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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
“We don’t have anyone to throw out the ball for our first playoff game,” Tampa Bay President Matt Silverman said. “MLB asked us who it’d be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor.”
Nobody’s even close. Not after Tampa Bay finished last in the American League East in nine of its previous 10 seasons. Not after playing in its Tropicana Field dungeon, a domed park that looks like a garbage can with its lid on crooked. Not after exorcising the “Devil” from its name this season and, apparently, erasing all of its past.
Central Command has a base in Tampa, so the Rays dream of fetching Gen. David Petraeus to throw out the first pitch. If not, as God is my witness, their second choice is Dick Vitale. That is their celebrity list. Who knew the Rays had a fan?
Petraeus? Vitale? What, are Fred McGriff and favorite son Wade Boggs not available?
By the way, with God as my Witness, I thought Turkeys could fly.
By way of Deadspin by way of SportsByBrooks. And then probably run over land by the Pony Express.
Gamingboy
Posted: September 24, 2008 at 05:39 PM | 99 comment(s)
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1. Paul The Paranoid Android Posted: September 24, 2008 at 07:10 PM (#2953082)Maybe it should be a local boy who worked his way up from poverty to be an MLB star, like Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, or Elijah Dukes.
How about the Tampa Heckler?
Leroy Selmon. He has a chain of BBQ joints, and they named a crosstown expressway after him.
gawd, I hate that guy. I swear they must mic him, either that or he always sits right underneath the TV mics.
Metal in throat lady seems like she'd make a fine choice.
If they meet the Cubs in the Series, I'll be rooting for p.s.o.T. Lou Piniella to throw out the first base.
Like the guy said, they don't have anyone.
Sure, but I suspect St. Pete does too.
OOOOHHH, YEEEEAAAHHH!!!
Only if they have him wear a Scott Kazmir jersey.
They're saving him for the World Series opener against the Cubs or Phillies.
Or maybe save him in case they meet the Mets in the Series.
Ryan Rupe -- there's a name I haven't heard in a while.
I still think it should be a loyal fan. Hell, every team should do that.
Really. Some poor bastard has probably had season tickets for 11 years and shown up to nearly every game. He should get his own parade. Of course, there's a fair chance that guy roots for the Yankees when they come to town.
Elijah Dukes.
Only if he throws it to Josh Hamilton.
This one deserves some praise. Always loved that line.
As for first pitch, it should be Dewayne Staats. He's been the voice of the team since its inception, and he's the father-in-law of Dan Wheeler, the closest thing they have to a remaining (though non-consecutively-termed) Original Ray.
And he's related to me through marriage (so is Wheeler, for that matter), so it would be cool to watch.
Elijah Dukes.
Comment 3.
Closers strike people out all the time. I remember when Dan Wheeler of the Devil rays struck me out on two non-consecutive times.
He seems like a nice guy. He's not arrogant, per se, but he does think he's more clever than he actually is. That's the only annoying thing about him, IMO. He's not profane, and it's not his fault the stadium is usually empty enough that he can be heard loud and clear. I don't see anything wrong with some good-natured heckling. Certainly not anything to purposely put a stop to.
He does tell a story in the interview in which supposedly Cashman tried to get Yankee head of security to have him stopped at one point, I guess the YES broadcasts were picking him up even more clear than usual, but Rays security told them to buzz off.
Up until recently, who has he really been bothering?
Famous Tampa Athlete, looks good on TV, associated with championship.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA199803310.shtml
Two mayors, no waiting. Problem solved.
McCain just suspended his campaign. Maybe it could be his.
I think Jim Duquette should do the honors.
Till the Mets face the Rays in the Series, let's wait.
Then we'll watch the server self-immolate.
quick, without looking, who was the Bucs QB in their first year?
edit: way off, he never left the Bears
Ronde Barber.
Famous Tampa Athlete, looks good on TV, associated with championship.
Tiki will probably go since he doesn't have a real job and no one will know the difference.
What about Sheffield? He's from Tampa
I was gonna say Roman Gabriel, then I looked it up.
Spurrier?
Yes. He was a pitching coach for the Pirates in the minors earlier this year, but he quit partway through. Not sure what he's doing now.
Doug Williams?
My guess as well.
Which I see was wrong.
Doug Creek. Place your bets on this guy.
But Toby Hall will be free for game 1 of the ALDS.
How about the guy who leads the franchise in career BA, OBP and SLG?
Anyone want to guess?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Szasz
http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050721&content_id=1139571&vkey=news_tb&fext;=.jsp&c_id=tb
http://theheckler.mlblogs.com/
His blog hasn't been updated since April 15, 2006, but at that point, he had already attended four games, which is pretty good.
It's not the Crime Dog?
There is no such person. Crawford leads in BA, Mcgriff in OBP and SLP
I don't really like heckling but I wouldn't think people should be removed for it, in general. But this guy is a constant, loud, annoying drone. I cannot imagine sitting next to him or within 3-5 sections of him and trying to enjoy a ballgame.
No, it's not his fault that the small crowds allow him to be heard loudly and annoyingly by everyone. But it's not my fault that the local daycare at naptime is so quiet that everyone can hear my air horn. It doesn't mean it's a good idea, or a reasonable action, to go in there and start blowing it off.
How quickly Esteban Yan is forgotten : )
I'd pick Don Zimmer.
EDIT: I also hear Ronan Tynan is available.
From that link:
A husband and proud father of two, Aubrie Jane and six-year-old Colton (who will be ready for T-ball soon), Creek also remains active in several charities from his Major League days.
Did he name his daughter after Aubrey Huff?
Derek Bell
Leo Gallagher aka Gallagher
Steve Garvey
David Sanborn
Nick Carter
Hulk Hogan
Casey Kotchman
Tony Little fitness infomercial guy
I didn't know Dewayne Stats was in TB. That sort of puts those cartoons where the Rays beat up Dr. Stats in a different light.
She said she had sworn off baseball players. This is unfortunate for the Rays as most of them seem to be baseball players.
My opinion wouldn't change, regardless, but doesn't he pick one guy on the opposing team and go after him when he's up and then keep it down the rest of the game? That's how he's described in the SABR piece, and that's what I remember from when he chose Erubiel Durazo as the A's representative a few years ago.
The news
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