Baseball fans in Tampa Bay are dumb

Don't be upset with me. I'm not saying that. Fans of Sports Illustrated are saying that. Sports Illustrated has come out with Major League Baseball ballpark rankings, based on results from a fan poll. Check it out here. Overall, the Rays and Tropicana Field come in 24th out of 30 teams/stadiums. (I'll get to the dumb part in a second.)

The way it worked was like this: Sports Illustrated took 10 categories and ranked the teams and stadiums 1 through 30 in each category. Then they added up all the numbers and the lower your number, the higher you finished on the list. Here's how the Rays ranked in the top categories:

Affordability (4th)
Food (16th)
Team quality (22nd)
Tradition (29th)
Atmosphere (28th)
Fan IQ (28th)
Hospitality (20th)
Promotions (15th)
Traffic (11th)
Neighborhood (22nd)

Cleveland's Progressive Field finished first overall, followed by Milwaukee's Miller Park and Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

Oh yeah, back to the dumb thing. The Rays' Fan IQ was 28th. In the poll, 76 percent of those voting rated the "baseball intelligence'' at the Trop either "average,'' "below average'' or "poor.'' Tampa Bay finished ahead of only Florida and Arizona.

Shooting from the lip

Looking back at a weekend of televised sports ...

Best story
The cold, hard fact is this is and always will be a football town. The Bucs rule the local sports scene and the rest of the pro and college teams take turns being No. 2. But even though the weekend featured the NFL draft, the buzz around town was clearly about the Rays after they swept the Red Sox. And rising to the occasion was the Rays TV team of Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane. You know, you just become smarter listening to those two. Magrane was masterful Saturday night during a sequence when he, essentially, implored Edwin Jackson to throw a slider. Jackson did and got an easy groundout. Magrane is full of gems like that. The two always have been able to describe strategy, but now they get to show their enthusiasm for a team that is exciting to watch.

"We're seeing things we've never seen before,'' Staats said. "This is big-league baseball.''

Oh, and this, too: Whit Watson was a strong presence as a sideline reporter during Friday's broadcast.

Draft leftovers
Sunday's second-day NFL draft coverage on ESPN was better than Saturday's first-day coverage, and I think the reason was that host Trey Wingo and new ESPN analyst Cris Carter were involved on Sunday, but not on Saturday. Wingo did a better job than Saturday host Chris Berman. Wingo's top moments came while interviewing various players and executives, especially when he pushed Green Bay GM Ted Thompson on whether Brett Favre was truly retired and whether Thompson told new starting QB Aaron Rodgers that the Packers were going to draft Louisville QB Brian Brohm in the second round.

Carter, always a strong, opinionated presence on  HBO's now-defunct Inside the NFL, came out strong. His most interesting comments came when talking about how QB Matt Ryan will be accepted by Falcons fans: "They have more minority season-ticket holders than any team in the National Football League. And their hero is Michael Vick. And their hero is in jail. … Michael Vick is in the past. They need to let it go. Get off the black-white thing.''

Wingo line of the weekend
ESPN NFL draft host Trey Wingo, after the Bucs drafted quarterback Josh Johnson in the fifth round: "Some people collect stamps. Jon Gruden collects quarterbacks.''

Ill-advised comment of the day
A little arguing on live TV can make for good television, and ESPN even encouraged it Sunday during the NFL draft by pitting draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay against one another on various subjects. But then McShay crossed the line when the subject of Jason Taylor being traded by the Dolphins came up. When discussing whether a team made a mistake not trading a second-round pick for Taylor, McShay asked Kiper if he "knew'' if the deal was for a second-round pick. Kiper said he "believed'' it was for a second-round pick. That's when McShay pounced and said, "So you’re making that up.''

A debate is fine, but do you really think ESPN wants one commentator questioning the credibility of another commentator?

Funniest line
Mike Lupica on ESPN's Sports Reporters: "When the Raiders found out Darren McFadden got into a few bar fights, he moved up on their draft board.''

