The Real Beasts of the East are the Tampa Bay Rays

It's way too early for scoreboard watching - and yet the age-old Yankee-Red Sox hostilities at Fenway this weekend have become tempered by the Tampa Bay Rays' scary surge out of the AL East gate. As one veteran American League exec told me in the spring: "The Rays have so much talent, all those high-ceiling, high-draft choice guys. If they ever all put it together at the same...

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon wants Carlos Peña not to worry about batting average

Manager Joe Maddon is into all kinds of numbers. But he had a talk with 1B Carlos Peña and told him to ignore the big one that gets flashed on the scoreboard each time he steps to the plate: his batting average. Maddon's premise is that Peña would have a higher average than his .196 (after an 0-for-4 Friday) if he weren't constantly facing a strong defensive shift that stymies him when he pulls balls to right. "Against a normal defense, he's probably hitting pretty decently right now," Maddon said. "Against the abnormal defense, he hits into...

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How to choose a Logo Designer

Make sure that you are provided several ideas an not pushed into what the designer wants Provided for Lake Park High School Lancers by MajorLeagueLogos.com jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery('.intro .thumbnail a:first').attr('href','http://i.ehow.com/images/a05/de/lk/choose-logo-designer-800X800.jpg');...

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Lebron massacres Boston

Danny Ainge needed to throw in the towel this time.After three days rest to heal his banged-up elbow, LeBron James appeared every bit a man among boys Friday night in a Game 3 rout over Boston.Actually, he made the Celtics look like what they are quickly becoming: old men.King James, after appearing...

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Tampa Bay Rays 8 to 1 to Win 2010 World Series

The Rays have the best winning percentage in baseball so far this season. The New York Yankees have played outstanding baseball so far this post-season as they have a .704 winning percentage through 27 games. However despite all of their success, they are not even the leaders of their division as the Tampa Bay Rays are 21-7 on the year so far. One thing that is very head turning with Tampa Bay is that they are 12-1 on the road so far this year. Most teams play worse on the road when compared to their home record, but the Rays have been dominant...

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LeBron, Howard unanimous All-NBA picks

LeBron James and Dwight Howard were unanimous choices for the All-NBA Team, while Kobe Bryant received 119 of 122 votes from writers and broadcasters.James was a unanimous pick for the second straight season and made his fourth all-NBA Team. The Cleveland star won the MVP award for the second year in a row.Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade completed the first team Thursday. Durant led the NBA in scoring for Oklahoma City with a 30.1 average, and James was second at 29.7. Howard led the league in rebounding with a 13.2 average and also averaged 18.3...

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Clemson's Taylor signs contract with Tampa Bay

Clemson's Rendrick Taylor signed an NFL free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was invited to a tryout camp last weekend. He will report back to Tampa for a minicamp May 17. He will work as a fullback and tight end. The former Marlboro County High star played in 38 games over the last five years, 10 as a starter, seeing time at fullback, wide receiver and tight e...

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Tampa Bay Rays break it open late to beat Mariners for second straight night

SEATTLE — The Rays had a pretty good idea it would take a lot to beat Cliff Lee on Wednesday.And they got it, the 8-3 win extending their best-in-baseball record to 20-7.They needed a strong start from Matt Garza, and he outpitched the acclaimed ace, allowing only five hits over eight innings to earn his AL-leading fifth win.They needed some clutch hits, and Evan Longoria delivered a huge one (after a key Ben Zobrist bunt), a one-out RBI single in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie.And they needed a few breaks, and there was a big one later in the eighth...

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Bucs KR Clifton Smith signs 1-year tender

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Kick returner and reserve running back Clifton Smith has signed a one-year tender to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after becoming the first player in club history to return a kickoff and punt for touchdowns in the same season. ...

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Magic Rout Hawks 114-71 in First Game of NBA Playoff Series

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Dwight Howard had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 114-71 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of their National Basketball Association Eastern Conference semifinal series.Vince Carter added 20 points for the Magic, who have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.Josh Smith scored 14 points for the Hawks, who were held to 35 percent shooting, at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida.In a Western Conference semifinal game, the host Los Angeles Lakers were trying to extend their series lead to 2-0 against...

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Best starting rotation in baseball? Look no further than Tampa

Ok, so maybe folks in Florida still aren't paying attention to the Tampa Bay Rays, but the rest of the baseball world sure is these days.The Rays, 18-7, are off to the best start since the New York Yankees in 2003.And guess what?They're not going away."You hear people talk about that team,'' Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona says, "but no one ever talks about that pitching. That staff is good. Real good. Real, real good.''Just how good?"They have the best starting rotation in baseball,'' says Jim Fregosi, special assistant to Atlanta Braves...

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Celtics utilize big advantage - They hold on to lead and tie series

CLEVELAND — No lead is safe. Chewing up and spitting out Boston’s leads in the regular season and in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Cavaliers had made that clear.The Celtics needed to prove to themselves and the Cavs that some leads were indeed insurmountable. So, they piled it as high as they could. Ray Allen fired arrows at the rim. The Celtics suffocated the Cavs for 45 minutes, and the whistles that had gone Cleveland’s way early started to blow in favor of the Celtics.The Celtics’ lead ballooned to 25 points...

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Starting rotation may make Tampa Bay Rays virtually slump-proof

ST. PETERSBURG — In case you had not noticed, Rays hitters have cooled off.Carlos Peña is hitless in his past 12 at-bats with seven strikeouts. B.J. Upton is 0-for-13 with four strikeouts. Tampa Bay has scored seven runs in its past 31 innings, which sounds even worse when you know the Rays scored 42 in the previous 31.So it's entirely reasonable to wonder if a tremendous start is about to go splat. To worry if the law of baseball averages, or maybe the curse of Vinny Castilla, is finally catching up to Tampa Bay.Except for this:The Rays squeezed...

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