“They’ll Be Stabbing You In The Back Next Week”
October 3rd, 2019
Rays skipper Kevin Cash and Bruce Arians have a common bond
After the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their Wild Card berth in the Major League Baseball playoffs, manager Kevin Cash took a minute out from the raucous celebration to say something about his team on live television.
It was a lot like something Bucco Bruce Arians said on his radio show this week.
Cash referenced how the Rays do things differently than many baseball teams and they get criticized for it, and he praised players for tuning out the noise enough to stay extremely focused and confident. Cash had zero bitterness in his voice; he was just acknowledging it’s not so easy when the critics are hollering.
For those unaware, the Rays revolutionized baseball with their starting-pitching approach that launched in 2018. The team was brutalized in the media and accused of tanking the 2018 season, especially after they started that campaign 1-8. It turned out the Rays knew exactly what they were doing and finished 90-62 last season before becoming a dangerous playoff team this year, winning 96 games (plus their wild card game) with a very low payroll.
Enter Arians.
He heard the media burying all things Bucs after two home losses to open the season, and he heard all the love after the win against the Panthers on national television.
In a very matter of fact way like Cash did, Arians explained on Buccaneers Radio that he has told his team to tune out the exterior chatter.
“Really, we talk about that. Just keep it here. You know, don’t listen to the outside noise. The people patting you on the back this week are the people stabbing you in the back next week,” Arians said with a smile in his voice. “That’s the nature of the beast. So go about coming to work Wednesday and get Wednesday’s work done whether you win or lose.”
Wise words from Arians, and Joe can’t emphasize enough that Arians was saying this in such a relaxed tone like Cash did.
Past Bucs coaches — and players — have made the media, as well as scrutinizing fans, out to be the devil. Arians is not that way, but he also expects his players to consider the critics to be worthless noise. That’s the way it should be.
Watch EVERY Bucs road game this season with Ira Kaufman at Buffalo Wild Wings.
The fun SUNDAY is at 1625 East 7th Ave. in Ybor City!
Arrive early for the 1 o’clock kickoff. Great fun with Bucs fans.
October 3rd, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Worthless noise like me? Hehehe…..
October 3rd, 2019 at 3:25 pm
great to hear……
never heard anything like this from the previous staff….
after a lose, all we heard was, we have to play better…..after a win coaches talked as if they were world beater….lol….
GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 3rd, 2019 at 3:26 pm
The media is a fickle mistress… ready to wine you one week and poison your wine the next.
I prefer when the media is quiet about the Bucs, because we fly under the radar. Now that we punched the Rams in the mouth, the Saints know we are coming. Even NFL network had Willie McGinnest picking the Bucs to beat the Saints last night. He has been one of the biggest Buc haters on that network, but he liked what he saw from the defensive line, so now we are his team…
October 3rd, 2019 at 3:59 pm
Love that approach and attitude. It’s about tuning out the detractors and staying focused on the prize. Good plan for Bucs and Rays.
October 3rd, 2019 at 6:08 pm
Uh… I don’t get the comparison. The Bucs are one of the highest payroll teams (even though the anti-Glazer morons say they’re cheap) and the Bucs are very traditional in every aspect except for how they sign their deals – which is just a different way to structure things to help with dead cap space since they make so many bad deals.
I didn’t freak out when Licht wasn’t fired and got an extension like 95% of the people here did, but Licht should have been fired last offseason when he went into the season with Ryan Smith as the top reserve corner and Chris Conte as a starter – he gave the team no chance to win. BUT since he got Licht to take the job, all was forgiven by me, at least for now.
October 3rd, 2019 at 6:24 pm
I like this coach.
October 3rd, 2019 at 6:27 pm
I tuned tmax and realist out years ago
October 3rd, 2019 at 7:02 pm
It has become even more now a microcosm of todays social networks. The I want it now crowd. Which I could put myself in that category, but the fact is, I want to win and feel like I deserve it after all these years of unwavering loyalty.
October 3rd, 2019 at 8:02 pm
What 87 said!!!!
I like him too. No whining…no scapegoats.
No it’s not the media responsible for the schizophrenia. We fans drive that boat. Have folks not read comments here from week to week? Seen the swing in the polls even for BA?
And poor Joe…everytime he tries to toss some objectivity into the discussion he gets ripped for being “negative”. I’ve seen Joe be positive and negative…but it’s always tied to the play of the Bucs…play well get good press…suck and get bad press.
It’s as simple as that. BA understand reality as does Cash.
BTW my son arrives Sunday night and we’ve already talked about taking in the Monday playoff game.
IF Sternberg who had Bronfman at the playoff game somehow finds a way to get out of his contract with St. Pete and try to play games in Montreal…worse still who would be getting the Monday night game…why Montreal of course.
That will be IT for me. I do not care if Sternberg hires beautiful women to fluff all fans who show up…the Rays will NEVER see me again if they try and “share” with Montreal. Eff off Stu you loser!!!!
October 3rd, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Everything is just noise. Keep it going Bucs.
October 4th, 2019 at 1:08 am
“Cash had zero bitterness in his voice; he was just acknowledging it’s not so easy when the critics are hollering.”
.
.
The Rays established a reputation for knowing what they are doing with analytics 10 years ago. That said, it must have been a tough cookie to sell players on the opener.
Cash is the shizzle. Go Rays!
October 4th, 2019 at 2:03 am
That doesn’t just apply to the media. Look no further than this website whenever we lose a game. People act like the sky is falling and want to scrap the whole team.
October 4th, 2019 at 6:48 am
JBF is in the realm of Arians comment – heat up to 10 after Giants “hassle,” now driving the tractor pulling the bandwagon! But that’s what it should be, a fan site written by a fan(s).
October 4th, 2019 at 7:11 am
He’s right. We dont know anything. That wont stop us from screaming our opinions at eachother, but we dont really know anything and them listening to anything we/the media says, good or bad, will only hurt them. Kinda like reading your press clippings after a week one win damaged them more than helped them.
October 4th, 2019 at 12:24 pm
Has he not read the resume’s of all the JBF posters?!? I’ve never seen so many football geniuses in one place! If decisions were made by simply reading the threads here we would meet the Pats in the Super Bowl every year!