Dukes returns, but not in lineup

Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes returned for today's day game after yesterday's "personal day," but he wasn't in the Rays starting lineup.

Manager Joe Maddon said the decision was two-fold. He said that he wanted to put Jonny Gomes, recalled Tuesday night from Triple-A Durham, in the lineup since he's played on a daily basis with the Bulls. Maddon said he also didn't want to place Dukes in the lineup so soon after "the events of yesterday," when the Times reported that Dukes allegedly got a 17-year-old foster child living with a relative of his pregnant. The Times originally reported the story on tampabay.com Tuesday night.

However, Maddon said Dukes would be available today as a defensive substitution or a pinch hitter.

"I won't hesitate to use him," Maddon said.

Maddon also said Dukes will be on the team flight to Colorado and make the team's six game road trip against the Rockies and Diamondbacks.

Dukes was nowhere to be seen in the Rays clubhouse before the game.

Delmon Young will make the start in center for the second straight game.

Here's the Rays' full lineup:
Iwamura, 3B
Harris, SS
Crawford, LF
Norton, DH
Pena, 1B
Wigginton, 2B
Young, CF
Casanova, C
Gomes, RF

Comments

[Ron]

Dukes needs to go!!! Thug or not, the guy can't hit. If the Nationals are truly interested, then trade him quickly, even if it's only for their mascot.

[toby]

...I see you are incapable of addressing my points as well. How is Upton a thug? Thanks for the prayers, as that s something you would never find me wasting my time on for you.

[Sick of the drama]

Toby, you sound like you need help. You have anger issues...just like Dukes. Your immaturity bleeds through your words. I will pray for you, and Dukes, and hope you both get the help you both obviously need. In life, we all have problems. However, blaming other people is clearly an example of you--- and Dukes--- own insecurity and self worth issues. See a therapist.

[toby]

Sick of Drama....no where did I question the use of the word thug in relationship to Dukes. He certainly appears to be one. But Tim lumped Upton in the "thug" category as well. For no reason. The only thing he has in common with Dukes is being black, so why was he called a thug?

So it appears you are the classless one you idiot. Reading and comprehension is studied in grade school...you need a refresher's class.

[Tim A]

Dear Toby,

Please accept my apology if anything I said offended you. Maybe I was hasty to speak about Upton although he is not my one of my favorite players and I think he is a whiner, but my comments have nothing to do with race. I'm sad that you construed them to fit your agenda. I will no longer address this drama and I will no longer address anyone who chooses to belttle someone in a faceless situation such as this. Have a nice day if you are capable...

[Sick of the Drama]

Toby, you are truly clueless. Only a coward would pull the race card. A coward with no argument. I will give you just one of hundreds of examples I could use as to why Dukes is a thug. Lets focus on the current drama. Dukes gets a 17 year old pregnant. When the girl, and I mean girl---not woman, attempts to be mature and sit down with him to tell him she is with his child what does your great man do? He throws his gatorade bottle at this pregnant little girl. Also, he (and his mom and family) continue to place all the blame on all the woman he continues to impregnate. He is such a coward and thug, he can not take responsibility for his own actions. This thug, and I mean a literal thug, is nothing but a slug. A slimey, slithering disgusting excuse for a human being. The color of his skin pigmantation is not at issue here. He is but a thug---a title he earned and deserves.

[Toby]

Tim, you are a clown. First, use a spell check when you are using words that you are unaccustomed to using.

Secondly, you never answered my question you idiot. How is BJ Upton a thug? Just cause he is black? I hate when people pull out the race card, but it certainly appears you have no idea what you are talking about.

Thug- an aggressive and violent young criminal

That fits for Dukes, but certainly nor for Upton.

Class dismissed, loser.

[Tim A]

Dear Toby,

If you don't like the word "thug" then petition the Websters Dictionary to consider it a vulgar term. Saying that I'm a racist when you don't me or my background much less my color, you have know idea what you are allegating. Don't use the term racist unless you are willing to call yourself one for even insinuating that. You obviously have a self esteem problem or identify with a abnormal problem. I'm intitled to an oppionion without being called a racist, just because I use a term thats been used years to describe moral depravity....maybe I should start using the term "criminal" since thats what these low lifes truly represent. In no way do they represent a whole race of people or a faction there of.
You need to consider your own back yard before you go judging mine.

[Toby]

Tim....you are a racist bigot. Plain and simple. Carelessly throwing around the word thug when only describing black players pretty much shows me what kind of idiot you are. Dukes a thug? Certainly, as he has proved it. Upton? How? What has he done to be described as a thug?

Also, the St Pete Times has some sort of agenda with Dukes. There is no reason the latest story is even newsworthy, much less plastered on the front page of this fishwrap. He did nothing illegal, yet Steve/Susan Stanton's newspaper of record feels it is more important then actual important news.

[Tim A]

Anyone who thinks the Devil Rays are going to make the play-off in the division, they're in is fooling themselves. TB is dedicated to loosing its indicative of who they have chosen to play on their roster. They are also fooling themselves if they think that Dukes and Upton aren't bad for the game as well. The older crowd nor the well established sports fans in the Bay area aren't going to attend a thug ralley at the Trop whenever they know the kind of characters that the Rays front office supports. We don't want to be reminded of the crap we have to drive through on a daily basis, especially when way have to pay $8.00 for a soda and $4.00 for peanuts just to see an(unwed baby-daddy X 8) steal second. What are we telling our children by letting these idiots play?
Being a dumb@*# thug pays.

Go ahead and dust off your nostalgic jerseys, it isn't going to help the Rays make the play-offs and it isn't going to make the fans come out either. And I'm affraid...as long as you keep paying for these thugs to be seen on the field, thats what we are stuck with. The only thing worse than watching the TB Devil Rays right now is watching the human bacteria-steroid-junkie blast past Henry Aaron's homerun record. Gee-whiz ain't this is just another crappy baseball season in Tampa Bay.

[Michael-Lee]

The attendance is low because the team is below .500 not because of Elijah Dukes. Anybody who feels otherwise is only fooling themselves. You could say you aren't going because of Dukes, but you weren't going to go anyway. But wait until 2009 when the Rays are in the playoffs. People all over the Bay will be dusting off their purple hats and Boggs jerseys.

[Tim A]

The last thing Tampa Bay needs is a thug clown like this one representing what is wrong with our area. Get rid of him and the other thug representation or suffer a worse attendance crisis than what you already have.

[bb]

enough of dukes, why is greg norton in the lineup? is there no young talent we can bring up from durham while we wait for rocco and bj to come back?

[JJ]

John Romano is reporting that Dukes was seen spitting gum into a urinal. The urinal reportedly had a urinal cake, which forced a cleaning person to have to take the gum out. More on this story later.

[REB]

[BAT BOY] WITH MAJOR LG POTENTIAL IS
WANTED ! ONE [CF] DUKES FOR TRADE.
STRICTLY A TALENT DEAL - NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

[Jason]

hmmmm I'm not sure but if this guy was a teacher, he'd probably be fired. He's there because the dollar rules my friends, not the fans.

[Sick of the drama]

Why is this clown still holding a spot on the 25 man roster? Send him to Durham and play him everyday until a trade for a reliever is closed. Stu, show some stones and stand up to this punk. Every day he is on your team, you lose more fans. Cut your lossses. If you are just waiting for Rocco to get back, I apologize.