Manager Joe Maddon

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays (from St. Petersburg, Fl.) started play in 1998 and have finished above last place only twice, first in 2004 and again this year. Before this year they were known for ugly uniforms, an uglier stadium, and a lack of both fans and wins. But these aren't your 20th century Devil Rays. Let's get to know the 2008 Rays. Unlike perennial AL East powerhouses New York and Boston, Tampa assembled their winning team through the draft and by trading older, expensive players for younger ones. Take a look at their lineup and how they came to Tampa. Offense: Carl Crawford ... Read Full Story

Stay away from my window. Stay away from my back door too. Disconnect the telephone line. Relax baby and draw that blind. Tonight’s the night. -Rod Stewart Public Service Announcements: Ok, here we go! You want answers? You think you’re entitled? You want answers? Like my main man Carnac the Magnificent always says, “May a nearsighted sand flea suck syrup off your short stack.” I’m not usually one for predictions. I’m no Usutu , but all the cool kids are doing it. Will the Cubbies really choke the goat and win a World Series for the first time in 100 years? Or, will Joe ... Read Full Story

Barry Bonds' services are comparable to a Mexican dentist: the practice may be shady, but the price just may be good enough to take. Of course, no offense to Mexican denists. Barry Bonds holds the record for most homeruns in the history of the MLB , but it's not enough to negate his viability as a bullseye for controversy. It's why most organizations aren't keen to ransack their surplus of dough to pick up a steroid-laced, injury-prone maverick. So, where's he going to turn up next year if he doesn't end up in Japan ? The Tampa Bay Rays have had internal discussions about ... Read Full Story

The Boston Red Sox are doing due diligence on free agent Rocco Baldelli, who could be in the mix as a fourth outfielder after the team dealt Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals last week for reliever Ramon Ramírez. According to major league sources, Baldelli, from Cumberland, R.I., met with the Red Sox at Fenway late last week to discuss his future and the effects of the mitochondrial disorder that limited him to 80 at-bats with the Rays last season. Baldelli, who has toured the country visiting doctors trying to learn the cause of his premature muscle fatigue, hit .263 for Tampa Bay ... Read Full Story

Remember when you were a kid, and two idiots got in a fight at school? What did you do? You stood there with the rest of the school and chanted "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" the whole time hoping that one of the assholes would be reduced to a pulp, and it really didn't matter which one. It's okay to admit it: you're the kind of person who watches hockey secretly hoping for gloves to be thrown and a score of players pounding the piss out of one another, or NASCAR for a fiery finish, and basketball for spectacular fouls. Violence is not acceptable in ... Read Full Story