RaysSpeak: Umpiring in the World Series

ESPN is reporting that for the World Series, they are going to break tradition and only use experienced umpires for the seven-game set.

Usually, there is at least one umpire working the World Series for the first time. There are a number of other rules in the bargaining agreement - including that umpires cannot work the World Series if they worked the LCS (cannot work consecutive playoff series.)

The purpose of the change? To ensure the least amount of blown calls in the World Series, given that there have been a number of mistakes in the first two rounds of the playoffs so far. Which makes sense - you want to have the most fair and correct game possible. But why not take it a step further and actually use the technology we already use for home-run calls? Why not use Instant Replay?

The main concern is time - people don't want to wait around while the umpires run off the field, into the booth, and then back out. We've had home-run calls that have taken upwards of 8 minutes to decide...these sorts of times are detrimental to the speed and flow of the game.

However, here's my idea - for the playoffs we have 2 additional umpires in left and right field, as backups for the usual 4. But even then we've had an issue this year with a ball that was incorrectly called "Foul" when it hit the line right in front of the umpire...I believe it was Chase Utley at the plate in the NLDS.

Why not have those 2 extra umpires in a booth upstairs watching the game with all necessary replays? That way these decisions can be made in real-time...they're already watching the replays. No running on and off the field. A signal to the umps upstairs, and a signal back with the correct call. I don't see this taking any more than 1 minute at a time to correctly identify a safe/out call, a catch/trap call, etc. Why not make the game as accurate as possible?

What do you think?

Link: Missed calls cause ump switch

RaysSpeak: Beating a Dead Horse

Let's recap a few things here...

The Rays chances of making the playoffs are pretty much done. They're not mathematically eliminated, but it would basically take close to a 20-3 run or so in the final 23 to make it with Boston playing ~.500 ball. It's just not going to happen.

So the question is - was this the general thought going into the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium? Even after Pena's broken finger, Longoria and Pena still spoke of how this team can grind it out and go on a run to get back into the race. But let's look at some interesting points:

- First and foremost: You may see a bullpen implosion and Sonnanstine being Sonnanstine, but I see 2 runs scored in 2 games. These are the facts, and they are undisputed.

- Andy Sonnanstine's start. Yes, he has major league experience...but an ERA over 8 on the road against the best offense in the majors? I know we've been plucking from Durham constantly lately, but could Talbot, Carlos Hernandez, or anyone else possibly start to give the Rays the best chance at success?

- Did the Rays decide to give up after the first game? Why bench Carl Crawford for Game 2? If you wanted to bench him for a game, why not let him sit in Game 1 against the lefty Sabathia, and have him start against the struggling righty Burnett?

Having lost 6 straight with the next 5 games coming against NYY and BOS both on the road, it's time to look ahead to the future. A rotation of Shields, Garza, Price, Niemann, and Davis sounds fairly strong for 2010. Sonnanstine seems cut out for long relief, and the bullpen needs an entire makeover, but that's a story for another day.

It's time to focus on the positives - the second winning season in franchise history is upon us, and the window of opportunity is not as grim as some make it out to be. Not as long as we have the top 2 prospects in the minor leagues in Hellickson and Jennings waiting in the wings. Relax and enjoy the rest of September.

RaysSpeak: The Final Month

Rays need to sweep Boston to have any chance of getting the Wild Card. There is no room for error.

That is all.

RaysSpeak: Zobrist the MVP

I know arguing with Joe Morgan's comments is "so 2007" but I just have to say something...see this chat question from ESPN.com this morning:

Steve (Middletown, CT)

What do you think about Ben Zobrist for AL MVP consideration?

Joe Morgan (11:47 AM)

There are a lot of guys having a good year on a lot of different teams. But to say that he's an MVP candidate, I don't think so. I think you're looking at Teixiera, Morneau, Mauer. There are guys ahead of him as far as MVP is concerned. But Zobrist is having a good season.

Let's get the easiest thing out of the way first. Ben Zobrist is leading the AL in WAR (Wins Above Replacement Player), meaning both offensively and defensively, he has contributed and saved enough runs to be directly responsible for more wins than any player.

ANYWAY, I have no argument against Mauer. In fact, I would be perfectly content if Mauer won. Morneau on the other hand, in my opinion, gets a lot of his praise because of his RBI totals, which has a direct connection to who gets on base directly before him, one Joseph Mauer.

As for Teixiera, he is batting .288/31/93 compared to Zobrist's .293/23/69. Teixiera has played a very good 1B this year. Zobrist has played games at 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF and has committed 5 total errors.

I'm not saying Ben Zobrist should be the MVP. I think he's a better pick than Teixiera though. And to say he's just having a "good season" just isn't enough.

Link: ESPN Chat with Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan

RaysSpeak: Troy Percival Day?

We're not going to talk about the disappointing game in Seattle today - at least the Yanks kept the Sox in the loss column.

Instead, here's a note from MLBTR pertaining to Troy Percival's possible retirement:

Well, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times, manager Joe Maddon recently spoke to Percival and is "under the impression his career is over."

Paul Cohen, Pervical's agent, indicated that his client was having severe back problems and is seeing a specialist this week about a possible fusion, but said that the decision to retire hasn't been made yet. Maddon would like to see the team have a day to honor Percival if he does indeed call it quits, saying "He was such a big part of what we did last year, and people have kind of forgotten about that way too fast."

Troy Percival got 34 saves in 2 years for the Rays. He wasn't even on the postseason roster. In fact, he FLEW HOME and wasn't even with the team during the postseason.

