Although the Canadiens are about in the same dissappointing boat as the Lightning this season, being able to fight back from 3-1 down has got to feel good for the Bolts. They have come out of the Christmas break with two home wins, and hopefully the momentum is beginning to build in the locker room.
Steven Stamkos is back on a scoring hotstreak, and he netted his 23rd of the year versus the Habs to open the scoring. Montreal would go on to score 3 straight, but the Bolts got back into the game with JT Wyman's first NHL goal and Marc-Andre Bergeron's 4th of the year. Vinny Lecavalier put the Lightning back on top about halfway through the third period, and Mathieu Garon's great play kept the Canadiens out of the net despite a massive flurry late.
The Lightning look to gain two more points against the Hurricanes on New Year's Eve.
The Lightning defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1.
Steven Stamkos scored twice, Mathieu Garon stopped 31 shots and the Lightning picked up two points over a very good team in Tampa Bay's return to the ice from the Christmas break.
The Flyers outshot the Lightning 17-4 in the first period and 12-4 in the third, but Garon stood strong in net. Several highlight-reel saves kept the Flyers from scoring, and the Lightning's offense was able to give some support and ended up scoring 5 goals.
Hopefully this big win against one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference spurs some confidence in the Bolts. After many games on the road to start the season, the schedule is finally balancing and the Lightning will play the majority of the rest of their games inside the soon-to-be Tampa Bay Times Forum. They're going to need to take advantage of the home ice and string some more wins together.
The Lightning lost to the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1 in overtime.
I was unable to catch Friday's game, but from what I've read, the Bolts came out flying in the first period while falling off for most of the second and third. It's entirely possible that the Mile High altitide issues of Denver had an effect. That and some more dumb luck on the Bolts' part led to Tampa Bay's first loss in overtime since October 15.
At least the Lightning were able to get a point. They've picked up 5 of the last possible 8 points, which isn't mind-blowing but is certainly an improvement.
Given that this game started at 10:30 PM, it's likely that not many people in the Tampa Bay area were able to stay up and watch. Much like the Bucs' blackouts, this was probably for the best. I for one could only last through the 5th San Jose goal with a few minutes remaining in the first period. The Sharks came out flying, and the Bolts looked asleep. West Coast trips tend to make East Coast teams look sluggish, but the last Lightning game was on Saturday, so they had a few days to travel and get accustomed to the time change.
The only bright spot of the day was the return of Marty St. Louis, who played for the first time since he basically broke his face during a December 8th practice. Previously thought to be out indefinately, possibly well after Christmas, Marty added another part to his "tough guy" resume. St. Louis has had to deal with his fair share of injuries, and coming back so quickly from this one is amazing. The fact that he scored a goal in his first game back adds to the impressiveness. He was wearing a full face cage on his helmet, as he likely will for some time. I think all Lightning fans hope he begins to wear a visor when the cage finally comes off.
The Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames, 5-4 (OT) and the Clumbus Blue Jackets, 3-2.
The Bolts have won two in a row for the first time since sweeping a home-and-home series against the Panthers on the weekend after Thanksgiving. They still haven't looked too great in doing so, and have a long way to go until they reach the level of play they had in last year's playoff run. But this is a good start; it's great to rebuild some confidence, and have now gotten three wins since the Marty St. Louis injury. Despite the poor start to the season, the Bolts are only 5 points out of a playoff position.
The defense and goaltending has still had its facepalm moments, but luckily the offense has seen some life. Steven Stamkos, who at this point in his career has proven to be a very streaky scorer, is currently in one of his hot streaks. He now has 20 goals on the year, tops in the NHL. Blair Jones has also scored a few recently, which is great to see for a guy who has had so much success in the AHL but has struggled to make things happen in the NHL. The most promising development recently has been the signs of competency in the power play unit.
The Bolts need to continue the improved play, preferably for an extended period of time. They need to string together wins, or at the very least OT losses, to try and climb in the standings.
The San Diego Padres sent pitcher Mat Latos to the Reds for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger and Edison Volquez. Alonso, Boxberger, and Grandal are all rising prosepcts, and the Rays had shown interest in both Alonso and Grandal. Volquez had a rough year last season, but he's shown promise as a ML starter since going to the Reds in the Josh Hamilton trade.
The package for Latos was massive for one pitcher. And while Latos is very good, he's not that good. This package, if offered, may have been close to making Andrew Friedman trade James Shields. Using this trade as a benchmark, it would seem like the Rays could have at least gotten Alonso and possibly Grandal for Wade Davis (The Rays don't need starting pitching, so including Volquez would not be needed). It's a bit interesting that Freidman was unable to pull off a deal. Maybe the Reds just really, really wanted Latos.
This trade does, however, open some possibilities for the Rays. There has been talk that the Padres may flip Alonso or trade their own Anthony Rizzo. Both are near-MLB ready first base prospects, so keeping both would be a waste. Considering the Rays had shown interest in Alonso and how first base is a position of need for Tampa Bay, I would expect the Rays to pursue one of them.
Back in 2008, the Bay Area rejoiced at the news that the Tampa Bay Rowdies would be returning to action. The original Rowdies, founded in 1975 in the North American Soccer League, was Tampa Bay's first major sports franchise and is heavily rooted in the sports history of the area. That team eventually folded in 1993, but in 2008 it was announced that a new incarnation of the Rowdies was set to begin play as an expansion franchise in the USL First Division in 2010.
Unfortunately, a trademark dispute foiled the plans of using the Rowdies nickname. The team that bore the traditional green-and-yellow stripes was forced to be formally called FC Tampa Bay, and existed for 2 season with that name. In everyone's hearts, however, they were still the Rowdies.
But now, that trademark issue has been resolved, and Tampa Bay's soccer team is officially the Rowdies once again. The ownership group revealed the "new" logo on Thursday, which is almost a direct throwback to the original team script. The star on top honors the original team's championship, also the first in the Bay Area.
In my opinion, I think taking the old logo and modernizing it would have been a better approach to the new logo, sort of as an homage to the past but representative of the future. Sharper edges and crisper lettering would have been great updates. That said, I also think the new logo is great in itself as a throwback; either way, everyone is glad that they are once again the Rowdies.
I'm deeply sorry for not having much new content recently. Some laptop issues and the final stretch run of the school semester have been a hinderance to any new posts.
Since my last article, several Ligtning games and a Buccaneers game have taken place, and in all honesty there has not been much to write about anyway.
