 Tampabay.com | Weather tamps down Gasparilla crowd Tampabay.com Light rain was falling as the pirates' ship, surrounded by about 150 boats, made its way toward Harbour Island about 12:45 pm The crowd in the Davis Islands ... Weather tamps down Gasparilla crowd |
Remember when Dioner Navarro showed up at camp last spring in the best shape of his life? Navi’s OPS then proceeded to drop from .757 in 2008 to .583 in 2009.
Coincidence? Navi apparently doesn’t think so.
While this recent photo doesn’t give us the clearest view, it does seem apparent that Navi took out his frustrations on several local Dunkin Donuts and will be carrying a few extra love handles into the 2010 season (thanks @macgivens77).
For comparison, here is a picture of Navi from spring training last year.
Nobody will ever accuse Navi of being anorexic, but the gut appears considerably smaller a year ago. He was listed at 205 pounds last season. If that number was accurate, he must be more like 230-235 this season. And that is a lot of weight on a 5-9 frame.
Dioner Navarro and Kelly Shoppach put their pants on the same way, one leg at a time. But after they have their pants on, Navarro goes back to the buffet table for seconds.
*Only Willy Taveras posted a worse OPS (.559, min. 400 PA) in 2009.
© The Professor for Rays Index, 2010. |
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With reports of an expedited sale process of the Tampa Bay Lightning to hedge fund manager Jeff Vinik, there are continued rumblings -- perpetuated by The Hockey News' reports on the situation -- that Vincent Lecavalier will be traded preceding the transaction.
It's appeared twice on THN -- the initial article reporting of Vinik, and now Ken Campbell's piece which talks about executive movement with the Lightning and, you guessed it, Enzo's future with the Bolts:
There is also growing speculation Vinik will want to immediately trim payroll, meaning the team will be shopping captain Vincent Lecavalier and his $7.72 million salary cap hit leading up to the March 3 trade deadline. In the first year of an 11-year contract, Lecavalier’s salary is actually $10 million this season and each of the next six seasons and it’s believed Vinik thinks the Lightning has to get out from under that contract if it is to be financially viable.
It’s believed that if the deal is made, it will be done before Vinik takes over the team so the new owner can be insulated from the inevitable backlash that would come from dealing the franchise player.
What I don't understand here is this: If Vinik is the guy buying the team, and the supposed payroll dump of Lecavalier is orchestrated for Vinik, how does this insulate him from backlash? He is a mystery figure who should be looked at as public-enemy number one if Vincent Lecavalier were to be dealt.
This kind of twisted logic -- make the player movement for the numbers to work in a sale -- reminds me of another episode in the Lightning's past. Long-time Lightning fans might recall the tale of the the Maloof family.
They were a safe bet for approval from the NHL as owners in 1997, even with their casino ties. Japanese ownership was desperate to rid themselves of the team, and the Maloofs looked like willing sale partners...
The Maloofs started having a say in team interests and actions, and what did they do to the Bolts? They influenced the course of the 1997 off-season (the draft and the direction of the team in free agency) which led directly to the Lightning's on-ice product falling on hard times for the next five seasons.
And you know what was the worst part of it? They didn't even buy the Lightning. They walked away and left the ruins of their fickle intentions for others to deal with, and for the fans to suffer.
Some of the local fan base have been part of the "dump-Vinny" chants this season, all helped along by way of the lack of production and the huge contract. While that is a worthy debate to have, about Lecavalier's contract size and his cost-effectiveness, getting on the bandwagon of these rumors (in the context that a trade will be made to help along the sale of the team) is not the thing to do.
The potential for this trade, in how it's being reported as if it would be orchestrated by the NHL itself, is not the type of transaction that will be in the Lightning's best interests. It'll be a salary dump. Draft picks, also-ran prospects, maybe a third-liner in return for Lecavalier and potentially more.
That's not positive for the longevity of the Lightning franchise. And such a deal may lead to a domino effect of a large roster turnover later under Vinik's watch to further make the numbers work. "You blessed the Lecavalier deal, now give your blessings for the shedding of Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone, Mattias Ohlund, Andrej Meszaros, and other contracts."
It's also important to note that any deal is not going to start by going through the team or even the league offices. It has to go through Kent Hughes, Lecavalier's agent. That's the entire idea of the no-movement clause (as to a more common no-trade clause): Lecavalier's camp is in the drivers seat with any transaction involving Vincent Lecavalier.
And Hughes has not been contacted by anyone regarding his client:
"I have never spoken with Jeff (Vinik)," Hughes said. "I have not heard from anybody else within the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in regards to Vinny Lecavalier, period. It seems that any time there's mention of the Lightning outside Tampa Bay, it involves speculation about a Vinny Lecavalier trade.
"After two years of speculation, we've grown immune to it and will stick with the facts. The facts are, not a single person connected to this financial bid or to the organization has contacted us about Vinny being traded."
A Lecavalier deal does not avoid a backlash for Vinik. It'd much sooner set the precedent for another owner of a Bay area sports franchise that puts costs over competitiveness. It would make it seem that Vinik did not have the best interests of the franchise at heart, but the bottom-line instead. A non-local owner doing that would not and should not sit well with Lightning fans.
