Rays going for six straight

Posted Jul 5, 2008 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Jul 5, 2008 at 04:49 PM

Greetings from the Trop, where the Rays and Royals will serve as the warm-up act for Loverboy—unenthusiastically described by James Shields as “one of” his favorite ‘80s bands in a promo that can’t end soon enough.

Before we get there, though: Baseball.

Al Reyes threw about 30 pitches to Willy Aybar and Rocco Baldelli in a simulated game earlier and reviews were positive. No details yet, but the Rays are still targeting a post-All-Star break return for Reyes.

Ben Zobrist in there at short today, though Joe Maddon made it sound like he had no set plan for rotating Zobrist and Brignac beyond making sure the rookie got in there yesterday to get it over with.

One final note: Welcome to the newest member of the Rays family, Rocco Michael Costello, born this morning to Rays PR man Chris Costello and his wife Andrea. Congrats!

The lineups:

Royals
DeJesus LF
Grudzielanek 2B
Gordon 3B
Guillen RF
Butler DH
Gload 1B
Olivo C
Aviles SS
Gathright CF
Greinke P

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Floyd DH
Navarro C
Hinske RF
Zobrist SS
Sonnanstine P

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Colwill Puts A Lock On Olympic Berth

Posted Jul 5, 2008 by Bill Ward

Updated Jul 5, 2008 at 02:29 PM

Chris Colwill can finally make plans to be in the Beijing Olympics. And his parents can now book their travel plans to see him compete in those games.

After Colwill’s performance Saturday afternoon in men’s 3-meter individual springboard at the U.S. Diving Olympic Team Selection Camp in Knoxville, Tenn., he’s a certainty to make the squad in that event. The 23-year-old Tampa Prep and University of Georgia graduate took second place in his third list of dives and first in the fourth and final list to lock up his first trip to the Olympics.

The Selection Camp committee still has to gather Sunday to determine the roster and the official announcement will not come until Monday. But Colwill has done everything needed to land a spot on the U.S. Olympic diving roster in 3-meter individual. He dominated the camp, took second place at last month’s Olympic trials and owns all other tiebreakers.

The lone second-place finish Colwill had at the camp came to Troy Dumais, who earned the first Olympic slot in individual 3-meter by wining the trials.

Tonight, Colwill will try to earn his second Olympic slot when he and dive partner Jevon Tarantino compete in 3-meter synchronized. They won the first two lists in the event Thursday and are expected to repeat that showing in the final two lists tonight.

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Zenon Konopka to the Bolts?

Posted Jul 5, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 5, 2008 at 11:02 AM

Hat tip to Bolt Prospects for catching this one, but according to the paper in Syracuse former Anaheim farmhand and Syracuse Crunch captain Zenon Konopka has agreed to a two-year contract with Tampa Bay, with the first year at a two-way deal and the second year on a one-way deal.

I spoke with Oren Koules yesterday, and while he didn’t mention this move, he did say that Tampa Bay’s minor league affiliate was not going to be a last place team anymore. And while Konopka is not being ruled out of doing something to make the Lightning roster, this move is clearly a move to strengthen Norfolk. Konopka said it was a difficult decision to leave Syracuse (and Columbus, the parent organization) but was swayed after a conversation he had with new Tampa Bay coach Barry Melrose.

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Capel Trying To Make One Last Olympics—The Right Way

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Bill Ward

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 10:37 PM

Brooksville’s John Capel, left congratulates Tyson Gay after Gay’s first-place finish in the opening rounds of the men’s 200-meter qualifying at Friday’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Capel finished third to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals

This is a short feature from Tribune correspondent Patrick O’Neill on former Brooksville Hernando and University of Florida track and football star John Capel, who is trying to make a third consecutive Olympic team after serving a two-year-suspension for testing positive for marijuana.

EUGENE, Ore.—John Capel credits his 8-year-old daughter, Janya, with keeping him honest. After Capel, who served a two-year suspension from track for smoking marijuana, ran his opening-round 200-meter race Friday in the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, he said his daughter keeps on him about staying out of trouble.

Capel, in the same heat with 100 winner Tyson Gay, qualified third in a time of 20.73 to advance to today’s quarterfinal round. Being “hardheaded” led him to be a rule-breaker, Capel said.

“I had to figure it out on my own,” he said. “I never was the type of person who went by the rules too much. I always kind of went by my own [rules]. When you’re out here doing professional athletics, professional sports, you have to follow their rules. It took a little bit for me to learn that.”

Capel, who has another daughter, Serenity, and a 1-year-old son, John, Jr., said its Janya who stays on top of him. She was reading on a 6th-grade level in 1st grade and that’s when she looked her father’s name up on the Internet and discovered about his troubles.

Janya Capel read her father’s MySpace page and Googled his name, he said.

“She’s read every story just about that’s ever been written about me since 2004,” Capel said with a smile. “She gets on me about every day. [She asks:] Are you still smoking? Are you still getting in trouble?

Capel said he’s learned his lesson. Although 29, he say he’s ready to bring his career back into high gear. Unable to qualify in the 100, Capel says the 200, a race in which he’s a former world champion (2003), is more forgiving and more attuned to his racing style.

