In 2007, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were in their second season under skipper Joe Maddon. Preston Brown Jersey . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. They had a slugging first baseman in Carlos Pena who ripped 46 homers and drove in 121 runs while batting .282. They also had an up-and-coming outfielder in B.J Upton who hit 300 while ripping 24 homers and driving in 82 runs. The Devil Rays had two pitchers who managed to get into double digits in victories in James Shields who went 12-8 with a 3.85 ERA and left Scott Kazmir who racked up a 13-9 mark with a 3.48 earned run average. They also had a closer in Alberto Reyes who saved 26 games. Otherwise, it was pretty grim. They scored 782 runs but surrendered 944. The team ERA was a horrendous 5.53. Their attendance of 1,387,603 was the worst in the American League. Back-to-back years like ‘06 and ‘07 could have been enough to cost some managers their jobs, but the Rays had a plan and they also had some blue chip prospects on the way. In 2006, they drafted a highly regarded third baseman in Evan Longoria third overall,. In 2007 they grabbed hard throwing lefty David Price number one. Those were their best two picks since B.J Upton in 2002. In 2008 Tampa Bay got rid of the Devil and became simply known as the Tampa Bay Rays. The turnaround season was remarkable. They went from 66 victories to 97. They shaved their team ERA from 5.53 to 3.82. The Rays actually scored eight fewer runs in ‘08 than they did in ‘07, but they cut their runs against by 273 to 671. All five of their starters, James Shields, Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine, Matt Garza and Scott Kazmir -- all betweenn 24 and 26 years of age -- won in double digits with Shields and Jackson leading the way with 14 apiece. Four of the five pitched at least 183 innings. Shields had a staff high 215 and four of the five starters made at least 30 starts. They also added veteran closer Troy Percival who saved 28 games. He also had a great support staff in J.P Howell. Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour who chipped in with 17 victories. Though Penas numbers dropped off a bit to a ,247 average with 31 homers and 102 runs batted in, Longoria emerged as a force with 27 homers and 85 RBIs while batting .272. Former Blue Jays rookie of the year Eric Hinskie chipped in with 20 homers and 60 runs batted in off the bench. The key though was pitching depth. That 2008 staff had eight pitchers who established themselves as manager league starters including Shields, Garza, Jason Hammel, Jackson, Kazmir, Sonnanstine, Jeff Niemann and Price who pitched in relief late that season. The 2008 Rays went all the way to the World Series where they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five. Over the last six seasons they have racked up a record of (550-423) and been to the post-season four times. The only thing that hasnt improved greatly is their attendance. The incredible season of 2008 boosted the turnstyle count by nearly half a million from the year before to 1,811,986. But by last season the numbers had diminished again to 1,510,300 -- the worst in the American League. The Rays has still never come close to matching the attendance figures of their inaugural season of 1998, when they drew 2,506,293. Its sad really, but at least it is living proof that a well managed, small market club can compete and in fact thrive in the American League East. The Blue Jays have the star power in Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, some possible blue chippers in Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus, a decent bullpen and a couple of solid veteran pitchers in R,A Dickey and Mark Buehrle. They just havent been able to stay healthy enough or keep grinding out pitching prospects the way the Rays have. Its still too early to predict how the A.L East is going to unfold in 2014, but in some circles, the Rays are already being called to win the division with the Blue Jays to finish last behind Baltimore. The Blue Jays are still waiting for some kind of solid return on the Roy Halladay trade. Back on December 16th of 2009, they shipped "Doc" to the Phillies for Kyle Drabek, Travis DArnaud and outfielder Michael Taylor. They wound up flipping Taylor to Oakland for Brett Wallace and then sent Wallace to Houston for Anthony Gose. The Astros designated Wallace for assignment this week when they signed veteran right hander Jerome Williams. Wallace never really developed as a hitter and didnt play well enough defensively at first or third. The Jays are still waiting for Drabek and Gose to arrive as major leaguers and DArnaud was used as part of the package to get R.A Dickey from the Mets. I bring all this up because Halladays illustrious career is now over. The Phillies are going to honour him on their alumni weekend this summer during a series against the Mets. On Aug. 8 the Phils will hold a special ceremony for Roy and will give the fans a special Halladay bobblehead. That same weekend on Aug. 9, the Phillies will induct Charlie Manuel to their wall of fame. Sam Hubbard Jersey . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Sam Hubbard Bengals Jersey . We wonder if the price of a Roberts rookie card has at least gone up a few cents? Tribute Tweets #Padres Tony Gwynn had 287 career plate appearances against #Braves trio of Maddux, Glavine, & Smoltz, he hit . http://www.nflbengalsgearofficial.com/customized/ . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists.Time hasnt diminished Skip Princes affinity for Canadian football and the CFL.The former Montreal Alouettes executive confirmed Friday he recently contacted CFL board chairman Jim Lawson about the commissioners position but hasnt heard back. Prince said while hes busy as the principal of The Prince Companies — which provide consulting services in the sports and entertainment industries —he inquired about the CFLs top job at the urging of two business associates.I had two people from United States Hockey League teams ask me about it and suggest I consider it, Prince said from Austin, Tex. I was very flattered to get those calls and while Im busy and not yearning for the position ... its always been in the back of my mind that it would be wonderful to get back into that (CFL) again.I like the property a lot. Its football played well by great athletes in front of crowds that are very appreciative of the nature of the game ... I just see it as special, it really goes no further than that.CFL commissioner Mark Cohon is scheduled to step down Jan. 9. Lawson, who heads up the committee searching for Cohons replacement, will serve as interim commissioner until Cohons successor is named.Cohon, a 48-year-old Chicago native, succeeded Tom Wright as CFL commissioner in 2007 and signed a three-year contract extension in 2012. He announced in August he wouldnt seek another extension to remain on the job after his current deal ended in April 2015.The CFL hasnt revealed who its looking at to succeed Cohon. On Thursday, league spokesman Jamie Dykstra wouldnt confirm either Princes interest in the commissioners job or reports that Tom Anselmi, the former Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment boss, has been approached about the position.Prince, a 61-year-old native of Richmond, Va., served as Montreals president and chief executive officer from 2002-03 and also was on the leagues search committee that hired Wright to replace Michael Lysko, who was fired by the board of governors in 2002. Prince also served as an adviser to the CFL before starting his own consulting firm in 04.Ive remained a big fan of the league and am impressed at its stability and the many positive elements it has in place, Prince said. I sent a note to Jim Lawson saying Id be interested but Im neither offended nor wounded theres not been a response. That leads me to believe they have a roster of candidates already and thats fine.Ive never lost neither my affection nor love of the Canadian game and desire to see it played very well.Prince possesses a long and extensive sports resume.In August, he completed his tenure as the senior associate director of athletics at the University of Texas following a six-year stint as USHL president and commissioner. He continues to serve as an adviser with American hockeys top junior league.Prior to joining the Alouettes, Prince spent nine years as a vice-president with the NHL (1991-2000) and also served as a vice-president for the parent company of the L.A. Kings. He also helped develop and syndicate the Arena Football League in 19886, serving as its head of business and legal affairs before a stint as interim commissioner. Cordy Glenn Bengals Jersey. Prince attended Yale, where he played football and basketball before graduating in 74. Hes also a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.Cohons successor will take over a league that has four years remaining on both its blockbuster television deal and collective bargaining agreement with the CFL Players Association. In March 2013, Cohon helped negotiate a five-year deal with TSN reportedly worth $43 million annually that was more than 2 1/2 times the previous agreement.But Cohon couldnt fix Torontos stadium issue — the Argonauts still havent found a new home with their Rogers Centre lease set to expire in 2017. The club reportedly remains in talks with MLSE regarding a lease for BMO Field but that deal is contingent on the completion of a $125-million renovation at the outdoor facility.MLSE is contributing $95 million toward the expansion with the city of Toronto agreeing to provide $10 million. But the anticipated funding of $10 million each from the provincial and federal governments hasnt materialized, potentially threatening completion of the project.The Ontario Liberals are expected to contribute $10 million but the federal government is reportedly balking. That could force the CFL to make up the $10-million shortfall in order to secure the Argos future.The Argos have long been plagued by attendance issues at the cavernous Rogers Centre, which can hold over 50,000 for football. Toronto averaged less than 18,000 fans per game there last year and many football pundits suggest a move to a more fan-friendly, outdoor facility will attract more spectators.But Prince said a new stadium would be just the first step towards recovery for the struggling franchise.You still have to promote to the Toronto public that following the Toronto Argonauts is all right, Prince said. Its ironic because one of the teams in my hockey league is based in Indianapolis, where they also have football and basketball teams like Toronto.The triple-A baseball team there doesnt do well because people in Indianapolis think of themselves as major league. The people running the triple-A baseball team are trying to figure out how to tell people its all right to go watch triple-A baseball and doesnt detract from the nature of their city, and I think the second issue in Toronto would be teaching the fan base the Argos are part of an extraordinary league of their own.Another step would be the Argos creating a positive fan experience at BMO Field and giving their supporters a reason to want to return.What youve got in Toronto, which is why I believe you need a five-year plan, is youve got to get people to come back, Prince said. Id expect over the last 10 years everybody has sampled it and you have a project where youve got to make it exciting. The venue helps but it doesnt end there.Thats why I like the CFL because the game is intrinsically entertaining. Ive never seen a boring CFL game, the rules mandate against it. 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