FLOYD SITS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT DAY:

For the past several days, Rays manager Joe Maddon has insisted that DH Cliff Floyd would return to the lineup the following day. Each day passed, and Floyd wasn't in the lineup. The only solace for the benched veteran had to be Maddon's assurances that he would play again "tomorrow". Yet the promised playing time never came, and Tuesday night's game was the fourth straight in which Floyd did not start.

So how did Floyd react to what seems like the surest sign yet of a benching?

"I don't blame him," Floyd said. "We're winning. We all have the same purpose: to win games. When you're on the road, it's tough to win games. Guys are swinging the bat great right now; I haven't. We're going to go with that and get me healthy, too."

"We're playing with the hot bats," Floyd said. "I'm a realist. I like to win, too. At the end of the day, who will give you the best chance to win? And that's life. That's how we're going to ride with it.

"I've never been selfish in my life. ... I just want to win. My swing is getting better, and I feel myself getting better every day."

Maddon insists that this is all there is to it; that it is merely the club riding the hot hand in 1B Willy Aybar, and that it has nothing to do with Floyd's surgically-repaired right knee. Floyd did acknowledge that one of the primary benfits of the time off was the opportunity to rest his knee, but he also said that it gave him the opportunity to hone his swing. Though Floyd is hitting .250/.329/.474 on the year, he is just 1 for his past 12. Aybar, meanwhile, was hitting .306/.358/.551 going into last night's game, including .412/.444/.765 in 18 PA since the start of the road trip.

But the move is about more than Aybar's hot bat. By resting Floyd, a hole opens up at DH where the Rays can slide in Eric Hinske. That removes a defensive liability from the field, and the net gain is huge when you figure that the opening allows defensively-adept Gabe Gross to start in his place in right field. Also, by starting the switch-hitting Aybar, the Rays remove the need for a pinch-hitter in late inning matchups. That is especially important when you consider that OF Jonny Gomes is in the midst of serving a five game suspension, thus shortening the bench.

The Rays are absolutely making the right call here. Is Aybar the better bat over the course of the season? Probably not, but you never mess with a hot streak, and Maddon is vigilant of this old adage. Besides, as mentioned above, Aybar's hot bat allows the Rays to start a defense that is appreciably better than what they would throw out normally. As we've seen in the year-to-year improvement over 2007-08, you can never underestimate the importance of a defensive improvement.

Also, Floyd is no spring chicken. He was injury-prone even when he was younger, and even the DH is not going to make him an everyday player. That time in his career is past, so he will need spells of time off like this. It is best to pace them with his slumps, so as not to suffer a loss in offensive productivity. This isn't a long term changing of the guard, methinks, but in the immediate it is the best utilization of the present personnel. And give Floyd credit for being a team player about the whole thing and being selfless. He is still a very useful baseball player, but he might be an even better teammate as this matter shows.

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BATTERY SCUFFLE:

Day two of "Scuffle-gate" (creative name, I know) in the morning papers today, with both the Times and Tribune featuring the matter prominently in their "Notebook" columns. I'd sort of like to avoid the prolonged discussion of this, as I find the matter boring and generally overblown. Still, it is worth noting that there apparently is nothing more to the matter. RHP Matt Garza declined to comment Monday, while C Dioner Navarro insisted that everyone was cool and that Matt was his "boy".

Garza will face no disciplinary action for Sunday's dugout scuffle, and Manager Joe Maddon said that he would be caught by Navarro in his next start on Saturday against the Florida Marlins. Maddon insisted that there was nothing wrong with team chemistry, that the incident would be a "growth moment" for Garza, and that this would ultimately end up being a "positive" going forward. Pitching Coach Jim Hickey, meanwhile, indicated that the focus going forward would be on getting Garza to focus his raging, abstract emotion towards the task at hand during games. Though Maddon has spoken with both Garza and Navarro, the two have not spoken to one another regarding the matter yet, though Navarro estimated that they would in the next several days.