“The 200 is a more patient race,” he said. “You’ve got a chance to make a couple of mistakes, and I think that’s a lot better race for me.”

In his heat, Capel said he let up coming off the turn. “I let up about 110 (meters). I just kept my composure, stayed strong coming home, and tried not to let too many people pass me coming in.”

Capel, who spent time as forklift operator and “breaking cement” when he was out of the sport, said he’s still shaking off rust.

“It was all about being rusty, getting the rust off, getting my body back,” he said. “That’s been the only hard part.”

Capel said he’s not bitter about a decision to keep him off the 400 relay team at the 2004 Games after it was discovered he tested postive for pot at an a meet earlier that summer.

“They got to make sure they save face for US Track and Field,” he said. “Who knows what would have happened, but it was all for the better. It just makes you hungrier and stronger.

“I feel like as long as I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll progress and get better and better. As long as I keep in shape, and stay focused. I’ll be around for awhile.”

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The Lightning still have more moves to come

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 09:12 PM

I can’t put into words what the past seven days have been for me. Actually, it’s been the past two-plus weeks, truth be told. I was quietly enjoying some time away with the wife’s family in Northwestern Ohio, monitoring things from afar. I watched the NHL Awards show, writing about Vinny Lecavalier’s King Clancy Trophy for his Humanitarian work. I finished off a nice Steven Stamkos feature (at least, I think it was a nice story, but I’m biased). Then I started to gear up for the NHL Entry draft in Ottawa. It was going to busy, for sure, with the ownership situation being approved (something I had to write on the way to Cleveland, including the reacquisition of Vinny Prospal) in order to catch a pre-dawn flight to Ottawa on Thursday morning. Little did I know, that was the calm before the storm.

Draft weekend was busy, with Stamkos going first overall. Day two of the draft was uneventful until the selection of David Carle with Tampa Bay’s last pick in the draft. The next morning, I got on a plane in Ottawa to return to Cleveland, where I was picked up at the airport and immediately started heading south toward Tampa. I conducted my first interview with new owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie by phone from the parking lot of a Fairfeld Inn in Wytheville, Virginia. The next day was a 13-hour-day in the car to get home by 10:45 p.m. on Monday, which means I missed the press conference where Koules and Barrie were introduced to the area.

On Tuesday, Barry Melrose was introduced as the new head coach. On Wednesday, word leaked of a pending $77 million contract extension about to be signed by Vinny Lecavalier. On Thursday, I tagged along for a brief while for Steven Stamkos’ first trip to Tampa. The next day, I caught up with Stamkos again and wrote a story, reading for a relaxing weekend before free agency began.

Midway through a day at Busch Gardens, I got word the team was about to announce a deal. Once I found out it was to acquire Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts, well, needless to say my day ended sooner than expected. On Sunday it was all about chasing down the negotiation process, especially after word of a seven-year, $31 million deal with Malone was reached. Later that Sunday night, it was Brian Rolston’s rights that were acquired. So the Monday before free agency began, it was all about tracking down how talks with Rolston were going while getting official word on the signings of Roberts and Malone.

Tuesday, otherwise known as hell day, was spent first tracking all the team’s signings (or non-signings in Rolston’s case) for the website, then trying to put it all together. Wednesday, as my wife and kids headed for an early movie, I was busy trying to figure out the team’s next move while getting word that Ryan Craig and Janne Niskala were signed to new contracts.

On Thursday, it was the Dan Boye stuff breaking and today was today.

And here’s the thing, it’s not over.
There is at least one more signing to do on defense (Jason Smith anybody?) and the grapevine is suggesting another forward will be dealt (Jokinen? Ouellet?) that will bring in another second round pick in next year’s draft.

And though I’ve been told the weekend will be quiet, I’ll believe it when I hear the silence!

In the meantime, to help me get through the next couple of weeks before I totally disappear to a remote place where no cell phone tower exists, can somebody please send me a keg of Keith’s? A pint of Rickards White? A bottle of Sam’s Summer Ale? Heck, I’d settle for a can of Cherry Coke Zero at this point

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Dan Boyle vents his frustration.

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 08:19 PM

Guys, wanted to pass along a couple of comments from my conversation with Dan Boyle. Needless to say, he’s not happy with how the ownership group handled this situation.

I’ll give you two quotes to get you thinking about what will be in the newspaper tomorrow.

