Today is the day we have been waiting for since October.  The first day of spring.

I was all primed to open camp with a post on starting pitching, or maybe on the shortstop battle.  I am also finalizing a personal Fan-ifesto that I am going to live by during the 2012 campaign.

But I am going to set all that aside.  The baseball writing makes more sense after Andrew and Joe sit with the press today in Port Charlotte, and I can come back to the list of guys in the best shape of their career. Consider me distracted by Brian Cashman’s comments yesterday that the Yankees “conceded” the AL East in 2010 in an effort to line up for the playoffs.

Lets first dispose of the absurdity of the statement.  To say the Yankees “conceded” the division is akin to saying they intentionally lost it.  I know the talking heads love to evaluate who is trying to win and who isn’t.  But, that is just filler.  In my experience, you only get a locker in a big league clubhouse if you try to win every night.  There is simply not a player or a manager anywhere in the big leagues that isn’t trying to win every pitch.  To say the contrary is a brazen excuse for failure.

Take it a step further.  Imagine Brian Cashman, coming in a 4’6″ and a whopping 100 lbs, standing in Joe Girardi’s office and telling him ‘Joe, listen, lay this one down.  It’s just a t-shirt.  Besides, we don’t want to play Texas in the first round because you can’t beat Texas.  Let Tampa Bay have those guys.’  Would Cashman still be capable of speaking two years later?  Probably not.

Also, let’s put aside the idea that the Yankees don’t care about division titles or wild card titles.  (a comment every Yankee fan loves to make — ‘the only thing that matters in New York is a World Series title.’).  I don’t even have to write on this point:

Nice T-shirts fellas.  But what’s with the champagne?  Your GM says the division title is just a t-shirt.  Wait, I get it.  The 2010 AL East title is just a t-shirt.  But, 2011?  Now that is a reason to celebrate.  My bad.

Putting aside the silly logic undermining Cash’s point, there is a larger issue to consider here.  Why is Cash talking about us?  Is 2010 really the best example he has of the way the Wild Card rules would effect MLB?  Or, is he trying to hide his obvious worry?  Look, New York has a good team.  Boston has a great team.  But everyone is picking us.  That is both exciting and terrifying.  But maybe Cash looks at his offseason, looks at his starting rotation, and, before heading back out to the corner to beg someone to take AJ Burnett, realizes that his worry about what is developing in Tampa Bay is showing.

So, what does he do to hide his worry?  He reverts to middle school Cashman.  I don’t know Cashman from Adam but, I think we can all agree that plenty of girls said no when a young Cashman was looking for a date to the school dance.  Right?  Can’t you hear 13-year-old Cash telling his buddies buddy local librarian ‘yeah, I don’t really want to go to the dance anyway.  I basically conceded that when I bought Star Wars on VHS and planned a movie night.’

Sorry Cash.  I don’t buy it.  If the division title is such a small deal, then announce right now that you are conceding it and setting yourself up for the postseason.  What’s that?  You’ll see how it goes in 2012 before announcing your concession?  That’s what I thought.

The Sweet Spot is running its first full Spring Training preview item today that will include a short paragraph on the player each blogger is most excited to see in 2012.  Do you see my dilemma?  How can you possibly pick just one player on this roster to be excited about?

I ultimately went with Joe because my non-sexual crush on him burst into an all out affair this week after he signed his extension and held one of the greatest open interviews in the history of sports yesterday on 620 WDAE.  (During the interview I emailed my former boss the following “You already know this, but Joe’s a stud.”)  If I write about Joe again, this blog is going to turn into his CV so, I’ll save the remaining thoughts I have about the skipper for another day.

I grappled with this decision for several days before writing the blurb I ultimately used.  (I found out hours later about this ridiculous DJ Kitty mascot and immediately reconsidered making the person in charge of hiring and firing in the marketing department the player I was most excited to watch).

