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It's Time For Maddon To Fuel The Fire

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 15, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - OK, relax. There will be no bats thrown in showers after losses, no trail of broken wine bottles leading from the manager's office. Joe vs. The Volcano is nearly always a walkover for Joe Maddon's sunshiny optimism.

"I'm the same guy," the Rays manager said.

Still ...

"At the same time, it's time to push a little harder on the pedal."

And how.

Training camp is open for business, and if there is excitement in Rays Land, there are also expectations, at long last, and, at even longer last, accountability.

This is Maddon's third watch as Rays manager, and the club has picked up his options through next season. The man behind the glasses sees his team has taken enough baby steps to handle having its feet in the fire. His feet will be in there, too.

The Trop is Burning?

We said relax.

"We do have to raise the accountability fire," Maddon said. "That's for all of us. I'm not just going to lay it on the players ... It's time to turn the dial up a little bit."

Set that sucker to 11.

Accountability Time

The franchise that has averaged eight dozen losses per season hits camp with an actual chance at something more than hopelessness. The talent says it. The top of the rotation and back of the bullpen say it. And the manager says it.

Joe Maddon promises an edge this season. Maybe we saw a sneak preview late last season, when he benched Delmon Young for not hustling. This has little or nothing to do with why Young is gone, but the timing seemed just right.

It's accountability time. Losing 96 games just won't do.

The Rays need to do more, and so does Maddon. It's not a soft time, a time for coddling. If the Rays are ever going to get anywhere close to contending, some not-so-gentle pushing will be in order.

Joe Maddon might just surprise you this season. Forget the pal-o'-mine smile. He's still a catcher at heart, the son of a plumber and grandson of coal miners, perfect, because he needs to harden his Rays to new expectations, testing them as much as he teaches them.

He thinks this season will be different. And that he'll be different.

"Maybe not as Pollyana and maybe more based in reality," Maddon said with a grin.

The last two seasons, how many times did the plumber's son plumb the depths of his imagination to find something, anything, nice to say about his team? Maddon displayed a certain genius for making chicken salad out of skinny chickens.

"There are times I did have to search for superlatives, I'm not going to deny that," he said. "I'm not going to change, either ... But my expectations this season will be greater. Accepting something less is going to be harder to do, whereas in the past, I just felt some of the guys couldn't do any better than that. Now I think most of them can."

And that most of them should.

Pedal To The Metal

This team needs that kind of edge right now. It helps that the Rays' talent is another year older, and that veterans like Cliff Floyd and Troy Percival might bring senior leadership, something this club has never had.

"Their impact in the clubhouse is going to help me and the coaching staff as far as accountability," Maddon said. "It's going to augment that voice."

That Voice talks about no excuses, about hitting with runners on third, less than two outs, and making the plays that need to be made, and making that one pitch when it counts, things that have been drilled into enough heads enough times, Maddon said.

"You've got to get it. You just have to get it."

There's finally enough talent to make real strides toward respectability. The Rays and their manager open with those expectations - and accountability.

"Just a little more pressure to the gas pedal," Maddon said.

Go for it, Lead Foot.

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