THE BIDDING WAR BEGINS: EVERYBODY WANTS WIGGINTON!

AS THE BASEBALL TRADING DEADLINE NEARS, EVERYBODY WANTS TY WIGGINTON.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are in a position similar to the position they've been in at the end of every July of their existance. They are out of a pennant race. And some of their players are considered potential parts for other teams.

This season the guy getting the most notice is second baseman Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton is another of Tampa Bay's famous retreads; guys who washed out elsewhere but found new life and revived their career at the Trop (Tropicana Field in Tampa/St. Petersburg).

Wigginton (pictued with team mate Johnny Gomes) has been a major assett to the Devil Rays for the past two seasons. Playing third base, second base, first base and the outfield; as well as occasionally DH'ing, he was well on his way to a 100 RBI season before injuries derailed him in '06. This season he's batting .275 with 16 homers and 49 RBI as of this writing.

Rumors involving Minnesota and the Yankees interest have been floating around for weeks; one trade had Ty going to the Yankees for relief pitcher Scott Proctor.

Wigginton would be a huge assett to the Yankees; giving them a solid hitter at first base and flexibility at several other positions. Ty could fill in a super-utility role with the Pinstripers.

As of today however that trade has not been completed and now rumor has it that the Red Sox and Mets are two other teams that have interest.

The Red Sox interest me as a Rays fan; I know they've been disenchanted with Coco Crisp, their center fielder and I know that they have a couple of young pitchers who would look good in Tampa; and there has been rumor that Carl Crawford could be moved as well. A blockbuster trade is not out of the realm of possibility; especially now that John Lester, the Boston hurler who battled cancer, pitched so well his first game back in the bigs.

The Mets of course have a couple of talented prospects as well but I'm not sure they're as deep in pitching. Were this to turn into a bidding war, the Yankees hold the edge as they are have the strongest crop of young pitching prospects.

The trading deadline often produces little but sometimes trades that are made impact the teams for years to come... in 1987 for example, the Tigers were hot on the trail of a division title and needed that pitching boost. The Braves, then on a par with todays Devil Rays, had a proven starter named Doyle Alexander, who the Tigers wanted. They traded a minor league pitcher to the Braves and rode Alexander's arm into the playoffs that year, he was amazing down the stretch and went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for the team down the stretch.

Oh yeah, the guy the Braves got? John Smoltz, a probable Hall of Fame'r when he retires; the only player in history with over 200 victories and 150 saves, and still going strong; a 10 - 5 record this season with a 2.78 ERA thus far.

Will the Devil Rays get someone like that for Ty Wigginton? Not likely, and certainly not intentionally... but then had the Tigers known what and who John Smoltz would become, he probably would still be with the AL Central team.

But there is no way to know how a player will mature or what injuries he might endure. Things have a way of never going exactly as you expect them to. Like the Mets, being interested in acquiring Ty Wigginton after they gave up on him once.

Will Wigginton end up in Boston, Minnesota, one of the NY clubs? Or will he remain in Tampa Bay, where he is a fan favorite for his hard-nosed style of play and clutch hitting? Time will tell... and most likely it will tell is in the next few days.

BELOW THE RADAR MOVIES: SWORDFISH

SWORDFISH (2001) (R)

Starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry & Don Cheadle

OK. It might be a stretch to say that a movie snuck "under the radar" if it sold over 12 million tickets between the US and the UK, but Swordfish managed to do it.

Opening with around $18 Million in ticket sales for it's premiere weekend in June of that year, Swordfish stayed in theaters and plugged away until the studio pulled it after the events of 9/11. (Due to an exploding building that is prominent in the movie.) When the box office totals were tallied, Swordfish totalled just short of $70 million compared to an approximate production cost of $80 million. Obviously with overseas tickets and DVD sales, a profit was turned but this was not a blockbuster by studio standards.

Which is a shame. Swordfish is a solid movie, a great story, and one hell of a ride. Travolta plays Gabriel, a somewhat shady government agent who hatches a scheme to steal several billion dollars that have been "lost and forgotten" by the government so he can finance a take-it-to-em war on terror. His sidekick is Ginger (Berry) who helps him recruit computer-whiz Stanley Jobson (Jackman), who had once hacked into government computers and will be sent back to prison if he is caught using a computer again.

