Hot Water For Wander

When Wander Franco got called up to the Tampa Bay Rays in June of 2021, there was a lot of hype around him. He was being billed as the next big thing to come up at shortstop and was look upon to be the next, or one of the next, faces of the Rays franchise. Now it looks like we could have seen the last of Wander Franco in a Rays uniform. Or any baseball uniform for that matter.

TMZ reported that "social media posts emerged over the weekend that allegedly showed [Franco] in an inappropriate relationship with a minor." (Bleacher Report with the info) Reports of this had been circulating around last weekend. Franco was pulled from a game last Sunday against Cleveland and did not make the current West Coast road trip that the Rays are currently on. There's no word yet on what his status is for when the Rays return home to Tampa this upcoming week.

This isn't the first time the Rays have not had Franco in the lineup. He was taken out earlier this year for not being the best teammate, but the two situations are not related.

Because of the nature of the current investigation with Franco, he has been pulled from advertising here in the Tampa area, which is never a good sign. Anytime something like this comes up its never a good sign. And according to some insiders on Twitter, it looks as if, based on the way the investigation is playing out, Franco may never see an MLB field again.

From a personal perspective, this is a black eye, so to speak, for Franco career and him as a person. I don't know what happened and I don't even want to speculate. Anytime a minor is involved in any time of relationship with an adult its not good. It's even worse when that adult is a high profile athlete. Again I have no idea of what actually happened and what is going on, but the fact he was even implicated in this isn't good. Combine this with the issues that were talked about earlier this year, its been a horrible year for the young shortstop. One in which it looks like it could be almost impossible to try and rebound from.

As for the Rays, its like the hits just keep on coming, no pun intended. Aside from this, Shane MccClanahan, it was revealed, is in for having Tommy John surgery and will be out for the next year if not more.  The Rays are getting delt one blow after another. They had a big lead in the AL East and it has now turned into chasing down Baltimore for first place, sitting two games back of this writing. Tampa should be in great shape still to make the playoffs, but with everything going on right now, who knows how the next month plus of the regular season will play out.

Broadcasting Legend Passes

Sports announcers. The men and women who make the games come alive each and every night. They are the soundtrack to the events. For many of us, the call of the play can be just as memorable as the play itself. For people in Western New York, and a handful of hockey fans around the world for that matter, Rick Jeanneret did that like no other. The longtime voice of Buffalo Sabres hockey passed away Thursday night after a long battle with illness. He was 81.

For 51 years, Rick was behind the mic for Buffalo, calling all of their major moments on TV and radio. His one liners became the stuff of legend, not only in Buffalo but around the league as well.

Top Shelf Where Mama Hides The Cookies, Roll The Highlight Film, Oh Brother We Are Not Worthy, La-la-la-la-Fontaine, MAY DAY.

We could go on and on with those.

But its more to it then that. He was behind the mic for almost every game for the team between 1972 when he got hired and 2022 when he finally retired. In 2012, the man known to all as RJ, was given the highest honor somebody in the game could get. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the winner of the Foster Hewitt award for Broadcasting Excellence. He then was given another huge honor by the Sabres in 2022, having a banner raised to the rafters in Buffalo. He's one of 11 people to be so honored by Buffalo, and only the 3rd non player. The others are the team's founders, brothers Seymour and Northrup Knox. 

Jeanneret provided the soundtrack to winter nights in Western New York. And having spoken to quite a few people in that area when I was in school there, he was the reason that a lot of people wanted to get into the broadcasting industry. He had a way about him being able to call a game that few in the industry had. He was outstanding at being able to paint a beautiful word picture for the action happening on the ice. He did on both TV and Radio, which is a very tough thing to do.

RJ will be greatly missed by hockey fans around the world!

Florida Baseball All Time Lineup

We had done this once before here on our blog so figured Lets kick it up again now. Last time we did it, we had done it from the state of New York. Now we going south to the other state we cover here on the show. Florida.