Funniest line (runner-up)
TBS baseball announcer Chip Carey, during Sunday's Indians-Yankees broadcast, talking about the pitching woes of the Texas Rangers: "They might need Nolan Ryan to come out of the front office and pitch in the pen.''

Check it out
Not a whole lot of chances to pump Arena Football, but Monday is a special occasion. The 8-0 Philadelphia Soul hosts the 7-0 Dallas Desperados in what is being called the "Broad Street Brawl.'' Don't know about that name, but we do know this: It's the first time in Arena League history that teams with records of 7-0 or better will meet. The game is on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

Best interview
The best sports interview of the past week was actually conducted by CBS late-night host David Letterman. It seemed silly when he asked former Packers QB Brett Favre if he had ever gone hunting on the day of a game until Favre answered:
"I have to admit, yes. … I made it back in time.''
Letterman: "But what were you hunting and where?''
Favre: "I was just outside Green Bay. I was bow hunting. Didn't kill anything.''
Letterman: "Like in the parking lot?''
Favre: "A little bit further out. We were playing the Bears that week. I think we lost.''

Missed opportunity
In Sunday's pregame for the Rangers-Penguins, NBC tried to play up the controversial penalty on the Rangers that lead to the Pens' winning power play at the end of Game 1. NBC showed the play and mentioned how some thought Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby embellished the call. Yet commentators Pierre Maguire, Mike Milbury and Ed Olczyk never gave an opinion on if they thought it was a penalty or whether Crosby took a dive on the play. Olczyk did say, "Sidney Crosby is not a diver,'' but it would've been nice to hear the NBC guys weigh in on the actual play … seeing as how they are the ones who brought it up.

Surprise stat of the weekend
Someone uttered this line during the NFL draft and I nearly fell out of my chair: In the 43-year history of the franchise, the Atlanta Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons.

Three things that popped into my head
1. My favorite thing on TV over the weekend was Sunday afternoon when NBC showed a replay of a brutal 1977 fight when Muhammad Ali won a unanimous decision over Earnie Shavers. Ali later said Shavers hit him harder in that fight than he had ever been hit. In fact, Ali's quote was: "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.''
2. Uh, anyone else noticing what Josh Hamilton is doing with the Rangers? He's hitting .375 with five homers and a major-league-leading 26 RBIs. Not to rain on the Rays' parade after such a fun week, but think Josh would look good in rightfield for them right now?
3. Bad Move of the Weekend Award goes to Hawks and former Gators big man Al Horford, who taunted the Celtics' Paul Pierce late in Saturday’s Game 3 victory. The Hawks still trail the series 2-1, the game was over at that point, so why talk trash and give the Celtics extra motivation?

Nine best songs about baseball

The Rock-And-Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland opens an exhibit on Saturday called Take Me Out: Baseball Rocks, celebrating baseball and music. Check out the details here.

This calls for a list. Here are my top nine songs about baseball. Why nine? Nine innings, of course.

1. Centerfield -- John Fogerty
Favorite line: Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all -- a moment in the sun/(crack) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

2. Catfish -- Bob Dylan
Favorite line: Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm/But the old man wouldn't pay/So he packed his glove and took his arm/An' one day he just ran away.

3. Joltin' Joe DiMaggio -- Les Brown Orchestra
Favorite line: From coast to coast that's all you'll hear/Of Joe the one man show/He's glorified the horsehide sphere/Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.

4. D-O-D-G-E-R-S (Oh Really? No, O'Malley) -- Danny Kaye
Favorite line: Maurey Wills draws a walk in the coach's box/Leo Durocher, Leo Durocher starts to wiggle and to twitch/A signal? No, an itch.

5. Right Field -- Peter, Paul and Mary
Favorite line: Playing right field can be lonely and dull/Little leagues never have lefties that pull/I dream of the day, when they will hit one my way/They never did, but still I would pray.

6. Glory Days -- Bruce Springsteen
Favorite line: Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture/a little of the glory of, well time slips away/and leaves you with nothing mister but/boring stories of glory days.

