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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Riggans will be remembered, especially for one painful trip around the bases

Posted Feb 12, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 12, 2010 at 10:45 AM

Shawn Riggans was pinch-hitting with a runner on first, and like all good pinch-hitters with a runner on first, he squared to drop a sacrifice bunt.
Problem was, Detroit closer Fernando Rodney fired a 93 mph fastball a little too inside.
Riggans couldn’t do a thing to avoid the pitch, except brace himself for the impact of baseball meeting the middle of his chest.
The “pop” of that meeting was heard in the Rays dugout.
It was Aug. 3, 2008. The Rays trailed the Tigers by a run in the bottom of the ninth. Lose and the Red Sox would move to within two games of the division-leading Rays.
What happened that afternoon at Trop Field captured Shawn Riggans time with the Rays, a seldom-used, oft-injured time that officially came to an end Thursday when the backup catcher signed a minor league contract with the Mets that included an invite to major league spring training.
Riggans spent part of four seasons with the Rays, but played in only 64 games. He missed time during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons because of injuries. He finished ‘08 on the DL because of a knee injury. He played just seven games last season because of a shoulder injury.
Rays manager Joe Maddon called Riggans “the perfect backup catcher,” because he was always prepared, always ready to play and never complained about his role or lack of playing time.
Pitchers loved pitching to Riggans, because Riggans never met a pitch in the dirt he couldn’t block. And, as previously mentioned, Riggans was always prepared.
You know how you always hear about a “book” on hitters? Well, Riggans actually kept a book on hitters.
It was a spiral-bound notebook that he tucked into his locker. He let me flip through it last March. Each page was reserved for a different hitter, and most pages were filled with notes.
“If Jason Varitek can keep a book on hitters,” he said, “so can Shawn Riggans.”
Those of us who covered the Rays during the Riggans Era were drawn to his corner of the locker room. He was colorful, witty, interesting. He could fill a notebook and make you laugh.
Problem was, Riggans was often talking about another rehab from another injury. That’s why the Rays decided to let him go after last season. They simply couldn’t count on him to stay healthy.
Despite his many injuries, no one ever questioned Riggans toughness, and that toughness was on display that August afternoon under the Trop.
Riggans dropped like a rock and lay motionless as Maddon and trainer Ron Porterfield rushed to his side.
“I did not like that. I ran out there as fast as I possibly can, because that’s a bad spot to get hit,” Maddon said after the game.
“I was hoping it wasn’t his heart, because obviously that’s bad news,” said pitcher Trever Miller, who watched the scene from the dugout. “You’re talking about death if it’s really hard. You just hope and pray and hope he gets up.”
Riggans got up.
Like Rocky Balboa during his first fight against Apollo Creed, Riggans rose to his feet and somehow managed to get to first base.
“I couldn’t breathe for a second, but I got up, and I told the guys I was fine, let’s go win it,” Riggans said. “If I’m going to get hit like that it might as well be for a reason.”
Riggans managed to make it around the bases, scoring the winning run when Carlos Peña drew a bases-loaded walk.
Afterwards, we waited by Riggans locker for the battered hero to emerge from the trainer’s room.
“That’s one of the ones I really don’t think he wanted to take for the team,” Peña said.
Everyone was laughing then.
The Rays won. Their lead over the Red Sox remained at three games.
And Riggans came through the ordeal with a bruise and a badge of honor.
“Not so much pain but discomfort with every breath. That’s all I can explain it,” Riggans said as he described his trip around the bases. “It was hard to move my arms. I felt like I was going to die out there. But, whatever, we won the game, so that makes it feel a little better.”
But, whatever.
Classic Riggo.
He will be missed when the Rays open spring training Friday.
We wish him nothing but the best with his new team.
And we wish him good health, too.