Tag: Tampa Bay Rays (Page 11 of 24)

      Carl Crawford steals six bases

      May 4, 2009 /

      Rays’ outfielder Carl Crawford was a one-man wrecking crew in Tampa’s 5-3 win over the Red Sox on Sunday, going 4 for 4 with two runs scored an RBI and oh yeah, six stolen bases. Crawford tied a modern MLB record and joined Eric Young, Otis Nixon and Eddie Collins as the only players in baseball history to ever steal six bases.

      Everybody in the building seemed to know what was going on. That is, except Crawford, who was aware of how many steals he had but had no clue that just three other players had accomplished the same since 1900.

      “I found that out late. I wish I had known during the game,” said Crawford, who got No. 6 in the eighth inning of the Rays’ 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

      “I probably would have broken it if I knew. I’d have definitely tried,” he added. “I didn’t even try. I don’t know if that will ever happen again.”

      “He’s good,” catcher Jason Varitek agreed, “and he’s got the speed to go along with it.”

      If you watched the game or saw the highlights, you would know that Varitek never even had a chance to gun down Crawford on any of his steal attempts. Brad Penny didn’t do a good enough job holding him on and even when Varitek did get off a throw it was either nowhere near the bag (see his first attempt) or dead on, but seconds behind Crawford’s slide. Crawford’s day was truly an impressive feat.

      And I know I’m just throwing salt in the wounds of BoSox fans, but how bad is Julio Lugo? He can’t make even the most routine plays at short and he’s brutal offensively. Outside of speed and a veteran presence in the clubhouse, he brings little to the table, yet is eating $9 million in salary this season.

      MLB

      Top 10 Active MLB Triples Leaders

      May 2, 2009 /

      To hit home runs and doubles usually requires power, but to hit triples requires a bit of power and a lot of speed. Or sometimes, luck, such as when an outfielder misjudges a ball and lets an otherwise slow runner reach third. But the leaders in MLB in this category are seasoned speedsters, and have mostly done it for several years. Here is the active Top 10 in triples, including only players on active rosters in 2009:

      1. Johnny Damon, New York Yankees (93)—At age 35 and having battled injuries throughout his career, Damon has lost a step or two. But between 1998 and 2002, this sparkplug reached double digits in triples three times.

      2. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies (90)—Rollins is the heart and soul of the Phillies, and is one of the reasons they won a title in 2008. He’s only 30, but has reached double figures in triples five times, including a career high 20 in 2007.

      3. Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (85)—Crawford is a game-changer, and in his still young career has averaged 15 triples and 53 stolen bases per season.

      4. Cristian Guzman, Washington Nationals (78)—Still a very good hitter, but Guzman isn’t the triples or stolen base threat he was in his earlier days with Minnesota. His career high, like Rollins, was also 20 triples, set in 2000 with the Twins.

      5. Jose Reyes, New York Mets (73)—Arguably one of the two or three fastest players in the game, Jose has averaged 16 triples and 65 steals over the last four seasons. So how in the world do the Mets not score more runs?

      6. Omar Vizquel, Texas Rangers (72)—This one is more about longevity, but Omar did have a career best 10 triples with the Giants in 2006, at the ripe old baseball age of 39.

      7. Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers (71)—Ol’ Juan has slowed down just a bit too, but he’s hit double digits in triples four times during his career, including three straight times from 2004-2006.

      8. Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (64)—Does anyone remember that Carlos Beltran played seven seasons in Kansas City? I mean, did he really?

      8. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (64)—Ichiro bats for average and steals more bases than he does hit extra base hits. But he’s averaged 8 triples per season during his American big league career.

      10. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (57)—Jeter is just a true professional and great baseball player, but his career high in triples, 9, came ten seasons ago.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Couch Potato Alert: 5/1

      May 1, 2009 /

      The NBA and NHL playoffs are heating up, as the Boston Celtics/Chicago Bulls series could go down as maybe the best first round series ever. The Detroit Red Wings will again battle the Anaheim Ducks, who have defeated them in consecutive playoff series. They defeated the Red Wings in the 2003 Western Conference quarterfinals, it marked the first time since 1952 that a defending Stanley Cup champion was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

      All times ET…

      NBA Playoffs
      Fri, 8 PM: Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat (ESPN)
      Sat, 8 PM: Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics (TNT)
      Sun, 1 PM: Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks* if necessary (ABC)
      Sun, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets (ABC)

      NHL Playoffs
      Fri, 7 PM: Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings (Versus)
      Sat, 1PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals (NBC)
      Sat, 9 PM: Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks (Versus)
      Sun, 2 PM: Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)
      Sun, 7:30 PM: Carolina Hurricanes @ Boston Bruins (Versus)

