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Not a bad way to go out

Though the Rays lost their 100th game on the final day, they put together a terrific second half by turning team over to youth.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 8, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays' season will be defined by the 100 games they lost. But it is what they gained -- the commitment to go with the young players, the experience and knowledge those players picked up and the potential for a brighter future they bring -- that the Rays ultimately hope the season will be remembered for.

The Rays lost to the Yankees 1-0 Sunday, giving them a 62-100 record that made them the first American League team since 1996 to lose 100 games and matched Pittsburgh for worst record in the major leagues this season. It was the fewest wins of their four seasons, a decrease of seven from the previous two years.

"It's as disappointing a season as we've had from a won-loss standpoint," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "But there were more positives, and more positive steps toward the future, than in any season we've had.

"You can't talk about the negatives without talking about the positives."

Such as the way they followed a 27-61 first half with a 35-39 performance. Such as their 24-23 record over the final two months. Such as the way they played and, perhaps for the first time, forged an identity as a young, scrappy team.

"We don't know we lost 100; you guys do," manager Hal McRae said. "We played good. We played hard. We did things we needed to do. We jelled. We played with hustle and enthusiasm. We're very happy.

"One hundred losses don't mean a thing. What's meaningful is the second half of the season. What's meaningful is the last homestand, the teams we played, the series we won, the way we went about it. The big innings, the good pitching, the good defense. We know what it takes now to win and to compete, and we were very competitive. It was a good finish. Not a good season by any means, but a good finish."

Technically, the Rays probably can't carry over the confidence and the positive feelings into next season. But they can hope that doing it once makes it that much easier to recapture it.

"I think we proved that being a young team we lack the experience and we lack the knowledge that the other teams have, but we certainly don't lack the talent," rookie Brent Abernathy said. "I think the second half has shown that with the young guys we have in place, along with the veterans, that we're talented enough to win in probably the toughest division in baseball.

"The more we play, the more experience we're going to gain, and those wins are going to start coming. But we definitely proved we can play at this level."

"You look around and these guys are capable of playing on an everyday basis," catcher Toby Hall said. "It would be kind of interesting to start off with a 0-0 record and see what our record would be, playing at the level we're playing at right now. It'll be exciting to take this second half into next season and try to have the same results."

The names and faces are likely to be primarily the same. LaMar already has said he doesn't expect to spend any money for offseason additions, and the only major free-agent decision involves shortstop Chris Gomez.

The Rays actually may try to further reduce payroll by shedding million-dollar players such as Bryan Rekar and Jose Guillen and continuing to seek to trade veterans John Flaherty and Greg Vaughn.

"I wouldn't expect a lot of turnover," McRae said. "If we do have turnover, it's going to come from the system."

The pitching staff emerged as the team's strength, and McRae would like to make it better by improving the defense, especially at second base, shortstop and centerfield, suggesting the Rays may be able to find some bargains on the benches of other teams.

"Offense is hard to come by and offense is expensive, and a No. 1 starter is sort of out of the question," McRae said. "But we could improve the defense with inexperienced players, players that maybe we can get better with and players that we may suffer with.

"But if we're a better club two years from today because of these players, I'd like to do that."

His biggest concern is the attitude of the returning players, especially the young ones who head home thinking they accomplished something by getting to the big leagues this season.

"It's sort of scary to me because if we don't come back and play with the same intensity and the same desire and determination, it's going to be another long season," McRae said. "I've seen it before, so that's always a concern of mine. Because players have a tendency to try to achieve certain levels and to try and stay here and have a tendency not to continue to reach or not continue to prove and try to settle in, and once you try to settle in you get your bell rung. ...

"The job is unfinished and they have to keep doing things the way they're doing them now and not back off, not be afraid of mistakes and not be afraid of the opposition and not be afraid to make outs or make bad pitches. Just play like hell and go like hell."

The players say that won't be a problem, that they can play the way they played in the final two months, and win as often as they won, over the full 2002 season.

"There's no doubt we can shoot for a .500 record," Abernathy said. "You've got to start somewhere, and if we come in and show the consistency and the level of play that we have and win a few of the close games that we've lost, .500 is without a doubt not out of reach."

McRae said that at least would be a step in the right direction.

"We're 30 wins short," he said. "Somehow, some way, we have to figure out how to make up the difference. I don't think it can be made up in one year. But we have to move toward 90 victories, and hopefully we can start that process next spring."

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