Wild, Wacky Shtuff...

Been awhile since I've posted here, my apologies to the readers. However, today is a great day to post.

-Note to Joe Maddon, No wine before baseball games.

Today, Joe got caught up in a line-up card snafu today. He accidentally listed 2 3rd basemen on the card, when it was apparent he meant normal 3B Evan Longoria was going to DH and Ben Zobrist was going to play the hot corner. He, thinking out loud, actually wrote 5(the number code for 3B) By MLB rule, either you give an automatic out for every AB for Longoria or you lose the DH and Sonnanstine(the pitcher) takes Longoria's #3 spot in the line-up.

Lucky for us, Sonnanstine has shown in Interleague Play that he is our best hitting pitcher and a doubles machine. He came up with the lumber late and put up an RBI double to knock in our 7th run.

-To keep with random Rays-related news, Kerry Wood and Troy Percival showed youngsters how to show how veteran pitchers clear batters from blocking the plate. Kerry Wood threw a pitch behind Upton(probably pay-back from JP Howell's alleged near-beaning of Victor Martinez) and then up and in. So, when Percival was put in to close out the game, Percy nailed the first batter on the hand. Why Wedge came in to argue, right after his closer started the high and tight pitch war, is beyond me. Why would Percy intentionally put on the possibly game-tying run on?

-Lastly, if you asked people going to '09 who would hit the most and 2nd most HRs through Mid-May between Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and BJ Upton, I'm sure the order would be Upton, Zobrist and then Bartlett. However Zobrist is at 7, Bartlett is at 5 and Upton just recently hit his 1st 2 HRs of the season. I believe, with 300-400 ABs, Zobrist could hit 15-20 dingers. Funny, seeing that in the minor leagues, Zobrist only had 16 in 1000+ ABs. Looks like someone fixed the former slap-hitters' swing. Bartlett's too, I'm guessing.

-For non-Rays news, Zach Grienke is no longer the kid that almost gave up baseball for non-baseball reasons. He is now a dominant, efficient pitching machine. Much respect to him.

-I, though as a Rays fan shouldn't want to say this, believe that Joba Chamberlain shouldn't be a starting pitcher. He is Kazmir-like bad with pitches per inning and his mid-to-high 90's fastball is now a low-90's fastball as a starter. Add into the fact that past elbow injuries and his cocky fist-pump with meaningless early game strikeouts don't bode well for him.

-Big Papi, Homerless. Manny Ramirez, Roider. Johnny Damon, Yankees Top Power Hitter. Kevin Millar, Old Cowboy still in the AL East(has only the Yankees and Rays left to play for). Who'da Thunk, 5 years later?

-Whither Emilio Bonifacio? SSS Candidate?

-After getting on base Saturday, Alexei Ramirez proceeded to run a total of 690 feet without getting a stolen base and eventually ended getting caught out when a foul ball was caught and thrown to a ready 1B.

-Stephen Strasburg threw a 17-K no hitter last week for San Diego State. He was out-done by a NAIA pitcher, whose name escapes me at the moment, pitched 3 consecutive CGs on 3 consecutive days. After the first game, he asked the coach to pitch to save the bullpen who had been over-used during the week. So how'd he talk him to pitch the 3rd day? He said, he wasn't going to play pro ball and wanted to have his place in history. Neat.