Gasparilla parade still on today, invasion begins Tampabay.com The flotilla left the southern end of Hillsborough Bay, bound for the Seddon Channel between Davis Islands and Harbour Island and the final destination at ... |
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout 2-1.
Other than the customary second period lull, this was a well-played game by the Lightning. For whatever reason, however, they tend to mentally go to sleep in the second period. It makes me wonder if they'd do better if the game were played in two 30-minute halves instead of three 20-minute periods.
The lone Lightning goal was scored by Martin St. Louis. It was a vintage goal by him, too. Coming in with speed off the wing, getting the pass from Stamkos, and snapping it home. It's nice to see him do that.
I did notice Vincent Lecavalier pull off a patented Peter Forsberg move. However, I found that to be disturbing. Those two players that are so dissimilar in how they play, that there's absolutely no basis for comparison - despite the fact that they're both centers. It was the classic skating in, faking the shot, and the gliding around the back of the net for the wraparound. Forsberg would've roofed that shot, but Vinny couldn't get the puck up off the ice.
The interesting part about the shootout was that all three Lightning players shot right-handed. Which would account for the odd selection of Steven Stamkos, Jeff Halpern, and Brandon Bochenski being in the shootout. I'm not sure what the scouting report is on Jonas Hiller, but I can only speculate that he's statistically not very good against right-handed shooters.
The goaltending was fantastic at both ends. Antero Niittymaki isn't only making his case to be the starter in Tampa Bay, but also the starter for the Finnish Olympic team. The Lightning are very lucky to have three very good goaltenders - including Dustin Tokarski.
All in all, while this was a hard-fought game, there wasn't a lot going on in it. Sure, there were a lot of penalties, but they were mostly off-setting penalties. Most of the game was played even - not a lot of actual power plays.
Three interesting statistics to note. Nate Thompson was 13 of 14 (93%) in the faceoff circle. Ryan Malone had seven hits on the night. And Lecavalier had six shots on goal.
The next game is Sunday, 31 January, at the Washington Capitals. Game time is at 3 pm Eastern. On a personal note, I was planning on attending that game as I live in Northern Virginia. But as it's snowing all day today, and the forecast says to expect a foot of the white stuff (we already have over five inches as of noon-ish on Saturday), so I won't be there due to the weather.
Ducks vs Lightning coverage [SB Nation]
Anaheim Calling [SB Nation Anaheim Ducks site]
Ducks vs Lightning recap [TSN]
Ducks vs Lightning boxscore [TSN]
After the beans are tender, I serve in bowls, adding a half (or whole) small carton of non-fat, plain yogurt to each bowl and stirring thoroughly.
There’s something about the onions, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, and yogurt that works well together and keeps the lentils from being plain ol’, plain ol’.
Just made a batch and had a bowl.
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Matt Sweeney
Earlier this week Keith Law ranked the Rays as the third best organization in baseball. Now Law has released his list of the Top 100 prospects. Six Rays are in the top 100, including 4 in the top 30.
6. Desmond Jennings
15. Wade Davis
17. Jeremy Hellickson
29. Tim Beckham
68. Matt Sweeney
81. Matt Moore
Law also included his list of the top 10 prospects in the Rays farm system…
1. Desmond Jennings, CF
2. Wade Davis, RHP
3. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
4. Tim Beckham, SS
5. Matt Sweeney, 3B
6. Matt Moore, LHP
7. Nick Barnese, RHP
8. Alex Torres, LHP
9. Alexander Colome, RHP
10. Reid Brignac, SS
Law is more bullish on Beckham than Baseball America is (BA has Beckham 6th), but has soured on Brignac who is still 5th in BA’s rankings.
In a separate piece, Law talk about three Rays prospects that could crack the top 100 next year…
I mentioned Nick Barnese here last year, along with new top 100 addition Matt Moore, and Barnese will make the list with a full, healthy season. The Rays could also see one of two Latin American right-handers, Alexander Colome or Wilking Rodriguez, make the list. Colome’s further along now, with a mid-90s fastball and curve with tight rotation but limited feel for his changeup and below-average command.
A “full, healthy season” from Barnese might be asking a lot. He logged only 74.2 innings last season, and the Rays will likely limit Barnese to 100-120 innings in 2010.
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In an interesting twist to the Johnny Damon situation, Jon Heyman of SI.com says Damon turned down a $6 million offer from the Yankees.
In a last-ditch effort late last week after Damon himself called the team, Cashman, one of baseball’s best dealmakers, tried floating a contract of $6 million with $3 million deferred at no interest (with the promise it would be cleared with team boss Hal Steinbrenner, who was about to return from his honeymoon). But Damon wasn’t moved enough to respond.
So, if Damon couldn’t even respond to the Yankees on a $6 million deal, a team that was obviously his first choice, there is no way the Rays would be able to sign Damon at $4-5 million. The previous consensus was that the Yankees top offer was $2 million.
Then again, maybe Damon would be willing to give the Rays an “Ooooh-I-can-go-Caveman-again discount.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
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If you missed it last night, you have another chance to see the rodeo tonight. Gates open at 6:30 at the Lakeland Center.
See the rest of the photos.
The Rodeo is in Town
Lakeland Local and Metro I4 News have a new design.
When was the last time you visited?
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