ST. PETERSBURG - Professor Lou Piniella expounded on Baseball Economics 101 before Sunday's 7-6 win over the Yankees.
His thesis: Spend money on better players to win more.
Once again this season, high rollers New York and Boston are at the top of the AL East. The nickel-and-dime Rays, managed by Piniella, are entrenched in last.
"You're not getting a Giorgio Armani suit at Filene's Basement," Piniella said while assessing New York's expensive, star-studded lineup. "They've paid for those type of players; they don't come cheap. In this business, in a way, you get what you pay for."
The Yankees' payroll is roughly $150-million more than the Rays' $29-million, $7-million of which is being paid by St. Louis to Tino Martinez.
"The Red Sox and Yankees aren't going away in this division," Piniella said. "Can teams like ours afford what the Yankees can? Absolutely not. But we've got to get closer.
"The solution (is) to get much better. That's really it. But to do that, we've got to get our payroll up there where we can do those things. The answer is get better players, whether they come out of your minor-league system or wherever they come from. There are no miracles; there's no stardust or magic."
Piniella also ruminated on the unbalanced schedule, which has the Rays playing nearly half their games (76) against the AL East.
"It's a two-edged sword," he said. "The Yankees come into town, and they bring people to the ballpark. (But) from a competition standpoint, the (less) you see them, the better.
"In pro football, (the Buccaneers) sell out on Sundays whether Green Bay comes in or the Arizona Cardinals. Pro football has it right. They have a parity of scheduling. As you finish lower in the standings, your schedule gets easier the following year, which allows you to get back into the thick of things. Baseball doesn't have that. Actually, baseball has problems with that. ... Invariably, something has to be done."
The Rays were 2-4 vs. the Red Sox and Yankees during the homestand, 5-1 otherwise.
"If we never saw the Yankees I'd give a (expletive) less," Piniella said. "Now, if we get to the point where we beat them with a little regularity, then yeah, get the Yankees in here as often as you want.
"At home, you've got to win baseball games. That's what gets the curiosity of the fan, that's what makes him come to the ballpark."
HURRY UP: Piniella wants the farm system's top prospects playing for the Rays - soon. Leading the way would be shortstop B.J. Upton , who is hitting .354 at Triple-A Durham after going 2-for-3 Saturday with a home run and three runs.
"We're going to have to bring our top-gun players up," Piniella said. "Waiting too long would be almost foolish."
HOMESICK: The Rays are a woeful 3-17 on the road, worst in the majors. Piniella is hoping to carry some of the homestand success to Minnesota and Baltimore.
"We need to start winning with a little more consistency on the road," Piniella said. "Let's see if we can start turning things around slowly on the road."
TOSSED: After a fly out in the second inning, shortstop Julio Lugo was ejected by home plate umpire Marty Foster. Lugo was bothered by an earlier strike call but insisted he said nothing objectionable that was audible to Foster.
Lugo said it is the first time in his life he has been ejected, and Piniella came out of the dugout to argue.
"I was very close to joining Lugo for a nice, cold beer," Piniella said.
MISCELLANY: Reports out of New York said the Mets are scouting Victor Zambrano, who went 61/3 scoreless innings Sunday. ... Tino Martinez was 2-for-4 with a run on his bobblehead day. ... Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez reached base for the 38th straight game, surpassing his career best from 1999.
