Scary but true, Shoppach & Soriano only seem to make the problem cost more money...Hopefully we are wrong this time

I don't understand how Rays fans that actually watch the Rays don't see this as a positive thing. Aki has left memories, but realistically, he struck out over 100 times a year when he plays a full season and didn't come near Zobrist's effect on the lineup. Having Zobrist to play 2nd, with Brignac and Rodriguez as backups, the Rays weren't going to spend the 4.85 mil on a 3rd string 2nd baseman, and instead of losing him for nothing, they got a quality young reliever under team control for 5 more years. This team needs bullpen help, and Aki wasn't going to be here anyways. It doesn't need starting pitching, the Rays are loaded with young starters, they need pen help, and this trade is a step in the right direction. That frees up more funds for other bullpen help and arbitration cases this season like Bartett, who is sure to get a large bump. Smart deal by the Rays, even if the pitcher fails, they lost nothing as Zobrist became such a better defensive 2nd baseman last year he actually outdid Aki on offense and defense, and is under club control for 4 more years, so what is all the complaining about.

Hey Dick Weed, I don't think Sonny is MLB quality either. I agree on that with you totally. The guy all year was just horrible, and even at AAA this year, he simply wasn't quality. Giving up 4 runs a game in AAA, and 6.8 runs a game in MLB simply isn't quality, regardless of the coach. Wonder if he is fixable in any way. He simply is a meatball pitcher right now, it is unreal to watch him this year, it felt like he was throwing batting practice in the majority of his starts. You simply can't throw meatballs to MLB hitters and keep getting away with it. I disagree with them keeping Hickey, but since we don't have a choice, I guess we'll have to hope they got it right. Watching every game this year, it just seems like he doesn't get it, and how many times did you see him visit the mound and a walk or big hit followed. Granted pitchers have to make pitches, but coaches are supposed to adjust to the pitcher's strengh and utilize their talent. Maddon's comment about fans, just shows you his smugness and arrogance. Right or worng, Maddon consistently takes shots at fans about attendance, their lack of knowledge of the game, yet never attempts to explain his reasonings. He just acts smug and smartassed most of the time, and actually demeans the fan base. Even if he is all that, his fake portrayal of being the good guy is clearly an act when he makes comments like he did. No need to blast fans, there is 15,000 of them that show up every night and alot of them don't like Maddon anymore because of his decisions and smugness. Hoping the Rays turn it around and all this will go away. Until then Joemaddonsucks.com lives on

Dissapointing to see Hickey get retained. Sonnanstine, Kaz, Shields, Garza, Howell, Balfour, all took steps backwards under Hickey this year. Price didn't improve as much as he should have, and Hickey just seems to not use the pitcher's strengths, and tries to force them into his system. I guess we'll see next year how it comes out. Granted it isn't all Hickey's fault, but why did most of the pitchers on the Rays struggle this year. Jackson, Hammel, and Kaz aren't really factors, Jackson has 4.55 ERA since June 11, Hammel 4.33 ERA for the season, & Kaz in Anaheim is with a great team and a better pitching coach, but it's only been 6 weeks. Hickey however never seemed to get the best out of the pitchers on the current Rays, and maybe he is under orders from Maddon or Friedman, but these starting 5 now should dominate, and Garza, Price, Davis need to use their strength, not always pitching to contact like Hickey preaches. Just look how well that worked for Sonnanstine. It works well for Niemann but that is his style, and Shields simply made poor pitches this year, he needs to go back to his changeup and use his best "OUT"pitch. Steve Henderson-Friedman said the Rays didn't score runners from 3rd, and situational hitting was poor. --SO TRUE! How many times did the Rays not score the man from 3rd with less than 2 outs this season? It was a horrible job of making productive outs, and getting runners home, so this move makes sense. Also Navarro .218 avg, BJ .241 avg, Burrell .221 avg, Gross & Pena .227 avg, some of this has to be on the batting coach doesn't it? Too many proven hitters taking steps backwards, except Gross, he simply isn't a quality hitter. Gross hit .171 since Jul 1st, .227 for the year, with almost no run production Pena hit .212 since Jul 1st, .227 for the year but did have 100 RBI, but still... I will maintain season tix, regardless of who the Rays hire/fire, because I love the team and love baseball, but I understand fans that feel different. If the Rays were the Indians or Marlins and just didn't give a damn about their fans or winning, then I'd feel different, but this ownership does want to win, and even if they don't spend money as much as we'd like, they still field a team good enough to win and make the playoffs, and it's simply up to the staff and players to improve. Hopefully the Rays add some real bullpen help, and maybe use some of their many young pitchers in the farm system to help the pen either by trading them for help, or by using them in the pen. Hellickson will be in Tampa Bay before too long, so who know what starter will lose his position in the next 18 months. This team is good enough to make the playoffs even in the AL EAST..