The Bucs finally had a quick start to a game, jumping to a 14-0 lead over the Jags, but they then proceeded to revert to their terrible selves a few minutes into the second quarter, giving up 28 points (14 of which came on fumble-return TDs) in around eight minutes. The Bucs had a franchise-record 7 turnovers on the day, plus 12 or so more penalties, and the 41-14 loss basically personified the Bucs' season so far. The absolute freefall from a 4-2 start almost ensures some form of change in the offseason: either with one or several coaches, the player personnel, and possibly even in the front office. Losing 7 straight is unacceptable in the NFL, especially they way they have lost them, and Geno Hayes' statement that the coaching staff made no adjustments during halftime of the Jacksonville game (only encouraging the players to play harder) is a sign that the coaches don't know what to do.
On the ice, the Lightning have been almost as bad, going 1-7-0 in the last 8 games. Dwayne Roloson is looking like what a 42-year-old goalie should probably look like, and Mathieu Garon has not been much better. The defense has been bad and the offense putrid, especially on the powerplay. At this point, the shorthanded team actually has a better chance of scoring than the Bolts when we have the man advantage. The Lightning have been fighting a number of issues, which I'll hopefully have a full post up on within the coming days.
During yesterday's game, DT Brian Price committed a personal foul penalty that negated one a third-and-long situation for the Panters by giving them a first down. Raheem Morris told Price to go home - not just to the locker room, but home.
This was a desperation move for Morris. Apparently nothing he has said or done the last six weeks has encouraged his team to stop commiting stupid and costly penalties, so doing something drastic just as sending a player home was seemingly his only remaining option. All signs point to Morris having lost control of his team, and this was an attempt to gain it back.
But why did he choose Brian Price? Price is a tough guy, having worked through some painful leg injuries in the offseason and each week this season while still playing in top form. And besides from perhaps a few offsides calls, Price has generally been good with avoiding penalties; I believe Sunday was his first personal foul of the year. At the very least, he isn't the face of the Habitually Idiotic Club, as that would go to Aqib Talib and Kellen Winslow. So why not send one of them home with their next penalty? Or even a while ago? What about Talib's punch that took away a goal line stop a few weeks ago, or Winslow's penalty that cost the Bucs a potential scoring drive last week? Price clearly was just in the wrong place at the wrong time: next to the detonation of a ticking time bomb.
Sure, Morris has ample cause for frustration. As do the other coaches, players, owners, fans and anyone else involved in this pathetic team right now. A coach can only go so far to prepare his players, and it is up to the actual players, well, to play, and to play well. Often times coaches get the short end of the stick, as they can only do so much before it's up to the players. That's why I think a lot of heat on Florida Gators coach Will Muschamp is premature - it's only been a year, and he had to deal with countless injuries to an already undermanned and undertalented team, and he had few options with the players given to him.
That said, this does cut both ways, and there are several signs pointing to a poor job of coaching and preparing these players. The first of these is the slow starts. On both offense and defense, the Bucs have come out slugglish, and it takes a while for them to get into a rhythm - if they get into one at all. A lot of this can be traced to coaching and routine. I've heard several times that the Bucs are one of the last teams to come out to warm up in the NFL. Coming out even just a half an hour earlier could do wonders for this team.
Another major sign of poor coaching is the lack of progression in the players. On such a young football team, there needs to be constant improvement, as the young players become more experienced and acclimated to the rigors of the league. Most players on the Bucs, however, have either been stagnant in their development or even have shown signs of regression, such as QB Josh Freeman.
The issues don't even evolve around a lack of actual talent, such as Muschamp's problem is. Morris appeared to be unhappy with the personnel he's been given to work with in his postgame press conference, but the cupboard is far from bare. Freeman, Blount, Williams, Winslow, Penn, Joseph, Faine, Benn, Parker, Barber, Talib, Price, Clayborn, Bowers, Bennett, Haynesworth, Miller, and McCoy all have either been productive in the past or have a great deal of natural talent. Some of the other pieces could use an upgrade (Hayes, Black, Biggers, Lewis), but the core group of talent is there.
Finally, there's the lack of discipline. Obviously I don't have access to the Buccaneer locker room or practices, but all indications point to Raheem, like the Rays' Joe Maddon, being a player's coach. This can be good to an extent, as a coach that players like tend to create a better, more productive atmosphere. However, there comes a point where coaches can become too hesitant to punish a player for stupidity, and so they never learn. And with so much apparent stupidity and lack of discipline on this team, this may be the case with Morris. And maybe sending Price home was his way of trying to change that.
There's a lot to like about Raheem Morris: he's young, he's energetic, he had a great reputation as a coach coming into his promotion. But perhaps he is just more suited to be a coordinator, and he is having trouble juggling the responsibilites of a head coach. Morris is far from a lock to be fired in the offseason, because of those promising qualities, but unless these problems get fixed, and fixed soon, I wouldn't be shocked at what ever Morris' fate is.
The Buccaneers lost to the Carolina Panthers, 38-19.
On a day where Tampa Bay donned the creamsicle jerseys and the Bucco Bruce helmets, and honored Jimmie Giles in his induction into the pantheon of Buccaneer greats, the modern Bucs played like the inagural team that went winless in those same uniforms back in the 70s.
There are so many problems with this team that to devote an entire blog post to discussing them would be quite time consuming. However, doing so would be pointless, as the same problems that hurt the Bucs today are the same problems that hurt them last week, that hurt them early this season, that have hurt them for the past three years. It was three years ago that the 2008 Buccaneers headed to Carolina for a showdown on Monday Night Football, where they were trounced by a relentless Panthers rushing attack. That team would lose the rest of their games to somehow miss the playoffs, spelling the end of an era of dominant Tampa Bay defenses and ushering in a new era of porous ones. Since that game in Carolina, the Buccaneers have a record of 17-30, with ten of those wins coming in last year's apparent fluke of a season that was helped by an easy schedule.
Today, three years later, the Bucs still cannot stop the Carolina Panthers, a team that was only 3-8 entering the game but managed to blow out the boys in orange.
Don't blame Josh Johnson for the loss. He played well considering the circumstances, throwing for 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception, plus a team-high 45 yards rushing. Johnson is no slouch, and he will be a hot comodity in free agency this offseason.
Unfortunately, Johnson was one of the few bright spots of the game. The others were K Connor Barth,
who nailed field goals of 50, 47, 46 and 44 yards, and DE Da'Quan Bowers, who finished with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures and one pass defensed. Bowers looks to be finally reaching his potential with increased playing time due to Michael Bennett's injury, and Bennett may not have a starting spot when he return from injury.
