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DRB Season Preview Guide

Before the link, some disclaimers:

  1. Dan Wheeler, Scott Dohmann, and Grant Balfour's profiles didn't make it into the guide, that's on me, I didn't copy and paste them in and at this point it's just as easy to give you the summary here: nothing you didn't know.
  2. In light of recent events - namely Alvarez breaking his hand - we pulled the draft feature, it was outdated and certainly the injury changes the draft outlook.
  3. The stadium stuff, well, ask Patrick, if you can find him.
  4. The cover image came out blurry, again my fault, I tried making the file as small as possible, I put it in as a watermark and naturally it came out blurry. That's my fault, not Downie's.
Okay, now that being said, we proudly introduce the inaugural DRaysBay Season Preview Guide, free of charge, and hopefully the first in a long line of editions, but the last in solely digital form.

Overview of the guide, in order:

Foreword by Will Carroll
Happiness is a Thing Called Joe (E.Y. Harburg) by Bob Rittner
Smell That? Smells Like Change by Matt Bishoff
From Hell: The 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays by R.J. Anderson
R.A.Y.S: A Projections System by R.J. Anderson
Player Profiles by the DRB staff
About the Staff
Acknowledgments

So here it is. Click here and enjoy  

0 recs  |  Comment 17 comments

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One more thing
It's finally done. THANK GOODNESS.

by R.J. Anderson on Feb 27, 2008 7:47 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
Great stuff DRB!!  Really like it.

by Tyler on Feb 27, 2008 9:07 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
This is freaking amazing! THANKS!

by P Brady on Feb 27, 2008 9:12 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

I hate myself
Guzman's projection is wrong, I don't have him down for 12 3bs.

by R.J. Anderson on Feb 27, 2008 11:06 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
I just read Bob's piece on Maddon.  Extremely well-written, insightful, balanced, well-reasoned.  In other words, nothing like what appears on espn.com, except by accident.

That was outstanding analysis, and I happen to agree with pretty much all of it.  It's an interesting observation that Maddon has never had a winning record in a full season as a manager.  And yet the analysis put this fact in context...it will indeed be interesting to see how things change once the Rays turn the corner toward being competitive (which will happen).  Based on my own observations and knowledge, he will adapt his approach appropriately, and in subtle ways not intended to call attention to himself, but rather toward putting his team in the best position to win. For that he will be labeled weak by some. And that criticism will not bother him.

I suggest this article should be mandatory reading for not only Rays fans, but for sports analysts in general.  Great job.

by Calif on Feb 28, 2008 1:16 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
RJ and I were hesitant to let him write, because we knew he would show us up. In all seriousness, BobR wrote a great piece. He is a really good writer, and that is why we really wanted him to do this for the guide. If you like that piece, you should've seen what he originally had planned, it might've turned out as a novel.
General Manager Manifesto Matt Bishoff

by Matt Bishoff on Feb 28, 2008 1:32 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
Thank you California. And I do think Maddon will adapt exactly as you say; he does not appear to me to be ego driven but results driven, and confident enough to keep his focus, a part of his true strength in my view.

by bobr on Feb 28, 2008 7:22 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
I read the whole last night, thanks for not letting me get any sleep!  Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
www.lbacentral.com

by SeanDubbs on Feb 28, 2008 8:38 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
I'm reading this at work right now. Yay! Thank you for this magnficent endeavor.

by gerzowitz on Feb 28, 2008 1:42 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
very nice job on player profiles

by blazinrayz on Feb 28, 2008 7:14 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
Great guide! looks like a lot of hard work was put into it--and it paid off.

Hey Bishoff, do you know where you are going for law school?

by websterjtc on Feb 28, 2008 7:57 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
Im waiting on UF. As it said I am currently in the sports management program here, which I still have a year of school left in. However, if I get into law school, I will be starting that in the fall. My girlfriend is currently in law school here at UF, and she is enjoying it....well as much as you can.
General Manager Manifesto Matt Bishoff

by Matt Bishoff on Feb 28, 2008 8:36 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
cool. good luck. i'm at FSU law.

by websterjtc on Feb 28, 2008 11:16 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
Good job by all the guys that put this together. It will make second semester a lot more entertaining.

by Flabull on Feb 28, 2008 8:30 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Re: DRB Season Preview Guide
good job guys... Marshall McLuhan would be proud...
Viva Los RAYniacs!

by thebaddancingraysfan on Feb 28, 2008 11:16 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

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