I made my opinion clear on this matter yesterday, and it remains unchanged. I am skeptical as to how this could have an appreciably "negative" impact on that team going forward. Garza's emotional issues have been well-known since the day he was acquired in the Delmon Young trade. The scuffle was just the most visible sign yet of a greater problem, and in fact it may end up being a positive if it finally gets everyone involved focusing on handling one another, and themselves, better. The Rays were 100% correct not to try this case in the media, and hopefully handling the matter in-house will produce a solution acceptable to everyone.

For another opinion on the whole thing, Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg Times wrote a column for today's paper that essentially rebukes Garza for his lack of maturity, while also saying at the same time that this could be turning point for the righty going forward.

STADIUM:

A couple of things related to the Rays' proposal to build a $450 million stadium on the site of Al Lang Field:

• First, this piece from Sunday's St. Petersburg Times is an excellent summation of the history of waterfront referendums in the City of St. Petersburg and the obstacles the Rays face in their present proposal. A recent poll suggested that the waterfront location was just the fifth-biggest concern of city voters. Previous changes to the waterfront that passed include the expansion of the Vinoy resort as well as the original construction of Al Lang Field. Notable failures include a hotel and convention center, a large marketplace, and a large park on the site of Albert Whitted Airport.
  
• Meanwhile, Tampa Tribune columnist Joe Henderson had his doubts about whether taking in a game at the prospective ballpark would be comfortable. So he and his 17 year old son decided to take a trip over to the existing Al Lang Stadium during a road game last week and find out for themselves. The verdict? Surprisingly comfortable thanks to the breeze coming off of the bay. Aside from a few ridiculous things, Henderson's column is well worth the read, and you might want to watch the video as well.

INJURIES:

RHP Troy Percival will throw one inning in a simulated game at Angel Stadium today in his recovery from a left hamstring strain. He will face, among others, suspended OF Jonny Gomes. Percival insists that his down time will not be a problem when he returns, and that it is just a matter of him getting his legs under him so that he can pitch. The Rays' closer is expected to be activated from the DL in time for Friday's homestand-opening game against the Florida Marlins.

Meanwhile, OF Rocco Baldelli went 1 for 4 with a sacrifice fly yesterday in an Extended Spring Training game playing as the Designated Hitter. Baldelli will play one last game in Extended Spring Training on Wednesday, and from there he is expected to go on a rehab assignment with one of the Rays' minor league affiliates.

YET ANOTHER BRAWL:

The mound and dugout altercations between RHP Matt Garza and C Dioner Navarro during yesterday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers got their spin in the morning papers today. The information you'll get from the involved parties and Manager Joe Maddon is something to the effect of how the two players are fierce competitors who got caught up in the heat of the moment, and that the issue will be handled "in-house". Should you believe that this incident is no big deal? You are well within your rights to think otherwise, but the Rays are 100% correct in keeping you ignorant. Regardless of what the "truth" is here, the aftermath is nothing that needs to be paraded about in the media. It was embarrassing enough to see the incident itself occur in such a conspicuous setting, and the Rays are right in stemming the tide of information leaking outward about this going forward.

Listen, regardless of the specificities of the incident, we can gather that Navarro is not a culpable party, at least in any meaningful sense. First of all, he doesn't have any sort of track record that would indicate that he works poorly with his pitchers. Secondly, Maddon all but indemnified him from blame in the matter in his postgame remarks. Can't get much more explicit than that, at least as far as stuff like this goes.

So that leaves us to this conclusion: Garza needs to grow up. This isn't the first time he's been held captive by his hot temper on the mound, certainly not if you include his days in the Minnesota Twins organization. This is a problem that has been ongoing throughout his development, and that it is continuing now without seemingly any improvement over the years is discouraging. I'm going to go ahead and speculate that perhaps Navarro didn't handle Garza well following 3B German Duran's home run. That's obviously something he needs to work on as a catcher, adjusting to the mental temperaments of his battery mates, but this is by no means laying the blame on him. He obviously should facilitate a productive relationship with whomever he is catching, but Navarro can't be a full-blown psychologist. There are some issues greater than even he can address at play here, and it is Garza's responsibility to get a grip. Lasting immaturity is guaranteed to hinder his advancement, and there is a sense of personal responsibility in that he needs to take care of matters himself. As it is, given that he is a valuable commodity in the organization, the team inevitably will have to step in to facilitate a lasting improvement in that regard.