7. The Ball Game -- Sister Wynonna Carr
Favorite line: Jesus is standin' at home plate/Waitin' for you there/Life is a ballgame, but/You've got to play it fair.

8. A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request -- Steve Goodman
Favorite line: Do they still play the blues in Chicago/When baseball season rolls around/When the snow melts away/Do the Cubs still play/In their ivy-covered burial ground.

9. Take Me Out to the Ball Game -- The Hold Steady
Favorite line: Well, the whole thing is great when it's The Hold Steady version.

I'm going to Disney World!

Stay at the Trop? Build a park down by the water? Let's face it, the Rays should just move to Orlando. They've played six games there, won all six. And now are at .500 for the season after the three-game sweep of the Jays. "If we get to the playoffs, we'd love to play here,'' pitcher Andy Sonnanstine said after the game. Speaking of a new stadium, we've been getting a flood of e-mails of late, most like this one from St. Petersburg's Danny Di Nicolantonio:

Instead of playing games in Disney and moving spring training to another galaxy in Jupiter, why not think of ways of getting people who are closer, but claim they don't want to come from Hillsborough and Manatee Counties? Why not just at the Trop and win!? The product on the field was the only reason for attendance, not the stadium. Listen to the fans. When they come to the Trop, as they walk through the rotunda entrance and give a collective sigh of relief. Ahhhhhhh. Just stay inside and and win.

Danny and all the letter-writers make fine points. But look, win or lose, the Rays want a new stadium and they're going to end up with one whether it's down by the water, in Tampa, in Orlando or in, I don't know, Portland or Buffalo. And we all need to get over this whole argument of "It's-Too-Hot-To-Play-Outside.'' The Rays aren't going to schedule 1 o'clock games in August. Ever been to Dallas-Fort Worth in the summer? Same as here, pretty much, and the Rangers play outdoors. Ever been to St. Louis or Kansas City in the middle of a heatwave?

Methinks it's a lousy excuse because it is not unbearable around here at 8 or 9 o'clock -- when the chunk of the game is being played -- even in August. Sure, maybe a few games here and there will be a little toasty, but it's no different than the fans up north who deal with a little cold in early April or late September or the fans in Atlanta or Miami or, really, anywhere dealing with a little heat in the summer. You just have to deal with weather occasionally.

The Trop is fine, but this is the part people need to realize: Even if the Rays win 90 games and average 25,000 a game at the Trop, it isn't going to end their quest for a new stadium. I don't know where the Rays will be playing in 10 years, but I will bet anything it won't be at the Trop. In the meantime, wonder of Stu Sternberg is trying to figure out a way to schedule a few more games in Orlando considering the Rays turn into the 1927 Yankees when they play there.

Here's a way to end the Madden jinx

You've all surely heard of the curse that strikes whichever player graces the cover of EA Sports Madden football video games. Anytime a player appears on the cover, he ends up breaking a leg or busting an ankle and, generally, having the worst season of his life. Players such as Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Randall Cunningham and Shaun Alexander have all fallen victim to the dreaded curse.

Well, guess who will be the cover of "Madden NFL 09?'' Retired QB Brett Favre. Assuming Favre stays retired -- and I'm not totally sold on that just yet -- the jinx ends now.

Then again, I'm now on a daily quest to "Google News'' the words "Favre'' and "golf cart'' and "mishap.''

Stanley Cup playoffs, round 2

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs crank up Thursday night with two games: Colorado visits Detroit and Philly is at Montreal. On Friday, it's the Rangers at Pittsburgh and Dallas at San Jose.

So in the words of MC Hammer, let's "break it down:''
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Philadelphia vs. Montreal
Both teams are coming off emotional Game 7 victories and, quite frankly, I don't know how the Flyers are here. The Canadiens are the better team, but the Flyers have more grit. In the playoffs, that means something. Still, Montreal has a bit more scoring punch and cannot be accused of being soft. The Habs can withstand the physical play of the Flyers. And goalie Carey Price does not look like a rookie. Canadiens in five.

NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh
Jaromir Jagr returns to Pittsburgh. Oh, speaking of Jags, check out what he said about Sidney Crosby/Mario Lemieux comparisons. The Pens are coming off an impressive four-game sweep of Ottawa, but the Sens were finished before that series started. The Rangers are deeper than Pittsburgh, better in goal and look for their forwards to punish Pittsburgh's defense -- the Pens' weak link. Rangers in six.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Colorado vs. Detroit
A renewel of one of the most bitter rivalries in sports. I still think the Avs should sign Claude Lemieux just for this series. Detroit looked shaky against Nashville. In fact, the Red Wings looked shaky for big chunks of the second half. Still, they're better than Colorado. The Avs are talented, but key players are old. And I still can't believe Jose Theodore is playing as well as he has in goal for the Avs. If Theodore can keep it going, he could steal the series. But ... Red Wings in six.

Dallas vs. San Jose
The Sharks, as is their nature, tried to choke away their first round series against Calgary, but the Flames beat them to it. Meantime, the Stars were impressive taking out the defending champs. The Stars just have that look of a team that's going to go deep into the playoffs, especially with Marty Turco finally shedding his tag of "can't-win-in-the-playoffs.'' I like Dallas to win the whole West, but this series will be close. Stars in six.

The Dan Johnson Era: A Retrospective

Why, it only seems like yesterday that the Rays picked up Dan Johnson. In fact, it was two days ago. My how the time flies. Sadly, the Rays designated the legend for assignment Wednesday. His days, both of them, with the Rays appear to be over. So much has changed in the world. Think back to what the Rays and the world was like when Johnson joined the Rays:

* George W. Bush was in his second term as president.
* Gas cost $3.54 a gallon.
* Popular TV shows were Lost, American Idol and Deal or No Deal.
* Joe Maddon was Rays manager.

And then there's Johnson. As he walked out the door Wednesday for likely the last time, you have to wonder what was going through his head, what memories he held most dear. Maybe it was the time he showed up at Tropicana Field for batting practice and found everything locked. Maybe it was the time he asked someone where the bathroom was. Maybe it was the time he picked up his bags right before he walked out for the last time.

Today is a sad day. An era has ended. The Rays won't be the same. The only comfort we can take is that someday, perhaps even in a new ballpark down by the water, we will all look on the outfield wall and see Dan Johnson's retired number, good ole No. 17. Or 22. Or ... what number did he wear again? The Rays never lost a game with him in uniform. That's the only important thing we need to remember.

So long, Dan, we hardly knew ye. And here are two photos to remember Dan Johnson:

Dan Johnson as he looked when he joined the Rays ...

 

.

.

.
.
.
Dan Johnson as he looked when he left the Rays ...

Who should come to Tampa Bay?

Every time some big-name NFL player becomes available, the first thought around these parts is, "Think the Bucs should go after him?'' Same with the Rays. And, right now, there are plenty of people available. So here's a breakdown of the some of those names and whether the locals should pass on them, or take a chance.

BUCS
Shaun Alexander: This guy was the MVP in the NFL in 2005. Not that long ago. And he's only 30. But his body is about 60. He has been banged up and pretty much ineffective the past two seasons. The Seahawks released the running back in order to keep Julius Jones, who lost his starting job in Dallas. So what does that tell you? Besides, don't the Bucs have like 19 running backs on the roster? Now if Alexander was a quarterback ...
Final call: Pass.

Chad Johnson: The Bengals wide receiver, who could be traded, talks too much, whines too much, causes too much controversy. Know what he does a lot of? Catch passes. He caught 93 last year. In fact, he has caught at least 90 balls in five of the past six years and the one year he didn't, he caught 87. Know how many times Joey Galloway has caught 90 passes in a season over his 13-year career? That would be, uh, never. In fact, only once in the entire history of the Bucs has someone caught more than 90 passes and that was 2001 when Keyshawn Johnson caught 106. Over the past four years, Galloway has been very productive getting into the end zone with 28 touchdowns. Over that same span, Johnson has scored 33 touchdowns. He is still only 30 years old. He can talk all he wants Monday through Saturday as long he shows up Sunday ... and his impressive resume proves that he does just that. And say what you want about his outlandish behavior, he isn't one of the Bengals who has been arrested.
Final call: Take a chance.

