joe maddon, manager of the tampa bay rays. a writer was talking about him and how bad he was. maddon came by and said you are not allowed to come back us anymore this season. at the end of the season, they faced them again in the championship. they beat bedford. >> rob: nice story. pay back. that means be nice to your coaches on the way up. some day you could be working for them or against them. that's a great story. we'd have to do a dick stewart comparison at 1st base. those guys make some of the best managers and gms though. >> bob: i'm learning a lot from mike everyday. he's teaching me evaluation in scouting. you never know. could be working on the strasburg deal now. >> rob: i'd hate to pay his cell phone bill. >> bob: 2-2 to pena who's had a hit, walk, and scored. a little pop up right in the infield. that's the 3rd baseman willie harris. that's a big hitter retired in soft fashion. let's talk about the turn around which the pitchers have engineered here lately. era is down more than a run. the home runs are down. the opponents batting average is down. especially the way

he is happy at the end of -- joe maddon is upset. something is not happy. joe west is not happy, telling joe maddon something about it. >> bob: there is a strobe light just beyond the pool in right center where the ray is swimming. it's either that. >> rob: i think that's what it is. >> bob: it's either that or people taking pictures out there and their flash bulb are popping up toward home plate. it's not right in the hitter's line of sight, but a right handed batter, if you look just off center, out there, that's the people taking pictures of the ray. >> rob: how can you not take pictures of those cute little rays? >> bob: they are adorable. >> rob: so if it the player gets blinded and strikes out and he plays for your home team? >> bob: i bet the marketing department never thought of that one. they could put a sign that says, flash photography only if you are facing away from the field. >> rob: or when the owe bone. is up. >> bob: pen california bounced up the middle -- peqa bounced up the middle his first time out. and the nationals -- 0-2, don't make it

first time joe maddon has played all infielders in today.they're moving longoria two steps closer towards the base runner. >> rob: maybe they're thinking adam dunn might bunt like carlos pena. i don't think so. >> bob: adam dunn 1-2 today, 2- 7 with an rbi this weekend with two walks. a great chance for rbi 46. [cheering and applause] strike out total on the rise. at 66 right now. that ties for the 3rd in the league.

he was 524 years of age then, manager joe maddon. he is now in his 30th year in professional baseball, 16th in the major league. he managed the angels before this. manager of the year last year. and he really only managed the angels part of three different years when different managers were dismissed. as a player, he was a catcher who never got above a ball. and a lot of great baseball guys don't. >> rob: well, jim hickey, the pitching coach, he was the mastermind in houston for all those great pitching years that got them to the world series. dave martinez was on my team in cincinnati for many years, actually a former montreal expo that was a pain in my neck when he was hitting. excellent centerfielder, good hitter. they have some guys and then don zimmer. >> bob: he is still a senior baseball advisor to this ball club in his 64th year, 51st in the major league. so this is not just a bunch of people running around without a plan down here. the tampa bay rays can win the american league pennant playing in the same division with bosto

i saw him greet joe maddon. >> ray: you have been around elijah now for two years.on of him as he has thrown into a mature young man? >> it's kind of a day-to-day thing. his struggles are well documented and they put a pretty good support system in place for him and he has done a pretty good job of responding to the support system they put around him, and he has responded well to guys like marquis grissom, willie harris. he has responded well to the examples. we were talking to stan before the game. he says that's one thing he does not get enough credit for, learning that position and centerfield is not easy. they would prefer him to be a right fielder down the road but they don't have a centerfielder right now and they need him in there and he jumped in there and stan looks at that as a sign of maturity. >> as always, the hot corner for the washington times. elijah, of course, with the rookie from kansas city the only two to hit 10 10 homeruns. >>> how about joe beimel? he pitched 7 games with tampa bay in 2005. he has 62 career holds, 7 this season. just as joe be

. >> bob: he was on there for a split second and joe maddon is none too happy about it. i always have to laugh when i see george hendrick in the face of an umpire. when he was playing, his nickname was silent george. he never said a word to anybody, especially the media. he just didn't have time for such nonsense. four in a row for stammen to start the game. here is the second baseman ben zobrist. >> rob: i used to love to watch him. wasn't he the original, he used to pull his pants all the way down to the ground. he was a trend setter. >> bob: and what great hitter. >> rob: i was just kidding. >> reporter: when he was on that team that won the '822 world series, he was the only player on that team that had double figures in homeruns. and legend had it that, after they won game 7 against milwaukee, without taking off his uniform, he was in his car and halfway to california by the time they poured the last bottle of champagne [ laughter ]. silent george, 1-2 now. and it's over but low from stammen to zobrist. this guy has become an interesting player at the age of 28. a .

. >> rob: in the world series, joe maddon brought an outfielder to the infield to have five infielders. i'm surprised they're not doing that. bring in vernon wells. put him at short. >> bob: yeah, if gunn dunn -- if adam dunn makes contact, he'll -- but he's got to make contact here. >> rob: i was just informed the new york mets did that yesterday. brought an outlaw outfielder into the infield for five infielders. like you said, he's got to make contact right here. mets did it yesterday against the baltimore orioles. >> bob: no balls, two strikes. 1-1, bottom of the 11th. adam dunn, yeah! it's a fair ball and the game is over! adam's got to touch first. he does and the nationals win it 2-1 exactly four hours after the first pitch! that ball was scorched  >> rob: three straight wi the nationals. >> bob: rob dibble, they found out the last two days you stick around as long as you haveto get a w. >> rob: absolutely. you stick around to get that curly w. >> bob: how do you win despite three errors? >> rob: very carefully. adam dunn, seat swing, head down, making contact. mash