Besides that, everyone else was pretty much their usual bad selves. Missed tackles, poor reads, bad footwork and positioning, ad stupid penalties ruled the day once again. While it is up to players to actually get on the field and execute, the coaches need to show them how and work with them to improve, something that has seemed to be absent from this Buccaneers team. It's never a good sign when young talent fails to improve or even regresses over the course of the season, which seems to apply to just about every player. Forget Raheem Morris and Greg Olsen; the entire Bucs coaching staff's collective seats are starting to sizzle. And don't overlook the roles of GM Mark Dominik and the Glazers in this pitiful season. Dominik was heralded as a genius for putting together last year's overacheiving squad, but this year he looks like a fool for giving Quincy Black a massive, undeserved contract and signing only Michael Koenen in free agency. And the Glazers have done little to nothing to ameliorate the growing tension between the team and the Bucs faithful.
The Lightning lost to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, 4-2.
On a night where a general manager faced the team he led to a Stanley Cup, Wednesday's game was just a case of the Lightning being outplayed by a better team. The Red Wings' hot goalie, Jimmy Howard, made the saves that Dwayne Roloson couldn't; Detroit's offense took advantage of the Bolts' defensive lapses, and their defense stick checked and shot blocked away Lightning scoring chances.
The Lightning actually played a strong game, including fighting back from a 0-2 deficit to tie the game at the end of 2 periods on the heels of goals by Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, but the effort wasn't enough to take down the Wings.
A few days after announcing a 5-year, $20 million extension for rising star defensman Victor Hedman, the Lightning made a minor trade Friday: they acquired defensemen Evan Oberg and Mike Kostka from the Florida Panthers in exchange for F James Wright and D Mike Vernace. All players involved were playing in the AHL, so I doubt it will have any immediate impact on either team.
The Buccaneers lost to the Tennessee Titans, 23-17.
There was a lot about the game on Sunday that showed promise. Legarrette Blount had another fine day, and the defense had some takeaways and pressure. But the Bucs would once again beat themselves with missed opportunities, penalties, and turnovers of their own.
Yes, the field was wet and sloppy, and so some errors are bound to be made. The Bucs certainly took advantage of similar mistakes by the Titans. But Tampa Bay continued to shoot itself in the foot.
What really represents this game as a whole was a particular Bucs drive. Blount had been fed the ball and was breaking off seemingly 10 yards with every touch. The Bucs were in a position to add to their 7 point lead, and momentum was in their favor. But then Kellen Winslow got a penalty for holding, setting the team back 10 yards, followed by a Jeremy Zuttah false start to tack on 5 more. What had once been a potential touchdown drive quickly turned into a punt from midfield. The Bucs would not score again, and a 6-point Titans win off of a drive late in the 4th quarter really stings.
Josh Freeman continued to be inaccurate and made more poor decisions, seemingly forcing to ball while ignoring defenders in the area at times. As good as Freeman was last year at controling the ball, he now has 16 interceptions this year, second most in the NFL. And many are in just horrible situations to throw a pick in, including several on passes to the endzone and a few picks late in the 4th.
The run defense was gashed again, this time by Chris Johnson, who has arguably been the biggest dissapointment in the NFL this year (at least for fantasy owners). The Bucs' drop into mediocrity began a few years ago on MNF against the Panthers, where they absolutely could not stop the run. Those Bucs lost 4 straight to somehow miss the playoffs, resulting in Jon Gruden's firing and the release of several veterans. Here, 3 years later, the youth movement has seemingly done nothing to improve this, even with the injury of Geral McCoy.
After a 4-2 start, the Bucs sit at 4-7 and playoff hopes are all but extinguished. And if they continue to make stupid mistakes, they may not win again.
Family and football obligations prevented me from writing recaps on the Lightning’s two victories against Florida this weekend. Here are official game recaps from the Lightning's website:
The world of sports is a world of business. Although we the fans may hate to admit it, the truth is that the goal of each sports franchise is to turn a profit. As in any other sector of the economy, the sports industry often involves stiff competition among the corporations, who fight for the limited funds of their patrons. A working-class family can only contribute so much to entertainment, and many times they have to decide between paying to see one sport or another.
Many of the large cities and regions in the United States, including the Tampa Bay area, are the homes to multiple professional and collegiate sports teams. In Tampa Bay, the major professional franchises are the NFL’s Buccaneers, the NHL’s Lightning, and MLB’s Rays; other pro teams include Arena Football’s Tampa Bay Storm and the North American Soccer League’s FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, as well as a number of minor league baseball teams. The Florida Gators, South Florida Bulls, Florida State Seminoles, Central Florida Knights, and the Tampa Spartans also all have strong fan bases as far as collegiate athletics go. With so many organizations competing for the money of a region that has about half the population of New York City, it would not come as a surprise if there was a bitter rivalry between these teams, especially the Bucs, Bolts and Rays.
Interestingly, however, that has not seemed to be the case in recent years. In fact, there has been quite a bit of love, or at least mutual respect, between the three major teams in the area. There have been several instances of the owners, coaches, and players of these teams interacting with each other as friends, not foes.
Raheem Morris and Joe Maddon have become good friends, and each has shown his support of the other team:
Morris, Maddon, and Guy Boucher met several months ago for a panel discussion by the Tampa Tribune, and since then Boucher has also kept in contact with his fellow head coaches. Boucher expressed his support of the Rays in their playoff run:
The rest of the Lightning also rooted on the Rays in the playoffs during the NHL preseason:
Earlier in the year, the Rays had hosted the Lightning's Steven Stamkos, Nate Thompson, Teddy Purcell, and then-Bolt Mike Smith during batting practice:
The Rays' Evan Longoria and BJ Upton have been known to attend several Lightning games a year:
Recently, following the announcement of postseason baseball awards, the LightningcongratulatedJeremy Hellickson and Joe Maddon:
The examples of the unity of the teams in the Tampa Bay area continue on. The Rays have hosted Bucs draft picks to throw the opening pitch; some of the teams have ticket deals for local students; The Buccaneers have held practice inside the Trop; and so on. The point is that these teams rather like each other. As someone who was born and raised on Tampa Bay sports, this status of these teams’ relationship brings that old “warm and fuzzy” feeling.
