May 19, 2005
Deal with the Devil
Take a look at the Devil Rays lineup today. What a motley collection of poor hitters. They have two people with any ability to get on base, and they're batting 8th and 9th. No one has any power except the 35-year-old journey man first baseman. How can this be?
The Devil Rays have been miserable since their inception. Has there ever been a season in which they didn't have one of the top draft choices? After seven seasons, they should be swimming in talent. Stretches like this for the Mets produced Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. Stretches like this for the Athletics produced Canseco and McGwire. Where are the Devil Rays superstars? Looking at the hitters in the lineup today makes it abundantly clear how poorly this franchise is managed.
Well, they'd have one superstar if they hadn't traded Bobby Abreu for Kevin Stocker.
One word: contraction.
Or they should be forced to sell the team to someone who cares. Shoot, even MLB is doing better with the Nationals.
I agree with this to a certain extent, but you can't argue with their recent management, considering they have 2 possible superstars in their system in Delmon Young and B.J. Upton. Can't argue with the Kazmir heist either, although the fact that he's in the majors is a testament to the relative thinness of their organization.
There's a difference between making poor baseball decisions and not caring. The Devil Rays are a lot more of the former than the latter. Franchises that don't care are the LA Clippers, and for a long time, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wow, the D-ray lineup looks downright potent compared to what the Indians are putting out there. Regulars Blake and Boone are hitting below .200 and alleged all-star Victor Martinez is a couple more 0-4's away from joining them.
