Baseball Musings (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
Marc Topkin voted for Jason Barlett on his MVP ballot. I'll give him a pass, however, since he voted Mauer much higher than Morneau....
Ballbug (Free subscription) | 10/30/2008
Marc Topkin / The Heater : Rays, Phillies getting ready to resume — UPDATE: 8:30: LHP J.P. Howell is the other pitcher warming up with RHP Grant Balfour. — Rays manager Joe Maddon said he is mulling 7-10 different matchup scenarios as the teams get ready to resume play in the World Series, and will have a plan “scripted” when the game starts at 8:37.
Ballbug (Free subscription) | 10/27/2008
Marc Topkin / The Heater : Hinske active, Floyd out, Zobrist starting — The Rays activated INF/OF Eric Hinske on Sunday to replace Cliff Floyd, who has an injured right shoulder. — “It's kind of bittersweet because you never want to see anybody get hurt,” Hinske said. “But I'm excited to be active and have a chance to help anyway I can. ...
Ballbug (Free subscription) | 10/18/2008
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times : Rays: ALCS Game 5 loss to Red Sox is forgotten — James Shields prepares for his start in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series, the first of two chances at home the Rays have to advance to the World Series. — Times] — ST. PETERSBURG — The route was not the one they would have chosen given …
ronald wesley maly (Free subscription) | 10/17/2008
Jane Burns , who in my estimation is the best newspaper columnist, reporter and copy editor in Wisconsin, sent me an e-mail about a guy who was one of her classmates at Drake: Ron, "Thought you might be entertained to know that the Tampa Bay Rays' beat writer is a Drake grad [and former Register intern from a million years ago] named Marc Topkin. A classmate of mine at Drake. He's a St....
Ballbug (Free subscription) | 10/13/2008
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times : Clutch, heady play helped Rays to badly needed win — BOSTON — There were plenty of reasons why the Rays won Saturday/Sunday's marathon 11-inning thriller 9-8, which officially evened the American League Championship Series and theoretically may have tipped the momentum in their favor.
Rays Index (Free subscription) | 10/23/2008
Because the best cure for a bad "Hangover" is a good "Happy Hour". That cute little Rayhawked, bespectacled fella is part of the new logo over " The Heater ", Marc Topkin's blog at the St. Pete Times . He sure is cute. But he looks a little familiar. Hmmm? Where have we seen him before? What could it be? Is it that he has a more famous cousin ? DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA ... Rocco Baldelli...
