

Upton homered in the first inning and in the third, giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead. The Rays stretched it to 4-0 in the fourth when Cliff Floyd hit an RBI double and scored on a Dioner Navarro single.

Andy Sonnanstine allowed three hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the victory. Sonnanstine walked one and struck out four. He and Upton are former Biscuits.

The Rays will play either the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS, which starts Friday. Tampa Bay will either host Boston or travel to L.A.

Upton is the 65th player to hit more than one home run in a league championship series or division series. He's the fourth this year, joining fellow former Biscuit Evan Longoria , the Angels' Mike Napoli and the Phillips' Pat Burrell.

And we're back with blogger

Welcome back, welcome back. We've made a triumphant return to the hallowed halls of blogger.com and shrugged aside a six-month stay at that other (slow) site. We've returned to our roots here at blogger.com.

Welcome, welcome. Sit and stay a while. Say hi to our inspiration, Grover Cleveland (right). You can review the posts from when we started this endeavor known as blogging up until we headed off to the great unknown. If you still want to read the posts from the wilderness, they're still there, too.

For anything new relating to the Biscuits, or to whatever else crosses my mind, you'll need to come here. We're making a clean break from that other place.