Rays' Newcomers Help Bring Team Effort In Win

BALTIMORE - The Rays have chatted all spring about their positive new attitude. There is a new and much improved level of talent. Let's not forget the new uniforms, either. They look pretty good. It has made for a new outlook that is unlike anything we've seen around these parts in, like, forever.

So, with so much spanking newness everywhere you looked, there was only one way to write the script on the first day of the new season for a team with so much newness it even needed a new name (sans Devil).

It wasn't just the 6-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday on a drab, rainy day at Camden Yards that had a fresh feel for a team looking to prove, as owner Stu Sternberg said before the game, "We're no laughingstock any longer." Not that anyone is taking wins for granted around here.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the day, though, was how much help the Rays got from new players - bodies who weren't here a year ago. Start spreading the news.

Right fielder Eric Hinske had a home run and scored twice. Designated hitter Cliff Floyd doubled and scored. Shortstop Jason Bartlett had an RBI. Third baseman Willy Aybar had a hit.

"We know what we have. It's no surprise to us. I've seen Eric do it over and over and over again, playing against him through the years. And Aybar delivers. He's a good hitter, a good player," first baseman Carlos Pena said.

"It's awesome. It's a confidence-booster and kind of welcomes them to the team. They feel part of it. I was extremely happy to see Hinske go deep there. There was no doubt about it - a great swing. I felt as good for him as if I had hit it."

Think back to Opening Day a year ago at Yankee Stadium, when the story line was how the bullpen cost the Rays the game. That turned out to be a preview of horrific coming attractions. As omens go, this one is much better.

"That's what we're supposed to do, I guess. Go out there, get things done and do them the right way and get after it," Hinske said. "It was a good team win today. Everybody helped out."

Filled In Well

Hinske came to camp as a nonroster player, a long shot to make the team. Most people assumed he was an insurance policy at third base but his versatility and his left-handed bat have proven to be valuable. He started in right field and made a couple of nice plays, including one that he had to go back on that could have been a little tricky.

"He moved around well out there in right field," Manager Joe Maddon said. "He wants to play and he wants to play here. He's very excited about this opportunity. Here's a guy that was a pretty good player a couple of years ago and I think he knows these kind of opportunities don't come around often any more."

The Rays aren't looking for a Gold Glove guy in right after trading Delmon Young in the offseason, just someone who can make the routine plays and keep things from getting out of hand. Or, as Hinske said, "Just go out there and try not to look dumb."

That'll do.

His leadoff homer in the fourth helped the Rays stretch their lead to 4-2. Two innings later, he walked and scored as the Rays put the game away.

"I'm just trying to stay level-headed. I've been humbled a lot in this game so I never take anything for granted. Just keep working hard every day and take that swing into the game," he said.

"If you're not ready for Opening Day, something's wrong with you. All these guys were jacked up. We're really starting to feel like a team. It was a great spring and now to bring these 25 guys into this atmosphere is awesome. Everybody is into it."

It Takes Everyone

We know about the Rays' young stars, guys like Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and so on. They will be just fine. For this thing to really work, though, it takes everyone.

"Total team effort. That's what we want to be the whole year long, getting contributions from everybody on the team," Crawford said. "You never know who might be the guy. That's the way it should be. We'll try to keep on playing hard and see who the different guy will be to help us win the game."

On this day, it was the new guys and the timing couldn't have been better. It was just one game - one of 162. At long last, though, this thing appears to be headed in the right direction and it's all aboard for everyone.

That may be the newest thing of all.