TampaBLAB

[Update: 4:35pm] Joe Maddon just announced that James Shields will be the game 1 starter and Scott Kazmir will go in game 2. Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine will follow in games 3 and 4, respectively. Edwin Jackson is telling reporters that he is not on the postseason roster for the first round.

[4:30pm] We now know Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster. That means the final roster spot could come down to Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez for the final roster spot, unless Joe Maddon decides to use six pitchers in the bullpen. That is not likely if Troy Percival is also on the roster. If Percy is on, we are guessing Hinske and Edwin Jackson are off. Check back throughout the evening as we will post roster updates here as well as updates on the Twins-White Sox 1-game playoff.



DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Joe Maddon told the press today that Carl Crawford will be on the postseason roster and will start game 1 in left field. However, he will likely bat lower in the lineup. [Rays Report]
  
• Carl Crawford went 2-3 in this morning's instructional league game, hitting a triple off the wall his first time up and adding a single later. He also struck out looking and was caught stealing. [The Heater]
• In case you missed it earlier, Modern West, Kevin Costner's band, have recorded a song for the Rays' postseason...And it is as bad as you can imagine. [Rays Index]
  
• Outs Per Swing is back with another list of pitching performances. This time it is the "Bottom 10"...It is good thing the Rays won the division. Had the Rays missed the division title or even the playoffs by 1 or 2 games, this list would have caused us to repeatedly pound our head on the desk, all while mumbling the name "Edwin Jackson". [Outs Per Swing]
  
• The Dodgers "Ain't S#!t" compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• The books in Vegas stand to lose a lot of money if the Rays win the World Series and even if they just win the AL. [Vegas Watch]
• The Rays first round playoff series will be umpired by a crew led by Joe West. [Rays Report]
  

Wayne Garcia and the kids over at Creative Loafing were tipped off to some possible hanky-panky in Brian Blair’s campaign, including contributions seemingly from developer Steven Dibbs that may exceed state limits.

I’m sure there must be some mistake.

Dear Ezra,

You know we love you--hell's bells, we wouldn't exist if it weren't for you.

But as one of the resident word-wonks around here, I am compelled to at least attempt to parse your use of certain words regarding that which, since yesterday afternoon, I've taken to calling A Wailing Boehner of a Failed Bailout.

It wasn't a "failure to communicate". It wasn't a "failure of leadership". And--hear me out, as I have a fair bit of ad agency and marketing experience to back me up here--it most certainly was not a failure to package things nicely.

[Let's say someone gives me birthday present (it's October 11th--thanks for asking!), and when I tear open the wrapping paper, I see before me a horrible, scratchy, puce-colored sweater that's not only several sizes too big, but also riddled with moth holes, splattered with unidentifiable stains, and suffused with the unmistakable odor of rotting rubbish. Well, let's just say I'm unlikely to be any happier about my "present" if all said gift-giver does is re-fold the sweater, wrap it in pretty gilt-colored tissue with a satin bow, and hand it back to me.]

No, what we saw yesterday was actually--in terms of politics if not economics--a success of sorts. Call it A Success of Democracy, if you like.

Do I think the House Republicans were really representing the much-vaunted will of the revered People? Oh for goodness' sake, of course not--not in the pure sense that they care so much about the people, they simply had to stand their ground, contributors and their portfolios be damned. No, it was a success of democracy in the broader sense. To paraphrase an old movie title: Fifty Million* e-mails Can't Be Wrong.

Did all of those cranky constituents have Economics degrees? I'm guessing no. But they did, and do, have voter registration cards. And they expect their representatives in government to listen to their concerns, even if they have to subtly (or not-so-subtly) threaten those representatives with the loss of their jobs in order to get their attention. In short, democracy worked.

And now, if it's to keep working, Congress must go back to the workbench wherein a decent, already-built armature awaits its clay layering and a bit of kiln time; confer with the experts; craft something muscular and task-specific that benefits the whole country as opposed to a moneyed few--meaning, leave out any capital gains tax crap for now and focus on building in not only the safeguards and oversight, but also some serious provisions for enforcement of the law; and create a program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure (which will, in turn, keep those debt instruments nice and healthy).

Stop by and visit the left bank sometime soon, Ezra. Life is sunnier, artsier, and infinitely more enjoyable over here.

Cheers,
Deborah

* Give or take a few

Also at Cogitamus.

Wow. We thought the most embarrassing thing about being a Rays fan was Dick Vitale. Not anymore. Today we learned (via the St. Pete Times) that Kevin Costner and his band Modern West have recorded a song for the Rays playoff run. It is called "It's All Up To You."

Warning: The following song is not safe for people with a history of heart disease, pregnant women or anybody that has eaten in the last 24 hours.



To think that at one point we actually wanted to name our first son "Crash". Did we just type that out loud?