Was at the game, it was a fun game as a Rays fan to watch, and honestly as much as BJ's lack of hustle on the basepaths irritates fans including me, that was a terrific event for him and the Rays. If in any way it can help BJ get it together next year, that would be nice to see. If he would just run out ground balls 100% of the time, the comments would go away even when he struggles. Maddon finally admitted last night that BJ had a bad season, and hopes this boosts him for next year. Usually Maddon says how good he had done, and how much better he is looking every night even when it's BS, but he finally slipped up and said he had a bad season, and hoped this helped BJ for next year. Price did well, but that Tex HBP, sure looked bogas. Ball whizzed by him, but he seemed to embellish it quite a bit. It changed directions but it sure was embellished. Hope the Rays have seen enough of Bennett, the guy is flat out awful out of the pen no matter what the score. Looking foward to 2010, hope ANDREW makes some good moves for the pen, we'll see what happens with CC soon I suppose. Upton had a great game on defense too, it just proves he can do it when his head is in the game. Looking to 2010, hope they can take 2 more from the Yanks, even if they don't matter...Denying Sabathia his 20th win was nice...but I'd rather see the Rays in the playoffs than trying to spoil records..

T-Bird isn't JMS, we definitely are seperate as is Mike in Tampa. Funny how fans can pay their money for season tix, and watch mediocre players getting paid millions and somehow because we're not playing ball, we don't understand the game... razzlegator always sparks controversy, and never can back it up with facts or stats. Do you actually attend games, or even watch them on TV? If you paid thousands of dollars yearly to watch game, you'd actually get the bigger picture. Maddon has been booed most of the times he comes out, because people finally caught onto his act, and his constant denial that some players don't cut it at the MLB level. Maddon holds no accountability of his players, where as someone like Scioscia makes players accountable and they have won that division several times under his management. Maddon has simply been exposed because his team isn't bailing him out like it did last year, and now everyone sees Maddon for what he is. Good coach, maybe a good teacher, but not a good manager. As far as players are concerned, just because they are better than all of us, it still doesn't mean they are MLB quality. Upton has all the talent in the world, but Maddon enables Upton to continue his lack of discipline, and his constant mistakes by continuing to allow the players like Upton, Navarro to continue playing even when they refuse to give 100%. Amazing how Zobrist with less talent, but lots of heart and hustle continues to play well defensively and offensively, regardless of the season being lost. Just because fans aren't playing in the MLB, doesn't make the not know or understand the game. I'll always carry season tix, and will go to the games regardless of who's playing, but having to watch the same mistakes over and over by the manager and certain players gives any fan the right to stop going or boo Maddon, or dislike players that don't give 100%. You don't hear people bashing the Gabes, or CC,or Zobrist because they actually give 100%. Players like Gross aren't real MLB quality, but no one despises him because he makes the effort 100% of the time, where as Upton, Navarro just flat out don't have their head in the game, and it has been a continued pattern all season. That being said, I hope they solidify the RF position without Gross, and hope they don't trade Upton until he has some value again. I don't think he is a free agent T-bird until after 2011, not sure but I think his PA's the first 2 year equalled 1 year. Either way, here's to hoping the Rays turn it around next year, and hopefully Maddon gains some baseball common sense to go along with his math charts.