Here are the options I am excited about that were left on the proverbial cutting room floor:

• Sean Rodriguez: I love this guy.  Love him.  There is something about him that gives you that “old ballplayer vibe.”  I know, I know, that is not scientific in the least but, I sense it about SRod (He REALLY REALLY needs a better nickname too).  Maybe it’s because he grew up in the game. Maybe it’s because he looks like he wears eye black to bed.  But he just reeks of a guy that is going to play this game for 25 years.  So, I am excited to see if this is the year he puts it together.
• Matt Joyce:  Sure we added Luke Scott and Carlos Pena and Jeff Keppinger.  Sure we have an entire season of Desmond Jennings.  Sure BJ will be in a contract year.  None of that will matter for the Rays offense if Matt Joyce backslides.  Call me an optimist, but I don’t think he will.  I think Joe has a good book on Joyce and will continue to use him in situations where he can succeed.  Besides, looking through our lineup, Matt is going to get a ton of good pitches.
• Kyle Farnsworth: He was solid last year.  And, if memory serves, had been solid the year before in Kansas City.  So, maybe my unease isn’t justified.  But who can forget the gas can that used his name and pitched for the Yankees and Cubs?  If he reverts to that Farnsworth, we are going to have big matchup problems in the late innings.

Who’d I miss?  (Besides the obvious.  I mean, we’re all excited to see Evan Longoria walk from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box.  We’re all excited to see Matt Moore spin that breaking ball up there.  We’re all excited to see BJ go back on a ball over his head.)

Thank goodness the Rays got Joe Maddon’s deal done so efficiently.  Thank goodness it is for a good period of time.  And thank goodness it is done before anyone takes a fungo out of storage.

With that final cherry on top of a very very good offseason, the Rays can head to Port Charlotte and focus on nothing but the 2012 season.  That is a rare gift.

Even though ballplayers come to spring training in good physical condition (brace yourselves for ‘best shape of his career’ week) they still need the month to get re-acclimated to the big league game.  There is almost nothing a player can do to simulate the speed of Major League Baseball.  So, they get in camp, work with the coaching staff, see some live pitching, make defensive plays in game scenarios, and generally prepare for the long haul ahead.

Almost every team, however, has to spend some of their time evaluating players and finalizing a roster.  That is a necessary evil this time of year but it takes away from preparation. (I remember one former D-Rays skipper complaining that he couldn’t work with the starting rightfielder who needed to cut down his swing because the GM made him go evaluate 20 players that were never going to make the team).  The more time a coaching staff has to spend evaluating talent, the less time it can spend preparing players for the season.  Thanks to the fine work of the Rays’ front office, we aren’t facing that particular problem.

For the first time in club history, the Rays are going to open camp without any questions.  The roster is basically set.  Some variation of the lineup, rotation, and bullpen structure is basically set.  Everyone that matters is under contract for several seasons.  Heck, the team is even the most popular pro sports team in the area [per the Scarborough Report].

Sure, Joe will have to look at Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez, and Jeff Keppinger at shortstop.  Sure, Joe will have to decide on a backup catcher.  Sure, Joe will have to nail down the rotation.  But those aren’t really “battles” in the traditional sense.  Joe uses every asset on the roster so regularly that any “loser” of a battle is still going to see significant playing time.  In fact, I would think it is pretty unlikely that we will even be able to declare a “winner” at short or catcher.

That means the mad scientist, who I think is becoming the consensus best manager in baseball, has a month to mold one of the best rosters in baseball into an AL East winner.  I like our odds.

Merrill is worried about me. 

Somebody go poke Mark and make sure he’s still alive.

I understand.  I haven’t written in a while.  I started a few different posts but, the topics weren’t that interesting and the posts were poorly written.  We’ve hit a weird lull in the proceedings here.  The roster is (all but) set, the trucks are packed and en route to Port Charlotte, and it’s time to go.  Soon, we’ll be able to digest all the “best shape of his career stories” but, for now, I’ve got nothing.

But, let’s do this, I’ll make you a promise.  I promise not to write anything bad just for the sake of writing anything.  But, I also will try to avoid leaving you all hanging like I did.  So, when there is nothing that sparks my interest for a day or two, we’ll invoke the Coffee Talk rule.  I’ll be your veclempt host, Linda Richman.  Please, talk amongst yourselves, I’ll give you a topic:

Andrew Friedman called the offseason a “dream” scenario even though it ended without an obvious catching solution.  Kind of a boring dreamer, right?  Discuss.

