Now that the season is underway, there are more important things for the Rays and Yankees to do than rehash their spring training squabbles. The Rays have been showing signs of life on the field, in the stands and at the bar. The Yankees, meanwhile, are struggling at the plate and waiting for some maturity out of their young starters. Yet, when their series starts at the Trop tonight it will be hard to miss the reminders of the home plate collision heard around the Sunshine State. Mediocre journeyman Chad Moeller will likely be starting behind the plate. That's a result of injuries to Jorge Posada and Jose Molina, of course, but also because of Elliot Johnson's pancaking of Francisco Cervelli. Moeller was signed by the Bombers two days after the collision and it's not hard to guess what prompted his acquisition.
Moeller's lack of lumber won't light any fires in the Yankee lineup but the Rays choice of pregame activities just might. Johnson will be given the Al Lopez Award for top Rays rookie of spring training before the first pitch. It's not like the Rays haven't had a chance to give him the prize, it's their seventh home game, so the choice of date is certainly meant to give a little grief to the boys from New York.
Will they notice? When last seen Hank Steinbrenner was dredging the Hudson after a tugboat captain reported dumping a portrait of Mike Greenwell overboard so it may not be on his radar.