T-Bird..how can anybody still think this team hasn't quit on Maddon? You nailed it, 2-3 are still hustling, the rest have clearly quit...Maddon lost control of the team, it's simply out of hand now..Excuses, excuses, excuses...not even going to get to .500

Dick Weed, that's a great point actually, one that most of us including myself probably don't thnk about. Upton has frustrated us all year with his poor play, and his seemingly aloof attitude, but the fact that he did play early instead of rehabbing longer, was probably brought on a bit by the Perez injury. Maddon could have used Joyce more in the beginning, or Kapler in center, and the results would have been similar to Upton's, but possibly Upton would have been healthy and productive the past few months. Still don't like his lack of hustle at times, but we all know if he has his head on straight and is healthy, he can be productive. Question is will he be in 2010. Maddon is the reason this team took a nosedive. Players have to perform, but managers are the ones that use players in the wrong situations, and continue to use the ones that aren't productive. We've seen it for 3 years with Joe, but it got exposed this year because the team didn't come back to win games that he blew with manager mistakes. In 2008, the team had miracle comebacks that covered Maddon's mistakes. In 2009, he is seen for what he is...smug, stubborn, and refuses to adjust when things aren't working. No miracle comebacks, made this a .500 team. This team is better than that, and can continue to grow if the manager uses his brain and his stat sheets, instead of always relying on a stat sheet by itself. There actually is alot of loyal Rays fans in the area, if there wasn't these blogs would have been empty all year, and the multiple Rays blog sites wouldn't be so busy. Winning solves any attendance issues that any city has. Proven over and over in all cities, except Miami....

Kapler's Millions-Your name sums up how much you think of the Rays, you still think Kapler's great? Joe Maddon has turned this franchise upside down. They have so much talent, just like the Bucs did under Dungy, yet Maddon makes so many mistakes, and last year they got away with it, because the team was able to overcome the mistakes and bail him out, so everyine ignored it. He does it again this year, and the team can't come back and cover his mistakes, so now he is exposed. Dungy was a great guy, think the world of him, but he was as stubborn as Maddon is, and deserved to get shown the door. Nice guy is great, but winning wasn't something the Bucs did, until Gruden won one. Gruden changed 27 players on that team the year he won, so let's not say he won with Dungy's guys, cuz that is only partially true. Gruden turned into a stubborn coach as well, who simply couldn't do it again, just like Maddon is doing now. You can have your opinion, but if you actually watch the games all the way through and see the same mistakes night in and night out, you opinion would alter. The most loyal Maddon fans are questioning him the past month. We've posted his blunders for this year, several times on joemaddonsucks.com, try actually reading it and see the facts as they are. Here it is again so you can actually look at it then try to explain it away. It isn't evenupdated the past couple of blown games..and it still is 20 wins plus blown this year. Who to hire, well that list is a long one, but someone tha doesn't coddle players and allow them to be lackadaisical and then instead of benching non performers, he utilizes the guys that are getting it done. There is alot of AVAILABLE future managers waiting. Kirk Gibson strikes is in line soon, and he wouldn't allow this team to be lack fundamentals, and Gibson understands the game adn how to play it the right way. Sabermetrics, mixed with common sense really does work. Maddon simply has one to far away from common sense, and clearly isn't following sabermetrics either at this point, he's just off in his own world. Try reading national articles, Maddon is the laughingstock of the league at this point..all you have to do is google it... http://joemaddonsucks.com/MaddonMistakes09.jpg

Don't look now Mikey A,under .500 happens Thursday...Joe Maddon just doesn't get it, not to use the same guys that keep blowing it...Management just can't be as stupid as this looks, can they? Wow...., hoping the front office realizes they goofed on Maddon sooner than later...