While we're at it, the zealots calling for Garza's head need to cool it as well. It would be the pinnacle of absurdity for the team to give up on Garza at this point and try and deal him, or worse. It's not even a particularly good idea to demote him. I've never been a big fan of his, but for the love of all things holy, he isn't even old enough to legally rent a car yet. Is his maturity behind where it should be? Obviously. But the problem is just that, immaturity and the inability to exercise self-control. This isn't some inoperable character flaw that is bound to keep perpetuating itself; it can be mitigated given time and proactivity from all of the involved parties. His peripherals have been unsatisfactory thus far, but his performance to date has been very much in line with that of RHP Andy Sonnanstine and RHP Edwin Jackson, and over the long haul it will improve. Give him time, both on the field and off.

DIFFICULT DECISION?

Both RaysBaseball.com and the Tampa Tribune ran blurbs (an entire story in the team website's case) painting the impending decision of who will be replaced upon the return of RHP Troy Percival to be a "tough choice". Of the present bullpen personnel, only RHP Grant Balfour is mentioned as a potential target to be jettisoned, in both pieces.

The nature of both pieces is cocerning to me, if only because of the conspicuous lack of "Gary Glover" on the chopping block. He should definitely be placed on the hot seat, and there is absolutely no valid reason for Glover to be given an unquestioned pass at a detriment to Balfour when he hasn't been appreciably better. I will be exceedingly disappointed if the implications in this article prove to be true. His success in Boston notwithstanding, Glover has been the weak link in the bullpen since RHP Scott Dohmann was jettisoned, and probably before that as well. The "long relief/mopup" benefit that he brought to the table last year isn't even a factor anymore either, since the team has RHP Jason Hammel for those situations. Now granted, Hammel hasn't been particularly effective, but there's no way a young pitcher like Hammel gets exposed to waivers.

The presence of Hammel does sort of add an interesting wrinkle to this situation though. I would not be surprised if Executive VP Andrew Friedman were burning up the phones inquiring to see if there is any interest around the league in Hammel. Obviously if he's here, there's no way he will get the ax in lieu of Glover or Balfour, but the Rays may just opt to skip that decision altogether and see what value they can get for Hammel. Granted, they might need him for a spot start soon due to the brawl suspensions, but that's nothing that RHP Jeff Niemann can't take care of, given that he has options left. With Hammel proving ineffective in the bullpen, and no rotation spots expected to be open for him in the near-term, Hammel's career could be at a dead end here that the Rays might be wise to try and navigate out of.

ELSEWHERE:

Both papers are reporting that DH Cliff Floyd has been kept out of the lineup for the past two days due to no health issue, but rather an overarching desire to keep hot-hitting Willy Aybar in the starting lineup. With the Rays facing Angels lefty Joe Saunders this evening in Anaheim, Floyd will get his third straight day off. He is expecting to be in the starting lineup tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, the Rays' swing through Anaheim brings an annual slew of re-unions for numerous personnel on both sides. For the first time, that will include Percival, who last pitched at Angel Stadium when he threw out the first pitch at the Angels' home opener last year. Though not active, he will throw a simulated inning either today or tomorrow in Anaheim as he continues his recovery process.

Lastly, here are the previously-undisclosed fines that MLB doled out to Rays players for their involvement in Thursday's bench-clearing brawl in Boston:

The going rate seemed to be $500 for each suspended game as Jonny Gomes and James Shields (who got a slight discount) were fined $2,500, LF Carl Crawford and Jackson and $2,000 and Akinori Iwamura around $1,500.

SUNDAY ST. PETERSBURG TIMES:

If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press time for Marc Topkin's weekly column. This week's headlining topic is MLB Commissioner Bud Selig weighing in on the Rays' plans for a new $450 million waterfront stadium in St. Petersburg. Essentially, Selig just babbles on about how proud he is of the Rays' success, that they are a prime example of improved competitive balance in Major League Baseball, but that they need a new stadium to produce the revenues necessary to be competitive. This is Bud Selig. We've heard the same song and dance from him in about a dozen other cities.