That said, many people living in the region are transplants from other areas of the nation, and may only be a fan of one or two of the local teams while still adhering to their native teams. A Bolts fan may like the Yankees, a Rays fan could root for the Packers, and a Buccaneers fan may cheer of the Red Wings. While the teams in the area may be unified, the fan bases for the most part are not. If the whole community rooted for only the local teams, then not only would fanatic fervor increase, but more money would stay within the area in merchandise, ticket sales, and television viewership. I think the Tampa Bay area’s sports organizations can use their own unity to try and unite the fan bases.
And so, that brings me to the whole point of this post: let’s start an annual Tampa Bay Sports Fan Festival.
Each team usually has their own individual fan fests, with games, prizes, ticket and merchandise sales, and autograph opportunities, and these fan fests tend to draw massive crowds and are fun for all involved. The teams can certainly continue their own fan fests at their own locations, but the idea of a Tampa Bay Sports Fan Festival is essentially like a huge convention, and each team in the Tampa Bay area has a ‘booth’ with their own mini fan fest.
The location would likely be at a fair grounds type of area, perhaps during the summer when children are out of school and some adults may be on vacation. The event would probably span a few days, as an individual fan fest can be known to draw several thousand people. There could be a centrally located stage for musical acts and entertainment, surrounded by large areas designated for each team to do with what they please. They can set up team stores, have guest speakers, have player and coach autograph sessions, have games, giveaways and prizes; the kinds of things you would see at a normal fan fest. And when a fan is done checking out one area, he can move on to the next team’s area. Imagine, a fan can attempt a field goal at the Bucs’ zone, take batting practice in the Rays’ zone, get an autograph from his favorite players in the Lightning’s zone, try to score a penalty kick in FCTB’s zone, and try to field a ball off of the net in the Storm’s zone, all in one day. The idea is to not only provide a lot of fun and excitement for the fans of each team, but to possibly get those fans to venture into the zones of a team they don’t particularly cheer for and perhaps spark some interest. Maybe an autograph or a free hat can make that fan take the initiative to go to a game.
In addition, the festival could be a great way to help local businesses and charities. Invite locally-based restaurants to cater the event; getting their product out to a new audience can have fantastic benefits. The festival would also be an ideal location to house a fundraiser for local non-profit organizations, perhaps with a silent auction on various sports memorabilia.
An annual Tampa Bay Sports Fan Festival could have outstanding benefits for all involved: the teams, the fans, and the local businesses and charities. With the mutual respect between the teams in the Bay area, I think this idea is certainly doable and can have great success.
The Lightning lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-1.
The Lightning played well at the start of the game, something that was great to see after the traditionally slow starts this year. Unfortunately, sustained offensive pressure just could not be turned into goals. A Vinny Lecavalier PPG in the first is all the scoring the Bolts would be able to muster, despite numerous great scoring chances. The Leafs would add three of their own in the first, partially due to a 4-minute power play opportunity. The Leafs scored in the first half, so they retained the extra 2-minute power play, which was made worse when another Lightning penalty made it a lengthy 5-3, resulting in another Toronto goal. The Leafs would continue to pile on from there, and with the game eventually out of reach with about 15 minutes remaining, the effort by the Bolts seemed to be gone.
In many cases, the Lightning were extremely unlucky Tuesday night. Those missed scoring chances usually went by the wayside because the puck was bouncing or was just barely tipped. On the flip side, Toronto was getting all the bounces and breaks, and they capitalized on them. Keep in mind that the Forum had just hosted the Florida-Wright State basketball game the previous night, so the ice may not have been in peak condition. After several bad breaks, the Lightning players seemed to get discouraged. Missed opportunites can be disheartening, but especially when stuck in a losing skid you would like to see the players have a bit more tenacity.
UPDATE:
On Wednesday, the Lightning anounced that Blair Jones had been placed on waivers, and Dana Tyrell has been recalled. Tyrell is known for his heart and hustle, so hopefully his return can spark some energy into the team after a rough stretch.
The Buccaneers lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-26
The optimist in me had hoped for a miraculous upset by the lowly Bucs over the undefeated, defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, but the realist in me expected another blowout at the hands of all-pro QB Aaron Rodgers and his repertoire of offensive weapons. The result of the match-up turned out to be somewhere in the middle - David came close to slaying Goliath, but the Bucs were once again done in by the same mistakes that haunt them week in and week out.
The Bucs were once again in an early hole, trailing 14-0 a few minutes into the second quarter, partially due to an unlucky break where the Green Bay punter, deep in his own territory, botched the snap and yet somehow was able to bumble and stumble the ball past the first down marker. But the Bucs seemed to get energized by an amazing play by Legarrette Blount, who broke at least five or six tackles during a 54-yard TD run. Isn't it incredible what happens when Greg Olsen actually gives the ball to probably the Bucs' greatest playmaker?
The rest of the way, the Bucs gave a tremendous effort. For most of the game, the defense was playing a bend-but-don't-break-except-for-Quincy-Black-and-EJ-Biggers-and-Myron-Lewis type of game, which except last part was all this team could have asked for against the potent Packers. Unfortunately, blown assignments and just poor play by the aformentioned trio would ultimately give the Packers too much breathing room. On offense, Blount (18 CAR, 107 YDS, 1 TD) played well, and Mike Williams (7 REC, 83 YDS, 1 TD), Rejus Benn (5 REC, 75 YDS), and Kellen Winslow (9 REC, 132 YDS) played probably their best games of the year. But again, unfortunately, an offensive pass interference on Winslow negated a touchdown, and later Winslow just flat-out dropped the potential game-tying two-point conversion. Josh Freeman actually had one of his better games this year as well, completing 28 of 38 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns , but he still had several instances of overthrowing or underthrowing open receivers and throwing two more key interceptions.
I want to make two main points about this game. The first is that the penalties absolutely NEED to stop. Big gains on offense are negated by a holding call or an offensive PI, or whatever other stupid thing Kellen Winslow does to earn a flag, and stops on defense are negated by a defensive PI or an offsides (which is one of the most boneheaded mistakes a player can make in my opinion - defensive linemen are essentially lined up staring at the ball; if it doesn't move than they shouldn't either). Tampa Bay had 9 penalties for 55 yards, and that doesn't incorporate the number of missed chances caused by the penalties (like Winslow's TD or a Corey Lynch interception that was wiped out by an offsides). You CANNOT shoot yourself in the foot like that and hope to beat the best team in the NFL.
