Wills makes call after Freed's 'selfless act'

Sometime around the fifth inning Thursday afternoon in Chicago, the thought first entered Andy Freed's mind.

Freed and Rays radio partner Dave Wills alternate play-by-play duties each day, and Freed was slated to call the ninth inning of the series finale at U.S. Cellular Field. At that point, Mark Buehrle was still a long way from the history he ended up making, so Freed kept the idea in the back of his mind.

Once it got to the eighth inning, Freed turned to his partner of five years and said he thought Wills should get the honor of calling the final outs of the potential perfect game. Wills is Chicago through and through, and before coming to Tampa Bay he spent 11 seasons working as part of the White Sox radio team. Along the way, he got to know Buehrle pretty well.

Though both announcers said they were hoping each Rays batter that came to the plate would break Buehrle's spell, Freed knew how much it would mean to Wills to be at the microphone at the end.

"Ego is too big in this industry; I've always felt that," Freed said Friday. "If this happens when Dave Wills is there, in Chicago, with a guy he knows throwing a perfect game ... I felt like it was the right thing to do. I felt good about it. He's one of my best friends, and I'm like, 'He's the Chicago guy.'"

Wills said Freed's offer came "out of the blue" and the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

"How many broadcasters have had the chance to call the final out of a perfect game?" Wills said. "I think it goes back to our friendship and our relationship, and you kind of leave whatever ego either one of us has at the door. I thought it was an extremely selfless act, and I paid for most of his banana split Thursday night because of it."

Freed, who might be considered an ice cream addict, undoubtedly appreciated that. But not as much as Wills did making his call of only the 18th perfect game in major-league history. This is how he described the final out:

"Now the 2-1 - swing, and a grounder to short, this may do it. Ramirez has it, throws across, and Mark Buehrle has done it! Mark Buehrle - 27 up, 27 down - throws a perfect game on a Thursday afternoon on the South Side of Chicago, and he has called an impromptu team meeting near first base as his White Sox teammates mob him, and deservedly so! Mark Buehrle was perfect here on the South Side!"

For those who missed Buehrle's gem on television (or want to relive it), MLB Network will rebroadcast it Sunday at 10 a.m.

Creating an opening

It's not good news for Dale Thayer, but his presence in the bullpen after Chad Bradford went on the disabled list Thursday morning with lower back stiffness made a pending roster move a bit easier for the Rays.

All indications are LHP Brian Shouse (left elbow strain) will be ready to come off the DL and rejoin the Rays on Monday after pitching a scoreless inning for Single-A Charlotte each of the last two days.

"It's kind of set up for that right now, but we'll see how it all shakes out," Manager Joe Maddon said Friday. "We're going to be playing the Yankees and the Red Sox and all those left-handed-laden teams."

That makes having three lefties - Shouse, Randy Choate and J.P. Howell - in the bullpen even more attractive, so barring something unusual happening this weekend, Thayer likely will be the one to go when the Rays need a roster spot.

Odds and ends

C Shawn Riggans, also rehabbing with the Stone Crabs, was ejected Friday after arguing a called third strike on him that ended the first inning. ... Maddon said he didn't hear anything from Scott Kazmir before Thursday's game about his arm feeling stiff, which Kazmir said was the case following the game. ... RHP Lance Cormier was hobbled a bit but otherwise said to be fine after taking a ball off his lower left leg Thursday.

Marc Lancaster