Elsewhere, Topkin goes on to provide some interesting little tidbits on the draft, and the brawl gets its own section too. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sick of discussing that brawl already. Nonetheless, the brawl talk did give Topkin an excuse to call Kevin Youkilis a whiner, which was spectacular. He further goes on to talk about various things in his "Rumblings" section. Here are the two tidbits I found the most interesting:

Not to get too far ahead of things, but the Trop might be booked in October, with a home show tentatively set for Oct. 3-5 and an RV show Oct. 17-19.

Nationals OF Elijah Dukes has irritated someone else, as umpire Doug Eddings took exception to Dukes looking back at, then gesturing toward him (thumping his chest), after hitting a walkoff homer Thursday, and again as he neared the plate. Dukes didn't like a strike call earlier in the at-bat.

File those two under "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

Although not in Topkin's actual weekly column, he indicates that the Rays have begun "preliminary discussions" on a contract with No. 1 overall pick SS Tim Beckham in his notebook. Says Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman:

Per our policy, we will not provide a blow-by-blow account of the negotiations. We are hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement in the near future so Tim can start on his path to the major leagues.

The other interesting tidbit from that column was a report that television ratings from Rays games on FSN Florida are up 18% from a year ago. We don't often hear too much about how the Rays are doing on the TV side of things, but it's good to hear that they are seeing progress as well.

And lastly, John Romano weighs in with a good column on LHP David Price's performance in Vero Beach and his standing developmentally.

BRAWL FALLOUT:

The ramifications from the massive brawl in Thursday night's game against the Boston Red Sox continue to be the primary topic of discussion, with the issue at hand now being how the Rays can best deal with the suspensions handed down yesterday by Major League Baseball. But first, Rays Manager Joe Maddon said he was unhappy with what he perceived as the unfair nature of the discipline:

"I would like to have seen more of their guys involved in the suspensions; it just seems to be a little bit imbalanced in our favor," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Furthermore, the way the whole thing began, it was perpetrated on their side, so that part of it has the unfairness attached to it.

"The fact that their guy started it and we had more guys nailed than they did, that's the part that doesn't sit well with me, even in regard to the game (Thursday), where they only got one guy thrown out."

Maddon also said that he was "proud" of the way the Rays handled the fracas on Thursday.

MLB staggered the Rays' suspensions, as they do whenever multiple players from the same team are disciplined, with OF Jonny Gomes and RHP Jamie Shields to start their suspensions last night. Both appealed, however, and so no suspensions will begin until the appellate hearing is heard or the appeal is dropped. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says that the Rays will maneuver to suit the suspensions to their upcoming schedule:

Under one scenario they are considering, Shields will make his next start as scheduled Tuesday at Anaheim, then drop his appeal and serve his suspension. Under another, he could start Sunday or Monday, because he threw only 27 pitches Thursday.

With two upcoming off days in a five-day period, Thursday and June 16, the Rays are weighing the impact on their bullpen if they have to use Jason Hammel as a spot starter.

Elsewhere, columnist Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune weighs in on Thursday's brawl. He thinks that the consequences were worth it for the Rays:

Was it worth it?

Was it worth having Carl Crawford, James Shields, Akinori Iwamura, Edwin Jackson and Jonny Gomes suspended? Was it worth essentially conceding a game where the Rays trailed by only two runs in just the second inning?

Was it worth the risk that Shields could have busted up his shoulder? Or that someone else could have been hurt in the scrum that took place in the center of the infield Thursday night at Fenway Park?

Sure it was.

On the other hand, columnist Gary Shelton of the Times had pretty much the exact opposite take:

Perhaps the Rays made their point. On the other hand, they also lost their game.

Pardon me for asking, but isn't that supposed to be the important part?

Yep, the Rays showed those infernal Red Sox that they weren't going to take any guff. On the other hand, they also gave away their best shot at retaking first place.

Forgive me for wondering, but isn't that the thing that is supposed to matter?

That's why Thursday night's fight seemed like such a losing proposition for the Rays. Somehow, they forgot what they were supposed to be fighting for, and before you knew it, they were once again on their way to being knocked out in Fenway.

And lastly, some player reactions to the whole ordeal:

As for Crisp's postfight assertion that the Rays were "trying to pull my hair like little girls ... instead of throwing some real punches or something like that," Gomes - who was pictured in newspapers across the country Friday with his fist cocked above a prostrate Crisp - had to object.