RAYS
Frank Thomas: The Blue Jays just released Thomas, who got off to a slow start after 26 homers with 95 RBIs a season ago. Well, the slow start wasn't the problem. The problem was he acted like a complete baby when benched because he couldn't hit his weight this season. In fact, he was more than 100 points from his weight. The 275-pounder was batting a buck-sixty-seven with 13 strikeouts in 60 at-bats. He even refused to shake his teammates hands after a victory. The Rays got rid of Delmon Young, who actually can play. So why in the world would they pick up a 40-year-old head case who can't? Supposedly the A's are interested in the Big Hurt. Let them have him.
Final call: Pass.

Barry Bonds: The all-time home run king is sitting at home. I know what you're thinking. The Rays aren't interested in head cases and Bonds is King Head Case. But here's the difference between Bonds and, say, Frank Thomas: Bonds can still play. Last season alone, Bonds numbers were still impressive. Hit hit 28 homers with 66 RBIs in only 340 at-bats. His on-base percentage was .480. (By comparison, Carl Crawford's OBP last season was .355. Heck, Derek Jeter's OBP last season was .388.) In other words, Bonds still is a productive player. He hits homers, drives in runs, gets on base. Think about that. His on-base percentage was .480, meaning he gets on base almost half the time. True, he can't play the outfield. He would have to DH. But I would argue he could come in and still be the best DH not only on the Rays, but in all of baseball. And, what the heck, Bonds would be worth just having around.
Final call: Take a chance.

Alexander the Great

I really didn't care who won Tuesday's Game 7 between the Flyers and Caps. All I wanted was a good game and the teams gave us a mini-classic, becoming the 30th Game 7 in NHL history to go to overtime. The Flyers advanced on Joffrey Lupul's power-play goal 6:06 into OT. But a quick word about Washington's Alex Ovechkin.

Alexander the Great not only showed what he is made of on the ice in the playoffs, but he showed what he is made of off the ice as well. On the ice, Ovechkin was terrific in his first postseason series: four goals and five assists in seven games, including a hand in both Washington goals Tuesday with a goal and a helper.

Just as impressive was his behavior after the game, holding his head high and showing grace and class in congratulating the Flyers in the post-series handshake. (You know, "one of the great traditions is all of sports.'') Then as he skated off the ice, he stopped and applauded the fans. That's the kind of thing that makes this kid special.

The Caps' future is bright. Of the 20 goals they scored in the series against the Flyers, 18 were scored by players 24 or younger. And with Ovechkin already showing he has what it takes to lead on the ice and conduct himself the right way off the ice, I'm sure of one thing: the next time Ovechkin is in a Game 7, I will care who wins. I'll be pulling for Ovechkin.

Egomaniacs of the day

The New England Patriots want to control the world and any attempts to stop them are futile! So surrender now.

You see, not only were the Patriots so arrogant that they tried to trademark the term "19-0 The Perfect Season'' before they played in the Super Bowl, they're still trying to trademark it after they lost the Super Bowl. In a Boston Herald story, the Patriots aren't giving up the fight. But why do the Patriots have any more right to go after that trademark than any other team? And what's next? Do they want to trademark "First down,'' and "Touchdown'' and "Interception''?

Maybe they should go after a trademark of something they have actually accomplished, such as
"18-1. We Choked When It Mattered Most.''
"18-1. And We Cheated To Get That Record.''

The whole deal of trademarking simple phrases and something as basic as a record seems ridiculous to begin with. I blame Pat Riley, who trademarked the term "Three-Peat'' when his old Showtime Lakers were going for three titles in a row in the late 80s. No more, I say. No more trademarking records and common phrases like "The Perfect Season'' since a bunch of teams throughout sports history have had perfect seasons. Well, I would make one exception. If the Pats want to trademark "18-1,'' that's fine.