How cool is it that Cadillac Williams might soon be romping around Ray-Jay again, now that the Bucs have activated him?

As good a story as his return is though, I wonder how realistic it is to think he can do anything close to what we saw in his rookie season - maybe ever again. Everyone says he has worked like the dickens to get this far, and frankly few people thought he’d put on shoulder pads this year. It has been an amazing grind to get this far for him, but it’s just as far between here and the explosive back that took the league by storm.

An injury like his (torn patellar tendon) is about as devastating to a running back as it can get. It affects everything, particularly explosion. That doesn’t mean Caddy won’t be able to contribute on the football field, but how much he can handle is the big question.

I know I sound like the grinch on this and that’s not my intention. If he does make it back even close to what he was, it’ll be one of the great comebacks of the era - a tribute to him, his doctors, and the Bucs training staff. He has made it this far though, and that’s miracle enough for now.

RAYS NOT CHASING A CLOSER? ESPN’s Buster Olney, as well-sourced as any reporter covering baseball, had this to say about the Rays’ bullpen situation on his blog:

“There is a small army of closers available either through trade or free agency—Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Kevin Gregg, all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, and others. And there are a lot of teams looking for closers, from the Cardinals to the Mets to the Tigers to the Indians. ... But they are not likely to land in Tampa Bay. The Rays don’t have a lot of personnel decisions to make, because their rotation is deep, their lineup is mostly set, and their farm system is in excellent condition. At some point, they’ll seriously consider specifics of the overtures for starting pitchers Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson, as the Rays prepare for the promotion of David Price into their rotation in 2009.

“The Tampa Bay staff does not know the identity of its closer, however—just as it did not on the morning of the last game of the World Series. And the Rays are at peace with that.

“Troy Percival is signed for 2009, at $4 million, but the Rays really have no idea how much he’ll be able to help them next season, and they have dispatched him to see back specialists, to determine whether he’ll try to rehabilitate his injury, or require surgery. ... It may be that Tampa Bay will land a closer. But it’s more likely that the Rays will add one or two modestly priced relievers and then throw the group against the wall, again, and see who sticks as the closer, from day to day—just as they did in the second half of 2008.”

Seems reasonable to me.

HIT THE ROAD: A loyal reader spotted this interesting tidbit from The Baltimore Sun. It seems the Orioles are bringing back the word “Baltimore” to the front of their road jerseys next season. That’s kind of standard for major-league teams, although it isn’t mandatory.

It became something of an issue last season with the Rays, when they dropped Tampa Bay from their road jerseys in favor of simply “Rays.” Conspiracy theorists immediately assumed something drastic, such as the prelude to a move out of the area.

I checked it out with Rays publicist extraordinare Rick Vaughn, who ironically recommended a return to Baltimore road jerseys when he worked for the Orioles long ago, and he said the move here was more about branding the new devil-less name. In a year or two, it’s possible that Tampa Bay will return to the Rays’ road jerseys as well.