I understand Maddon's ties to Troy with the Angels, and I appreciate the work he did with the franchise on and off the field, but a day to honor him seems a little excessive.

Link: Percival Leaning Towards Retirement?

RaysSpeak: The Week Ahead

The ridiculous road trip is finally over. After 3 come-from-behind wins in the 8th inning, a perfect game, Garza and Halladay dueling into extra innings, and an 8-run deficit turned victory, the Rays finally come home with a 6-4 record. That's exactly where I said they needed to be - although I didn't expect the Yankees to go 9-1, either. The Rays stand 6.5 behind the Yankees for first, and 4 behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

This week the Tampa Bay has a 9-game homestand: 3 against the Yankees, 4 against the Royals, and 2 against the Red Sox. That's 5 potential catch-up games on their home field. I am hoping for at least 6 wins in this stretch - it's the only way they are going to be able to maintain pace. Winning 3 out of 4 at home against Kansas City should be a given - if not, the Rays are too inconsistent to be considered a contender, dealing with a team who has currently lost 10 of 11.

The Yanks will be sending Burnett, Sabathia, and Chamberlain at the Rays this week, while Tampa Bay counters with Shields, Kazmir, and Garza. It's not quite make-or-break time, but it's getting damn close.

[Photo courtesy of the Associated Press via ESPN.com]

RaysSpeak: Maddon Insults Buerhle?

Was reading through ESPN's Buster Olney's blog today, and came across an article stating that Joe Maddon had some choice words for Mark Buerhle before the All-Star Game:

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon was having a blast at Mark Buehrle's expense last week.

As manager of the American League All-Star team, Maddon phoned Buehrle the day before the big game at Busch Stadium -- and the day after the White Sox lefty got lit up for eight runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.

"Maddon called me and told me to stay at home because I pitched like crap," Buehrle recalled last week in St. Louis. "He asked if I was going to pitch in the Home Run Derby."

Guess who had the last laugh.

Has Joe Maddon ever been known to insult a player, let alone another team's? This is a guy who dealt with the horror show Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007, when they had one of the worst bullpens in history, and still found a way to be positive after every game. A guy who is regularly quoted in blogs and articles because of his vernacular. Would he really tell Mark Buerhle that he "Pitched like crap?"

I have a very hard time believing this story.

Link: Perfect game answers jab by Rays' Maddon

RaysSpeak: 7/22 at White Sox Recap

How about Jeff Niemann? Having your #5 starter pitching like a #3 starter is fantastic, but only when your #3 and #4 starters aren't struggling...either way, the fastball was working, the curveball was working, and I don't see any reason why Niemann can't continue pitching this way for the rest of this year into next. But the question remains: When will Wade Davis get his shot? And what happens with Sonnanstine or Talbot? Having this pitching depth is fantastic - I just don't want to lose players on account of their being out of options like we lost Jason Hammel (his return, Aneury Rodriguez, has been pretty dreadful in AA.)

For the fifth straight game, the Rays trailed entering the 8th inning. Somehow, they've won 4 of those games. This isn't a trend that can continue, though. The offense needs to pick it up, and quickly. When will Pat Burrell really start to turn it on? When will BJ Upton stop fouling off every fastball he sees? Will Dioner Navarro ever hit another line drive, ever?

With the Red Sox loss and the Yankees win, the Rays are 4.5 games behind the Bombers, 3.5 behind the Sox. I don't foresee the Yankees holding that lead for much longer - when the Red Sox return to Fenway and the Yankees go on the road, they'll be flip-flopping again. I asked the Rays for a 6-4 roadtrip, and they are currently 4-1. Winning 2 of the next 5 games shouldn't be much of a problem, I hope. Gotta keep pace.

[Photo courtesy of the Associated Press via ESPN.com]

RaysSpeak: 7/20 at White Sox Recap

Dear Jason Bartlett,



Sincerely,
Rytor

RaysSpeak: The Second Half

Tomorrow marks the unofficial second half of the season, so let's take a few minutes to see where the Tampa Bay Rays stand:

Boston (54-34)
New York (51-37) - 3.0 GB
Tampa Bay (48-41) - 6.5 GB

I was going to include Toronto, but they sit 11 GB of the Red Sox, and are 2 games UNDER .500 (!) Seems like just yesterday we thought they could be contenders...once they hit the AL East Buzzsaw, that quickly changed.

The Rays no longer have the best run differential, but are sitting pretty at +76, good for second in the American League. The offense, while being at times frustratingly inconsistent (see: every start James Shields has made) still is second in the AL in runs scored, and is fifth in runs allowed.

On paper, these are Wild-Card getting numbers, and with more luck in 1-run games, division winning numbers if they keep it up. However, Bartlett and Zobrist have been unbelievable, and can't be expected to maintain their current levels of production. This is where the Rays will be heavily relying on Pat Burrell, who started to show signs of getting out of his slump with some hard-hit doubles against Oakland last Sunday.

On the pitching end, Kazmir's return from the DL has brought solid (but far from spectacular) numbers, and Price is improving every time he takes the mound. Jeff Niemann has been excellent as the fifth starter, and stands to continue his current level of production, if not exceed it.

So where do we go from here? The Rays embark on a 10 game road trip out of the break: 3 at Kansas City, 4 at Chicago, and 3 at Toronto. First game will feature Shields against Greinke - if we win, it will be a huge bonus. I'd expect the Rays to head home following this trip with no less than 6 wins if they want to keep pace with New York and Boston.

Stay tuned for some postgame threads and thoughts as the 2009 season comes to a close!

[Editor's Correction: First game will be Shields vs. Bannister; Second game will feature Kazmir vs. Greinke.]