Rays tales
By Times Staff Writer
Published July 4, 2004
WELCOME DISTRACTIONS: Sometimes even Lou Piniella needs a break. The Devil Rays manager spends so much time thinking about baseball for the 10-12 hours a day he's at the ballpark, he tries to get away from it when he can.
At home or in his hotel room, he says he is more likely to be watching CNBC business news than ESPN or the Newshour with Jim Lehrer than a baseball game. In the morning paper, he'd rather read the fishing report or do the crossword puzzle than study the sports section. He likes "old cowboy" movies - especially Distant Drums, a 1951 Gary Cooper movie filmed on location in the Florida Everglades. He often reads investment and financial books and enjoys playing the stock market. Though he knows what is going on with teams the Rays are facing, he doesn't concern himself too much with other details from around the league.
"I try to stay away from baseball stuff, I try to stay away from sports stuff," he said. "I've got a better chance of telling you how some Nasdaq stocks are doing."
SWING CLUB: Former big-leaguer Orestes Destrade, who does some community relations work for the Rays and looks at age 42 like he could still play, had plenty of chances to reminisce last week when Randy Johnson recorded his 4,000th strikeout.
That's because 16 years ago, on Sept. 15, 1988, Destrade was Johnson's first strikeout victim.
"Of course I remember it; I think you remember any time you face Randy Johnson," Destrade said. "That's not a bad piece of trivia to be attached to. It's pretty cool. He couldn't have gotten any more without me."
NAME GAME: Bartolome Fortunato may not be long for the Rays bullpen, but he already has one distinction: the longest name in Rays history.
His 18 letters are more than Quinton McCracken (16), Roberto Hernandez (16), Mark Hendrickson (15) and Larry Rothschild (15).
The shortest names? Rob Bell, Ken Hill and hitting coach Lee Elia.
IN BLACK AND WHITE: Two things you haven't seen often: A story in the Kansas City Star headlined "A case of Tampa envy - Devil Rays have the type of team that Royals would love" and an Associated Press story saying the Pirates "need a Tampa Bay Devil Rays-like turnaround."
STEALING AT A YOUNG AGECarl Crawford on Friday became the eighth modern-day player to steal 100 bases before his 23rd birthday. "Who'd have ever thought I'd do that?" Crawford said. "I'm just happy to be in the company of those other guys." With another month to go before the big day (Aug. 5), he could move up the list:
YOU DON'T SAY"I have a sneaky suspicion we'll continue to play well." - LOU PINIELLA, explaining that he doesn't pay attention to other teams.
- Compiled by Marc Topkin.