Tidbits

That’s Nasty: I love the pitching highlights segment on Baseball Tonight. It nearly perfected the show. “Web Gems” is terrific, “Touch ‘Em All” is fun to watch, and the newly incorporated (as of last year, I believe – I can’t really remember) “That’s Nasty” is a reel of the best pitches of the night. Last night one of the pitches they showed was a 61 MPH changeup from Mike “I’m Still Relevant” Mussina. Sixty-one! Then they had Joba throwing 98, followed by the killer slider. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the pitching (particularly the bullpen?!) has exceeded expectations; if only the offense were supporting them. The other day, Peter Abraham reported from the clubhouse that the pitchers are, understandably, growing impatient with the hitters and the lack of any sort of steady run support. (I feel misleading talking about the pitching without mentioning the downfall of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, although Kennedy had a superb Triple A outing and will get the start today against the Rays, so we’ll see about him.)

Speak of the Devil (Rays): Yesterday Buster Olney outlined the 12 great moves that the Rays have made over the past couple years that laid the foundation for this year’s success so far (lifted shamelessly and directly, word for word, from Olney’s blog on ESPN.com):

But in the last year, Rays general manager Andrew Friedman and the Tampa Bay baseball operations staff has pitched the front office version of a perfect game, in keeping with a long-range plan that was begun long before that. Virtually every transaction that the Rays have made, going back to last year's June draft, has worked out, and contributed to Tampa Bay's strong start and ascension, for the first time, into the ranks of contenders.

The Rays are 22-16 and have racked up five consecutive victories -- against the Blue Jays, Angels and Yankees -- and as we sit here today, on May 13, they are fielding arguably the best defense in the AL; the fifth-lowest bullpen ERA in the game, with a relief ERA that is three runs lower than last year -- three runs.

Perhaps most impressively, the Rays have escaped the thick pessimism in which the team had been embedded for the last decade, and Friedman's changes have been instrumental in making this happen, brick by brick.

Example No. 1: On July 28, 2007, the Devil Rays were 38-65. Tampa Bay shipped infielder Ty Wigginton to the Astros for Dan Wheeler, a solid veteran reliever -- and at the time, the expectation was that this would allow Friedman to trade then-closer Al Reyes. But Friedman hung onto Wheeler, signed him to a multi-year deal, to help build the kind of relief depth the Rays had never had; Tampa Bay had always seemed to rely on too many overmatched youngster in their bullpen.

No. 2: Delmon Young racked up 186 hits and 93 RBIs in his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2007, and yet the Rays traded him in the winter in a deal for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett -- an extremely bold move, because Young was seen as a rising star, and because there had been so much early discussion about how Young is destined to be a Hall of Famer, with his spectacular eye-hand coordination and ability to hit the ball with the fat part of the bat.

But it is evident that in their internal evaluations of Young, the Rays also looked at other factors: Young's willingness and ability to make adjustments; his uncomfortable and sometimes stifling clubhouse presence, borne out by his threats to walk out at the end of the 2007 season; and the frustration he engendered in other teammates. "He just doesn't work very hard," said one Ray.

There has been little doubt about Young's talent, and even the possibility that he will go on and have a career of many hits and RBIs. But the Rays seem to have made a very sound judgment that he would not reach his full potential with them, a savvy decision that takes courage.

So Tampa Bay swapped Young for Garza, at a time when it is very difficult to get pitchers with electric arms, and Garza has done well.

The Rays also landed Bartlett to play shortstop, to give their infield the kind of stability it hasn't had in the past, and Bartlett has done nicely in this, rival advance scouts believe.

No. 3: The Rays convinced Troy Percival to come back and be their closer, but more importantly, to help change the culture of their clubhouse, and Percival has done excellent work in both roles.

No. 4: Tampa Bay dumped the talented Elijah Dukes, another high-ceiling talent with an oppressive clubhouse presence.

No. 5: J.P. Howell, who had floundered as a starter in the big leagues, was converted to relief and has thrived; I remember standing on the field in St. Petersburg in March and listening to Rays manager Joe Maddon talk about how intrigued he was by what he was seeing in Howell this spring.

No. 6: Edwin Jackson's results had been awful for most of his career, but rather than bury him -- which must have been tempting after another of his many brutal outings early in 2007 -- Tampa Bay has been patient with him, nurtured him, and lo and behold, he has made slow but steady progress. He has become an asset.

No. 7: The Rays targeted Akinori Iwamura as a free agent partly because they liked his athleticism and versatility, and this spring, as Evan Longoria has climbed to the big leagues, Iwamura has made a seamless transition to second base.

No. 8: After benefiting from the unexpected emergence of first baseman Carlos Pena in 2007, Tampa Bay signed him to a fair-and-balanced three-year, $24 million deal, holding the line in negotiations.

No. 9: The Rays talked to many free agents, fishing around before convincing Eric Hinske to sign an $800,000 deal, and Hinske has fit them perfectly: as a left-handed hitter, as an experienced veteran, as a patient hitter who has helped the Rays develop the kind of patient water-torture lineup that is pervasive among the better AL offenses.

No. 10: The Rays signed Cliff Floyd for his ability to hit and for his positive influence, and now that he's back from the disabled list, he's adding hits along with his experience.

No. 11: They signed James Shields and Longoria -- foundation pieces -- to long-term deals, and now Crawford has made it clear he wants to stay, too.

And No. 12: The Rays have never once deviated from their overriding blueprint of drafting and acquiring and developing young pitching talent. Within two years, the best of that group -- Wade Davis and Jake McGee, who are in Double-A, and former No. 1 pick David Price -- will join the likes of Shields and Scott Kazmir in the big leagues.

"They've obviously done an excellent job at evaluating their own talent," said a rival executive. "And they haven't panicked, haven't rushed. They've stuck to their plan, and it's working."

Yankees Ticket Prices: Getting crazy. Arkansas Megan and I are going to be in New York this weekend, and I was scoping out tickets to the Yankees-Mets game. I know it’s the Mets so the prices are going to be inflated more than usual, and I’ve ready many an article about the super over-inflation this year because of the Last Season, but I hadn’t actually looked for tickets until now. Not sure if we’re going to make it.