Latest Headlines on OCRegister.com
[x] Close
Angels blog ~ The latest on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, by the Orange County Register Sports staff

Archive for the 'Tampa Bay Rays' Tag

Report: Padilla gunshot wound not self-inflicted

November 4th, 2009, 5:00 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

Contrary to earlier reports, Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla did not accidentally shoot himself during target practice in Nicaragua.NLCS Dodgers Phillies Baseball

The Associated Press is now reporting Padilla was wounded by his shooting instructor, a former police captain.

The instructor, handed a jammed weapon by Padilla, accidentally shot himself in the hand, with the bullet grazing Padilla’s leg.

So all the folks who were playing the Plaxico Burress card can now shut up.

Why anyone found humor in a man accidentally shooting himself, going to prison for two years and possibly ending career, I have no idea.

When the Padilla story first surfaced today, it was pretty ironic to hear Internet pundits from gun-crazy Texas, of all places, get on the former Rangers right-hander’s case.

***

Second baseman Akinori Iwamura is excited to take his sharkskin glove from Tampa Bay to Pittsburgh.

Unlike those few folks who will pay to watch the Pirates in 2010, Iwamura will be well-compensated at $4.85 million for the season.Royals Rays Baseball

Iwamura is actually the second member of the 2008 AL Champion Rays to land in Pittsburgh.

Eric Hinske started this past season as a Pirate before being traded to the Yankees.

I think we can understand Iwamura being optimistic about joining the Pirates.

The first Rays team he played on lost 96 games; the next year they were in the World Series.

Posted in: Dodgers • • • • | 7 Comments »

Checking in on ex-Angel Sean Rodriguez

September 9th, 2009, 12:01 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

Sean Rodriguez hit his 30th minor-league home run this season on Sunday, his first homer as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization.sean-rodriguez-22

The former Angel hit only .200 in five regular-season games with Triple-A Durham, but he had two doubles, the homer, five RBIs and only three strikeouts in 20 ABs.

Durham starts a five-game International League playoff series with Louisville tonight. Rodriguez probably won’t be called up to the Rays until the Bulls’ season ends.

He hit two homers in 25 at-bats for the Angels this season before going to Tampa to complete the Scott Kazmir package, and has five homers in the big leagues.

Posted in: Angels • Scott Kazmir • | 1 Comment »

Rays’ Maddon goes for younger look down stretch drive

August 18th, 2009, 4:35 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

I have known Joe Maddon since 1990, but I barelyblack-hair-maddon recognized him today when I tuned in the Rays-Orioles game.

The Tampa Bay manager has dyed his gray hair black, and Rays broadcaster Dewayne Staats says Maddon plans to keep the look until the Rays make their return trip to the World Series.

Maddon said he was just getting a head start on the Rays’ Johnny Cash-themed trip next week.

One would think if Maddon were to affect a disguise, it would have come when the Rays visited Anaheim earlier this month.

Angels fans were pretty unhappy when Maddon, a 31-year member of the Angels organization, did not play Chone Figgins or Brian Fuentes in the All-Star Game.

Maddon also dyed his hair in 2002 while an Angels coach. His team won the World Series that year.

Posted in: Angels • Brian Fuentes • Chone Figgins • • • | Post a Comment »

Looming A’s-Rays duel might involve GA, impact Angels

December 27th, 2008, 9:55 am by Earl Bloom, staff writer

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the Oakland Athletics, considered an AL West threat to the Angels again after obtaining Matt Holliday, and the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays are on the verge of baseball’s next bidding war.
The market is still flush with free-agent bats, with Mark Teixeira and Raul Ibanez the only major signings so far.
Garret Anderson (pictured), Bobby Abreu,  Pat Burrell or Jason Giambi would be fits for the needs of the Athletics and Rays.
Giambi seems to be the A’s first choice, with Anderson and Abreu providing options should Giambi, 38, stick to demands for a three-year deal, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Rays initially were mostly looking for a left-handed bat, making Giambi, Abreu or Anderson the best fits, but then picked up LH-hitting right fielder Matt Joyce from Detroit for 14-game winner Edwin Jackson. That might open the door for RH-hitting Pat Burrell to fill the DH role vacated by Cliff Floyd, who was not retained.
The Rays also are interested in bringing back Rocco Baldelli. Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley and Ken Griffey Jr. are other possibles for the AL champs who don’t seem to mind increasing their modest 2008 payroll.

Posted in: Angels • Garret Anderson • Oakland A's • • • | Post a Comment »

Thanks for the taco, Jason!

October 23rd, 2008, 11:34 am by Brian Perdue

Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett’s stolen base in the fifth inning for the losing team in last night’s World Series opener was not in vain.

Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Oct. 28, Taco Bell will give away a free “crunchy seasoned beef taco” to each customer who requests one. No purchase is necessary.

It’s the second year in a row that the Irvine company’s “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco” promotion has resulted in free food. In Game 2 of last year’s World Series, Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury stole a base.

Check out the promotion here.

Posted in: Uncategorized • • • | Post a Comment »

Worst ratings ever?

October 22nd, 2008, 8:13 am by Brian Perdue
Thanks to the stock market, arrows like these are easy to find.

Thanks to the stock market, arrows like these are easy to find.

The TV ratings of last year’s Boston-Colorado World Series - which ended in a 4-0 sweep by Boston - were the second-lowest in World Series history, according to tvweek.com.

In 2006, the St. Louis-Detroit series earned the worst TV ratings.

The ratings may even be worse for this year’s Philadephia-Tampa Bay series, according to Reuters: “The matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays, however exciting in terms of baseball purism, isn’t likely to set the TV ratings world afire. In fact, some fear it could be the lowest-rated World Series ever.”

Even tampabay.com’s entertainment blog, The Feed, admits the series could be a rating sleeper - even though Sunday’s ALCS Game 7 between Tampa Bay and Boston was the highest rated baseball game in cable TV history: “Some cite the smaller size of the area’s TV market, with the Tampa Bay area ranked 13th nationwide compared to Boston, which ranks as the 7th largest market. Others say the Rays have no big national name on their roster and no big national fan base. TBS figures lend weight to that argument – household ratings in Boston were nearly twice those in the Tampa Bay area Sunday (40.1 rating, compared to 27 rating).”

The postseason was off to a prominent start - with the Angels, Dodgers, Cubs and White Sox - four teams from major TV markets - in the mix.

The dream series, say some analysts, would’ve been the Dodgers vs. Red Sox.

“You could hear the groans coming up because it isn’t the Red Sox-Dodgers,” said Aaron Cohen, chief media negotiator at New York-based ad buyer Horizon Media.

Variety.com states that both teams lack star power: “Although Philly (No. 4) and Tampa-St. Petersburg (No. 13) are relatively large markets, they lack national followings, and most casual fans aren’t aware of their top players.”

What do you think?

Will you be watching the World Series?
View Results

Posted in: Uncategorized • • • • | Post a Comment »