I was just reading the latest turn in the Bucs’ coaching search in the morning paper.  Now, Chip Kelly is out (almost assuredly because the Glazers wouldn’t pony up the cash) and Buccaneer fans turn their lonely eyes back to…Mike Sherman?  Really?

I have been a Bucs fan for a long time, and I will continue to be a Bucs fan even if they hire Mike Sherman, but the cold reality of the Bucs’ situation has to resonate in the club offices at Tropicana Field.  We have to get Maddon’s extension done.  Right away.

Go meet him in Europe and hash it out in some outdoor cafe in Paris or over wine in Rome.  Meet him on the tarmac at TIA with an adoring crowd and a prepared contract.  Send his wife flowers.  Do anything.  Just get him locked down.

The Rays cannot face the prospect of baseball’s Mike Sherman.

Why is it so important?  There are a few reasons.  First, Maddon is the perfect Manager for the Rays’ mix-and-match philosophy.  His willingness to try new things gives Andrew Friedman the flexibility to cut payroll in unique ways.  Second, Maddon is the perfect manager for a young roster and, given the salary structure in MLB, the Rays figure to have a young roster for the forseeable future.

Most important, however, is the fact that Maddon IS the Rays.  I was talking to an old friend the other day who summed the issue up perfectly.  Sure the Rays have a lot of talented players, and even a few super stars.  But, Joe Maddon is the Rays’ icon.  Can you argue that point?  I can’t.  Let’s cement the relationship.  Let’s make Joe Maddon the Vince Lombardi of Tampa Bay.  Through thick and thin.  Through domes and new ballparks.  ‘Til death do us part.

The good news is, I think everyone in the deal understands the stakes.  Maddon knows he could manage elsewhere but, that there are not a lot of other places that would allow him to manage the way he likes to manage.  And the Rays know all of the above.  But, the Rays are running a business, and I respect their right to avoid spending money they don’t have to spend.  I also respect Joe’s right to avoid leaving money on the table.

So, we’ll have to endure this dance.  I just hope the song ends before spring training because I really don’t want to dance with Mike Sherman twice in the same year (well, I guess three times since Sherman has been considered by the Bucs twice now).

Chris Glover swoops in and grabs a COW honor with his Jessie Spano impression.  After Travis broke the news of Carlos Pena’s return, Chris wrote:

Travis, this comment just got me fired up for baseball again. With the mild distraction of football about to end I was wondering how I would pass the time here in Toronto as the snow gets deeper, but you saved me! Time to start getting pumped for next season!

Why Jessie Spano?  Because, like Chris, I’m so excited, I’m so excited, I’m so…..scared. (Chris, do they have Saved by the Bell in England or Canada?  Do you get the reference?)

I am ecstatic to have Pena back.  My wife and kids think he’s great so, his return means we have 162 games locked into the family calendar.  Also, he is just a fun guy to root for and he has the potential to dramatically improve our offense.

But, Pena’s return also freaks me out.  We know he’s going to fan at an incredible rate.  We know he probably won’t face lefties.  And we know we don’t have an obvious platoon partner for him.

So, yeah.  Pena’s return is a mixed blessing.  But, in the final analysis, if this is going to be our year, I’d want Pena in the clubhouse when it happens.

Bob & Jackie Washburn joined the conversation this week with a creative future use for Tropicana Field:

Just a thought, but considering that Tropicana was originally built without having a team, why not use it for a Rays farm team, maybe just single A to start with, after the Rays move to a new stadium. A case in point here would be the Atlanta Braves who have a farm team just outside Atlanta, only 30 or so miles to Fulton County Stadium. The Braves also ended their relationship with their farm team in Richmond (VA) just last year because Richmond wouldn’t enhance the facility.