Rules for this are as follows. To make this list they have to have been born and raised in the state of Florida. There are limits to the number of games you have to have played to make the cut. You'll see a starter and backup for each position if possible. Plus a starting rotation, a bullpen and a starting 8 lineup.

So lets get into it and let the debate begin.

Manager: Tony La Russa (Tampa FL)
Bench Coaches: Lou Pinella (Tampa FL), Davey Johnson (Orlando FL)

Catcher:
Starter: Charles Johnson (Fort Pierce FL) Backup: Jonathan Lucroy (Eustis FL)

The sole reason for going with Johnson over Lucroy is experience. Johsnon played in the majors longer then Lucroy did but the numbers favor Lucroy. Still its a good choice going with either one behind the plate.

1st Base:
Starter: Fred McGriff (Tampa FL) Backup: Pete Alonso (Tampa FL)

Nothing against Alonso, who's quickly sestablishing himself as one of the best hitters in the sport. Having said that McGriff was a solid hitter and power hitter in his own right. He is a slightly better overall hitter than Pete, which is why he gets the starting node over Pete.

2nd Base:
Starter: Jay Bell (Pensacola FL) Backup: Howie Kendrick (Jacksonville FL)

Bell gets the edge at starting because he may have had a better glove then Kendrick did and that's not a knock against Howie by any means.

3rd Base:
Starter: Chipper Jones (DeLand FL)  Backup: Howard Johnson (Clearwater FL)

Now HoJo was a big threat for the Mets when he really came into his own. But I don't think there's a doubt in anybody's mind that the best 3rd baseman to come out of this state is Chipper.

Shortstop: David Eckstein (Sanford FL)

Sadly there's no other really good shortstops that have come out of the state so Eckstein is the guy to help turn two up the middle. He had a good glove and was pretty good with a bat in his hands

Left Field:
Starter: Tim Raines (Sanford FL) Backup: Louis Gonzalez (Tampa FL)

Gonzo was a good hitter and a good leader during his time in Arizona. He had a really good stretch right at the start of his time in Arizona. But Raines gets the edge because of his speed, bot in the field and at the plate. The guy was probably the best base stealer out of anybody to come from the state of Florida, or one of them anyway.

Center Field:
Starter: Andrew McCutchen (Ft Mede FL) Backup: Mickey Rivers (Miami FL)

Again, another position that comes down to a speed edge. McCutchen had a great mix of power and speed, more so during his prime years with the Pirates. Now Rivers had a couple really good years swiping bags, and had a solid glove in center, but McCutchen put it all together a little better than Rivers did.

Right Field:
Starter: Gary Sheffield (Tampa FL) Backup: J.D Drew (Tallahassee FL)

Drew was a solid hitter, but lets be real here, 500 plus home runs for Sheffeld is going to get him the starting nod without even thinking about it.

Starting Rotation: 
Steve Carlton (Miami FL)
Doc Gooden (Tampa FL)
Zach Grenkie (Orlando FL)
Jacob deGrom (DeLand FL)
Chris Sale (Lakeland FL)

Bullpen:
Wade Davis (Lake Wales FL)
Andrew Miller (Gainseville FL)
Darren O'Day (Jacksonville FL)
Jay Howell (Miami FL)
Rob Murphy (Miami FL)

Closer:
Tom Gordon (Sebring FL)

Batting Order
Raines
McCutchen
Chipper
Sheffield
McGriff
Eckstein
Bell
Johnson
Pitcher

Broadcaster Suspended

Being a broadcaster for a professional sports team is a tough job, but for those who do it its a very rewarding one.  The job of the broadcaster is to relay information on a game to the fans. The Baltimore Orioles have one of the best young broadcasters in the game in TV announcer Kevin Brown. Brown was recently suspended by the team for making a comment about the team (and it wasn't even a negative one at that).

