Ready for Lou, Cubs; suspensions pending

Update, 7:15 It looks like the Rays will have 2B Akinori Iwamura in the lineup for most of the next week, as he is set to appeal his three-game suspension that was to start Wednesday, with a hearing scheduled for June 24 or 25.
That is important because the Rays could be without SS Jason Bartlett during that stretch, as his wife is expected to give birth any day. At the latest, she would have labor induced on the 25th, manager Joe Maddon said. Being without both Iwamura and Bartlett, even for a game or two, would be severe hardship, and could force the Rays to call up another middle infielder.
RHP Edwin Jackson is also expected to appeal his suspension, which was to start Thursday, which will allow him to make his next start as scheduled on Saturday, and then perhaps drop his appeal and serve his five days.
One thing that is for sure is that LF Carl Crawford will return to the lineup on Wednesday, having served his four games.

Lou Piniella felt at home today at the Trop, as the former Rays manager reflected on his time in Tampa Bay, and being back.

And, of course, he delivered some classic lines.

When a horde of about 30 media members, tv cameras circled him in the visiting dugout, Piniella was asked if the following was similar to the early Devil Rays days.

"When I left, the crowd was about this big," Piniella quipped.

Piniella was then asked, since he said you can learn a lot from losing - and it can make you a better manager.

"Like I said when I was here, I didn't want to get too damn smart."

And when asked about what reception he expected to receive from the Trop crowd?

"I don't know," he said. "I've left enough tickets, so there should be a few cheers, anyway."

The Rays welcome the Cubs for a three-game series, and Piniella is joined by another ex-Ray manager having his own homecoming, Larry Rothschild.

Here are the lineups:

RAYS

Iwamura, 2b
Aybar, 1b
Upton, cf
Hinske, lf
Longoria, 3b
Floyd, dh
Navarro, c
Gross, rf
Bartlett, ss
Kazmir, p

CUBS

Johnson, cf
Theriot, ss
Lee, 1b
Ramirez, 3b
Soto, Dh
DeRosa, rf
Murton, lf
Blanco, c
Cedeno, 2b
Dempster, p

Comments

[Papelbon]

I'm definitely going to hit this Rockn' with Kazmir guy. He's annoying.

[jeff]

ROCKN' WITH KAZMIR

[CJ]

The Cubs lost, good game Rays.

Suck it Piniella

[Andy]

So let me get this correct...The 3 fans who make lengthy posts about the team are pseudo-fans, and the message board troll is the real fan? I guess I'd rather be a pseudo-fan.

[I hate Red Sox]

Intelligent Rays fans dont post on Newspapers sites. Hey Chowdahead check out Draysbay and tell me no one post! Freaking moran, i cant wait to beat yo team and then talk smack to you, you ignorant Masshole!

[Ugh]

"YOU'RE" in second place. You + are = you're. It's not "your". If you are going to talk smack on a newspaper's website, learn to spell above a kindergarten level so you don't sound even more ridiculous than you already do.

[THAT'S why you are losers]

A Sox game? The bulletin boards have 40-50 posts. You guys? Your in second place and four (four!) posts. One of which makes fun of you. You are pseudo fans!

[msd]

WOW! you guys whine for every sport! Hey, did you see Coca's home run!

[skp]

Ray F, Thrill, not to keep this horrible memory alive, but not only did the season and the game fall apart, that defensive unit hasn't been the same since. that game was the death knell for what for the previous 3-4 seasons had been one of the best 4-man pass rushes in NFL history. excuse me while i go vomit.

that being said, the cubs are the best team in baseball, and this series should be all business. despite all the warm fuzzies about lou in the papers and some cute stories from kaz, CC, and upton, the reality is that lou piniella has little to nothing to do with the success that this year's rays are having. joe maddon has busted his butt, stuck with the plan thru incredible adversity & criticism, and developed the heck out of this current crop of players, and his results will definitely improve.

CC, upton, kaz did more for lou, who rode their god-given talent as far as it could take those rays, than he ever did for them. with maddon it's the opposite. he's put so much into so many players, and their performance as well as their belief in their ability is proof positive of that - dioner navarro as one of the best 2-way catchers in the AL? would lou have managed that, or griped about how ownership didn't pull the trigger on pudge rodriguez?

when it's all said and done, if things stay on track joe should be in the same pantheon of local coaching heroes like john mckay, dungy, and tortorella, guys who molded talent into hungry, relentless winners and changed the culture of a team. i'm a believer in gruden, but he didn't have to turn around an unprecedented culture of record-breaking losing like the above 4.

[Thrill]

Correction: The Bucs dominated that game for nearly 57 minutes before the Colts' miracle comeback in the final 3 minutes. Then the Bucs got screwed on not one, but two bogus calls: 1) the onside kick that was later ruled illegal and 2) the call against Simeon Rice for leaping (which is NEVER called in the NFL) on a missed FG in over time.

[Ray F]

Careful what you wish for...

Remember when the Colts came to town the year after the Bucs won the SuperBowl and all the Bucs ran down the line to give Dungy a high five???

Then Dungy's Colts humiliated the the Bucs in the second half and the season spiraled downward from there...

Lou is the enemy for the next 3 days. After the series is over, shake his hand and give him a hug, but until then- business as usual.