Under the Orange Roof

The Rays get ready to begin a three-game series in the Bronx, and Steve Carney starts the show by discussing some of the aspects the Rays will have to improve on if they wish to close the gap (0:45).  He also gives his thoughts on former Rays manager Joe Maddon being fired by the Los Angeles Angels (7:00).

Steve is then joined by George Ofman, the host of the podcast Tell Me A Story I Don't Know, whose latest episode, dropping on June 14, features a conversation with Rays Radio broadcaster Dave Wills (22:20).  George tells us about how he first met Dave at a long-defunct sports service in the mid-1980s, gives us a sneak preview of Dave's story about how he got the Rays Radio job, and teases us with a story about Dave, fellow Chicago broadcaster Dan Pompei, and a trip to Tijuana that you'll have to listen to his podcast to hear what happened!

The Rays wrapped up a four-game weekend series with the New York Yankees, and Steve Carney goes through why Tampa Bay fans should be pleased with how the series worked out despite only salvaging a split.

Steve then gets into the wild story that came out over the weekend involving former Rays outfielder Tommy Pham, and says while it's a crazy scenario, it shows how competitive some of these guys can be in their everyday lives.

It was a fantastic week for the Rays out west, and Steve Carney gets into all the things the team has improved while playing on Pacific time.  He's also joined by Mike Zunino who talks about the process of developing a relationship and rapport with pitchers on a staff, and how it changes when you're a young catcher to being a more experienced backstop.

It was a fantastic week on the field for the Tampa Bay rays, and St. Pete Nine's Steve Carney gives you all the highs (with very few lows) after taking a series from the Cubs in Chicago, and returning home to beat the Boston Red Sox two out of three.

Steve also has gotten an up-close view at a number of rules changes that are being tested in the minors for possible use in the big leagues sooner than you think.  Hear his takes on how the larger bases, the ban on shifts, and the automatic ball and strike system (aka robo-umps) have worked in the Florida State League of the last couple of weeks.

It was a rough week for the Tampa Bay Rays on the field, losing 3 of 4 to the Oakland Athletics at home followed by dropping 2 of 3 in Chicago to the White Sox.  Steve Carney goes through the issues that the team is dealing with, from pitching staff injuries to unexpected defensive and base running miscues.

And with the team still in the Windy City, Steve asks outfielder Kevin Kiermaier why Chicago seems to be the best road city in the league and catches up with former Rays catcher Stephen Vogt, who is back with the A's.

Tuesday night brought about one of the most incredible moments we'll likely see this year, so good that you could be excused if you thought it was scripted: 8-year-old Chloe Grimes being interviewed on Bally Sports Sun about her favorite player, Brett Phillips, and Phillips then blasting a huge home run to her joy and delight.  We talk with both Phillips and Bally Sports Sun's Tricia Whitaker, who conducted the interview, and Doug Waechter, a long-time friend of the family, about the amazing moment they got to be a part of.

The Rays finished off a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles to start the 2022 regular season, and Steve Carney decided to have a little fun by inviting Alex Murphy and Maxwell O'Toole from Rays The Roof to join him to celebrate.

Hear how Rays The Roof got started thanks to a podcast on college marching bands, plus the guys give you what they took away from the first weekend of the season, their short-term expectations, and live reaction to Tommy Romero's call-up.

It was a shock to the Rays fanbase Monday evening when they learned that outfielder Austin Meadows was being traded to the Detroit Tigers.  Steve Carney gives you the three most plausible reasons why a ballclub would want to make a deal that would send their team RBI leader to a different club.  Plus, hear from both manager Kevin Cash and president of baseball operations Erik Neander on how they feel the team will be able to cope with Austin's bat in the lineup and why they are very high on their new infielder Isaac Paredes.

The Rays will begin the 2022 regular season later this week.  Steve Carney begins this week's episode by discussing how Tampa Bay has appeared to dodge a big bullet regarding injuries in a shortened spring.  We also discuss which players unlikely to start the season in the big leagues have the best chance to contribute at some point this year, and what reasonable expectations should be regarding the start of the regular season.

I'm sure you celebrated the Rays first spring win this week, which came after a full week of losing.  Steve Carney explains why numbers -- whether on the scoreboard or on the stat sheet -- don't matter at this point, and discusses what you should be looking for.  We also get into the latest injury to reliever Pete Fairbanks and unfair blame being levied on the club.  You get to meet the newest member of the Rays, outfielder Harold Ramirez and hear from catcher Mike Zunino about Cy Young winners' work ethics as we got back in the clubhouse for the first time in over two years!