What happened was the O's we're playing here in Tampa at Tropicana Field against the Rays in late July. Brown said on the TV broadcast that the O's were 0-15-1 in the last 16 series here in Tampa. That's all he said. It was put up on a graphic and everything, which is what you would normally do for something like that in a broadcast. it wasn't anything offensive it was just stating a fact that the O's struggled in Tampa. Well Baltimore ownership wasn't happy with it and have suspended Brown over this.

What?!?!?!?!

How can Baltimore ownership be so thin skinned to suspend a good broadcaster over simply doing his job. I'm sorry but there has to be more to this here that O's owner Peter Angelos isn't telling us.

As somebody who watches sports on a regular basis, as a fan, I want to know stats and stuff like this I find it interesting. I would like to know stuff like that, because its interesting, especially since the Rays and O's are in a battle for the top spot in the AL East. Baltimore hasn't been this good in a long time, and they've struggled playing against the Rays in Tampa. That's the kind of stuff that sports fans want to know about their teams.

As a broadcaster, we have a duty to the fans to tell these facts. I've been in his spot I've called sporting events before I called radio broadcasts for College Hockey and I've produced college football and basketball. I know what goes into broadcasts, as a broadcaster and I know what I'd want to hear as a fan as well. Being able to relay the facts to the fans as to what's going on with the team, both good and bad, is our job. What Brown did on the O's tv broadcast was just doing his job. He didn't say it in a negative way, he was just stating fact. O's ownership got upset over it and suspended him indefinitely.

For a team that's finally on the upswing and is actually playing good ball for the first time in quite some time, its a refreshing sight (but the O's are a thorn in the Rays side right now in the division race). The fact that Baltimore is now doing this over one comment that was just stating fact is so sad. It's a joke to be honest.

Trouble On The Bay?

Things got off to such a fantastic start at the Trop. They got off to the best start in team history, losing only six games the entire first month of the season. Now they've come back down to reality, and hard. For the first time all season, as of this writing, the Tampa Bay Rays are not in first place in the American League East (Baltimore is by a game as of this writing).

They won 25 games by the end of April, then hit the 40 win mark by the end of May. Once June hit, things started to balance out. July, the wheels started falling off. By the time of this writing the Rays are just 3-12 in the month, having lost their grip on first place in the East to the O's. They're on a five game losing streak and have lost seven of their last ten games.

What's wrong with the Rays?

Well for one thing is the bullpen. Not clue what exactly to put my finger on, or if we can even point a finger at one or two specific players. But as a unit, it looks like the pen is lost, not being able to really hold leads as of late. The starting pitching has been holding up fine, its just the pen can't hang onto the lead some nights.

Then there's what's going on at the plate. The offense just isn't clicking. too many strikeouts and way too many left in scoring position. The big hits aren't there as they were at the beginning of the season. Randy Arozerana isn't connecting with the power the way he was to start the year off.

Time to hit the panic button?

Not just yet. The Rays got off to such a hot start that they built a big enough pad. Now that pad has gone away and they need to get back to work. They've got a little over two months left in the season before we hit the playoffs. Barring a major drop off, the Rays should be there. If the Rays have to be hitting a slide, it's better for the team to be hitting it and working the kinks out now then hitting a slide right at the end of September rolling into playoff baseball. Not really worried too much, but its starting to creep into the back of people's minds.

Not all of this falls on Kevin Cash. There's only so much he can do, so many moves and lineup juggling he can do. he can't make the players hit, he can't make the players hustle. I can't see Cash going anywhere but between now and the August 1st trade deadline, I wouldn't be surprised if the Rays start making moves to better this team

MLB Midseason Lookback

We have hit the halfway point of the 2023 Major League Baseball season and boy has it been an entertaining one at that. We've had a combined now hitter in Detroit and a Yankee toss a perfect game. There's been quite a few surprises, and disappointments, as the season has gone along. So lets get into it for the first half of the 2023 season.

