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There's fight in this little team

By JOHN ROMANO
Published April 25, 2005

[Times photo: Dirk Shadd] David Ortiz rushes pitcher Lance Carter after being decked. A bench-clearing brawl ensued.
Main story John Romano: There's fight in this little team Bad blood Nixon bristles, fingers Brazelton Rays lose Johnson with sore shoulder
	Teammates restrain Boston's Trot Nixon, who claims that Tampa Bay's Dewon Brazelton tried to poke his eyes. [AP photo]

ST. PETERSBURG - In the shadows of apathy, there is a spark. In the recesses of indifference, there are embers.

In the eyes of the Devil Rays, believe it or not, there is life.

Oh, at times, it can look a little ragged. And it tends to come and go. But it's worth checking out. It may even be worth looking forward to.

The Rays have not yet given us a reason to believe.

Just a few reasons to keep checking back.

A ninth-inning home run on Friday. A late comeback and clutch save on Saturday. A couple of entertaining tiffs on Sunday. All during a weekend with the largest attendance for a three-game series in nearly five years.

"We have something going on. We have some exciting players," catcher Toby Hall said. "Especially when there's 30,000 people here. There's a different feel to everything when there's a real crowd."

What do you say about a week that begins with a 19-8 embarrassment against the Yankees, and ends with an 11-3 rout against the Red Sox? How about this:

Thank you, sirs, may we have another?

The Rays showed something. A bit of spunk. Evidence of some spirit. Maybe even signs of significance.

Here's a team with the lowest payroll in the game. One of the youngest rosters in the majors. A team that had lost four games in a row and been outscored 38-11. And the Rays turn it around to win four of the next six.

"Based upon these past few days, yeah, I'd say there's a reason to watch this team," outfielder Chris Singleton said.

"This is a young team. We have no other choice than to keep coming out fighting. Otherwise, it's going to be a long year."

Yes, it is easy to dismiss the Rays. On certain days, it may even be advisable. They are not contenders, and never have been. They will lose more than win, and will frustrate you more often than not.

Most nights, it's not even fair. The Rays don't have the muscle. They don't have the bankroll. They don't have anything considered an advantage.

Take last week. On successive nights, opponents used Kenny Rogers, Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling as starting pitchers. That's 491 major-league victories staring from the mound. The Rays countered with Dewon Brazelton, Scott Kazmir and Doug Waechter. That's 18 major-league victories.

And, you know what, it didn't matter.

The Rays won all three games.

Granted, each victory was by one run. Each night could have turned out differently, if not for a single pitch, catch or swing.

But that's what made the week seem so special. The Rays have such a small margin for error, you can't help but sense their urgency. And appreciate their resourcefulness when they beat a Schilling or a Randy Johnson.

Tampa Bay won three out of five against the Yankees and Red Sox last week, and if that doesn't impress you then you weren't watching when the Rays went 9-29 against those two last year.

But it wasn't even the wins and losses that made it so memorable. It was the way the Rays played. They weren't intimidated. They didn't use their meager payroll as an excuse to show up and coast.

That message was reinforced Sunday. The Rays could have taken the challenge in stride when Aubrey Huff was hit by a pitch. After all, Tampa Bay had hit three Boston batters with pitches the previous two games. So Huff did not object when his number came up, just as Carl Crawford did not on Saturday.

But Lance Carter made a statement on behalf of his teammates by decking Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in consecutive at-bats.

"We're not going to back down," Brazelton said. "We've got a lot of young guys and teams might think they can push us around, but we're not going to be pushed around. We have a spark. We have a nice edge to this team."

Ortiz would later suggest Rays manager Lou Piniella instigated the bench-clearing incidents by encouraging brushback pitches.

We can only hope Ortiz is correct.

I'm not suggesting any manager order a pitcher to throw at a hitter's head, but it is Piniella's job to teach the younger players to be major-leaguers. Part of that lesson is learning not to back down.

"If they're going to hit our hitters," Piniella said, "we can certainly do the same."

Okay, the game got out of hand shortly after the series of brushbacks began. That probably would have happened either way. Tampa Bay's bullpen was showing signs of wear, and there's not enough power in the lineup to make up large deficits in a hurry.

But the willingness to take on the Red Sox showed us something.

Just as Brazelton's performance did on Thursday.

Just as Eduardo Perez's home run did on Friday.

Just as the comeback against Schilling did on Saturday.

The Rays are far from being able to make a meaningful impact in the American League.

But, this week, they did make a statement.

[Last modified April 25, 2005, 01:04:14]