Maddon would always have you believe the spin, but there is no way he has this clubhouse under control. Too many incidents prove otherwise, and how could you have their pulse, when you keep letting the same guys pen members lose starters wins, and keep playing non productive players instead of productive players, and now you still don't play Joyce, and others to see value for next year, instead playing 40 yr old pitchers and 35 yr old journeyman 1B who won't be here. Durham winning playoffs is more important than developing players for 2010? It is what it is, I hope AF secretly despises Maddon and finds a way to get rid of him if they fail again in 2010...

Joe Maddon hasn't been smiling lately, at least that smug smirk is finally being knocked off his face. When you keep doing the same thing over and over and it doesn't work, you have to be willing to change it. It's called adjustments, something Maddon doesn't see in his cards he uses to manage games.

I hear ya T-Bird, we love them that's why we're here...I can't avoid them, keep hoping they pull out some wins and at least go .500 at this point. As a fan, we are screwed, because Maddon and Burrell will be back, and even if they wipe out Navi, Upton, Gabes, they won't upgrade the pen enough to hold leads. The only way to stop this is to actually develop some bullpen help since they won't spend for it. No more 40 yr old plus scrubs that other teams discard. Maddon just simply follows the math too much at times, instead of using his knowledge of the game to get it right. It is what it is, but they can't cry foul when fans don't show up to watch this manager continue to blow games because of being stubborn. I will still go, always will, but I don't blame others that stop watching and spending hard earned money for the same thing night after night. Losing is one thing, fans can accept that when you play the game right, but losing by doing the same thing night after night and refusing to change when it doesn't work, will eventually break the fan base of what fans they did gain.

But Maddon is proud of the effort. No worries, it is just one game, even if it is 11 games in a row. Maddon will probably get mad someone went outside the company line again. Balfour did it twice now, Izzy did it, now Shields..Maddon doesn't have this team's pulse all season, and enabling them instead of coaching them when they perform poorly just made the losing spiral out of control...

T-Bird, what's the point any longer, they seriously have let this guy run this team in the ground, and won't admit it, so the fan base is screwed for 3 more years of the same. Talented team, lots of potential, but a no common sense manager who buries this team night after night, and then can't admit his mistakes, but loves everybody's effort. Watching this is Tiresome...Amazing that the Garza giveaway is for all fans now, usually they only give it to kids 14 and under, but they know attendance is shot now, so they use gimmicks to hope for fans to show up. So bush league, try spending the money on players instead of free giveaways...

Maddon using regulars for double duty now that they are out of it..yet he plays them with no "rest", but when they needed wins, they were rested...Not sure what could sum up Maddon's bad decisions better than this...3 more years of this..Rockeis went to 07 WS, lost, then had a bad year like this, and fired the manager this year, and they are back in playoffs as Wild-card at this point with an actual game manager, who uses common sense. I doubt the Rays brass would do this to Maddon, but we can hope..otherwise it's a long 3 years, and the team will kill off it's fanbase so they can move the team. Maybe that's the whole idea, didn't get attendance as fast as they wanted after WS, so they ruin the team to run it out of town..Sure hope not, but at this point, who knows why they keep letting Maddon run this thing in the ground.

Excuses, excuses, excuses, we all know what Upton pulled, and still Maddon tries to be his buddy. This is why he never grows up and never hustles, the manager enables his lackadaisical play. It's time to pull the plug, and make some serious trades in the offseason and retool this pen and dump the Navi's, Upton's, and the Gabe's. PTB will be here so we have to deal with it, but his and Pena's contract's expire after 2010. Nothing changes with Maddon in charge, his approach is the worst in baseball. Hopefully the FO wakes up ASAP. http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/09/maddon-again-mis-manages-pen.html

Updated blog on Maddon, and BLOWN GAMES by Maddon for 2009 http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/09/maddon-again-mis-manages-pen.html

