Power Pros Forum

I'll be starting the season with the CPU set to All-Star batting and Powerful everything else, my pitching set to expert.
You can find all the highlights on this channel.

The lineup ain't half bad.

Tampa Bay Rays 2008 Season Preview

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have made the change to the Tampa Bay Rays, sporting a whole new logo, set of uniforms, and brand. They have their best current prospect—scratch that, their best prospect ever—firmly entrenched in the opening day roster. Tampa baseball is, at long last, ripe for a change for the better. It certainly can't get much worse.


Did the new GM not know about the Rays' history of failure?

"Last year wasn't easy, that's for sure," said star left fielder Carl Crawford. The Rays finished the season 66-96, "good" for last in the tough AL East... and dead last in the entire league. Yet the .407 winning percentage was hardly the Rays' worst season in their 10-year history. The team has, among other infamous records, placed 51 games behind the division leaders and finished two games above a .333 winning percentage. The most wins in one season to date in franchise history? A cool 70. Last year's 66, in fact, was a 5-game improvement on 2006's 61- 101 record. The team, at best, has finished 18 games back of the division lead; that was in 2000, a year that seems quite removed now. Last year definitely wasn't easy, Carl, but which year has been?


Top prospect Evan Longoria will handle the hot corner

This year could be the year. Top prospect Evan Longoria made the big league roster in Spring Training and figures to be an everyday starter. The influx of homegrown talent (don't forget about young David Price in A ball) should complement last year's Comeback Player of the Year, Carlos Pena, well. Skipper Joe Maddon has shown that he has the confidence of the front office at his back. There's plenty of depth in the outfield, with Crawford, B.J. Upton, and the now-healthy Rocco Baldelli expected to start; Cliff Floyd and Johnny Gomes should serve as capable backups. The top of the rotation, led by ace Scott Kazmir, looks capable of winning a series against any team.

The Rays won't have an easy time of it in the AL East. Last year's champs, the Boston Red Sox, figure to be just as good, if not better, as last year's title-earning team. The New York Yankees, led by Derek Jeter, remain arguably the most potent offense in the game. The Baltimore Orioles traded away both Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard for younger talent, while the Toronto Blue Jays swapped Troy Glaus for Scott Rolen and signed all-star shortstop David Eckstein.

"The Jays don't frighten me too much," said the outspoken Crawford. "At least they don't have Bhurst99 as their owner. I had a dream where he was, and they won the World Series. That's when I woke up. Oh, and we were terrible in that dream. Let's hope it doesn't happen in real life," Crawford added uncomfortably.

The Rays put their new logo, uniforms, and talent on display starting March 31st at Camden Yards, kicking off a three game set with the Orioles.

Game Highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AalQnp4Gprg

Highlights:
1- 2-run HR by Carlos Pena (6th)
2- Solo HR by B.J. Upton (6th)
3- 2-run double by Melvin Mora (8th)
4- Final out

Impressive great job with layout I'm very interested to see how the Rays finish

Thank you kind sir.

Is there a way to embed YouTube vids? Nothing's working for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8axbKxQdMXo

Highlights:
1- Aubrey Huff avoids the double play to allow the go-ahead run to score
2- Dioner Navarro bloops a single to center to plate the tying run
3- Akinori Iwamura drives home two runs and craftily takes second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfwFdtej3YQ

Highlights:
1- Rocco Baldelli sneaks a single up the middle for his first RBI of the year
2- Luke Scott beats the double play, allowing the tying run to score
3- Rámón Hernandez score the go-ahead run on a soft single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weiTFGI0724

Highlights:
1- Jeremy Giambi chops a force out that allows the first run to score
2- Alex Rodriguez crushes a two-run big fly to put the game out of reach once and for all
3- Giambi immediately follows with a blast of his own to complete the back-to-back

The layout for this is very impressive. I'm still updating rosters, but when I finish, I hope to make a log like this.

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gwevYK1FZo

Highlights:
1- Jason Giambi hits a monster three run homer for the first runs of the game
2- Hideki Matsui smashes hit fourth homer of the series
3- Bobby Abreu squeezes a single past Carlos Pena to drive in another run

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEqephfFIIY

Highlights:
1- Carlos Pena crushes his fifth homer of the year
2- Hideki Matsui hits a big, go-ahead triple that just eludes center fielder B.J. Upton
3- Upton punches a clutch, two-out single to right to put the Rays up 4-3
4- Jason Bartlett makes a great play to rob Hideki Matsui and finish the game



This was a really fun game to play, very tense all the way and a thrilling last two innings.

Love the writing style and aesthetics, good job AJ. looking forward to seeing where this goes..

Rays are a good pick for their roster at the time

Thank you!

Yeah, I picked the Rays since they had the worst WPCT in 07, meaning that I'll feel it's realistic if we tank this season, but of course this team also made the World Series, so if I do really well I'll still feel it's realistic.