Second, I'd make a claim that at this point in the year, Josh Freeman has some of the worst time management in football, second only to Les Miles. With just over a minute left and time running, down by two scores, and with no timeouts, Freeman held on to the ball and took a sack when he clearly had an opportunity to scramble or throw the ball away. You CANNOT afford a sack in that situation. And even after that, I see Freeman slowly walking around before the snap, taking his sweet time pointing out defensive alignments and calling out plays. At that point in the game, you need to forget about specific blocking assignments and just take the ball and throw it - and please, throw it towards the end zone, or at least the first down marker. Generally, throwing to a guy a foot past the line of scrimmage on 4th an 15 is not a very good idea.
Many will blame Raheem Morris' decision to attempt an onside kick with about 5 minutes left down by one score as a reason for the loss. I honestly did not have a problem with it. With as good as the Pack's offense has been, there's a chance you could never get the ball back. That said, I think the method of the kick was poor; you had already attempted that earlier in the game, and Green Bay was expecting it. In my opinion, seeing how many Packers were lined up near the front line, I would have tried to squip kick it a few yards past them and see if my team can beat the surprised Packers in a foot race to the ball, much like Baylor recovered a squip kick Saturday night against Oklahoma.
Overall, though, fans finally got to see parts of the exciting young football team we saw last year. Great runs, some great receptions, and - gasp - some decent tackling. The loss stings a bit, but hopefully the good effort creates some positive momentum for the rest of the year.
For those so inclined to the social media world, you can now "Like" TBSB on Facebook. The Facebook page will provide notifications and links to new articles, and perhaps other interesting content in the future, and is a great way to stay connected and updated on the blog.
When I first heard that the Rays were close to bringing one of the trio of catching Molina brothers, my reaction was that no matter which one it was, they would be a fantastic addition to our team, because, well, all three are pretty dang good.
With Yadier entrenched in St. Louis and Bengie in Texas, the remaining brother is Jose, who was a member of the Blue Jays last year. Jose Molina is known for having a rocket arm and a good glove, and a knack for working well with pitchers. His bat has not traditionally been an area of fear for other teams, but he hit .281 in a very lucky (high BABIP) 2011 season.
This would be a tremendous signing if it is completed. The Rays' rotation is fantastic as it is, but bringing in Molina can make young starts like David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, and Matt Moore even better. His defense will also be a great point. Kelly Shoppach did suprisingly well defensively in 2011, but Molina would undoubtedly be an upgrade. The best part about having Molina on our defense is that he wouldn't be on another team's defense, as he gave the Rays' running game fits last year. And although his bat is not tremendous, it still is better than the abysmal offensive output the Tampa Bay backstops produced last season.
Molina also brings some good fortune with him; a Molina brother has made the World Series in each of the last three seasons (Jose w/ NYY in 2009, Bengie w/ TEX in 2010, Yadier w/ STL and Bengie w/ TEX in 2011).
The Lightning defeated the Pittsburg Penguins, 4-1.
Home ice has really seemed to make all the difference with the Bolts this year. They struggle on the road, especially in the first period, but the results within the confines of the St. Pete Times Forum have proven to be much better. Thursday marked their 6th straight win at home, and the team seemed to come out strong and aggressive in front of their fans.
Vinny Lecavalier started the scoring with an unassisted goal off of a Pens turnover in the first period, sneaking a puck through Marc-Andre Fleury's five-hole. In the second, Brett Connolly scored his 4th of the year to put the Lightning up 2-0. It was the first power play goal Fleury has allowed this season. Fleury's secong PPG allowed would come in the thrid period courtesy of Steve Downie, and Lecavalier would add an empty netter to raise the lead to 4. A Pittsburg goal would spoil the shutout, but Dwayne Roloson played a marvelous game, taking away several Penguins chances.
The Bolts clearly have a lot more energy at home in front of Bolts Nation then they do when they are on the road. While that makes sense, the boys have to find a way to bring the same high intensity no matter where the game is played. It's going to be impossible to win the Cup if they can only show this type of effort at the Forum.
Rays manager Joe Maddon was selected by the BBWAA as the American League Manager of the Year. Maddon earned 26 out of 28 first place votes, 1 second place vote...and was left completely off of one ballot. Detroit's Jim Leyland and Texas' Ron Washington finished 2nd and 3rd in the voting, respectively. While what Leyland and Washington did was impressive, they didn't have a near $42 million payroll to have to work with.
This is the second time Maddon has won the award, the other time when he led the Rays from their worst-to-first run in 2008, when the team won the AL pennant. He is only the 7th manager in AL history to have won the award twice in his career.
The award was the second of the postseason for representatives of the Rays. Jeremy Hellickson was named the AL ROY on Monday. James Shields finished 3rd in the AL Cy Young voting, behind Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver.
The Lightning lost to the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2 Monday night.
Yet another poor road showing from the Bolts. This time, it wasn't just a poor start to the game, but an overall terrible game. Defensive turnovers gave the Jets all the chances they would need. The Lightning, on the other hand, had plenty of chances but failed to capitalize. Several times they had open looks at the net, but either sent the shot wide or high or back towards the goalie. Marty St. Louis finally scored again, just his 3rd goal of the year, and Steven Stamkos scored his 11th, but the 2 goals were not enough in the losing effort.
One glaring problem with the Lightning right now is the unproductivity of the power play. They had not only a 4-minute 5-on-4, but they also had a full minute of a 5-on-3, and failed to score each time and in fact were only able to muster a few shots off. The passing has been terrible on the power play unit, they lack the ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone for very long, and there seems to almost never be a big body in front of the net to screen the goalie and tip shots and rebounds in. If only Dave Andreychuk could come on down and re-lace up the skates again...
Jeremy Hellickson was named the American League Rookie of the Year today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the organization that votes to determine the winner of postseason awards.
Hellickson had a fantastic rookie campaign, as he had 13-10 record and led rookies in ERA (2.95), innings (189), starts (29) and opponents’ batting average (.210). Helly's season earned him 102 points (17/28 first-place votes) in the voting. The runner-up was Angels 1B Mark Trumbo, who received 63 points with 5 first place votes. Fellow Ray Desmond Jennings placed 7th, which is pretty good considering how late he was called up.
By far the most impressive thing I saw from Hellickson this year was his consistancy. He had 20 quality starts out of his 29 starts, and seemed to work into the 6th or 7th inning each time out. His ability to keep cool under pressure was also great. But as good as Helly is now, he still can improve a lot, and if he can then Rays fans are in for a treat.
Hellickson becomes the second Ray to win the award, following Evan Longoria in 2008. A Tampa Bay representative has a good chance to win the award again next year, as phenom Matt Moore may get a shot at a full year in the bigs.
The Buccaneers were blown out by the Houston Texans, 37-9.