Naturally the cop who originally arrested Jobson (Cheadle) almost immediately finds out that he's involved in something but Ginger tells him not to worry because she's actually a DEA agent who is undercover and knows about his problem and will vouch for him when the time comes.

Adding to the undercurrent is the fact that Jobson's ex wife has taken his daughter and won't allow her to see him. She has married a producer of adult films who has money, which Jobson no longer does, and can fight him in court with a team of lawyers if he tries to see the girl.

This movie has some wonderful performances, a good chemistry between the characters, and the effects are top notch. We're talking about a movie here that has a myriad of twists and turns and very few people are exactly who or what they seem.

There is some language issue here, there is a scene with a topless Berry, and some serious violence so be aware this is not a movie for the kiddees. But if the kids are in bed, or gone... or old enough to share a grown up movie, this is one that you will enjoy.

Better Late Than Never: Carlos Pena Lives Up To The Hype

DEVIL RAYS FIRST BASEMAN FINDS A HOME





Carlos Pena was a has been. Or more appropriately he was a "never was."



The former first round draft pick (#10 overall in 1998 by the Texas Rangers), great things have been expected from the native of the Dominican Republic virtually ever since.



While not a rocket ride, his trip through the Rangers farm system did nothing to diminish those expectations. He was labeled as their "first baseman of the future."



However just prior to Pena's expected rise to the bigs, the Rangers previous crop of rookies began to hit like there was no tomorrow. And while Pena did play in 22 games for Texas in '01, Hank Blalock and Mark Texiera made sure that there was no need for Pena to wear a Rangers uniform.



So the gifted hitter was packaged in a trade to the Oakland A's where he was deemed as the next coming, the best hitter to man the first base sack since Jason Giambi had toiled in Oakland. However Pena kind of stutter-stepped at the start and lost his job in Oakland by batting a dismal .218 with only 7 homers in his first forty games with his new team.



Many were surprised at just how quickly Oakland gave up on the much hyped hitter. However while Oakland chose to move in a different direction, Detroit was more than glad to give their first base job to Pena and traded for him.



Pena's stay in Detroit was a decent trial period. However he did fail to live up to the hype. Carlos finished up the '02 season as the Tigers regular at first base and kept the job through the '04 season. However his best year with Detroit, '04, yielded just a .241 batting average with 27 homers and 82 runs batted in 142 games. Pretty pedestrian numbers by first base standards.



When the first half of the '05 season showed no progress, Pena lost his job and saw his time in Detroit come to an end. After signing with the Red Sox and playing in just 18 major league games in '06, many thought that the super prospect had officially failed to live up to expectations. In fact few thought he'd ever have a regular job in the major leagues again.



Enter the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. A team that has never finished with more than 70 victories in any season tends to sift through other teams garbage hoping to find something worthwhile. They took a flier on Pena, hoping to piece maybe half a season out of him as a stop-gap at first base while their own heralded prospects at first base got some experience at the AAA level.



Suddenly, after a slow start, the Carlos Pena that the world had expected to see for the past five years showed up. At this writing he has a .297 batting average with 22 home runs and 60 runs batted in for his first 78 games at with Tampa. He is, in fact, 2nd in the league in OPS (on base plus slugging) percentage with a nifty 1.029, second only to Alex Rodriguez' 1.054.



I had a chance to catch the D-Rays in a pair of games at Tropicana Field in Tampa this season and Pena looked solid, made a dazzling play in the field and hit a ball that left the park in a hurry.



The Devil Rays have a few guys they have rescued from the trash pile. Guys like Ty Wigginton and Al Reyes who have resurrected their careers under the dome in St. Petersburg (where the Rays actually play their home games.)



Now the team is starting to think that Carlos Pena may indeed be their "first baseman of the future"... and Carlos Pena may have found an unlikely home at "the Trop."

Hillenbrand to Yankees? Yankee Haters Hope So!

SHEA HILLENBRAND TO SIGN WITH YANKEES?

