and if they don’t resign him, then that’s about 10 million that’s freed up, and if Elton Brand takes a paycut so that they could sign Baron…

It’s just a theory I saw bandied about earlier.

The Warriors could also sign and trade him.

Tommy tells this slightly better.

These three guys are sitting in a bar, a Dodger fan, a Giants fan and a Cubs fan. After more than a few beers, they start talking baseball, and moaning about the fates of their respective teams. Finally, the Dodger fan breaks down, and decides he’ll appeal to the highest authority. On his knees, he says, “God, please tell me—will the Dodgers ever win the World Series.” God, Himself a baseball fan, happens to take pity. So there is a roll of thunder and a flash of lightning, and a deep rumbling voice that says “Yes, my son, and soon.” So the Giants fan tries it. “God, will the Giants ever win the World Series.” Another roll of thunder, another flash of lightning, and a deep voice that says “Yes, my son, but not in your lifetime.” So the Cubs fan decides he’ll do the same. “God, will the Cubs ever win the World Series.” A roll of thunder, a flash of lightning, and a deep voice says “Yes, my son, but not in my lifetime.”

Thank you Tommy Lasorda.

It wasn’t a Bible belt thing, it was a break-the-connection-with-past thing. Ten years wandering in the wilderness was plenty. The new Rays management still has things to do regarding getting people’s rear ends in seats, but they are trying. Saturday games are generally sell-outs because there is a concert after the game. (So far, I wouldn’t pay a nickel to see any of these guys, but my musical tastes are not main stream. When I think of 80’s music, I wonder if it will be Mozart or Gilbert & Sullivan.)

Big issue now is a new stadium. The Trop isn’t a great baseball park, sorry to say. One plan (taken off the table because apparently it wasn’t going to pass) was to have the voters approve a new waterfront park in St. Pete. I think that’s a very bad idea because it really limits access. Dodger Stadium is in a perfect location because it’s at the hub of many freeways. The Trop now, and the proposed area in St. Pete is only easy to get to if you live in St. Pete, but that eliminates the bulk of the Tampa Bay population (in Hillsborough county.) There are plenty of spots where freeways cross where the land would be a zillion times cheaper to develop but it wouldn’t be a cutesy waterfront place. It would be a place where many more times the people could get to it. (That will be my cause celebre until Bruin Football starts, I guess.)

As I have mentioned in the past, some of you youngsters have never known what it was like to watch exciting baseball. Think of last basketball season – that’s how it is. I got excited about this team two years ago, when I moved here, and they were horrible but you could see that they were just about ready to get rid of losing. They stopped following the Dodger model (sign aging veterans who were about two years past their prime, but continue to play them because you’ve paid them so much that they must be better than kids you have in the minors). They got rid of clubhouse cancers (Elijah Dukes, Delmon Young). And they have young, talented pitching.

And here’s an intangible. Look up Gabe Gross’s numbers. They are nothing much to write home about. But when he joined the Rays, they were 9-11. Since he’s been with the team, they are 41-21, and he has three walk-off hits. He apparently has brought just the right karma and mojo.

It’s fun being a Rays fan. We welcome bandwagoners, by the way. There are so few of us that we will take fair weather fans any day of the week. All Bruins are free to climb aboard – you sure have nothing to get excited about in Southern California (assuming that things remain the same for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County, i.e., nobody really pays much attention to them.)