Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays insist they arent as bad as their worst finish in nearly a decade might suggest.You have to go all the way back to 2007, when the franchise was still known as the dreadful Devil Rays, for an inferior record to this years 68-94 mark that matched the second-worst in the majors and kept Tampa Bay in the basement of a division that sent three teams to the playoffs.Were not far off, manager Kevin Cash said. We all believe that.As strange as that might sound, considering the Rays finished 25 games behind AL East champion Boston and werent much closer (21 games) to division co-runner-ups Toronto and Baltimore, its not far-fetched if you accept the argument the season essentially was undermined by a stretch in which Tampa Bay dropped 22 of 25 games leading into the All-Star break.Injuries were a factor, most notably losing center fielder Kevin Kiermaier for nearly two months. But so was inconsistent starting pitching, which was expected to be a strength, and an overworked bullpen.One year after being a first-time All-Star, No. 1 starter Chris Archer lost 19 games. All-Star closer Alex Colome was outstanding, converting 37 of 39 save chances, but far too many games were out of reach by the late innings because the rest of the bullpen struggled to maintain leads or keep the score close.Evan Longoria had one of his best seasons offensively, batting .273 with a career-best 36 homers and 98 RBI. Two key offseason additions, Brad Miller and Corey Dickerson, added some much-needed power to the middle of a lineup that hit 216 homers (sixth in the majors) yet only ranked 25th in runs scored.In the middle of the season it got pretty dark. Weve sat around and talked about it -- the talent in this room is unquestionable. You look around and were just as good as any team across the majors, outfielder Steven Souza Jr. said.Were probably missing a couple parts that hopefully next year we can fill in, he added, but theres no reason that we cant compete for the AL East next year.FOR THE RECORDThe 2007 Devil Rays won 66 games. The franchise became the Rays the following year, which began a stretch when Tampa Bay made the playoffs four times in six seasons. This is the third consecutive season the team has failed to reach the postseason.LONGOS RESURGENCELongoria appeared in at least 160 games for the fourth consecutive season, posting career highs for hits (173) and extra-base hits (81), in addition to home runs. He attributed some of the success to some adjustments he began making last offseason.I wasnt afraid to make changes that in the past I may have shied away from, whether it be stance or approach or things I had been working on in the cage, the third baseman said. For a long time I was a believer in just sticking with a routine and (hoping) that would get me back on track. Eventually it did at some point. It just took a lot longer than it did this year.MILLER TIMEThe Rays felt Miller would add some power to the lineup, but no one projected hed hit 30 homers and drive in 81 runs. He began the season as the everyday shortstop, but finished as the first baseman, where hell likely remain next year.COBBS RETURNRHP Alex Cobb returned in September from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2015 and went 1-2 with an 8.59 ERA in five starts. The good news is he didnt have any setbacks health-wise.Were very thrilled with where hes at, Cash said. The most exciting thing is Alex is going to have a normal offseason, and come into spring training totally healthy, so we can pencil him in every five days.STRONG SECOND HALFRHP Jake Odorizzi rebounded from a rough stretch heading into the All-Star break to finish 10-6 with a 3.69 ERA in 33 starts. Hes another reason the Rays are confident their starting pitching should be better in 2017.We view him as much more than just your average starting pitcher. Hes young. Hes still learning what hes capable of doing, Cash said. I know the win-loss record. It is what it is. But for the innings that he goes out and provides, he keeps us in a ton of ballgames. More often than not, were going to find a way to win ballgames for him. Custom Red Wings Jerseys . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Wholesale Custom Red Wings Shirts . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. http://www.customredwingsjersey.com/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Custom Terry Sawchuk Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Red Wings Jerseys China . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Josh Williams scored 25 points including a 3-pointer with a second to play that gave Lipscomb an 81-79 victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday night.Williams got the assist from Garrison Mathews and made the game-winning shot with one second to go. It was his second of two from distance that brought the Bisons (5-9) from a four-point deficit to the win in the final 38 seconds.Mathews added 13 points and Michael Buckland had 12 for Lipscomb.Aleska Jugovic hit fouur 3-pointers in the second half and his last gave Tennessee Tech a 79-75 lead with 47 seconds to play.ddddddddddddJugovic led the Golden Eagles (4-9) with 24 points, including a total of six 3-pointers. Kajon Mack added 18.Tennessee Tech went on top 40-37 on a Hakeem Rogers 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first half and they led 42-37 at the break. ' ' '