The New York Yankees, needing an upgrade at first base, are rumored to be interested in former Red Sox, Diamondback, Blue Jays, Giants & Angels infielder Shea Hillenbrand.

Hillenbrand, a hitter prone to streaks would be a decent upgrade talent wise to the New York first base position but the baggage he brings in attitude might be something that is worse for the Yankees than their difficulties finding a replacement for Jason Giambi's bat in the lineup.

And that attitude might bring just enough extra discord to an already shaky Yankees team to derail them or the remainder of this season.

Hillenbrand, who brings a .285 lifetime average and 20 home run a season power; along with the ability to man first or third base, also brings a history of being a magnet for trouble. His most famous incident involved a famous spat with manager his manager in Toronto that led to his ultimate trade to the Giants at midseason.

Given his talent and yet his inability to stay with one team for a lengthy time, it's painfully obvious that Hillenbrand does not share chemistry with many teams. When he signs with the Yankees (or whoever) it will mark his sixth team in as many years.

Kind of like Reggie Sanders a few years back, but without the playoff appearances. Which of course is why the thought of Hillenbrand signing with the Bronx Bombers brings a smile the the face of Yankee haters world wide.

NUMB3RS: It's Not Your Basic Math Class

NUMB3RS

CBS, FRIDAY, 10:00 p.m.

Every now and again a network launches a show in midseason that clicks on all cylinders. Three seasons ago CBS had such a launch with NUMB3RS.

A family friendly drama on Friday nights, the show revolves around the adventures of Don and Charlie Epps as they solve crimes using math.

Don (Rob Morrow)(Right in photo) is a special agent for the FBI who seems to never have a crime that doesn't require the help of his math professor brother Charlie (David Krumholtz)(Left in photo) and Charlie's friends Larry and Amita. In fact the interaction between the forces of the FBI and the forces of acadamia are a huge part of this shows magic.

That and the relationship between Don & Charlie and their father Alan (Judd Hirsh). Hirsh was a piece of brilliant casting as he shares a house with his math geek son and in season 3 began a romance with Charlie's boss as well.

Early in the series we learn that while Charlie offering to help Don is something that began with the series pilot, he had actually been working with the government prior, helping to devise ways to profile terrorists and solve major crimes for agencies like the CIA and NSA. When Don learned that his little brother had a higher security clearance than he did himself... priceless television.

This series does not overtly glorify the crime. We do get glimpses of what is happening, but most of the emphasis is put on the seeking of the solution. And the wonderful way the FBI agents acknowledge Charlie's genius without having a clue what he's saying is sheer genius.

Notable in the supporting cast are Diane Farr as agent Megan Reeves and Peter MacNichol as Professor Larry Fleinhardt, one of Don's agents and Charlie's mentor, respectively. An interesting sub-plot involved a budding romance between the strong female agent and the quirky but gifted professor. As MacNichol took time off from NUMB3RS last season to take a part on "24", the romance took a back seat as MacNichol's character Larry was involved in a space shuttle flight to cover the absence. He has returned and is signed to be on the show again in season 4.

NUMB3RS is one of the few shows I watch on a regular basis. It is a can't miss for me, along with JERICHO, HOUSE, NCIS & HEROES (and now TOP CHEF). Other than those few shows, it's hit or miss for me...

:D

BELOW THE RADAR MOVIES: TWILIGHT

TWILIGHT - 1998 - "R"

starring Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman with James Garner, Reese Witherspoon & Stockard Channing.

NOTE: This blog contains spoilers for the movie.

This is one of those pleasant-surprises you find when you buy VHS or DVD's from a "Bargain Bin." This movie, went "under the radar" as I call it, meaning I was unaware of it or chose to not see it when it came out originally only to find that I really enjoyed it when I finally saw it.

In TWILIGHT, Paul Newman plays an ex-cop turned Private Detective who lives with and works for his friend Gene Hackman. Initially hired by Hackman to retrive his runaway daughter (Reese Witherspoon), Newman ends up getting shot and rehabs at Hackmans home and he stays on afer recovering. Hackman is married to Susan Sarandon though there is a sexual chemistry between her and Newman, especially with Hackman battling a recurring cancer.