T-Bird, you know I was advocating that Maddon was over-rated and that they did well last year in spite of him from the beginning. How on earth can anyone that actually watches these games, still think Maddon isn't to blame? Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. Yes the players are playing poorly, but these have almost all been winnable games, and mismanagement caused losses. Players play poorly, but when they do, the manager has to stop using the same players that keep blowing games, specifically Balfour this year. Last year Wheeler was the culprit, this year, it is Balfour, and Springer, and for a part Howell. Howell is terrific when he is on, but let's be real here, you can't keep using the saem guys night after night when they are struggling. Richard's error hurt, but the Balfour dinger once again to blow a Niemann lead was the big blow. For the 4th time in a month, the pen lost a game for Niemann, not to add Garza, Davis, Price in the past 4 days have all pitched great for nothing thanks to Maddon's use of the pen. Why do they claim BJ is hurt now? Really? Maddon rests guys so much, and if BJ was really hurt, then why would he be out there with nothing on the line this year? Lame story, and did Topkin even question Maddon's lame excuse to take out BJ. Call it like it is, that was a bad attitude, and lazy play, regardless if he is "injured" or not. This team clearly plays like Maddon manages, with no sense of urgency, and no reason to hustle or win because the manager says it's just one game. Add them up and the Rays are probably going to fall under .500 mark this season now with the games left on the schedule. They deserve to be embarrassed, because they played like this with no heart, and Maddon is the ring leader. He accepts mediocrity, and the players play as such. When are the Rays FO going to realize this was a mistake, and hire someone who is passionate about winning, not about politics and being buddies with players. 3 MORE YEARS of this, will leave the team without a fan base, and with a new city, and that sux, because this team has die hard fans who blog, attend games, and really care even if the manager doesn't.

Won't get better any time soon T-Bird, check out MADDON's comments today from the Rays site. As far as the hitting coach in AAA, I have no idea if he is hurting them, but Henderson maybe has some credit due for Bartlett/Zobrist. BJ is on his own, it may not be the coach, he may just be uncoachable or too hard to fix. I'm not claiming keep Henderson, just saying he seemed to improve the youn guys willing to hustle, and the ones not willing to hustle and listen struggled (BJ, Burrell, Navi). At any rate, maybe they will let Hickey go, and get the ship righted next year, but by Maddon's comments it seems he lives in fairly land about his bullpen, but should we expect anything else from him http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090907&content_id=6838716&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb

Will the Rays ever change with Maddon at the helm? Latest on http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/ With updated Maddon blunders

Here we go again, an error leads to an unearned run. If it isn't Maddon, it's the players making fundamental mistakes to cost runs....2009 Rays

Jim I dislike BJ's appeared laziness as much as anybody, and his lack of hustle is annoying, but I was there, and he did not fake that. Carl and BJ should have communicated better, but BJ simply lost his footing, it wasn't CC stepping on him. He actually looked like he broke the ankle at first, it was nasty to see, and we should all be glad he didn't break that ankle. Love him or hate him, I wouldn't wish that kind of injury on anybody, and there was no "weenie" in it at all. He looked seriously injured, and fortunately he wasn't. Hope they can trade him for prospects or get him fixed, (whatever it is in his head that isn't working, or his shoulder if it's still hurt). Either way an injury to him would have been a huge blow to the team's future either with him getting better or his trade value. It will be nice to see Perez for a few days.

Kaplers Millions-Joe Maddon in disguise...one game? Wow each week we keep hearing that same excuse it was one game, after the Rays implode and blow chances, but it isn't one game, it's been going on all season since you haven't bothered to notice. One game? Times 25 blown games this year, look it up, here's the link so you can be educated before claiming it was only one game. It's all in black and white done for you. Try backing up comments with actual proof. http://joemaddonsucks.com/Maddonmistakes09.xls

*Isn't the defense's fault