1-13 and manager Joe Maddon doesn’t see a problem.
1-13 and Maddon is shooting for the Rays off day and how the team responds to it and plays after it…
“I’m looking around March 20, the day after the off day, I really want to see us turning this thing around,” he said. “We’ll be playing mostly a solid, set lineup and at that point I want to see things starting to change. … That’s the moment I want to see us play our in-season kind of game.”1-13 and Maddon’s keeping an even keel while the team lacks leadership. They are looking for it from within and I don’t think they will find it. With a team of cast offs and prospects who have never been there (anywhere over 70 wins), the leadership they seek isn’t part of the Rays franchise right now… Unless you count Fred McGriff who has a coaching job with the franchise.
You can see the Rays as potential dark horses in the AL East with their young talent (Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, pre-season ROY favorite Delmon Young, Scott Kazmir). The core is promising on this team but it’s disenchanting that the Rays have not rounded out this crew with a veteran leader or two on the bench or in the bullpen with “been there” experience to help the young guys along.
1-13 this spring… Of course, the games don’t count but when they start counting, what’s going to happen? Will the Rays put Maddon out to pasture if his Zen managerial style continues to not accomplish anything?