I'm actually glad that this game was not televised, because the pathetic performance by the Bucs was in no way worth watching. I have serious respect for any fan that stuck around until the end, or even after halftime as the above photo shows. Granted, there probably weren't very many people there at the start of the game anyway. But if Tampa Bay wants to draw more patrons to the gates, then their horrid display today was not a good step in doing so.
The first play from scrimmage was indicative of how the day would go, as Texans got an 80-yard TD pass on a play action bootleg. The whole rest of the day, QB Matt Schaub had wide-open WRs who proceeded to break numerous arm tackles en route to a big gain, and RBs Arian Foster, Ben Tate and even Derrick Ward had wide-open running lanes and also proceded to break numerous arm tackles en route to a big gain. The defensive line could not clog the gaps and could not put pressure on Schaub, while the linebackers and defensive backs could not simply cover a man or even tackle him when he made a catch. An lone early bright spot, an interception by Aqib Talib, was of course overturned. Even without WR Andre Johnson, the Texans' O had their way with the Bucs' D.
And as good as the Texans' offense is, their defense is even better, and it showed. The Bucs' wide receivers just could not get open down field, and when they were open it seemed as if the balls were either dropped (Mike Williams) or called back due to penalties (Kellen Winslow). Josh Freeman wasn't much of a help either, as he threw 3 interceptions (although a few were tipped and goes back to the WRs dropping passes) and repeatedly threw to his checkdown man a yard down the field on 3rd-and-long situations, which predictably didn't work. Part of it may be the receivers not getting open, part of it may be Greg Olsen's playcalling, and part of it may be Freeman's decision making. But whoever is to blame, this offense and this team as a whole are just awful right now.
As a fan of the Florida Gators, I see so many parallels between the two teams. Poor tackling, poor discipline, poor starts to games, poor coaching. Each team has a decent runing game that it is forced to abandon because the team gets down big early, making the teams one dimensional. The similarities even go down to the team MVPs - the kickers, as UF's Caleb Sturgis (K) and Tampa Bay's Connor Barth (K) and Michael Koenen (P) have each had probably the best season so far relative to their teammates.
The biggest concern with the Bucs (and Gators) that I have is the lack of development. They have not improved throughout the course of the season or even compared to last year, and in some ways have even regressed. That falls on the coaching staff; whatever they are doing in practice just isn't working. Despite such promise at the start of the year, the seats of Raheem Morris and especially Greg Olsen are starting to warm up. Things may only get worse against the Buccaneers' next opponent: the undefeated and Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
The Lightning lost to the St. Louis Blues Saturday night, 3-0.
The Lightning had an all-around off night, and could not get much going on offense against the Blues. Although they did generate a few good chances, especially in the final minute of the game, for the most part the offense looked sluggish. The Bolts could not capitalize on any of their powerplays, and in fact even gave up a short-handed goal. They were only able to muster 2 shots on goal in the entire second period, in an apparent attempt to emulate the Flyers' lack of shots a few days ago.
Mathieu Garon started to give Dwayne Roloson a much-needed breather, and played fairly well. The first goal he gave up was through a screen of abour 4 or 5 skaters, so it's tough to fault him on that, and the goal he allowed in the second period was a result of an unlucky odd-man rush by St. Louis in the closing seconds. The third Blues goal, however, was set up by a Garon turnover behind the net. Garon did what a good backup goalie should do be able to do in these spot starts, but the team in front of him could not provide enough support.
Hopefully Victor Hedman and Ryan Malone are close to returning, as part of the sluggishness could be caused by the lack of depth right now. When a team is without a top-6 forward and a top-4 defenseman (2 if you include Mattias Ohlund, who is still a ways a way from returning), then they are bound to have their off nights. Luckily, they next head up to Winnipeg in the first visit to this new incarnation of the Jets. Going back to their Atlanta days, the Lightning have a 12-game win streak versus the franchise.
The Lightning defeated the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night, 2-1 in overtime.
After going down by a goal in the second period, Marc-Andre Bergeron continued his fantastic start to the season by putting a power play slap shot into the back of the Flyers net to tie the game at one. The game would head into overtime, when rookie Brett Connolly sent home a rebound for his third career goal, the game-winner. Dwayne Roloson stopped 14 of 15 shots in the winning effort.
However, perhaps even more interesting than the Bolts' W was the mini-controversy that stemmed from Philadelphia's refusal to attack the Lightning's 1-3-1 neutral zone defensive set-up. Several times throughout the game, the Flyers would keep the puck in their defensive zone without advancing it, sometimes for 20 or 30 seconds at a time. Their goal was to force the Lightning to break their scheme and move up to forecheck to force the Flyers to move the puck, but for the most part, they remained staunch in their alignment.
Now, time for a rant.
I have absolutely no problem with the Flyers doing what they did strategic-wise. Trying to lure the Bolts into breaking their hard-to-beat "Tampa T" trap was probably a smart move by Philadelphia. Although some considered the results to be several boring wastes of half-minute increments, which they were, but I also saw it as an intense, coaching chess-match of who would be the first to break their gameplan.
The problem I have regarding the situation has nothing to do with the stall strategy itself, but rather the reaction to it, namely by the pathetic excuse for broadcasters employed by the equally-pathetic excuse for a television network known as Versus. I have never liked Versus, mostly due to their incredibly biased commentary that portrays northeastern large markets such as the Flyers, Pittsburg Penguins, the Washington Capitals, and the Boston Bruins as the only teams that matter in hockey, while casting a negative shadow upon southern teams such as the Lightning.
That sentiment was in full force Wednesday, as the Versus announcers deemed that the Flyers were heros for the NHL by standing up to the evil Guy Boucher and the bad-for-the-sport 1-3-1, which has been around for decades. They blamed the Lightning for delaying the game; they suggested that Tampa Bay should get a penalty for their defensive alignment or even fined for it. My reaction to all this talk was a resounding: "HUH??" The last time I checked, the team that has the puck is responsible for attacking the other team's zone in an attempt to score goals. If they face opposition to this attack, it's a little thing that's called "defense". The opposing team is supposed to try to stop the team with the puck from scoring. It's just like how the defenses in football try to tackle the ballcarrier, how the defenses in basketball try to block shots, and how the defenses in baseball try to catch the ball for outs. Defenses are not supposed to back off and let the offense score at will (well, maybe in the NBA they are). Heck, if the 1-3-1 is so evil, then just have every game be a shootout. Of course, Versus would probably want to outlaw goalies, too.