Kevin Costner loves the Tampa Bay Rays [St. Pete Times]

 

I found this over on Infowars today.  In times of crisis, the mainstream media, mainly because they are stuck covering one or two stories to the hilt overlooks the other stories going on in a given day.  So, alternative media sites are a big plus in times of difficulty, like we are going through now.

This man says there's no need to vote in November and that the fix is already in.  Hackers will make sure that John McCain is our 44th President.  Highly unlikely as things stand right now, right?

But as I mentioned about 1 month ago, Pinellas County, where I live, changed the way we vote.  Instead of touching a monitor in the right place, it's now "fill in the teeny weeny bubble" that rules the roost.  The change of the process doesn't change a damn thing!  It doesn't make me feel any better about voting.  You're still relying on computers to do the counting.  Computer programs can be hacked into and altered, so this does make perfect sense to me.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking off my tinfoil hat.

If you go to International Mall on 10/11, you can be treated to a special behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the wild and wonderful looks of the cast of The Rocky Horror Show at the MAC store and Toni & Guy salon.

The cast of Rocky will be getting into make-up from 10am to noon at the MAC store. Stop by for a special look at the "making of" these unconventional conventionists and have a chance to win free tickets at the store. There will also be a chance to meet and greet the performers after they have finished getting into make-up.

From noon to 2pm the cast will be at Toni & Guy salon getting coiffed by their stellar stylists. There will be another opportunity to meet the cast and win tickets at that location.


Wanna see more PR shots from Rocky? Head over to TBPAC's photo stream on Flickr!

"The Bombing will begin in 5 minutes. Let me just finish ordering my Cinni-Stix!"





The "John McCain: Apocalypse Now Redux" T-Shirt can be purchased at The Zencomix Online Market.

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Last week's Rays Confidence Graph results.

Below you will see two polls that ask about your confidence in the Tampa Bay Rays. We will present these same polls every Tuesday. The results will be presented in graphical form on Thursday, and will be displayed permanently in the sidebar. The goal of the Confidence Graph is to get a feeling of how Rays fans feel about the team and the franchise and track how that level of confidence changes through time.

Raysiverse events of the past week that could impact confidence levels...

• The Rays finished the regular season 97-65 2 games ahead of the Red Sox and 8 games ahead of the Yankees to win their first AL East Championship. They are only the 10th team to improve at least 30 games over the previous season.
• The Rays still do not who they will play in game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday. The White Sox and Twins will play a 1-game playoff tonight.
  
• Carl Crawford is participating in Instructional League games without pain and could be activated for the postseason roster.
  
• For the first time in its 3 years of existence, the Rays did not win the David Price Sweepstakes.
• Both Troy Percival and David Price looked solid in their final regular season appearances in a bid for postseason roster spots. Edwin Jackson did not.
  

Online Surveys & Market Research

Online Surveys & Market Research

One of the unseen highlights at ASR Sept08 earlier this month was Dwindle’s DSM video. Going behind the scenes at any woodshop is a brain-blowing experience, but Dwindle Distribution’s factory is on another level. For over eight years, they’ve pushed deck technology to the max—Resin, Uberlight, Impact Support, Eternal Life, and Armor Light are all example’s of Dwindle’s product innovations. In this rare behind-the-scenes tour of the DSM Woodshop, Rodney Mullen explains the tech-deck-making journey from planting the maple seeds in Canadian forests, all the way through their final destination at local skateshops. –Transworld blog post

Check out the video.

Posted without comment.

*BIG sigh.*

So Bush asks for a bunch of free money for his pals with no strings attached. The Dems work their ass off and actually get oversight, accountability, and limits on executive compensation. McCain swoops in to save the day with his sudden expert grasp of what he admittedly knows nothing about and wrecks [...]

My colleague, Times columnist Ernest Hooper, gave a shout-out to military families in yesterday’s paper:

"You know what the problem is with military families? Just when you start to like them, duty calls and they up and move to a more glamorous locale like Great Falls, Mont., Warner Robins, Ga., or Junction City, Kan.

Amazingly, while you lament their departure, they minimize the complaints. If they’re going to Fort Riley, Kan., they joke about being closer to the world’s largest ball of twine.

And they do all that for us."

My book isn't on the Banned Book List.I suppose the only reason it isn't on the list is because the book banners haven't read it, but if they did, I'm sure they would, what with all the weed, the "Fuck", and Central Scrotumizing that's in it, not to mention the politics.

I guess the closest I've come to the Banned Book List is being mentioned in the acknowlegments at the beginning of Leave Myself Behind, by my friend Bart Yates

Bart won an Alex Award for the book, his debut novel, from the American Library Association. Not too shabby! But , Oh Noes!, he writes about teenagers and Teh Gay, so some folks want to Ban This Book! This is the type of book the Sarah Palins of the world want to ban.It is smart, funny, sad, and honest. I highly recommend it. It's a page turner!