      MLB
      Sat, 3:40 PM: New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (Fox)
      Sun., 1:30 PM: Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays (TBS)
      Sun., 8 PM: Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers (ESPN)

      Boxing
      Sat, 9 PM: Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao for the world junior welterweight title from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena (HBO PPV)

      Horse Racing
      Sat, 4 PM: Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.(NBC)

      Boxing, Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

      Top 10 MLB Active Stolen Base Leaders

      April 11, 2009 /

      The baseball season, and more importantly to some of you, the fantasy baseball season, is underway. Some fantasy GM’s, myself included, usually stock up on home run hitters and focus less on stolen bases. It’s a matter of taste and a matter of how your league keeps score. But some speedsters can be difference-makers, and here is a list of the active Top 10 in stolen bases to date, excluding those who are technically active but not currently on a major league roster:

      1. Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers (429)—I had to do a double take. Juan Pierre, still playing? Why yes, he’s only 30 years old, and he had 40 stolen bases for the Dodgers last season. He could easily reach 500 by late next season, putting him in the career company of Luis Aparicio and Paul Molitor, among others.

      2. Omar Vizquel, Texas Rangers (385)—He’s 42 and a backup now, but how about Omar’s ’99 season in Cleveland when he hit .333 with 42 steals? The fact that Omar finished 16th in the MVP voting that season says more about the steroid era than it does about his season. Today he’d probably finish in the top 5 with those numbers.

      3. Johnny Damon, New York Yankees (363)—It’s hard to believe Johnny Damon has been in the league since 1995, but he has, and he’s been a pesky leadoff hitter the entire time, averaging an impressive 30 steals per season.

      4. Luis Castillo, New York Mets (342)—He’s not the speedster he once was, but Castillo stole a modest 17 bases last year while not at 100%, and he’s still only 33 years young.

      5. Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels (318)—Bobby has that rare combination of speed, power and the ability to hit for average. It’s amazing he was on the free agent market this past winter for as long as he was.

      6. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (315)—The amazing thing about Ichiro is that he’s only entering his ninth season in the American major leagues. Once he returns from the DL from a stomach ulcer, he’s going to keep adding to this total, probably for several years.

      7. Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (302)—One of the game’s most exciting young players, and he’s only 27 years old.

      8. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies (295)—Rollins is another guy who does it all, including hit for power and play the field like a wizard. A legitimate MVP candidate year after year, and a big reason the Phils won it all in 2008.

      9 (tie). Mike Cameron, Milwaukee Brewers (291)—If Cameron had a higher career batting average than his .250 mark, he’d no doubt have more steals by now as well. But .291 is still pretty impressive for any player.

      9 (tie). Jose Reyes, New York Mets (291)—One of the cornerstones of the Mets’ franchise and a guy that has contended for the stolen base title every season of his career. Reyes is only 26 years old, and AVERAGING 62 steals per season. That’s just mind-boggling.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      MLB Daily Six Pack 4/9

      April 9, 2009 /

      1. The defending champs needed that one…
      Staring 0-3 in the face, the Phillies rallied from a 10-3 deficit in the seventh inning to beat the Braves 12-11 on Wednesday. Raul Ibanez homered and drove in three runs as Philly went on to score eight runs in the seventh inning. While 1-2 isn’t the start the defending champs would have liked, maybe now their offense has awaken from their slump and they can use this game as a confidence builder.

      2. And I was like, Emilio!
      I know, I know – it’s only one sweep of the Nationals (and at home no less). But the Marlins’ 3-0 start (they beat Washington 6-4 on Wednesday) should raise some eyebrows because this team is loaded with bright, young talent. Granted, Emilio Bonifacio isn’t going to hit .571 the rest of the way, but he gives the Fish a strong table setter at the top of the lineup and catcher John Baker has been a nice surprise so far in the two-hole. If the young starting pitching can hold up and five-tool 22-year old outfielder Cameron Maybin can grow up in a hurry, the Mets, Phillies and Braves will definitely have competition this year in NL East.

      3. The Tigers might not have a good year, but Miggie will.
      For all intents and purposes, it looks like the Tigers are due for another down year, although outside of Justin Verlander, the starting pitching has looked good the past two nights. But one thing that won’t hold Detroit back this year is Miguel Cabrera, who hit two dingers and drove in four runs in the Tigs’ 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday. It’s early, but Cabrera looks like he’ll be a favorite for the AL MVP all season.

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      MLB

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