Quinton McCracken wasn't that surprised to hear Jason Bartlett had broken his team-record hitting streak. He was more intrigued that it had lasted from the inaugural 1998 season until last week. "All good things must come to an end," McCracken said. "I'm just surprised that Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton or one of those guys hadn't made a run at it before." McCracken, 36, has retired as a player, settling in Arizona and about to start the next phase of his life, and career: raising a family and going into coaching, working with the Giants' rookie league team in Scottsdale.
His hope is to eventually move into the front office. Given his smarts and personality, that's not unlikely. "Definitely my long-term goal," he said.
McCracken was the Rays' second pick in the expansion draft, from Colorado, and was voted the team MVP of the 1998 season, when he hit .292 with seven homers and 59 RBIs and hit in 18 straight games from Aug. 18-Sept. 9.
A knee injury wiped out most of his 1999 season, but he came back and played through 2006, spending time with the Twins, D'backs, Mariners and Reds. He spent 2007 in the independent Atlantic League and retired last year.
McCracken said he'll always cherish his time as an original Ray. "Those were special moments," he said. "And a fun year."
Breaking up is hard to do
McCracken's record was one of the longest-standing in Rays history; here are a few others:
Record Holder Years
Most saves in a season Roberto Hernandez (43) 1999-??
Consecutive games w/HR Jose Canseco (5) 1999-??
Most wins in a season Rolando Arrojo (14) 1998-?? (tied in '08 by Edwin Jackson, James Shields)
Most shutouts in a season Rolando Arrojo (2) 1998-?? (tied in '99 by Bobby Witt, '08 by Shields, Matt Garza)
Hitting streak Quinton McCracken (18) 1998-09 (now held by Jason Bartlett, 19)
RBIs in game Paul Sorrento (6) 1998-07 (now held by Carlos Peña, 7)
Most strikeouts in a game Dan Wheeler (12) 1999-07 (now held by Scott Kazmir, 13)
Most consecutive batters retired Esteban Yan (16) 2000-08 (now held by Andy Sonnanstine, 17)
Doggin' it
Pat Burrell got his Phillies World Series ring with the rest of the team during an April 8 ceremony. But before Thursday's final game of the rematch series at the Trop, the Phillies made a special delivery: a Series medallion they had made for Burrell's dog, Elvis. "Pretty cool," Burrell said. The Phillies took the top of a ring (with fake diamonds), put it on a silver-looking plate and affixed it to the 125-pound English bulldog's collar. Burrell isn't sure yet if Elvis will wear it on an everyday basis or just special occasions. "It could get slobber and drool all over it, so we'll see," he said.
Off schedule
Blame for the Rays not drawing as well as they hoped can be assigned to several places. Some goes to MLB, for a schedule that has the Rays getting only two of their seven most attractive home series on the weekend: April 30-May 3 vs. the Red Sox, Oct. 2-4 vs. the Yankees. The other five — two with the Yanks and Sox, last week's with the Phillies — are during the week. For a team that could use the help of the schedule as a marketing tool, the Rays didn't get it.
Rays rumblings
Joe Maddon tied for third with Mike Scioscia (Angels) in a Sports Illustrated poll asking players whom they'd most like to play for; Bobby Cox (Braves) and Joe Torre (Dodgers) were 1-2. … So much for top draft pick LeVon Washington wanting to sign quickly, though the Rays are working on it. … More examples of how no one really knows what the Rays are up to: SI.com's Jon Heyman writes one day that they "would like to acquire a closer;" espn.com's Jayson Stark writes the next that "contrary to what we (and others) have been reporting, we're now hearing that the Rays aren't necessarily shopping for bullpen help" but "upgrades" elsewhere. … If Jason Isringhausen doesn't come back from Tommy John surgery, he hopes to coach at an Illinois Catholic high school he's involved with. … Asked in SI's Pop Culture Grid what other players envy, Ben Zobrist said his nickname, Zorilla. … ESPN E-60 is doing a piece on Evan Longoria, CBS News on blind radio broadcaster Enrique Oliu.
Got a minute? Scott Kazmir
Best meal you can make? A Cajun ribeye that's really nice. It could give Morton's a shot for the title.
Karaoke song if you had to? Born in the USA. I have a video doing it when I was 7.
Favorite DL time-killer? Video games , playing pool.
Must-see TV? Eastbound and Down (on HBO).
Dream date? I'm torn between a couple, let me go online and check. (Four minutes later … ) Adriana Lima, a Victoria's Secret model.
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