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| Damon and Ramirez showing off their new uniforms |
With the loss of Matt Garza, Carlos, Pena and Carl Crawford, arguably the foundation of their recent success, most of us wanted to throw in the towel before the season even started. The combination of losing player personal and trying to compete in the AL East with a fully reloaded Red Sox team, the 2011 season did not look so bright for the Rays.
But with the signing of future Hall of Famers, Johnny Damon and Manny Ramriez, the Rays look to play a "wild card" and offers some hope to fight for the AL East.
I was throughly impressed with the two in their press conferences. They both seemed extremely comfortable and were laughing and joking with manger Joe Maddon already. Maddon joked that if he had the ability to grow hair like Manny's he would "do it in a heartbeat". Manny said all the right things and talked about competing and showing that he can still play at 38 years old. He even said that he "could have taken more money from another team" but felt comfortable and likes the atmosphere in Tampa. Last year, Manny came in weighing 237 lbs. but this year he proclaimed he's down to 225 and even gave a flex of his bicep. Us as fans can only hope Manny will put the money where his mouth his and returns to the somewhat Manny of old. But with a young team and many challenges ahead, time will tell if Manny will turn back to being "Manny".
Damon, sporting a mohawk, seemed really excited to be here and called the Rays his "Dream Team". He's from Florida and likes that his friends and family will be here to cheer him on. I think the leadership and energy he has to offer will be as much or more beneficial than any of the numbers he puts up.
Even more than how either of these players perform this season, hats off to Executive VP, Andrew Friedman for generating interest in Rays baseball after it looked like it was going to be a "long season". Personally, I was not to optimistic about the season, but after watching this press conference, Rays baseball can't come soon enough. You better believe I will be sporting a Manny jersey all season, if they start selling Manny wigs, I'll be first in line to buy one of those too. Here's to Rays baseball, lets hope this season is as interesting as we all hope it will be.