This solves a couple of problems, one being the use of Tropicana, and another being to reduce the Rays costs in supporting their farm teams. I think everyone needs to make the necessary concessions here… I know we do, we being 2 super senior citizens who drive 3 hours each way from Melbourne Beach to see the games.

Keep up the good articles. Thanks, Bob & Jackie

First, complimenting my writing is always a good way to earn COW honors.

Second, while I responded that I don’t think a minor league team is the answer for a lot of different reasons, Bob’s idea had my wheels spinning.  If memory serves (and we are going to have to rely on my memory alone because I can’t find any league-wide minor league attendance databases online), the Florida State League is either at the bottom, or near the bottom, in attendance among full-season minor leagues.  I think that begs two questions:

1. Why doesn’t minor league baseball seem to work in Florida?;

2. Is that relevant to an evaluation of Major League Baseball in Florida?

As to the first, I have no idea.  Part of the problem has to be the cities.  Most of the FSL teams are in snow-bird cities like Port St. Lucie, Fort Myers, and Dunedin.  The teams are in those cities because their big clubs train there.  And their big clubs train there because they have fans there in the spring.  But, when summer rolls around, those fans return to the big club’s home city leaving the FSL club bereft of support.

Also, the more permanent cities on the FSL circuit now have big clubs.  I remember going to games at Al Lang (and Al Lopez) when I was  kid.  It was awesome.  Pretty good crowds.  Great parks.  Good times.  I especially loved (and I suppose still love – since it’s still standing) Al Lang.  It is a real shame that we can’t find something to do with that park because it is a gem.

As to the second question, I think minor league baseball and Major League Baseball in Florida are unrelated.  For one, they appeal to different crowds.  Minor League baseball is a niche sport designed for purists that love baseball, prospect honks that have to the first to see a guy, and local families looking for a reasonable night out.  Big League baseball has a broader audience.

In the final analysis, while the Rays might have killed my chance to take my son to a minor league game in town, I am ok with the tradeoff.  If I really want him to have that experience, we’ll go spend a weekend in Charlotte County.

Thanks for the comment Bob and Jackie.

Just a few months after hearing everyone praise his leadership, Johnny Damon whined his way out of the clubhouse like my three-year-old daughter.  Isn’t baseball great?  You play average ball and then get to carp like a jilted lover at the first sign that you aren’t loved exactly as much as you demand to be loved.

First, Johnny is right.  The offense would improve with improvements as shortstop and catcher.  But that isn’t the exclusive remedy. It just happens to be his preferred remedy because it leaves room for him to come back and “lead” our team.  Well, Johnny, not to confuse you with basic logic but, an improvement at any position would necessarily result in an overall improvement in offensive performance.

Damon’s bizarre pettiness aside (kind of tarnishes that Hall of Fame glow, doesn’t it?  Can you imagine Joe DiMaggio ripping the Washington Senators for not letting him hang on a few more years after he’d been surpassed by Mickey Mantle?) his comments bring the issue of clubhouse leadership into the light.

SABRmatricians like to debate the real value of unmeasurable things like “chemistry” and “leadership.”  After all, baseball is only nominally a team sport.  But, as I wrote last fall while thinking about the miracle that was September, I think the group mental approach fostered by Joe Maddon kept the team from panicking, thus opening the door to their postseason birth.  So, I think leadership is actually valuable to some degree.

But I think we can conclusively determine that any leadership wasn’t coming from Johnny Damon.  Everyone is a good leader when times are good.  Where is Damon when the chips are down?  If he was really a good leader, wouldn’t he take the high road and depart gracefully?  How can he tell a prospective team he is a good leader now?  Won’t all the young players just fear that they will become his scapegoat when things get sideways?

I am convinced that yesterday wasn’t the first time he made those comments.  It just happened to be the first time he made them to the press.   It appears that Damon knew how to play the good leader in public while being selfish in private.  Ironically, it looks like Luke Scott might be the polar exact opposite: a weird, insular, public figure that guys inside the clubhouse love.  I’ll take the latter over the former.  Right?