The main plot of the movie involves a blackmail scheme that leads to the disappearance and suspected murder many years before of Sarandon's former husband. As the story unfolds Newman finds himself in the middle of a who dunnit with the key suspects being both Sarandon and Hackman.

If you're a fan of film-noir, you won't be disappointed with this movie. Serious homage to old PI movies by an aging but still solid cast. Likewise fans of solid performances are going to love the interaction and chemistry of the old-pro's.

You Know You're Getting Old When...

TOP CHEF: Airs on BRAVO at various times (New Episodes air Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m.)


Several years ago I worked for a small company in a myriad of roles. One of my assignments was to drive from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville, FL once a week to meet with a retired Army Colonel who was nearly 80 years old. He was listed as an advisor to the company but his advice was seldom used or sought after. So I got to make the weekly day-trip to help him with his computer work as he was not very computer literate or friendly. Plus my weekly trips to Jacksonville were important because they usually led to the old mans weekly absence from the company offices in Daytona... and that was deemed essential by the President of the company...

What I found was that his primary computer needs had nothing to do with our company, which manufactured water filtration systems, but rather involved the finding and printing off recipes that he and his wife had seen on television. Usually it was a simple task to go to the cooking channel dot com and click on the chef that had prepared the dish.

And then we'd go to lunch someplace that served far less delectible dishes...

I was reminded of my many miles and lunches with the Colonel recently when I discovered Top Chef on BRAVO.

In fairness it was my significant other who discovered this very entertaining cooking competition. (And before anybody decides I must be gay to use the term "significant other" let me assure you I am wholly hetero, I simply feel my beloved to be as significant to me and my life as any who live the single-sex persuasion and lifestyle.)

Top Chef is in its third season and features an initial group of 15 chefs who compete in one small (Quickfire) challenge where the chefs have a hurried (usually 30 minutes) to prepare a small dish and the winner of that round is immune from being sent home at the end of the next round.

The main round gives the chefs a harder task, but a longer time and deeper instructions to prepare it for judging. There are a panel of four judges per episode, but often the food is prepared and used in a public setting; a high class barbeque or an Elks club dinner for example... where the chefs were asked to "recreate" old family favorites and make them healthier at the same time...

The head judge is Tom Colicchio and the shows hostess is Padma Lakshmi, both pictured above. They are joined by a couple of other judges and the dishes are tasted and compared and then the top chefs are brought out, congratulated and the winner of the week announced. Then the bottom few chefs are brought out, explained to why their dishes failed, and then after discussion with the panel, the loser of the week is sent home.

The show is surprisingly entertaining as there are behind the scenes interviews with the participants as well as a clear understanding of what is being done and why. Even if they're wrong the chefs are compelling and the competition is intense.

So either cooking shows are becoming more interesting or I'm just getting old...

(For more on Top Chef visit the official website: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/index.php )

Josh Hamilton: Bad Boy Turns Good Too Late For Rays

Josh Hamilton (#33 in the picture above) has seemingly outrun his personal demons. The former #1 (overall) draft pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is making a name for himself in Cincinatti and is considered to be in the running for both Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year honors.

After enduring several years of drug addiction and the suspensions by both the Rays and Major League Baseball that came with failing drug tests, Josh seems to have recaptured his dream and escaped the clutches of the drug-demons. However the team that stood by him and paid him that first pick bonus money is now left watching Hamilton play ball in Cincinatti, having gotten nothing but the $50,000 Rule 5 draft money out of their investment.

For those who do not know about Rule 5 drafts: If a player has been in a teams farm system for five years and is still not on the major league 40 man roster, an other team can take him in the draft and pay the losing team $50,000. However that player must remain on the purchasing teams 25 man major league roster all season or be offered back to the original team for half price or $25,000.

Now because of the many suspensions and time listed as inelligible by Major League baseball it took a little extra time for Hamilton to make the bigs. He no doubt would have been drafted last year had he not been listed as inelligible to play.

Hamilton is having a decent rookie season. A .271 batting average with 13 home runs as of today. Of course the Cincinatti Reds (who picked him up from the Chicago Cubs who made the actual draft choice) have assigned the brother of former manager Jerry Narron to shadow Hamilton. To hang out with him when he's on the road and away from the ballpark in an effort to help keep Josh from relapsing once more into his drug-dependant ways.

