There was speculation that the Rays had somehow moved the Tropicana Field pitching rubber a few inches to benefit James Shields, but Major League Baseball says there's nothing to the story. "It's a ludicrous accusation," Rays' executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "It's crazy." The chatter started with Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka, who told Japanese reporters he thought the rubber had been shifted, and that it was to the Rays' benefit. "There's no story there," Senior VP of Baseball Operations Joe Garagiola Jr. said.