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January 4, 2009

Every Given Sunday

Stoking the Hot Stove Fires

by John Perrotto

There was no bigger story in baseball last year than the Rays, as the Tampa Bay franchise, which had known nothing but futility since its inception in 1998, dropped the Devil from its nickname, changed its color scheme and its uniform, and then dramatically changed their losing ways. In one of the more stunning turnarounds in the history of the game, the Rays went from having the worst record in the major leagues in 2007 with a 66-96 mark, to going 97-65 and winning the American League pennant by beating the White Sox in the Division Series and the Red Sox in the Championship Series. Though the Rays fell to the Phillies in the World Series in five games, their transformation from laughingstock to champion was astonishing.

The 2009 season is fast approaching, and it will be interesting to see where the Rays go from here, as they prepare to defend their AL championship and their AL East title against the powerful Yankees and Red Sox. New York has spent more than $400 million on free agents, signing left-hander CC Sabathia, right-hander A.J. Burnett, and first baseman Mark Teixeira, and despite a quiet winter, the Red Sox remain formidable.

Though the Rays return with the nucleus of their team intact, some things will be different this year. They'll no longer be considered the underdogs, nor will they be looked upon as the poor souls who play in the goofy domed stadium in St. Petersburg, just a B.J. Upton home run away from the magnificent Sunshine State Skyway. This time out, the Rays are supposed to win. "I think it's great to play in this division," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "Playing in this division keeps you on your toes every minute of the day. I think it's wonderful to have a high level of expectations on our back. I think it's great, and I think it's going to bring out the best in our guys."

Another change for the Rays this year is that they will no longer hold spring training in St. Petersburg. Instead, they've moved down the Gulf Coast to Port Charlotte, Florida, taking over a refurbished spring-training base that had been abandoned by the Rangers earlier this decade when they joined the exodus of teams leaving the Grapefruit League for the Cactus League.

Maddon believes that having their facility in a more out-of-the-way location, where the major leaguers and minor leaguers can train together, will have its advantages, perhaps lessening the possibility of his team becoming complacent following its first taste of success. "It's going to be wonderful to have everyone together," Maddon said. "Now, the coaches on our staff and I can get over to see the kids in the minor leagues and show them the way we want things done, the Rays' way of playing baseball, if you will. It's going to be a new experience for all of us to not be training in our hometown. It's going to be beneficial. I think you'll probably see a little more bonding. We already have a close-knit group, and it's only going to get closer."