Kevin Beckner is challenging Brian Blair in the election for District 6 of the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners.

As you know, local leaders are responsible for a myriad of issues that directly affect your life.  Because of this, we really want to count on the daily newspapers to tell us about the candidates, their stances on the issues, and their abilities to lead.

But the only thing that the St. Pete Times and reporter Janet Zink want you to know about is Kevin Beckner’s sexual orientation.

In the story,

• Kevin Beckner told St. Pete Times reporter Janet Zink that he doesn’t want to be known as the “gay candidate.”
• Brian Blair told Janet Zink that he doesn’t plan to bring up sexual orientation in his campaign.
• Republican political consultant April Schiff says sexual orientation is “not a campaign issue. It is a personal issue. Personal issues have no place in campaigns.”
• Beckner campaign manager Mitch Kates says that besides questions from media, the issue just doesn’t come up:  “We don’t talk about it. It doesn’t come up in house parties. It doesn’t come up in forums. People are focused on pocketbook issues,” he said. “The only people who are talking about (it) are the media.”

Still, Janet Zink wrote a 850 word article that tells us that Beckner is gay, and that it matters.

You want to know why we get 10% voter turnout?  You want to know why citizens are disconnected from their leaders?  You want to know why newspapers are losing readers, credibility, and influence?

Because of CRAP like this in my newspaper.

Seriously - this article by Janet Zink adds NOTHING to the world - it wasted newsprint, wasted ink, wasted payroll for the writer and editors, wasted the time of all Times readers who read the article, and now all this freaking blog space.

Plus this sort of bile is turning me into ANGRYBLOGGER - and I hate that.

Bonus links:

• Here’s why Mariella Smith supports Kevin Beckner (orientation is not mentioned).
• Joe O’Neill says a victory for Beckner would be historic, but somehow manages to give us better insight to Beckner’s views, ideas, and leadership.

Whew.

Most of the home improvement projects are done, our house is officially for rent and we’ve told our bosses and the kids’ teachers we’re moving.

The next step is up to the Army – we have to wait for Mark’s orders to be issued, then set up the move dates and get everything organized.

Life’s been a whirlwind the past two weeks, and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Your side is stinky! Nuh UH! Yuh HUH! is the title of Howard Troxler’s September 28, 2008 column in the St. Petersburg Times. Howard made a point in this column that many of us have thought to ourselves but haven’t put into words, let alone put out for public consumption. It’s a bipartisan jab. Read [...]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, we ran a bunch of "Webtopia" links in the evening "Happy Hour" feature. [Rays Index]
• If the Rays decide to carry Carl Crawford on the postseason roster, they could choose to go with only 10 pitchers (6 relievers)...Although Andrew Friedman has not indicated as much, this could end up being a decision between Crawford and Troy Percival. If they want Percy on the roster they almost certainly will want an 11th pitcher in case he is unable to work back-to-back games. [St. Pete Times]
• Despite a report on one Rays blog, Joe Maddon will not announce his game 1 starter until today. While Shields is the likely game 1 starter, all we know for certain is that Shields and Kazmir will be the first 2 pitchers. The exact order is not known. The blog referenced an ESPN report that is likely based on the probable pitchers listed on the team's website. It is not unusual for that site to guess, and they are wrong quite often. [Ed. note: we would love to link to the "Rays blog" but then we would get pounded for picking on them too much] [MLB]
• 8,000 fans showed up at Straub Park in St. Pete to celebrate the Rays first playoff appearance...Can't say we have a huge problem with it, but this reeks a bit of "just glad to be here." [Tampa Tribune]
• The Cubs "Ain't S#!t" compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Baseball Analysts say the Rays have only a 36% chance of winning the first round (based on tendencies in previous playoffs). When we saw that, we didn't even bother reading the rest. [Baseball Analysts]
  
• John Romano compares Joe Madddon to another former Bay Area head coach, Tony Dungy and wonders what success the Rays would be having now if the front office had not taken a chance on Papa Joe. [St. Pete Times]
• Although we never wish ill will on others, today we link to the latest batch of Fennellyisms. If only because we agree that the tone of the team and the fans changed in Spring Training when Elliot Johnson collided with the Yankees' Francisco Cervelli, breaking his wrist. The Yankees proved they don't like getting dirt on their pinstripes and the Rays, for the first time, punched the bully right in the face. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Josh Beckett injured his oblique muscle on Friday and will not pitch in the ALDS until game 3. [Boston Globe]
• Marc Lancaster is now Twittering. For those of you that follow us on Twitter, you may want to also follow Marc. [Rays Report]
  

Ahhh, Sunflowers. I love it when the birds surprise me and leave behind the seeds of splendor! This one popped up in our back yard about two weeks ago. For your viewing pleasure, may I present this concerto in yellow.~...