Rays Tank: Grieve for the season

Welcome to the Rays Tank, where the rays are homonyms for what your boss isn't giving out this year, and the tanks are of the county fair dunk variety. But before we get to the Link Dump and the Banal Chatter, let's take a look at what happened on This Day in Baseball History. Ladies, Gentlemen, and Landlords, I give you: August 20th.

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For our Classic Rays Highlight, we go back to when men were men, women were women, and Rays were green. It's 2002 in Baltimore, and Ben Grieve has remembered for a brief moment that he was once a rookie of the year, and parks one on Eutaw Street.

I assume Baltimore hates Mormons and that's why they spell it that way. Rays lose 7-4, but still! It was far!

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Our August 20th defensive gem comes from just last year, when Billy Hamilton bailed out Jay Bruce, then doubled off John Jay.

It's really too bad this kid can't hit.

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Today's victim in the ex/before-they-were-Rays highlight is 2010 Shelly Duncan. Remember, kids, replace your divots.

That's the most awkward "great catch" ever made by someone not named Gomes.

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Our last stop takes us to 1985, where Dwight Gooden struck out 16 Giants, joining Herb Score as one of two pitchers to notch 200 strikeouts in each of his first two seasons. Doc is the first National Leaguer to do so.

Don't do drugs, kids.

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Here's some other stuff that happened on August 20th:

• 1915: In what might have become the Shoeless Curse if things had turned out differently, the White Sox get Joe Jackson from Cleveland for Larry Chappell (who?), Ed Klepfer (no seriously, who?), Braggo Roth (okay, at least he actually played, but who???), and cash (ooooooooh, that guy).
• 1919: Playing for Wichita in the Western League, Joe Wilhoit's 69 game hitting streak (no, really!) comes to an end. He hit .505 during the streak. I know, I know, shoulda been .420. Sometimes history won't cooperative with our storylines.
• 1958: Dale Long becomes the first southpaw catcher since 1906 when he's forced into strapping on the tools of ignorance for the Cubs in the 8th inning. He commits no errors and even records an assist, though he also allows a passed ball. The Cubs lose to the Pirates 4-2.
• 1961: The Phillies beat the Braves to snap a 23-game losing streak.
• 1974: Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 again, though it takes 11 innings to get there this time.
• 1980: Omar Moreno swipes his 70th bag of the year, becoming the first player in the 20th century to steal 70 bases in three straight seasons.
• 1998: Mark McGuire homers off Willie Blair, becoming the first major leaguer with three straight 50-homer seasons. But still, don't do drugs, kids.

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But enough about ancient history. What's going on with Your Rays right now? As promised, here's your Link Dump:

• Kiley McDaniel did his in-season prospect list update.
• Peter Bonney does good work in looking at aging curves, and arrives at a different conclusion than many have, recently.
• Oh, and in case you missed it, the Dodgers acquired Chase Utley, and DFA'd Alberto Callaspo. Do the Rays want Callaspo? Pretty definitely not.