With the loss of Lou and the addition of Maddon's uber-positive ways, many Rays fans thought that the Rays cockiness of last year wouldn't be as apparent or altogether inexistant. After the first 2 games of this season, it even looked a bit that way. Our young starters appeared to have a case of the early season jitters and some of our hitters looked totally lost.
Oh yeah, let's not forget, the injury bug seems to have found the Rays already.... Lugo, Cantu and Ordaz have already had a full tour of the visitor trainer's rooms of Baltimore and Toronto's parks in the first 4 games of 2006.
But, in the words of College Football Analyst Lee Corso....
"Not so fast my friends...."
The Rays haven't shown the will to give up, best example of that came in Friday's game Vs. Toronto. The Rays were down 6-0 early on and they looked like they were going to get pummelled like they did in the 2nd game of the Baltimore series(which they lost 16-6), but they found a way to figure out their misdoings and get a rally going. The bats of Gomes, CC, T-Lee, Wiggy and Damon Hollins seemed to lock into the Jays pitcher's pitches and smack them hard.
This is just my opinion, as of right now, but I believe that the Rays hitters have found it in themselves to win games, with what appears to be a still erratic pitching staff trying to figure itself out, until a few of the Rays young pitchers start getting called up and finally solidifying a complete team for one of the first times in Rays history.
Who will be on this completed Rays team?
Who knows....
But if we can maintain .500 until then, I'll be happy.