Occasionally I do go off the board, especially for my favorite teams.

Yesterday it came down from the St. Pete Times that Matt Garza had a special gift for his teammates to thank them for their assistance in his no-hitter this past Monday night:

Image from the St. Petersburg Times

Crown Royal made special embroidered bottle bags for his teammates containing bottles of their premium Crown Royal Black whiskey.

Nikco Sports is producing a special commemorative plaque for the no-hitter. The limited edition of 500 will feature two photos: one of Garza, and one of the scoreboard at the end of the game. It will also contain a piece of one of the balls used in the game. The plaque will cost $99, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Call 1-800-345-2868 for order details; it is not available on Nikco’s website yet.

Also coming up: the first 10,000 fans into this Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins (who happen to be the team we acquired Garza from) will get a special two-sided poster. One side with Garza, the other side with a replica of the lineup placard. Other specials to commemorate the Rays’ first ever no-hitter are being planned.

Also as it so happens, Matt Garza is pitching tonight against the New York Yankees. Game time is 7:10pm on Sun Sports, but the game is sold out. If you really want to come out–because not only is Garza pitching again, but Alex Rodriguez is still sitting on 599 home runs–tickets are still available for a premium on Stubhub.