Baseball is fully underway, and there just happens to be a game today versus the less-than-polished Rays. On with it, starting with some Rays-related articles.

• From DRaysBay, we take an early peek at the Rays' sub-optimal plate discipline, immediately followed by the stages of grief as experienced by their fans. Rays pitchers failed to record a strikeout for the first time in nearly five years during yesterdays contest. Some good tidbits in that link, too, including a quality quote regarding the bat flip incident yesterday. A.J. told reporters, "I don't know what you are talking about. I just said hi. He lives down the street from me in Orlando, and I was asking how his house was." Jonah Keri interviewed Sam Fuld back in January, and it's surprisingly good. If you have the time, listen to the full audio version here. Runs into fences, was college teammates with Carlos Quentin, likes Dogfish Head... What's not to like? For the dedicated, we have The Hardball Times' Five Questions segment concerning the Rays.

• I'm hesitant to share this, but here we have a Bulls fan calling baseball boring. It almost makes my blood boil reading articles of this nature, especially since that is such a widely-held opinion. How do fans of other sports not see the intensity and nuance of every at-bat, every pitch? All opinion-based, of course, but it's linked only because I would love to read some comments in defense of baseball.
• On the heels of baseball having "lots of down time," GameSlam lets casual baseball fans 'bet' on in-game events. The article describes GameSlam as "fantasy sports lite," and it sounds fairly simple, yet interesting. 
• Also from Wired, stadium tech improvement around the Bigs. Check out the changes made to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Yes, please! 
• The best MLB promotions in 2011. I can't wait for White Sox welcome mat day.
• Just because, Miller Park is already ten years old.
• Of course you're interested: BASEketball, statistically speaking.
• Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski promote New Era in a chuckle-inducing ad involving the Yankees and Red Sox.
• Lastly, the round-up: DrEmilioLizardo shared the Twins 2011 season in review, Sox102605 linked us to an examination of Edwin Jackson's great start, Rhubarb found video of how baseballs are made, and larry gave us the career profiles of Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye.

I'll sit down now.