Damon and Scott remind me of my favorite Lyndon Johnson quote.  He once told an advisor that he’d rather have J. Edgar Hoover “inside the tent [urinating] out than outside the tent [urinating] in.”  Scott is inside the tent, Damon is outside.  I think this change is going to be for the better.

(Also, will the club ever have a DH again that has a last name? Aren’t we severely limiting our options by restricting that job to first-name only guys?)

So, Bill Foster and Stu Sternberg are going to sit down and talk this week.  I have no idea what to expect but, I know exactly what to expect.  You know?

Throughout this entire process I have always sort of felt bad for Bill Foster.  He is the Mayor of his hometown and is stuck in a no win situation.  Either he dooms his neighbors and constituents to a future of paying tax bills (the Trop isn’t paid off yet) while letting the economic impact of the Rays scoot over the bridge to Tampa or, he dooms his neighbors and constituents to an ugly legal battle that will probably only result in them paying tax bills while the economic impact of the Rays scoots to Charlotte or, gulp, contraction.

But in thinking about it yesterday, a thought occurred to me. The question Bill Foster is grappling with (“how do I agree to pay taxes on an empty ballpark?”) might have an answer.  St. Pete took that risk when it built a ballpark without a team.  Right?  Wasn’t the potential for an empty ballpark always in the plan?  Shouldn’t the Rays 14 seasons be seen as a benefit, not an entitlement?

I am really asking.

So I put this to the St. Pete taxpayers that are reading (I know there are at least two that are very active): Is the problem that the mayor may lose the team or, is the problem that no previous mayor ever made rainy-day plans for the possibility of an empty ballpark?

We’ve had some good discussion here this week without much serious participation from me.  I try to respond to most comments but, there are some comments that deserve a little deeper reflection.  So, I thought we’d try something new.  I will pick one comment each week and respond to it at length in its own post.  The comment of the week doesn’t have to be the most insightful or well-written comment.  Just something that caught my attention.

The first honor goes to Travis who engaged Merrill in an interesting discussion about the Rays’ shortstop future:

[Hak-Ju]Lee is definitely closer to starting [at shortstop] then [Tim] Beckham, but I haven’t given up on him. Beckham started showing some promise leading up to the futures game, though it’s unlikely he’ll ever make Andy feel better about passing on Posey for him. Can you imagine this team with Posey?!

Despite the look of the roster, I think the Rays will be ok at shortstop in 2012 so, as long as Reid Brignac/Sean Rodriguez can combine to be good defensive players and replacement-level offensive players.  Both are more than capable of achieving that.  (This is based on the theory that most teams don’t get much offense from short but make up for it elsewhere).

That said, I am not totally convinced that Reid Brignac has been conclusively doomed to a lifetime as a replacement-level hitter and I am not ready to search for his replacement.

I try to throw out remarkably good rookie years and remarkably bad second seasons when looking at a ballplayer’s future.  I can offer no scientific or SABRmetric justification for this practice but, am open to any mathematical refutation.

In my opinion, first and second seasons don’t count because Major League teams don’t generally spend a lot of scouting resources on rookies.  So, rookies have the advantage of unknown flaws and second year players have the difficulty of overcoming the flaws discovered during their rookie campaign.  Good players, it seems, are the ones that can remedy the flaws identified by scouts.

Scouts found the hole in Brignac’s swing (right under his hands) and teams capitalized on it in 2011.  I think a swing-hole (is that a term?  did I just make that up?) is easier to correct than, say, poor command of the strike zone or, an inability to hit a certain pitch-type.  (A friend once told me that, if he ran into Jonny Gomes in a dark alley, he’d just pretend to be a breaking ball so that Gomes couldn’t hit him.)

If Brignac has plugged the hole this winter, he’ll be more than solid at shortstop for at least the remainder of his arbitration years.

Either way, I wouldn’t buy any Lee or Beckham jerseys anytime in the near future.  The Rays like to bring along prospects, particularly young prospects, slowly.  Lee just turned 21 on November 4.  He is talented but, I don’t think we’ll see him anywhere near the big club soon.  Beckham is older but, has several lost seasons playing shortstop.  I think his future is in centerfield which means, he needs to learn to play centerfield.