Durham Bulls or Tampa Bay Rays

It figures, every fall I end up with some sort of  TV viewing conflict. But tonight it's not about NCIS or Hell's Kitchen, it's about the Tampa Bay Rays versus the Durham Bulls. Tonight, the Rays take on the Seattle Mariners in a game that really doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. However, the Durham Bulls get a nationally televised game on ESPN 2 when they take on Memphis for the Triple A Baseball National Championship.

The Bulls game offers several things for me to watch for the future of the Rays. First off, Jeremy Hellickson is the starting pitcher for the Bulls tonight. He's the Rays minor-league pitcher of the year and a guy I've heard plenty about, but never seen. Also, I could get my first decent looks at Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings. Both could be on the Rays' roster next year. I also get to see some of my favorite fringe Rays players, such as Joe Dillionaire, The Greatness that is Michel Hernandez, and that Matt Joyce guy that got traded for E-Jax.

Tonight will give me a great chance to evaluate some of the Rays future with my own eyes. While it may be only one game, I trust my eyes much more than I trust some "Baseball Prospects" ranking. Some e-mailers and twitter friends have accused me of being naive when it comes to the Rays prospects. I will agree that I don't get as fired up about prospects in the minors as others. However, I refuse to rate a player that I've never seen with my own eyes in a game situation. I'm not going to get excited about a PTBNL because some guide says he's a great prospect. Maybe that makes me less of a fan, but honestly I don't care.

Tonight, I will get to look at some of these guys and make my own opinions (as much as I can in one game). I will also get the chance to see a team actually playing for something. It's just too bad that the only thing the Rays are playing for is a winning season.

Durham Bulls vs Memphis Redbirds Tonight 7pm ESPN 2