Ray of Hope

Although the season is only one month old, several teams have taken advantage of a hot start. The Cardinals, Marlins, and Athletics have all exceeded expectations thus far, however, the team that has shocked the baseball world resides in Tampa Bay. The Rays are off to their best start in franchise history. The funny part is, their stars have yet to shine. Carlos Pena, who hit .282 with 46 homers and 122 RBI’s, is only hitting an anemic .209 with 18 runs batted in. On the plus side, he is second in the AL with 8 home runs. Staff ace, Scott Kazmir, recently returned from injury and after a rough start against the Red Sox, bounced back in a quality outing against the Los Angeles Angels. As a Sox fan, the Rays give me reason to worry, they are chocked full of young talent and can only get better. Guys like Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, James Shields, and B.J. Upton are all under 27 years old, and are signed to long-term deals. Finally all those number one picks are panning out. It would be a terrible injustice to write this article and not mention the unsung hero for the Rays, Eric Hinske. The former rookie of the year, is having a spectacular season, this is the veteran leadership that the Rays hope will guide their young sluggers. For a team that has sat in the American League basement since 1999, the Rays have finally started to show signs of a team on the rise.

What would make the Rays even more devastating would be adding another lefty bat in the lineup… Anyone come to mind? How about Barry Bonds. Earlier in the season there was rumor that Tampa Bay was interested in Bonds, but I am under the impression that Bonds wants big money and a contract through 2009. This is a high-risk high reward situation. The risk is obvious, Bonds could be in prison as early as fall 2009, and has an upcoming trial for perjury. The reward, also obvious, Bonds could easily jack 20 dingers in the second half of the year. He would have the chance to play in a dome, in a nice climate, and will serve solely as a DH. While many people, including myself, believe that Barry Bonds has been exiled by baseball. Has it dawned on anyone else, that this guy broke the all-time home run record just one season ago, and this year not ONE team has contacted him for as much as a workout. Personally, I hope the next uniform Bonds wears is a California State Penitentiary, orange jumpsuit. With that being said, he is still one of the best hitters to ever grace professional baseball and would definitely add offense to any American League team willing to take a giant risk.

-Brian B.