Surprises:

Rays

Tampa Bay turned out to be a big surprise, getting off to a perfect 13-0 start. Sure they've come down as of late, dropping 7 of the final 8 heading into the all star break. But the Rays offense through most of the first half of the season had been head and shoulders above the rest. They had gotten way ahead of the rest of the division, allowing them the breathing room before coming down to earth going into the break. They've got six guys that have more than ten home runs, and five guys with more than 40 RBI.

Rangers

If you had Texas leading the AL West at the halfway mark raise your hand. Adolis Garcia has gone off, driving in 75 runs and clubbing over 20 homers. There was four other Rangers with over 50 RBI's and seven hitters with double digits in home runs. They've been getting balanced hitting and great staring pitching, even without Jacob deGrom in the rotation.

Reds

Speaking of balanced offense, that's what your starting to see more of in Cincinnati. They're atop the NL Central and killing it.

Disappointments:

Mets

After spending all the money they did in the offseason. They tried to build off the 101 win season last year and so far its fallen flat on its face. This has been the furthest back of first place the Mets have been at the break in the last 20 years. Yes, Alonso and Lindor have been driving in runs, but there averages are low. They have a plus side in Francisco Alveraz, but the rest of the team has been a letdown, at least by comparison to last year and the standards that the owners have tried to set.

Padres

This was a team that just a season ago, was three wins away from the world series. Now, they're four games under .500 and eight and a half back at the break. Yes, you're getting production from their big guns in Soto, Tatis and Machado, but the rest of the supporting cast isn't there.

Best Rookie:
AL: Josh Jung (Texas) NL: Corbin Carroll (Arizona)

What Jung is doing at the hot corner in Texas is amazing. He's playing quality defense at 3rd. And he's holding it down in the middle of the Texas lineup, hitting .280, and driving in 56 runs in 88 games. What Carroll is doing in Arizona is downright impressive. He's the heart and soul of a lineup that's got 52 wins on the year and is the 2nd best team in the AL West behind only the Dodgers. Can he keep it up? Only time will tell, but for the time being he's been powering that team.

Best Manager:
AL: Bruce Bochy (Texas) NL: Tory Lovuello (Arizona)

With the NL, you could make an argument for Brian Snitker in Atlanta, who have the best record in baseball at this point. But that's expected of the Braves. With Lovuello, this is an Arizona team that wasn't expected to be this far above .500. They have the 2nd best record in the NL West and the 3rd most wins in the NL. You can also make a case for Skip Schumaker for what he's doing over in Miami. As for the AL its a two horse race. Kevin Cash in Tampa can be one argument for getting the Rays to the best record in the AL at the break. But I have to give it to Bochy in Texas with that young lineup and no deGrom he's got them to the best record in the AL West.

Cy Young:
AL: Shane McClanahan (Rays) NL: Spencer Streider (Braves)

Shane leads the AL with an 11-1 record and is second in ERA. He's in the top 20 in strikeouts, but the fact that he's only at 96 innings may hurt his case later. But still when he's on his game, he's ON his game and there's few better. For Streidxer, he's been so dominating on the Braveas mound its scary. I know he hasn't worked as hard as Gullen in Arizona, but he's just been as if not more dominating.

MVP:
AL: Shohei Otani (Angels) NL: Ronald Acuna Jr (Braves)

This race for both isn't even that close. Otani has been one of the best hitters in the AL this year and is the only hitter in the majors at the break to have clubbed 30 dingers. Acuna has been doing it all for the Braves and has been head a shoulders above the rest of the league.

Play Like An All Star

We are one week away. The best of the best in the game of baseball gathering at T-Mobile Park in Seattle for the 93rd Midsummer Classic. This marks the third time that Seattle has hosted the game. First was at the Kingdome in 1979 (a 7-6 National League win) and then in 2001 at the same ballpark (a 4-1 American League win).

Here's who's playing in this years all star game.

