Popping off about the pop-ups
• Pop-up drills are usually entertaining, even more so with the balls spinning out of the machine, on the first day of workouts, with gusting winds and a cloudy sky. "The idea is to make it even harder than they really are," 1B Carlos Peña said. "And the machine achieves that."
• The wind seemed to be causing most of the problems, but OF Sam Fuld said the cloud cover was an issue, too. "Pretty similar to the Trop — it was tough to see the ball," he said. "I don't know if we coordinated that with Mother Nature, or it just worked out. Joe (Maddon) is a powerful guy. And Andrew (Friedman), too."
Quote of the day
"I think I passed."
LHP David Price, on the Sunday morning eye exam
Show of respect of the day
When senior adviser Don Zimmer, now entering his 64th season, was introduced during the pre-workout meeting, the players broke into a round of applause.
Who is this Ray?
He is an avid golfer with a 10 handicap. He played at Long Beach State with Evan Longoria. He was drafted by and debuted with the Padres, then was traded to the Rays.
The dish
Today's full-squad workout starts around 9:30 a.m. at the Charlotte Sports Park (2300 El Jobean Road) and lasts three hours. Admission and parking free. Driving time from the bay area is 1½-2 hours. Suggested route: I-75 South to Toledo Blade Road, go west 6½ miles to El Jobean Road (SR 776), go right 2 miles, stadium complex is on left. For more information: (941) 235-5025.
Heads-up
Live batting practice starts around 11, with David Price, James Shields and Wade Davis among those scheduled to throw.
Exhibition schedule
Rays tickets: $9/12-27, available at box office, via raysbaseball.com and Ticketmaster.
Info: Toll-free 1-888-326-7297 (FAN-RAYS)
All games 1:05 unless noted
March
3: at Twins
4: Twins
5: Orioles*
6: Twins
7: at Yankees
8: Tigers (ss)
at Twins (ss)
9: Orioles
10: at Red Sox (7:05)
11: Pirates
12: Twins
13: at Orioles
14: Marlins
15: Phillies
16: at Jays
17: at Pirates
18: Red Sox
19: Off
20: at Marlins
21: Yankees
22: at Pirates
23: Jays (7:05)
24: at Twins (3:05)
25: Marlins
26: at Twins
27: at Red Sox (1:35)
28: Pirates (7:05)
29: at Phillies
30: at Pirates
31: Red Sox
APRIL
1: at Orioles
2: Twins*
3: at Twins
4: vs. Future Rays, 1:40, at Tropicana Field
* Value game, $2 off
Who is this answer: LHP Cesar Ramos
Twitter 'controversy' of the day
Saturday afternoon, a Twitter account in the name of Red Sox INF Mike Aviles (@MikeAviles3) posted his goodbye to Boston with the "news" he had been traded to the Rays. Two problems: There was no such deal, and Aviles didn't have a Twitter account, though he now planned to get one. "It was crazy," Aviles told Boston media.
Chicken-and-beer note of the day
After saying the Rays would not be like the Red Sox and ban beer, manager Joe Maddon was asked about fried chicken, which reportedly went with the beer during Boston's collapse. Maddon said he was okay with that, too. "Depends if that's what they're serving (in the clubhouse) that night," he said. "It kind of goes well with it actually."
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