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Players' 'Get-Together' Is Productive

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2008

BOSTON - It wasn't a meeting, insisted the man who called the players-only gathering in the Rays' clubhouse prior to batting practice Monday afternoon.

"It was a get-together," said DH Cliff Floyd.

However you slice it semantically, the Rays booted out the media, their coaches and their support staff and spent about 20 minutes discussing their situation amongst themselves.

"It was needed," Floyd said. "It was basically to end the season on a good note, that's it. Just to make sure we were all on the same page. It was great. It was something we definitely needed, and it has nothing to do with us losing any games."

Either way, the timing was appropriate for such an event. Manager Joe Maddon said Floyd approached him as they got off the charter flight from Toronto on Sunday night and told him of his plans.

"We sat down, he and I did, and he just wanted to talk to me about what he wanted to bring up to the group and I was all for it," said Maddon, who considered Floyd's willingness to take charge in such a manner a positive indication.

"To have somebody like Cliff walk in today and want to do something like that is a big step in the right direction for us as an organization," Maddon said.

Floyd took pains to point out that it wasn't just him doing the talking; several players apparently spoke up as the team "solidified" what's at stake over the final weeks of the regular season.

"I'm not saying you're going to see anything different," said Floyd. "I'm just saying I think it was good for our team to have a little sit-down and have a little conversation from a family standpoint. I think we achieved that."

TWO DOWN: The Rays will be without a couple more players for at least a few days, potentially prompting a move for reinforcements before tonight's game.

CF B.J. Upton left Monday's game in the middle of the fifth inning with a strained left quadriceps suffered in the first inning as he chased down a David Ortiz double. He said he doesn't expect to return to the lineup until this weekend's Yankees series.

"It didn't feel too bad at the time, but as the game went on it kind of got stiffer and stiffer," Upton said. "I felt like if I had to run hard it was going to go, and pretty much now is not the time for that."

In addition, C Shawn Riggans' right knee has swelled up with bursitis and he could be sidelined three to five days.

Maddon noted his roster is a bit "thin" at the moment and said he would speak to executive vice president Andrew Friedman about shoring it up. The Rays could add OF/DH Jonny Gomes, who is on the 40-man roster, and perhaps summon IF/OF Elliot Johnson if they're looking for a bit more versatility off the bench.

SALAS HOSPITALIZED: RHP Juan Salas suffered an epileptic seizure as he entered Fenway Park on Monday afternoon and was transported to a local hospital.

Salas has had similar episodes before. He was released from the hospital Monday evening and was in the clubhouse following the game.

"He's fine," Maddon said. "It just takes, normally, hours to get him back to normal, so he should be fine by today."

HOMETOWN HERO: DH Rocco Baldelli drew a large crowd of media members from his native Rhode Island as he made his first appearance at Fenway Park this season.

He also had numerous family and friends on hand for what qualified as a special occasion on more than one front.

"This is the first time I've ever really played in this stadium when the games actually mattered toward the end of the year," Baldelli said. "I think it's going to be a fun series. I think it's going to be a different experience than I've had since I've been playing."

LONGORIA UPDATE: According to Maddon, 3B Evan Longoria was available to pinch hit Monday night even though he has yet to face pitching at even batting-practice speed in more than a month.

It looks like a full-fledged return to the lineup still won't come until sometime during the Yankees series at the earliest, as Longoria took soft toss Monday and plans to do so again today. He said he would like to take live batting practice against one of the Rays' pitchers throwing at or near full velocity.

"Something that's going to speed me up," he said, "because BP's not really for that."

NOTEWORTHY: Durham opens the best-of-five Governors' Cup Finals at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight with LHP David Price taking on LHP Chase Wright. ... The Rays' Sept. 18 game against the Twins, which was not originally scheduled to be televised, will be aired on WXPX, Channel 66, locally.

Marc Lancaster

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