I'll be sure the next time that a Lightning game is on what is probably the worst sports channel in the world that I mute the TV and hope that Dave Mishkin's fantastic call of the game is in time with the picture.
The Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers 4-3 in a shootout.
Once again, the Lightning fell behind early due to a slow start on the road. And once again, they were able to battle back to victory. Mathieu Garon allowed 3 goals in the first period, but Dwayne Roloson pitched a shutout in relief. Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell scored the next 3 goals of the game to tie it, and Dominic Moore scored what seemed like the first Lightning shootout goal in ages to give the Bolts yet another come from behind victory.
Being able to come back from all these deficits is good to see, but the Bolts should not be in a situation to come back in the first place. If this team wants to go far in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs for that matter, they need to get off to better starts so they don't have to hope for a miracle comeback every time.
The Buccaneers fell to the New Orleans Saints, 27-16, dropping their record to 4-4 and to 3rd place in the division.
The loss saw a number of issues that the Bucs have had this season continue. Once again, the team got off to a slow start offensively. Although Josh Freeman did not throw any interceptions, he was not particularly sharp, twice overthrowing open receivers - first Kregg Lumpkin, then Erik Lorig - who could have possibly run in for touchdowns or at least a huge gain. I'm not sure if Freeman has been negatively affected by poor playcalling by OC Greg Olsen, which is certainly a possibility given some questionable decisions such as abandoning Legarrette Blount. But either way, Freeman has regressed this season from his stellar 2010 campaign.
The rest of the Bucs contined to make undisciplined mental mistakes, especially stupid penalties. Despite having a bye week between the loss to the Bears and this game, the mistakes have not been corrected. Some penalties can be alright given the situation, but things like false starts and personal fouls are unacceptable. If Tampa Bay wants to have even an outside shot at making the playoffs, they're going to have to eliminate these mistakes.
The Tampa Bay Storm revealed the team's new brand on Saturday at Storm Fest at the Forum. The official press release about the new look discusses some of the inspiration behind the changes. A photo gallery of the event and a look at some of the players modeling the new uniform can be found here.
As for my opinon on the new look, I'd say I'm satisfied. I do like how they essentially stuck with a modernized version of the traditional word mark, although the "Eye of the Storm" rather reminds me of the Carolina Hurricanes. I also think it's interesting how they incorporated Tampa Bay Blue - the same color of the Lightning's logo and uniforms, who are owned by the same group and play in the same arena. I think my main problem with the uniforms is how they went away from the traditional sharp gold helmet with the word mark in favor of the blue helmet with the circular storm logo. It creates an almost overkill of the blue, especially in the home set. I would also like to see a set of gold or white pants to be used as an alternate, but I'm always one for having options as far as a uniform goes.
The Lightning defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime in an exciting Friday night match-up.
While the first and third periods saw zero scoring from each team, they score 4 goals apiece in the second period. The Lightning's scoring included Brett Connolly's second goal of his career, and the 4th career hat trick, the second versus Chicago, for Steven Stamkos. The Blackhawks had been up 4-2 at one point, scoring 3 goals within 1:05, but the Bolts were able to battle back with Stamkos' second and third goals on the night to tie the game. With no goals in the third period, the game went into overtime, and with less than a minute left until a shootout plagued the Lightning again, Marc-Andre Bergeron made a fantastic steal to keep the puck in the offensive zone, followed by a heads-up pass to Marty St. Louis, and Vinny Lecavalier would sink St. Louis' subsequent pass into the back of the wide-open net for the game winning goal.
At this point in the season, Bergeron has probably the team's MVP. Although Stamkos is now tied for second in the league with 9 goals on the year, Bergeron is tied for sixth in the league in points, first among defensemen, and has 13 assists, which is tied for the league lead. And while he has typically been classified as an offensive-minded defenseman, MAB has been one of the most consistent performers in defense this year, making smart decisions and some great plays, such as the steal that set up Lecavalier's game winner.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night, by a score of 4-2.
The defense seemed to falter again, allowing several great Carolina chances that resulted in goals. While Dwayne Roloson couldn't carry over his success from his shutout last game, the defense put him in some bad situations, and some of the time the pucks are bound to go into the net.
The Lightning had a tough night offensively, missing quite a few open looks and failing to capitalize on some great opportunities, such as a full 2-minute 5-on-3 powerplay that went for nothing. One positive from the night was Brett Connolly scoring his first NHL goal, after some good hard work by Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier behind the net. The goal brought the score within 1 at 3-2; unfortunately, less than a minute later the Canes got the goal back on a 2-on-1 breakaway, and the 4-2 score would stand.
The loss drops the Bolts to 4th in the Southeast Division, with 12 points on the year. If the season ended today, Tampa Bay would be in 9th place in the conference and out of the playoffs.
Some changes have recently been announced that involve some local professional teams.
First, the Tampa Bay Storm anounced that they will have a new logo and new uniforms next year. The changes will be introduced at Storm Fest, which takes place this Saturday. The Storm have had the same logo for quite a while, so in a way it has sort of a classic feel to it. Perhaps it is just a slight tweak; We'll pass judgement once the designs are released.
The other change in the Bay Area is the name of the newly-renovated St. Pete Times Forum. As on January 1, the Forum will be known as the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The newspaper is changing its name, and thus the arena name shall change too. I like how the name is now incorporating the entire region, because the St. Pete Times Forum in located in Tampa, Florida is a bit awkward. I think most people still prefer the pre-sponsorship days of the Ice Palace.
As a Tampa Bay Rays fan, I’d be hard-pressed to say that I enjoy the beginning of off-season free agency. Over the course of the Rays’ history, free agency has brought only disappointment, whether that be through the loss of star players to larger-market clubs or through their own addition of a big-name player that didn’t meet expectations. Last year was the epitome of this, as major contributors to the Rays such as Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Randy Choate, Dan Wheeler, Joaquin Benoit, and a few others left the Bay Area to pursue more dollar signs elsewhere, while the highest-profile player that the Rays brought in in Manny Ramirez retired just a few days into the season after getting busted for drugs. The signing of guys like Joel Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth were deemed decent acquisitions, but they weren’t going to raise any ticket sales or sell jerseys. Despite a lackluster offseason, at least on the free agency front, the Rays would go on to win 91 games and the AL Wild Card.
