Rays tales

BALL BOYS

The Rays are going to New York at a good time.

Not that the young, mostly single, somewhat rich 20-somethings on the team will notice, but the city will be packed with gorgeous models getting ready for the annual Fashion Week shows.

It's the other big event that may catch their eyes, the U.S. Open tennis tournament being contested nearby.

Several Rays say they occasionally follow the bouncing ball, with Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova's names coming up most often as favorites.

But can anyone in the clubhouse actually play the game?

"The tennis player bodies don't look like most of the bodies in this clubhouse," injured outfielder Rocco Baldelli said. "They're usually a little more lithe."

Still, a few of the Rays admit to having swung the racket.

Outfielder Joey Gathright played in sixth grade and is a big Agassi fan. Chad Orvella also played in junior high and thinks he could pick it up again pretty quickly. Seth McClung, who played seven other sports during his high school glory days, probably could have if he wanted to.

Some have given it a shot and given up.

"It takes too much agility," pitcher Scott Kazmir said.

"I've tried to play," added pitcher Doug Waechter, "but I had to serve underhand because I had no idea where it was going."

The player most likely to hold court, it turns out, is Mark Hendrickson, who went to the state tournament in singles and doubles during his days at Mount Vernon High School in Washington state.

"I was pretty much a serve-and-volley guy," Hendrickson said. "I could hit it and poke it."

Hendrickson and his high school mates watched a lot of tournaments on TV, following Michael Chang ("I even had his Reebok pumps," Hendrickson said), Pete Sampras and Agassi.

"We played in the fall, so it was like our third sport, and it was great conditioning for basketball and baseball," Hendrickson said. "It was a good time. It was fun."

Given the lack of excitement (and abundance of blue seats) at Tropicana Field, the Rays enjoy the energy of playing in places like Fenway Park, where the stands are packed and the fans are into every pitch.

"Of all the places I've been this year, this is my favorite place to play," rookie reliever Chad Orvella said.

With Rhode Islander Rocco Baldelli as their guide, some of the Rays have picked up on the Fenway customs, such as the singing of the Neil Diamond cult hit Sweet Caroline during the middle of the eighth inning.

One night, a few of the Rays even sang it on the team bus.

"I think Rocco busted out pretty well," Orvella said. "He knows all the words. The rest of us just fill in with the chorus."

Forget the 22 homers, the 35 doubles and the push for 100 RBIs. The latest indication that Jorge Cantu has arrived as a big-time player was a short sentence tucked in the Boston Herald's Inside Track gossip column last week.

In the "Tracked Down" section of celebrity sightings, just under the item about where "hottie Leonardo DiCaprio" had lunch, and just above the juicy tidbit about Doug Flutie's latest outing, was this: "Tampa Bay Devil Rays second baseman Jorge Cantu and a pal perched in primo stage-side seats at The Squire in Revere."

Cantu said he met a friend for a beer and didn't even know what band was playing at the club. But he was amused by the star treatment. "That's funny," he said.

Outfielder Jonny Gomes went into play Friday one home run shy of becoming the 129th rookie to hit 20 homers in a season. More impressive, he didn't hit his third until June 13.

"She said, "I really enjoyed seeing McLaren argue with the umpires.' It sort of struck me as funny because every time I argue with the umpires she chastises me."

- Manager Lou Piniella, describing a phone call from his wife, Anita, after bench coach John McLaren was ejected from Tuesday's game