By
MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 24, 2008
Updated: 12:23 am
ST. PETERSBURG - Our baseball super heroes, anointed as such on their first Sports Illustrated cover (they're within 48 of Jordan) were back at the Trop on Friday to play the Orioles and were slightly amused.
"First comic-book SI cover, right?" Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir said.
Right.
"I guess the tables are turned a little."
After 10 seasons as baseball's live-in comic book, complete with Grumpy and Dopey (Vince, Chuck), the Rays are a bona fide SI marvel. Yes, that really was the Incredible Hulk, Carl Crawford, holding aloft bug-eyed Yankees captain Derek Jeter. Superman villain Bizzaro looks on in bewilderment, as if to say, "Why didn't they go with a Big Brown cover?"
Actually, "Why'd it have to be Jeter?" Crawford asked.
It was the kind of thing that would make any self-respecting manager cringe ever so slightly. Deep down, Rays manager Joe Maddon must have loathed this SI cover. Think about it. You're 27-20, just starting to make the grade, and now you've got Teddy Bear Jeter impaled on C.C. all across the land. Oops. Like, it couldn't have been A-Rod? People would have cheered.
And now, on the record ...
"I think it's an honor," Maddon said.
Back to turning tables.
Good Start To The Series
Chalk up another one for that old Rays formula: pitching, defense and timely hitting in a 2-0 win over Baltimore.
So what if it took good fortune and bad eyesight? An extremely fair eighth-inning grounder ripped down the first base line by that indomitable Oriole, Aubrey Huff, was ruled foul by first-base umpire Wild Ed Hickox. Huff then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play off Trever Miller on the next pitch. Huffy huffed and puffed. The Little Train That Could churned on.
"It's a good start to this series," Crawford said.
And this is just the kind of homestand - a season-long 10 games - that table turning, real table turning, will turn on this season.
The Rays split their road trip to never-easy St. Louis and Oakland. This homestand is a different creature.
There are three games with the Huffy-we-hardly-knew-ye, three with Texas and Josh Hamilton (anybody need a right fielder who's leading the league in average, homers and RBIs?) before four with potty mouth Ozzie Guillen and his White Sox.
Three decent teams - just like the Rays - but three teams you beat if you have a serious notion about being serious. Take seven out of 10. Do it and go 11 games over .500. Win three series. This is the kind of homestand where teams that are going places, well, go places.
Curse? What Curse?
"Our goal is to win series," Maddon said. "You hear our guys talking about winning series all the time. Eventually, that number piles up for you in a nice way."
The Rays also talked about winning series last season.
"We've got a different group of students right now," a smiling Maddon said.
Class was in session Friday. A crowd of 13,635 gas guzzlers saw now-typical 2008 Rays octane.
Seven-plus shutout innings from the starting pitcher, in this case Matt Garza. Then set-up by Miller before a spotless 14th save by Troy Percival. Add an RBI single by Crawford, a sac fly and sweet into-the-stands grab by Carlos Pena and a play at the plate, Pena to Dioner Navarro (out).
By the way, Rays pitchers have allowed two runs or fewer 18 times this season. At this time last season, they'd managed that four times. Pitch like this and things get serious.
So went victory No. 28. As recently as three seasons ago, it took the Rays until July 9 to win their 28th game.
New students.
They have no time for comic books.
Crawford winced when he first saw that SI comic.
"We don't want to be making fun of nobody," Super Carl said. "Jeter, man, he's the face of baseball. ... But I guess things have turned around for the Devil Rays, I mean, Rays."
Then again, beware the SI jinx.
"The what?" Kazmir asked.
Exactly.
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A bunch of baseball hating; commie pinkos!