Thankfully, it is highly unlikely to see a mass exodus of talent this offseason as Rays fans saw last year. From my scanning of MLB Trade Rumors' Free Agent Tracker, the Rays only had four potential free agents going into the open season on players. These players are:
Kelly Shoppach ($3.2MM club option with a $300K buyout)
Casey Kotchman
Johnny Damon
Kyle Farnsworth ($3.3MM club option with a $650K buyout)
As I am writing this on October 31, The Rays had just announced that they would pick up Farnsworth’s option while declining Shoppach’s. That means that Shoppach, Kotchman, and Damon are the Rays’ only free agents. So what should the Rays do with these players?
Well, to start off with Shoppach, I think Kelly's issues on offense have been well documented. Hitting only .176 at the plate is not going to keep you your job, at least not at $3.2 million like Shoppach's option would have been. One bright side to Shoppach though was, surprisingly, his defense, which was very solid throughout the year - especially in comparison to fellow C John Jaso. Shoppach even led the league by preventing 41% of stolen base attempts. He also has experience and the trust of the young pitching staff. While I raged with every 3-pitch swinging strikeout Kelly has had in his two years with the team, I wouldn't be surprised if the Rays at least offer him a one year deal at a reduced salary, perhaps even a minor league deal depending on the market.
Casey Kotchman is in an interesting situation. He certainly had a great season, batting in the .330s for the majority of the year while playing stellar defense at first - do you think James Shields gets all those pick-offs without Casey at the bag? Part of his career year was thanks to a procedure he had done in the offseason to clear his vision, allowing him to follow the ball better and thus resulting in his batting average spike. But while his 2011 campaign was nice and all, he will likely regress more towards the mean more like he did near the end of the year. In addition to the possibility of a fluke, his great year will probably attract a lot of attention from potential buyers, possibly resulting in a bidding war that the Rays have no way of winning. While I'm sure the Rays would love to bring Kotchman back, perhaps to a 2-year deal for him to prove himself, my guess is that he's swept up by another team better situated financially than Tampa Bay.
The things that Johnny Damon can bring to the club house are great for a young team like the Rays. His leadership and experience combined with his good-hearted nature are tremendous. But Damon's statistics on the field are declining as his age increases, and while his 2011 season was good by Reid Brignac standards, so I don't think he's worth the around $5 million salary he got last year - especially since he contributes nothing defensively. If he and his agent, the dreaded Scott Boras, will accept reduced pay, then I'm all for binging Johnny back for another year or two in his pursuit of 3,000 hits. But if not, I would probably let him walk, and possibly look to move Dan Johnson or Matt Joyce to DH. When Damon decides to retire, I think he would be a great fit for the quality coach position the Joe Maddon enjoys employing.
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Atlan-, er, Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night by a score of 1-0.
Dwyane Roloson, who made his first start since the Lightning's home opener, looked to be back in top form. He made 28 saves on all 28 shots he faced en route to his 29th career shutout. The defense in front of him was certainly better than it had been in his previous starts in which he struggled, but he still had to make quite a few tough plays to keep the goose egg on the board.
Vinny Lecavalier scored on a power play in the final minute of the second period to give the Bolts all the goals they would need. The Captain has 5 goals on the year now.
The Lightning defeated the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, 4-3, to extend the team's 3-game winning streak.
The Bolts started out slow, with some bad defensive turnovers resulting in 2 Buffalo goals in the first 5 minutes and with problems keeping the puck in the offensive zone. But Vinny Lecavalier's 800th career point - a goal - sparked a turnaround, and the Lightning would go on to score 4 straight goals. Mathieu Garon had another strong outing, making several spectacular saves that allowed the Bolts to fight back. Click here for the official game recap.
After the game, Steve Yzerman announced the decision to keep Brett Connolly on the Lightning rather than send him back to his junior club team. Congrats to him on earning a roster spot with some great play in his first 9 NHL games.
James Shields was the ace of the Rays' pitching staff during the 2011 season. He threw 249.1 innings, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 225 strikeouts, all personal or Rays records. The fact that these results came following an extremely disappointing 2010 season made his success all the sweeter. However, that fact also raises questions about whether 2010 or 2011 was the "fluke" season. Many think that the Rays, ever seeking opportunities to dump payroll and pick up a few top prospects for the future, will try to shop Shields this winter at the height of his value. ESPN's Buster Olney kicked up the dust recently when he reported that the Marlins are considering making a serious run at acquiring Shields. It's certainly a possibilty, especially with the pitching depth in the minors that the Rays have in phenom Matt Moore and solid prospects Alex Cobb and Alex Torres, along with some key offensive holes at the big league level, but the real question is, should they?
Right now, given James Shields' current contract and his recent production, his possible 2012 salary of $7 million is very team friendly. The Rays love these types of contracts, and so it makes a lot of sense for them to keep him around to produce excellent numbers for relatively cheap. He's currently in the prime of his career (he turns 30 in December) and has remained healthy for most of his career, so the possibility of him breaking down shouldn't be a concern (the fact that he doesn't rely on a 96-mph fastball that could lose velocity with age also helps). He's a clubhouse leader, being the elder statesman of the rotation and one of the longest-tenured Rays. And, in my opinion, 2011 was not the fluke season. Advanced statistics such as BABIP show that he was extremely unlucky during the 2010 campaign, and the fact that part of Shields' success in 2011 had to do with an adjustment of mechanics is promising for the future. While numbers such as his outstanding complete game total will probably regress more towards the mean in the coming seasons, I expect another well-above-average performance in 2012.
However, the Rays are never one to turn down an offer they can't refuse. Remember last year's Matt Garza deal with the Cubs? In return for Garza (who was in a similar situation as Shields is with guys like Moore and Cobb, with a very talented Jeremy Hellickson needing a rotation spot), the Rays acquired top prospects Chris Archer and Hak-Ju Lee, plus near-MLB ready talent in Brandon Guyer and Robinson Chirinos and, of course, the #LegendofSamFuld. Considering how successful that trade has turned out so far, a trade like this is certainly in question. Although the Cubs may have overpayed for Garza, the fact that Shields' trade value right now is higher than Garza's ever was indicates that the Rays could get an even better bounty in a trade. Being able to bring in top-quality talent to help the Rays' key holes in hitting and in the bullpen would be very, very hard to turn down.
At this point, I would say that unless the Rays are absolutely blown away by a trade proposal, then it is best to keep Big Game James and the production he can bring to the MLB team right now rather than hope in the promised talent of a few prospects. In order to make room for Moore or Cobb, and to fill the other holes on the team, the Rays would be better served to try and trade a guy like Jeff Niemann, perhaps in a package deal with a minor leaguer, or even BJ Upton.
