A Tampa Bay Rays Valentine's Day

February 13, 11:09 AMTampa Bay Rays ExaminerRob Quinn

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Manny may get a V-Day card from Kaz (AP/David Zalubowski)

Valentine’s Day is the day of the year when we all take time out to show the person we love the most how much they really mean to us. Who do your favorite Rays love the most? The opponents they absolutely dominate, of course! Here’s who five of the Rays will be sending special love notes to this weekend.

• To: Tim Wakefield
• From: Akinori Iwamura

Iwamura is 10 for 24 for a .417 average against Wakefield. He’s also walked five times, giving him an on-base percentage of .517. The Rays face Wakefield’s Sox 18 times in 2009, giving the two plenty of opportunities to spend some quality time together.

• To: Jamie Moyer
• From: Carlos Pena

Rarely do you see a left-handed hitter with this much love for a lefty pitcher. Even though Moyer struck out Pena in the World Series, it doesn’t lessen the love Pena has for the old vet. Pena is 10 for 20 for a .500 lifetime average and two homers against Moyer. Pena will be so excited to see Moyer when the Phils come to town for a World Series rematch in late June that he just might meet him at the airport with a nice bouquet of roses.

• To: Manny Ramirez
• From: Scott Kazmir

There aren’t too many pitchers out there who will be thinking fondly of Manny Ramirez on Valentine’s Day, but Kazmir owns him. Manny may spend the rest of his career in the National League just so he won’t have to see Kazmir. Manny is just 7 for 44 for a .159 average, .260 OBP and .273 slugging average against Kaz. He also struck out 14 times in those 44 ABs. Sometimes Valentine’s Day is about hugs and kisses, but for Kaz and Manny it’s about swings and misses.

• To: Josh Towers
• From: Carl Crawford

Some batters are so locked in against certain pitchers; every pitch they see is one they just want to jump all over. Crawford is exactly that way against Josh Towers. CC holds a .426 average against Towers with five homers (Carl hasn’t hit more than two off any other pitcher) in 47 at-bats. The fact Carl has never walked against Towers shows you just how much love he has for every pitch Towers has thrown. These two AL East rivals should see a lot of each other again in 2009, giving this relationship a chance to really flourish.

• To: Mike Cameron
• From: Troy Percival

This card might be one of the "I miss you" variety because Percival and Cameron – once division rivals in the AL West – are now in separate leagues and don’t see each other very often. I don’t think Cameron has too much of a problem with this situation, though, as he is 0 for 11 with eight strikeouts against Percival in his career.

Still need some advice on how to spend your own Valentine’s Day? Why don’t you bring your loved one down to the Trop for FanFest? Parking and admission to the Trop are free and it is always a good time. I will be there with Tampa Bay Sports Examiner Ted Fleming and his co-host Althea Pashman for a special edition of Ted’s radio show "Speaking of Sports" live from inside the Trop from 1 to 3 p.m. Come find us and say hello. If you can’t make it out to the Trop, shame on you – but you can still listen to the show on 1220 AM WSRQ Sarasota or listen live online by clicking here.

Have a Valentine's Day message for me (that is not creepy)? Leave it in a comment.

Any questions, story ideas or anything else you'd like to share with me can be done via an e-mail to raysexaminer@live.com