Which is all well and good. It's nice that the kid has a good enough job and enough talent to make it worth his teams while to baby-sit him around the clock. I have no problem with that. Doc Gooden and Steve Howe probably would have benefitted from baby sitters during their careers as well.

I guess my biggest problem is the way Tampa Bay loses this guy and virtually all the money they invested for next to nothing. In my opinion when you have a player who is beset by injuries or suspensions/inelligible times that five year rule (which was designed to protect players from being buried in the minors when they were ready to play in the bigs) should be nullified. At the very least the Reds (or the Cubs who made the draft choice) should have to trade an equal value player to the D-Rays.

OK, as you might guess, I am a Devil Rays fan. I'm from Florida originally and have seen more games at Tropicana Field than any other major league park. But I'm also a fan of the game. I want the things that are the best for the game of baseball more than the things that are the best for Tampa Bay baseball.

The reason Josh Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 draft was because Tampa Bay had the worst record in baseball for the 1998 season. The draft is set up so that the bad teams can draft and get the best young players to help build a team. I'm not a fan of whiney-assed players who refuse to sign with the team that drafted them. I'm not a fan of whiney-assed players who tell teams not to draft them because they won't sign. Be it baseball, football, or any other sport. I watch the New York Giants every week during football season hoping Eli Manning will break his arm, leg, or neck because of the cocky and arrogant attitude he had toward the San Diego Chargers when they held the rights to the first player drafted. As it happened the player they got instead of Manning is a far superior player to Manning. Sometimes God smiles on the team.

Like 1990, when the most clamored after player was a young pitcher named Todd Van Poppel. The Atlanta Braves had the right to the first pick in that draft due to their dismal 1989, and Poppel told them that should they draft him he would opt for college; which would mean that the Braves would have wasted their draft pick.

Fortunately the Braves listened to Poppel and drafted one Larry "Chipper" Jones, who has gone on to have a "Hall-of-Fame" caliber career and is on the verge of becoming the all time Atlanta Braves home run leader.

Todd Van Poppel? Oakland took a flier on him with the 14th overall pick and suddenly, because Oakland was a better team, Poppel signed and played for them. However he never lived up to the hype, endured arm problems (dare I say "Serves him right?") and at last look was buried in the New York Mets farm system. He currently sports a lifetime (MLB) Earned Run Average of a lofty 5.58!

Of course that is something of a tangent. My contention with this blog entry is that the Rays were allowed to be robbed by Major League Baseball. They were the ones who kept him from playing and then reinstated him. I contend that his time suspended or inelligible should be detracted from his service time toward the Rule 5 draft! Just as when a player is sent to the minor leagues his major league service time is frozen until he is called back up.

Do I wish Josh Hamilton ill? Of course not, none of this (aside from the drug useage) is his doing. He went to play ball where he was told to go. I hope the young man (and his handlers) are able to avoid drugs, alcohol, tobacco, bad cholesterol... you name it... But I think MLB owes something to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the mishandling of this first round draft choices career with the AL East's perennial underdogs.

Do you agree?

RASPBERRIES RETURN: LIVE ON SUNSET STRIP!

Raspberries: Live On Sunset Strip hits stores on July 31 and represents the first release by the original members (Eric Carmen, Dave Smalley, Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti) since 1973's classic LP "Side 3". The release also represents the first live release ever by the band.

Raspberries formed in Cleveland and hit their stride in the early 1970's with a string of hits including "Go All The Way", "I Wanna Be With You," "Let's Pretend," & "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." To many they are considered to be the "grandfathers of Power Pop" and have been referenced as inspirations by artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Axl Rose.

This release comes in two different offerings from Rykodisc. ( http://www.rykodisc.com ) There is a single CD that features 13 songs, including the hits listed above and a deluxe edition that includes a second 8 song CD and also a DVD featuring 5 performances from the concert, recorded in October, 2005 by renowned engineer Mark Linnett.

Also available is a super-deluxe edition from the band themselves ( http://www.raspberriesonline.com) that features all 21 songs in DVD format as well as several extras only available from this website.