"I know he's not talking about me," Gomes said.

While the Rays presented a united front in defending their actions, they weren't exactly puffing out their chests about what had transpired.

"It's nothing to be proud of," Jackson said. "It's not some big accomplishment. It's one of those situations that the only way to explain it is instincts."

Added Crawford: "I just wish it didn't have to happen, but it happened, so you can't really go back."

DRAFT ROUNDUP:

Both local (Times) papers (Tribune) headed up their day two draft coverage with blurbs on the Rays selecting Jeremy Beckham, Tim's older brother, in the 17th round. Both pieces essentially say the same thing: how both brothers are close and will spur each other to work harder, yet Jeremy's benefits extend beyond his relationship with his younger brother. The Times piece also had this interesting tidbit about draft strategy with regards to looking for left-handed pitchers:

Harrison said the Rays targeted left-handed pitching throughout the spring, and it showed in Friday's second day of the draft, as Tampa Bay took 10 lefties in their final 44 selections. "To me, I'd rather take a chance at (lefties); they are so few or far between," Harrison said. "If we can find one of those guys that has the ability to get left-handed hitters out, they can pitch their way out of the minor leagues and help us."

INJURIES:

RHP Troy Percival threw a 28 pitch bullpen session Friday afternoon, and he said that his strained left hamstring and arm felt "great".  Percival will throw a simulated game in Anaheim next week, and he has already arrived in Southern California to spend time with family. The righty is expected to be ready to come off the Disabled List when first eligible on June 13th.

Meanwhile, 1B Carlos Peña will not be ready to come back from the disabled list when he is eligible on June 19th, reports Maddon. Maddon says that Peña, out with a fractured left index finger, should return within short order after that date.

Lastly, OF Rocco Baldelli played again in Extended Spring Training on Friday as the Designated Hitter and went 1 for 6. He will play two more games in Extended ST on Monday and Wednesday before the team decides how to proceed with him long-term.

CRISP SLIDE:

The lasting story to come out of last night's 5-1 loss to Boston was the eighth inning slide by Red Sox OF Coco Crisp into 2B Akinori Iwamura, and Rays Manager Joe Maddon's resulting shouting match with Crisp. The Tribune's Marc Lancaster sets up the situation, and covers the aftermath:

Crisp told reporters he was upset because of an earlier play, a sixth-inning stolen base on which he jammed his left thumb when shortstop Jason Bartlett's knee blocked the bag. Crisp said he thought Bartlett's maneuver was "shady," and he warned the Rays shortstop that he would see him again.

Instead, Crisp saw Iwamura covering second two innings later. Crisp was thrown out by catcher Dioner Navarro, but the slide came late and Crisp's elbow connected with Iwamura's midsection as the two collided.

Crisp was unrepentant. His only regret seemed to be that Bartlett wasn't the one covering the bag the second time around.

"If you're going to do something like that, cover the bag and take your own licking," Crisp said. "I'll take mine."

The slide provoked Maddon to yell at Crisp from the mound as he was making a pitching change in that same inning. Maddon used choice words in explaining that he felt there was intent to injure Iwamura, and that it was unacceptable. It will be interesting to see how this matter manifests itself in the rubber game of the series this evening.

NEW STADIUM:

Couple of tidbits on the Rays' proposal to build a $450 million waterfront stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. The St. Petersburg City Council is to cast the first of three votes today on whether to schedule the Rays' referendum for the November ballot. The vote will take place in the Council chambers, and ballpark discussion is scheduled to begin precisely at 1:15pm. Public comment will not take place unless so solicited by the Council, and that is unlikely given the six months of vitriol that has been tossed around already.

As for the vote, the only Council members to explicitly state how they will vote are Jamie Bennett and Bill Dudley, both of whom say they will vote 'yes'. Herb Polson, having already indicated his opposition to the proposal, is expected to vote no. The St. Petersburg City Council has eight members, five of which must vote in the affirmative to keep the process alive. If in any one of the three votes council members in favor fail to number five, the process is dead and the proposal will not make the November ballot. Aaron Sharockman of the St. Petersburg Times prognosticates that the proposal will advance by a 6-2 majority tomorrow afternoon.

