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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 17, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays haven't had many things to celebrate this sorry season.
But they can take some pride in keeping the Yankees from celebrating this week.
No team has clinched a championship at Tropicana Field during the five seasons of play, and the Rays will be challenged to keep that streak alive.
The Yankees come in with a magic number of four , meaning they clinch the AL East with that amount of wins and Red Sox losses. The Yankees could clinch as soon as Wednesday.
The Rays have messed up the Yankees' plans before.
In 2000, the Yankees came to the Trop with a magic number of two, but the Rays beat them three straight, forcing them to keep the champagne that was in the clubhouse on ice and delaying their celebration until they got to Baltimore.
WINN-WIN?: Having played in more games than ever as a professional, Randy Winn has 13 remaining to try to add to what has been a defining season.
And manager Hal McRae believes this is exactly the time Winn, the Rays' lone All-Star, can determine his worth.
The centerfielder's batting average dipped below .300 for the first time since June 9 after Friday's game against Toronto, but a 2-for-5 performance Sunday got him back to .300.
"It's a big two weeks. Don't let one month destroy five," McRae said. "If he has a three in front (of his average) that's a big deal. He's had a tremendous year but he's got to finish it off. It's more mental than physical. It's important for him to get on his horse."
Winn has played in 141 games, 10 more than he did with two Marlins farm clubs in 1997, and McRae has been trying to rest him to avoid fatigue. Winn is batting .245 since August but needs 10 hits to set the club record for a season.
"He's got to motivate himself to go out and do the job and not let the undertow take him down," McRae said. "It's the first time he's played as many games. It's the first time he's played a complete season as an everyday ballplayer.
"He's got to get through it because next year, if he gets through this year, next year won't be as difficult."
ANOTHER E: Joe Kennedy's errant pickoff throw to first in the first inning Sunday was his ninth error this season. He is the fourth pitcher in the past 25 years to commit nine or more. Seattle's Matt Young had nine in 1990. Melido Perez of the Yankees committed 10 in 1992 and Randy Johnson made nine with the Mariners in 1998.
ODDS AND ENDS: Wednesday's game will be shown nationally by ESPN, with Tony Gwynn providing commentary, but blacked out locally because it also is on Fox Sports Net. First pitch will be moved up to 7:06 p.m. ... First-round draft pick B.J. Upton will work out with the instructional league squad today at the Naimoli Complex. It's his first workout since agreeing to a $4.6-million bonus last week. ... The Rays average home attendance is 12,956. That could increase with the Yankees in town. New York has drawn an average of 22,167 for six games this season.