For those unfamiliar with Raspberries sound, the Raspberries Online site has several samples of their music as well as links to You Tube videos of decades old performances. Also of note, during the time between releases lead vocalist Eric Carmen enjoyed a successful solo career, scoring such hits as "All By Myself," "Boats Against The Current," "Make Me Lose Control," & "Hungry Eyes" from the movie "Dirty Dancing."

Lead guitarist Wally Bryson was a member of the band "Fotomaker" for a time as well as "Tatoo" and both Smalley and Bonfanfi recently released CD's, Smalley as a solo artist and Bonfanti as a member of the band "Boxer."

For those like me, who never got to see Raspberries live, this CD and DVD set is a long awaited reward. I'd suggest making certain you order yours today!

The Battle For Jericho

JERICHO

Returns July 6th

9:00 p.m. EDT

CBS

The cult hit, Jericho, which was cancelled and then resurrected through the efforts of self proclaimed "Jericho Rangers" and perhaps the "nuttiest" Save Our Show Campaign in the history of television returns with rebroadcasts of the seasons episodes starting this Friday night.

The show, featuring Skeet Ulrich (L) and Lennie James (R) (Pictured Above) has also been renewed for fall with a minimum order of seven new episodes.

Given that the show was dead in the water when the fall schedule was announced, the renewal is little short of a miracle. CBS, as networks are prone to do, relied solely on the "Nielson" ratings to determine the audience for the show. When Jericho debuted in September of '06 it was considered one of the surprise hits of the new season. But after an ill-advised almost three month hiatus it lost a substantial share of its audience. The fact that it returned against the beginning of the "American Idol" season did not help matters and the show fell to "the bubble" and then below the bubble of renewal.

However fans were vocal and just short of militant in their pursual of a new season for Jericho. As you may have heard by now if you read entertainment news at all, a campaign to bury CBS in peanuts was hatched and implemented. Based on character Jake Green's (Ulrich) reply to the demand that Jericho lay down their arms and stop the defense of their town from the hostile takeover by neighboring New Bern.

"Nuts!" The line came from an epic WWII battle but became a line in a cult series and the rallying cry of those "Jericho Rangers" who organized and shipped over 25 tons of nuts to CBS offices in protest.

About the same time Nielson revealed that when shows are "divo'd", recorded using a Divo, and watched within three to seven days, Jericho gained substantially in the ratings. And the gain, not surprisingly, came in that oh-so-desired demographic of 18-47 year old males. Plus, it was noted (and who knew it could be checked) that those self-same people did not skip through the commercials, making this a boon that advertisers might actually like.

Yet another factor came into play, the roughly half a million people who it was learned were actually watching the show at their leisure each week online... at CBS.COM... via the very vehicle that "The Eye" network had put in place to accomodate those 18-47 year olds...

In other words, part of Jericho's demise lay at the feet of CBS. First for breaking the continuity of the show with a lengthy hiatus and then for penalizing and not counting the people who used the method CBS gave them to watch the show!

Eventually CBS yielded and ordered the minimum order of seven new episodes to air sometime in the fall... best guess is as early as November... and a re-airing of the pilot (this Friday) followed by the "second season"... the episodes that aired after the hiatus along with a "Return to Jericho" episode next week that recaps episodes 2 - 11.

For those who have not heard, Jericho is the story of a small town in Kansas that must come together to survive after nuclear weapons destroy several larger American cities. It is an drama that deals with the emotions and the lives of those in the town and those they come in contact with from outside their borders. Some are good, some are bad. Life goes on and the people try to live it as normally as possible given the circumstances.

Jericho features a stellar cast, led by Skeet Ulrich as the "prodigal son" of the town's mayor, played himself by Gerald McRaney. Also Lennie James plays a prominent role as Mr. Hawkins, a man who "just happened" to move into town and pay cash for a house two days before the bombs went off.

Is Hawkins a good guy or bad guy? What are the secrets in Jake's life, where has he been for the past five years? As the answers are unfolded, the story gets better and better.

Jericho lives for now. If you're not a fan, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the 2006-07 television seasons best kept secrets.

Friday, July 6th, 9:00 EDT.

:D

For more on Jericho, visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/