American League:
Starters:
Catcher: Jonah Heim Rangers (1st)
1st Base: Yandy Díaz Rays (1st)
2nd Base: Marcus Semien Rangers (2nd)
3rd Base: Josh Jung Rangers (1st)
Shortstop: Corey Seager Rangers (4th)
Outfilders: Randy Arozarena Rays (1st), Aaron Judge Yankees (5th), Mike Trout Angels (11th)
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani Angels (3rd)

Reserves:
Catchers: Salvador Pérez Royals (8th), Adley Rutschman Orioles (1st)
1st Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays (3rd)
2nd Base: Whit Merrifield Blue Jays (3rd)
3rd Base: José Ramírez Guardians (5th)
Shortstop: Bo Bichette Blue Jays (2nd)
Outfielders: Yordan Álvarez Astros (2nd), Adolis García Rangers (2nd), Austin Hays Orioles (1st), Luis Robert Jr. White Sox (1st)
Designated Hitters: Brent Rooker Athletics (1st)

Pitchers:
Félix Bautista Orioles (1st), Yennier Canó Orioles (1st), Luis Castillo Mariners (3rd), Emmanuel Clase Guardians (2nd), Gerrit Cole Yankees (6th), Nathan Eovaldi Rangers (2nd), Sonny Gray Twins (3rd), Kevin Gausman Blue Jays (2nd), Kenley Jansen Red Sox (4th), Michael Lorenzen Tigers (1st), Shane McClanahan Rays (2nd), Shohei Ohtani Angels (3rd), Framber Valdez Astros (2nd)

National League:
Starters:
Catcher: Sean Murphy Braves (1st)
1st Base: Freddie Freeman Dodgers (7th)
2nd Base: Luis Arráez Marlins (2nd)
3rd Base: Nolan Arenado Cardinals (8th)
Shortstop: Orlando Arcia Braves 1st)
Outfielders: Ronald Acuña Jr Braves )4th), Mookie Betts Dodgers (7th), Corbin Carroll Diamondbacks (1st)
Designated Hitter: J. D. Martinez Dodgers (6th)

Reserves:
Catchers: Elías Díaz Rockies (1st), Will Smith Dodgers (1st)
1st Base: Pete Alonso Mets (3rd), Matt Olson Braves (2nd)
2nd Base: Ozzie Albies Braves (3rd)
3rd Base: Austin Riley Braves (2nd)
Shortstop: Dansby Swanson Cubs (2nd)
Outfielders: Nick Castellanos Phillies (2nd), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Diamondbacks (1st0< Juan Soto Padres (3rd)
Designated Hitter: Jorge Soler Marlins (1st)

Pitchers:
Alexis Díaz Reds (1st), Camilo Doval Giants (1st), Bryce Elder Braves (1st), Zac Gallen Diamondbacks (1st), Josiah Gray Nationals (1st), Josh Hader Padres (5th), Mitch Keller Pirates (1st), Clayton Kershaw Dodgers (10th), Justin Steele Cubs (1st), Spencer Strider Braves (1st), Marcus Stroman Cubs (2nd), Devin Williams Brewers (2nd)

So, did the roster get picked correctly? Well, one spot for debate comes to shortstop in the American League. Nothing against the two who were selected to be there in Corey Seager or Bo Bichette. Bichette should have gotten the start, he got the most hits in baseball. Sure Seager has the higher average, but he's played in 54 games, compared to the 80 starts by Bichette. Oh and lets not forget about Wander Franco who's got solid number s in his own rights at the plate. But what I feel kept Wander on the outside looking in was his attitude. Rays Manager Kevin Cash had to sit him for a few games because of that issue, and the GM's who select the reserves took that into consideration I feel. That's the only thing I can think of that kept Wander out of the game. Also kind of surprised that Rafael Devers, the leading RBI man among 3rd Baseman in the AL isn't at the game this year. The low batting average may have something to do with it but still, its worth noting.