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Players Tampa Bay didn't want or couldn't keep have played key roles for nearly all this season's playoff teams.
By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 9, 2002
ST. LOUIS -- A public relations representative approached Cardinals relief pitcher Rick White with a simple request Tuesday afternoon.
As part of preparations for the National League Championship Series -- Game 1 between the Cardinals and Giants is tonight at Busch Stadium -- White would need to pull on his hat, walk down a hallway to a room, stand before a television camera and recite his name, position and hometown.
Miguel Cairo had to do a similar promo for tonight's broadcast, as did catcher Mike DiFelice and outfielder Kerry Robinson. Rays fans might recognize those names and mugs because the four Cardinals teammates all have called Tropicana Field home at one point in their careers.
"The question comes up all the time, "Isn't it funny how we're all on contenders and nobody stayed in Tampa Bay?' " White said. "Nobody can really come up with the answer."
By nobody he means the 13 former Rays players or farmhands that have played bit parts in the playoffs or contributed to playoff-bound teams during the regular season.
Tampa Bay, through players it traded, no longer wanted or no longer could afford, had ties to five of the six teams that participated in the division series.
"It's not the players. It's obviously not the coaches. You wouldn't think it's the front office personnel," White said.
"I just think there's some sort of curse there (at Tampa Bay) like the curse of the Bambino or whatever it is in Boston. For some reason, Tampa Bay had so much trouble getting a team for all those years that when they finally got a team they're cursed, and they can't win."
It's probably just a silly coincidence, isn't it?
Giants pitcher Manny Aybar, acquired by the Rays in the Fred McGriff deal in 2001 and released this spring, pitched twice against the Braves in the division series.
Albie Lopez, traded to the Diamondbacks with DiFelice in July 2001, pitched for Atlanta during the regular season but was not on the postseason roster against the Giants, though third baseman Vinny Castilla was. Former Rays outfielder Quinton McCracken found a spot in the Diamondbacks' postseason lineup and played against the Cardinals.
Pitchers Cory Lidle (A's), Jim Mecir (A's) and Tony Fiore (Twins) along with reliever Brendan Donnelly (Angels) and infielder David Lamb (Twins) also have ties to the Rays.
"Sometimes it just works out well for guys," Cairo said. "It worked out well for me."
The 28-year-old, who was the Rays' everyday second baseman until losing his job to Bobby Smith in 2000, played in 108 games at every position except pitcher, catcher and centerfield for the Cardinals this season.
He will start at third base in place of the injured Scott Rolen tonight.
"Honestly, I'm just glad to be out of there," said Cairo, released by the Rays to reduce payroll in November 2000 and later waived by the Cubs and claimed by the Cardinals. "At the same time you have to be thankful and say thank you to the organization because they gave me a chance to be a starter in the big leagues."
DiFelice, who played in 243 games for Tampa Bay after being selected in the 1998 expansion draft when St. Louis left him unprotected, spent much of this season backing up catcher Mike Matheny.
The Rays traded him with Lopez to Arizona for pitcher Nick Bierbrodt and outfielder Jason Conti in part to help make room for then-prospect Toby Hall.
"You can't compare (the Cardinals and Rays)," said DiFelice, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the 11th round of the 1991 draft. "Tampa Bay is still a young organization. Obviously the Cardinals' history is a lot longer.
"As a player you take every opportunity with gratitude and try to give the best effort you can. I think I tried to do that when I was with Tampa Bay. I'm appreciative of getting the opportunity to come back where I started."
White, too, was involved in a trade that helped the Rays get younger and address a need. Tampa Bay sent him to the Mets for pitcher Paul Wilson and outfielder Jason Tyner in July 2000.
Traded from the Mets to the Rockies, who released him in August, White pitched in 20 regular-season games with St. Louis and was 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA.
"The Rays traded me to a contending team with a chance to go to the World Series, and I went," said White, who appeared in 145 games with the Rays from 1998-2000.
"There's no way you can consider getting traded from a last-place team to a first-place team as a slap in the face. ... It just seems everybody that they have gotten rid of they have gotten rid of to contenders. A lot of people would probably say it was a relief."
Or a mystery.