“I understand at the end of the day that it’s a business, this is a business. I understand that more than anybody. But there is a way to conduct business, and the way that my situation was handled was absolutely not the way to do it. I, for a long time now, have been under the impression that I was part of this team going forward, wanting input from me on other players, and never in a million years did I think that I was one of the guys that needed to go. Just a few days ago [media were told] that the rumors were a joke, Dan Boyle is going to play 25 minutes, he’s not being traded, he’s not going anywhere. They made it clear that we are not going to go after an offensive-defenseman [in free agency] because we have the best one in the league. Now, going back to business-is-business, when I find out from an absolutely ton of different sources that my [butt] has been on the trading block since I signed the extension, that to me, is not the way you do business. If [they] wanted to get rid of me, let me know. There is a way to do that, it’s been done in the past, just say that “Danny, it’s just not going to work’’ just let me know. And that’s just not the way it’s done. And that really pisses me off.’‘

And one more to whet your appetite:

“It got to the point where once it probably a few days ago, when I was threatened, that they just didn’t care and that my [butt] is going to end up on waivers and end up in Atlanta. That’s just not the way you do business. I don’t know if I have too much class or what, because I don’t want to say exactly what was said, but when it gets personal like it did, the line was crossed. When my work ethic is questioned, my off-season work ethic and the way I get ready for games and what I do is questioned, and it gets personal, and I’m threatened, that is absolutely the way not to do business. And I feel sad because I can’t say one thing bad, even with all the ups and downs and battles I had with [former coach John Tortorella], at the end of the day there was respect. In this case I was absolutely blindsided by this whole situation. I know what the response is, that things happen quickly, it’s a business, but that’s not the case when Im told one thing and I find out months later that the complete opposite went on behind my back.’‘

UPDATE

In response to Boyle’s comments, here is what co-owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules had to say:

“I think one thing you ask around about my character or Oren’s, we are straight shooters and I’ve never been accused of being nothing but straight,’’ Barrie said. “It’s too bad he feels that way, but if Wayne Gretzky can be traded then Dan Boyle can be traded.

“Dan has been a great player for Tampa Bay, and I played with Dan so that’s why I’ve tried to stay out of it because I really like Dan as a person and as a player. But this was a decision we made to get younger and create some space to pay our forwards what we need to pay. And I think it’s going to be a great trade for both teams.’‘

And this from Koules:

“Dan is very passionate about being a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and that’s something that I will always respect about Dan.’’

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The Place To Be

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Aaron Knox

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 05:28 PM

The Tropicana Field crowd isn’t quite up to the level we saw when the Red Sox were in town (101,305 for the three-game series Monday-Wednesday), but it’s pretty respectable for a Royals game. Probably somewhere around 18,000, maybe a little bigger. Not bad, especially considering (unlike most MLB parks today) there won’t be a post-game fireworks display!

Among the fans spending their Fourth at the Trop is comedian/actor Chris Rock, who has been in town for shows at the Performing Arts Center in Tampa. He actually has mentioned the Rays a couple of times the past couple of nights, and he did so Thursday in front of a group of folks whose interest in the Rays is beyond the band-wagon level: Manager Joe Maddon, VP Andrew Friedman, Pres. Matt Silverman and other Rays officials and significant others took advantage of the off day to take in Rock’s show. Maddon was gratified that Rock mentioned his ball club, and the manager said he didn’t think Rock even knew the Rays were so well represented at the show.

Anyway, they just showed Rock in his seat on the big video board, and he was greeted warmly by the crowd.

The 4-0 score, by the way, is about right. It’s a lop-sided affair so far, with the Rays jumping on Royals pitcher Brian Bannister for three quick runs in the first and with Edwin Jackson having allowed only a leadoff single to David DeJesus in the first. Two double plays have allowed Jackson to face the minimum 15 batters through five.

The only downer? Reid Brignac has struck out his first two plate appearances in the majors. He has, however, made a couple of nifty plays in the field, including a 1-4-6-3 double play in the first and a quick turn on a 3-6-1 DP in the fourth.

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Dan Boyle deal complete

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 04:13 PM

While no press release has been sent out with the particulars of the trade, San Jose just sent out an advisory that will make Sharks’ general manager Doug Wilson available to the media on a conference call. Just for reference purposes, something like this doesn’t get sent out until everything has been approved by the league. I expect a formal announcment from both teams shortly.

As reported earlier, the deal also includes Brad Lukowich heading to San Jose in exchange for defenseman Matt Carle, former 2006 first-round pick (16th overall) 6-foot-4 defenseman Ty Wishart, a first round pick in 2009 and a fourth-round pick in 2010.

San Jose also reportedly made another move on Friday, sending Craig Rivet to Buffalo.

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Leave Dan Boyle a departing message

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 03:24 PM

As I sit here twiddling my thumbs (or some other appendage onto this computer keypad), I’d figure I would give you guys an exclusive forum to let Dan Boyle know you feel. I’ve been reading the comments in some of the earlier posts so I know this is a passionate topic for everybody.

Dan reads this blog, as evidenced by him calling my yesterday to set the record straight.

So if you feel so inclinded and want to leave Dan a note of encouragement (or discouragment, this is Independence Day after all and we are provided with the right to free speech), do that below. But please, let’s keep this thread on topic and leave other comments for the other topics.

Have fun, and keep it clean!

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Boyle conference call about done (updated)

Posted Jul 4, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 4, 2008 at 03:42 PM

Just received a tip that the trade conference call with the league office is just about to begin (or just started), so this should be completed shortly and the deal should be completed. By the way, the players are indeed Matt Carle and Ty Wishart while the first-round pick is in the 2009 draft while the fourth-round pick is in the 2010 draft, thought I would pass the details along.

UPDATE
Apparently the trade call was delayed, but is underway now, from what I’ve been told!
Nothing could be easy in this process, eh?

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