Justin Ruggiano had a question only a veteran baseball player could answer, so he approached Carlos Peña before a game on the Tampa Bay Rays' last homestand and fired away.
"You've played on a lot of teams," the rookie began. "What makes this one so special?"
The veteran smiled.
"That you're talking to me," Peña said.
Evidentially, some major league clubhouses still abide by the rookies-should-be-seen-and-not-heard rule. Peña was in a few of those, and they are awful places to work, he said.
You won't find that in the Rays' clubhouse.
You will find Troy Percival playing cards with David Price.
You will find Fernando Perez sitting with Carl Crawford and Cliff Floyd.
You will find Ruggiano chatting with Eric Hinske.
"There is no caste system here," Peña said.
There are no rookies or veterans or pitchers or fielders.
Just Rays.
"Everyone here feels comfortable, free to be themselves," Peña said. "They're respected. They are very appreciated. To come out and feel you're at home when you walk through the door makes a huge difference as opposed of coming in and you're like, 'I feel out of place here. I can't really talk. I got to watch what I say. I got to make sure I do this right.' That's not cool. That's not the way it's supposed to be."
The Rays put together their best season ever and won their first American League East title because they played loose. They celebrate wins for no more than 30 minutes, and they placed losses behind them in that same half-hour block.
That's one reason the Rays have been able to bounce back with wins the night after a loss that appeared to be a blow to their postseason chances.
"We young players are not awed by this," Ben Zobrist said. "It's a delightful ignorance."
Maybe not ignorance. Maybe it is just the freedom to be yourself and the ability to poke fun at a teammate, which is a great way to break the tension that comes with contending for a World Series championship.
This is exactly the kind of environment manager Joe Maddon was seeking when he took over the team in 2006.
"That is one of the highest compliments you can give me to say that's what's going on out there," Maddon said. "That's tremendous."
You will find a Troy Percival figurine in Troy Percival's locker. Athletic tape has been wrapped around the figurine's hamstring, knee and back - all areas that have troubled Percival this season.
It's a clubhouse where Scott Kazmir would ask an injured B.J. Upton if he was playing that night, and upon being told no, Kazmir would call Upton a "bum" and walk away, and Upton would laugh.
It's a clubhouse where several teammates ragged on Kazmir after the lefty allowed four home runs to the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 15. Some players told Kazmir they wanted to grab a bat and hit against him.
They told him this immediately after the game.
"No grace period here," Kazmir said.
There shouldn't be, Trever Miller said.
"You have bothers, you have sisters, you pick on them, right?" Miller said. "Why? Because you love them. We love each other in here. We are all brothers, so we pick on each other. It helps keep things loose."
And being loose is the best way for a team, especially a young team, to be productive.
"You allow yourself to be a good player," Peña said. "Better than that, you allow your talent to express itself, because you're not just choking it back. You've seen everyone do something. It's amazing, and it's because they feel comfortable here."
They feel comfortable because everyone is on the same level; everyone is equal.
Ruggiano and Peña. Percival and Price.
"No caste system. I like that. I like that a lot," Maddon said. "I can agree with that. I've never been into caste systems. When you get people thinking they're better based on statistical performances, it annoys me a bit. It comes down to the person. Everybody has something to offer out there. You can't just win it with one guy. You need all 25."
| Dating | Comics and Games | Local Shopping |
| Find a Car | Apartments | Local Jobs |
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@