BASEBALL: Atlanta at Tampa Bay

This is my most-questionable one yet. I know there are a few readers who've already moved the cursor over their browser's back button. But WAIT! This won't be a diatribe of why I love Georgia or Florida baseball. And I'm not going to argue that Tampa Bay is a sports hotbed either. I'll save that one for the next time we're having a few beers together cause we'll need some suds at that point. No, today's one to watch is only the Braves and Devil Rays because I'm taking the family to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to see the big game in person.

This will be our first game since spring training. D-Rays ownership has gotten very fan-friendly in an attempt to win back fans frustrated after nearly a decade of crap baseball. The dome isn't anything special on the eyes, but it is air conditioned. You see, in South Florida that fact alone lets fans gladly sacrifice more aesthetic ambiances seen in the much nicer ballparks up north. However, at least you can still get upper deck tickets for a mere $6, parking is free right at the stadium, and you can (legally) bring outside food and drinks into the game.

Brief analysis. It took 11 innings, but the Braves ended their 10 game losing streak last night. Salvaging a .500 record and nurturing young players like Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann are now the season's lone goals. On the other hand, Devil Ray fans hope they're watching a team on the rise. New ownership has committed to making the team a winner through the development of homegrown talent such as Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli. And the Rays also have soon-to-be 20 game winner Scott Kazmir anchoring the staff. However, relief pitching remains the most glaring weakness for both teams. If nothing else, I'm sure the late innings of tonight's game will prove to be exciting. And what more can you really ask?

My pick: Tampa Bay. The pitching matchup is Lance Cormier versus someone named Tim Corcoron for the Devil Rays. How can you possibly pick one of those guys? Maybe there will be a few good HR's.

So that's what I'll be watching today - will the Braves put together a smoking hot 2 game winning streak or will Corcoron be too tough?



Who will you be watching? Evan Longoria, the star infielder from Long Beach State University who was selected by the Tampa Bay with the 3rd overall pick of the 2006 MLB Draft? Or do you prefer Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria?