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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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Rays v Yankees: Moore looks for 9th, Hernandez staying put, Price update

Posted May 25, 2013 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 25, 2013 at 02:17 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Matt Moore, who has pitched the Rays to a victory six times this season in a game following a loss, will attempt to do that for a seventh time this afternoon when the Rays meet the Yankees at Tropicana Field.

A win today and Moore will improve to 9-0, making him the fifth youngest starter since 1916 to begin a season 9-0.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Roberto Hernandez will remain in the rotation. Maddon said the staff has detected a few things Hernandez can change that should make him successful.

David Price gave an update on his status. He expects to throw at some point early next week, but that’s as far as he knows in terms of a schedule for his rehab. He said he does not have a timetable for his return.

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES
Gardner CF
Cano 2B
Wells LF
Hafner DH
Adams 3B
Suzuki RF
Nix SS
Overbay 1B
Romine C
—
Nuno LHP (1-1, 1.13)

RAYS
Jennings CF
Roberts 2B
Scott DH
Longoria 3B
Zobrist RF
Loney 1B
Rodriguez LF
Molina C
Escobar SS
—
Moore LHP (8-0, 2.29)


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Rays v Yankees: Rodney remains the closer, Jennings off, Joyce back

Posted May 24, 2013 by Roger Mooney

Updated May 24, 2013 at 05:37 PM

ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG Rays Manager Joe Maddon said Fernando Rodney remains his closer and that he’s not entertained the thought of moving Rodney to another role in the bullpen.

“Not at all,” Maddon said.

The Rays open a three-game series with the first place Yankees tonight at the Trop.

Matt Joyce, who left Tuesday’s game with a tight right hamstring, returns to the lineup. CF Desmond Jennings is not in the lineup as Maddon tries to give Jennings two days off.

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES
Gardner CF
Cano 2B
Wells LF
Hafner DH
Granderson RF
Adams 3B
Overbay 1B
Nix SS
Stewart C
—
Phelps RHP (2-2, 3.83)

RAYS
Joyce RF
Zobrist 2B
Scott DH
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Johnson LF
Fuld CF
Lobaton C
Escobar SS
—
Hernandez RHP (2-4, 5.24)


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Gausman is Bowman’s No. 3 redemption card

Posted May 23, 2013 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated May 23, 2013 at 10:38 AM

Topps announced its third redemption for its 2013 Bowman baseball product Thursday, and card No. 3 will be Baltimore Orioles rookie pitcher Kevin Gausman.

Gausman, 22, will make his Big League debut today when the Orioles face the Blue Jays.  The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Colorado starred at LSU.He was 2-4 at the Orioles’  Double-A affiliate in Bowie, Md. In eight starts, he has struck out 49 batters while allowing just five walks. His ERA is 3.11

The card will have an on-card signature.

Redemption No. 1 was an autograph rookie card of Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, while No. 2 was Texas Rangers rookie shortstop Jurickson Profar. There will be two more redemptions announced by Topps.


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Topps previews baseball Update series

Posted May 22, 2013 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated May 22, 2013 at 11:34 PM

Here’s an update about Topps’ flagship baseball set.






No, the fact that Topps Series 2 is coming out next month is not breaking news. However, Topps provided details Wednesday on its final standard set of the season, Topps Update. And that’s breaking news.

The Update set is expected to be released on Oct. 14. A hobby box will contain 36 packs, with 10 cards to a pack. Topps is promising one autograph or memorabilia card in each hobby box, and the base cards will be a typical 330-card set. As always, the Update set will highlight trades, rookies, All-Star Game heroes and even players from the Home Run Derby. All-Star Stitches will feature event-worn memorabilia.

Topps continues its mini-card issue from the first two series with a nod to the venerable 1971 design. I can call it venerable now; it was vulnerable 42 years ago. Those of us who actually collected that series will remember how difficult it was to keep that set pristine, as it was so prone to chipping and bent, mushy corners. It’s fun now to collect cards that look like the 1971s, because the card stock is so much nicer. You’d really have to work at it to get a chipped card now.

Some of the minis will be autographed, too.

Other inserts Topps will showcase in Update include Chasing History, Making Their Mark, Postseason Heroes and Franchise Forerunners.

Some of the relics a collector will be able to find, aside from jersey swatches, are league leader pins, record holder pins and pennant chase coins (the coins are embedded into the cards). The coins, numbered to 99, also will have iron parallels numbered to 50, while steel parallels will be numbered to 10.

Each card will have seven parallels — gold, black, pink, emerald, desert camo and 1/1 platinum. Plus, there will be four printing plates for each of the 330 cards — that’s 1,320 1/1s.

An interesting chase set for the obsessive collector — and this is going to be extremely tough to complete — will be 990 blue sapphire foil cards from the cards of Series 1, 2 and the Update set. The tough part? Each parallel will be numbered to 25.

Another parallel to chase will be 100 framed mini silk cards, numbered to 50.

The Ultimate Chase subset returns with 10 cards (numbered 1/1) featuring current and retired stars. Each card will have an on-card autograph or relic, or, in the case of deceased stars, a cut signature.

If you cut your teeth on collecting Topps’ flagship set as I have, completing it is always a goal. The sets are much larger now because of the three sets, but it’s still a pleasant challenge.


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Panini’s Prime Hockey will have extra treat

Posted May 22, 2013 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated May 22, 2013 at 05:28 PM

Panini America provided a tease to its upcoming 2012-13 Prime Hockey set, and if the packs seem a little bit heavier this year, there’s a good reason.





The set will be released in late August, and every five-card pack will contain a two-card Dominion pack. So, hockey fans will get a pack within a pack. And the breakdown sounds pretty special.

Here is the breakdown Panini gave for a typical pack of 2012-13 Prime Hockey: one Prime base card; one Prime Rookie autograph quad memorabilia jersey; one autograph card; one memorabilia card; one additional autograph, memorabilia or low-numbered parallel card; one Dominion base card; and one Dominion autograph patch card, memorabilia card or Engravatures insert.

Last year’s debut set was received well, but it looks like Panini upped the ante with more cards.

Prime Hockey will contain game-worn glove and skate memorabilia cards, and there will be large 1/1 versions of each. One example Panini sent, featured in this blog, is a skate memorabilia card of Lightning star Steven Stamkos.

Prime Ties and Prime Colors will return for a second year. Prime Colors cards contain huge, colorful patches. Prime Rookies quad memorabilia autograph cards will contain four generous swatches of gaem-used material, plus a player’s signature. There are jumbo patch and 1/1 NHL shield variations, too.

If you like autographs, there also is the possibility of pulling Prime, Dual and Triple signature cards. One prototype Panini sent of a Triple signature card would make any hockey fan drool: Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Gordie Howe. It’s a gorgeous looking card.

Those collectors who open the bonus pack of Dominion cards have the chance to pull Rookie Autograph patch cards, Engravatures and Peerless Patches.

There appears to be some good upside to the Prime Hockey set; when the set hits hobby shops, we will find out for sure.


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