Rays Beat: Mason's Tone Isn't Changing, At Least For Now

ST. PETERSBURG - The biggest disappointment at Rays camp may already have occurred.

RHP Chris Mason, who made a name for himself last season in Montgomery as much for his ever-changing hair color as his stellar pitching, showed up with his hair cropped close in its natural brown state, with not a trace of dye to be found.

There was no red, no white, no black - and certainly not the pink he had hoped to sport at one point last season before Biscuits manager Billy Gardner nixed it.

How could Mason let this happen, considering the reputation for tonsorial risk-taking that preceded him?

"I thought, 'Man, I'm coming into my first big-league spring training, I'm not going to come in looking like a clown,'" Mason said. "I'll give it a couple weeks. I can't just come in here as a rookie with blue hair - that's just a big target for the guys to get on me."

No doubt about that, but at least Mason is leaving the door open to resume the superstitious behavior that kept observers in Montgomery amused throughout last season.

It started with about a week remaining in spring training, when Mason dyed his hair platinum blonde. He kept it because he didn't lose - "If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" - and immediately shaved it off when he finally dropped a decision in May.

"Then I dyed it jet black and everybody hated it," he said. "Even my parents."

Next up was sort of a maroon red. With his first loss in that hue, he wanted to go pink, "but Billy wouldn't let me do that, so I went back to platinum." A bad start (even though the Biscuits won) in his first playoff game prompted Mason to shave his head clean again, and he figured he'd start this season the way he ended last year.

"In the winter I kept it shaved down," he said. "I have a girlfriend I met in Montgomery, and I'm trying to keep it in shape for her."

Playing it straight seems the prudent move these days for Mason. He knows he isn't going to make the team this spring, but his 2007 season put him on the map in an organization overflowing with young pitching talent.

The 23-year-old went 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 28 starts, posting the best ERA of any Double-A starter on the way to being named the pitcher of the year at that level by minorleaguebaseball.com. His team went 25-5 in his 30 starts including the playoffs, but to hear Mason tell it, his success had little to do with anything he was doing on the mound.

"It was very nice, but I can't lie - I had a lot of things go my way last year," he said. "It seemed like every jam I got out of somehow. It just seemed liked everything went my way last year and I had a great offense and defense behind me."

He mentioned several teammates by name - Fernando Perez, Reid Brignac, Evan Longoria, John Jaso - and made it sound like he was fortunate just to be hanging around. When it comes to spending a few weeks alongside the likes of Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler, Mason grows even more appreciative.

Maybe the Technicolor 'do will return at some point. For now, he would prefer to remain in the background.

"It's a pleasure, it's an honor to be here meeting all the veterans and the older guys," Mason said. "You can learn so much just by observing. This is just awesome."

NOTEWORTHY: Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projection system forecasts an 82-80 season for the Rays and a fourth-place AL East finish. ... Rays president Matt Silverman is in Austin, Texas, this weekend to run a half marathon. He said it will be his "fifth or sixth" such race, but he has no interest in completing a full marathon. ... While most of the interior and exterior of Tropicana Field is going blue, the current plan is to keep the outfield walls the traditional green. ... The Rays have hung championship banners in the clubhouse at the Naimoli Complex celebrating the 2007 league titles won by their Durham, Montgomery and Columbus affiliates.