Meanwhile, another council member intends upon introducing a counter-referendum to the Rays' proposal today. Karl Nurse's proposal, initiated by former Council member and POWW member Virginia Littrell, would limit development on the site of Al Lang Field to present levels, thus preventing projects the size of the Rays' proposed waterfront stadium from going up. In the event that both proposals were to make the ballot and receive majority votes, Nurse indicated the one with the greater percentage of the vote in favor would go into effect.

MLB DRAFT:

The 2008 MLB Draft is this afternoon, with coverage starting at 2pm on ESPN2. The Rays, with the No. 1 overall selection, will make their pick at that time. Don't forget that DRaysBay's Draft Thread opens up tomorrow at noon, and will be continuously updated throughout the day to reflect the maneuverings of the team.

To get ready for the draft, Rays Index looked back yesterday at the performances thus far of the first ten Rays selections, as well as the best alternative the Rays passed up. Also, the Tampa Tribune solicited Scouting Director R.J. Harrison's evaluation of the two players the Rays are considering selecting with the No. 1 overall pick, C Buster Posey of Florida State and Georgia High School SS Tim Beckham.

INJURIES:

OF Rocco Baldelli again played as the Designated Hitter in the Rays' Extended Spring Training game on Wednesday, going 2 for 3 with a walk. The game was Baldelli's third in Extended ST. Baldelli will be the Designated Hitter in three more Extended ST games, on Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday. After that, the team will decide whether he should be dispatched on a minor league rehab assignment.

Also, RHP Troy Percival threw 26 pitches in his first bullpen session since being placed on the Disabled List last Wednesday following a left hamstring strain.

The numbers are in, and they aren't good for the Rays' proposal to build a new stadium on the St. Petersburg waterfront. The results of a St. Petersburg Times poll released today found that 68% of city residents currently oppose the team's plan to open up the Tropicana Field site for development and move several blocks down the street to the site of Al Lang Stadium for a new ballpark. Of the 68% percent opposed, 57% "strongly oppose" the team's plan, while the remaining 11% are only "somewhat opposed". Just 19% favor the plan, either strongly or somewhat.

The silver lining for the Rays is that residents appear eager to vote on the matter, and they wish for the city council to schedule a November referendum on the issue. Of those surveyed, 60% want a vote scheduled and just 37% want the process to terminate immediately. The council would need to vote three times in order to place the matter on final passage, with the first of those votes scheduled for next Thursday. If the council collectively votes 'no' in any of the three votes, the proposal will not see the ballot in November.

As referenced earlier this week, 82% of residents contacted consider parking a "huge problem" associated with the plan. The next biggest problem appears to be public financing; 56% of residents say that continuing debt service payments on Tropicana Field to pay for the new plan is among their "biggest concerns", and 59% oppose continuing those payments.

So what does this all mean? Well, as an unabashed supporter of the proposal, I offer my takes following the jump.

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I'm generally what you would consider an optimist on the Rays, often expecting good things to come about even when I might be reaching a bit because I want it to be true. I also like to think of myself as a realist though and therefore before the season started I said that the Rays would be at or above .500 but I thought any playoff talk was stretching reality a bit. I maintained that all spring and so far throughout this season, saying that I liked what was happening but the playoffs were something for next season. In my opinion that's the right course to take, usually when people make conclusions based on a month or two of play that contradict what they believed before the season they end up being wrong, a single month of baseball can be more than enough to return things to their proper place, hopes to be dashed, or disappointment turned into satisfaction.

However, after 49 games the Rays are tied for the second best record in baseball and that can't be ignored. I was interested when they swept Boston but didn't change my opinion. Once they swept the Angels I had to admit that I was wavering on my previous stance. Now they went .500 on a rather tough road trip and really could have won four or five of those games instead of just three, the two losses in St. Louis were rather unusual for this season with them losing the games themselves instead of simply getting beat by a team that played better than them that day. Now, after a brutal series finale in Oakland, they've had two convincing wins over Baltimore with a good chance at the sweep this afternoon. Evidence in their favor just keeps mounting.

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