Rays Fend off Sox, Head Into World Series with 3-1 win
by Taj Adib on Oct 19, 2008 10:33 PM PDT
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PrintThe Rays finally did it. Shaking off a near-epic collapse in Games 5 and 6, the young Rays finally broke through tonight with a 3-1 victory. Matt Garza pitched brilliantly, getting into the 8th, striking out 9 and only allowing 2 hits against a very potent Bostn lineup. Lester pitched almost as well, but left just a couple more pitches up in the zone that resulted in extra base-hits and a couple of runs.
Congrats to the Rays. The little team that could has given hope to every small-market franchise in perpetual rebuilding mode and hopefully the A's can follow the Rays' path next season and beyond.
So, Phils-Tampa Bay will start next Wednesday and you gotta think that Rupert Murdoch and Fox are just pissed right now that two small market teams will battle for the World Series. While the sour-pusses in Boston, New York and Chicago will probably sit this series out, I think it has the potential to be a very entertaining battle. The Phillies, without homefield advantage, will definitely be the underdog in the match, but I wouldn't count them out. Their lineup is stacked and Cole Hamels can shut down any lineup, and he'll be able to pitch up to 3 times if necessary in the series. It should be a good one!
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Good night, and sleep well!
Interesting World Series coming up.
I (for one among many) still wish the ASG did not decide home and away schedule.
Runs Please. A lot of them. The rest of the season. Thank you.
by One won lost won on Oct 19, 2008 10:39 PM PDT reply actions
And Dan Johnson draws ever closer to a World Series ring
I'm a street walkin cheetah with a heart full of napalm.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 19, 2008 10:44 PM PDT reply actions
guess there is some poetic justice in the world...
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
by FoolshGame22 on Oct 19, 2008 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions
As long as Kotsay didn't get one this year (or any other year with the team he's currently on)
i’m good
Play more Conan!
by oaklandSMASH on Oct 19, 2008 11:58 PM PDT up reply actions
kindred spirits on that one
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
by FoolshGame22 on Oct 20, 2008 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions
does he? is he on the roster?
how long does a player have to be on the season roster in order to get one?
Entirely up to the team
Practice in recent years has been to give rings to just about everyone who played a role in the season’s success, including most front office staff and short-term callups. Dan Johnson will definitely get one if Tampa wins.
Note that this is different than the question of World Series shares, the financial bonuses awarded to members of the winning team. Those get voted on by the guys on the post-season roster. Those voting players can award full shares, half shares, or no shares to players who were on the roster for some period. DJ definitely won’t get a full share, may or may not be voted a partial share, at the discretion of the palyers who have votes.
All this said, I of course am rooting for the Phillies, so I hope Matt Stairs gets the ring that DJ wants, which will bring me full circle to the very first comment I ever made on AN.
I'm a street walkin cheetah with a heart full of napalm.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 20, 2008 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions
Meant that as a compliment.
But for some reason, it doesn’t sound like one.
I'm here to talk about the past.
Damn, I can belive I replied to you
But wasn’t my first.
And Counrty Joe Blanton pitches game 4...
I am indifferent as to who wins because as long as LAA is out, I’m happy!!!!
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
once the WS is over, Oakland can finally announce the signing of Rickey Henderson to coach 3rd base and also instruct Crosby how to hit a baseball.
"What do we do with Crosby? Well, in my neighborhood, trash goes out on Mondays." ~ Nico
Is that even possible?
…and also instruct Crosby how to hit a baseball.
I cut Crosby alot of slack for a long time, but after he regressed… again… after having a decent start this year I have finally given up on him.
"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds
For pam5981
Here’s a link to that 3rd quarter accounting spreadsheet you were asking about.
au contra ire
Using a cheese grater in place of a cowbell?
DISHONOR!
Play more Conan!
by oaklandSMASH on Oct 19, 2008 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd like to see Country Joe win one...
but, Tampa Bay is so much better, this’ll probably be a sweep.
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
Since when is the 5th or 6th largest city in the U.S. considered small market?
by Pucking Insane on Oct 20, 2008 12:11 AM PDT reply actions
it really is surprising how small U.S. cities are...
relative to worldwide. After, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago… people start to get surprised. Houston is #4 and Philly is #5. Hell, Fremont will be in the top 50 passing Oakland in the next decade.
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
by FoolshGame22 on Oct 20, 2008 12:20 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm no geography major
but I’d imagine the vast size of America as a whole as something to do with that—allowing people to disperse to many regions as opposed to a few select gigantic cities.
My tour through Southeast Asia comes to mind.
by Pucking Insane on Oct 20, 2008 1:19 AM PDT up reply actions
no doubt, that is true...
and, what other countries call “cities,” the U.S. still calls “metropolitan areas.” Let’s be honest, in 2100, the entire Bay Area will be one gigantic city, with interconnecting public transportation. Just like New York… San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose will only be boroughs of a huge megalopois.
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
by FoolshGame22 on Oct 20, 2008 2:26 AM PDT up reply actions
In any case neither Philadelphia nor even North Florida are small markets
By 2001 GMP Philadelphia is 5th or 6th (with Chicago) and Tampa-Orlando is 17th. So it’s a pretty large one-team market and a mid-sized market. Small is Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee, St Louis….
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 6:56 AM PDT up reply actions
I lived in Zhuhai,.China for 7 years
I’m sure no one has ever heard of it, but as I told my students, Zhuhai is twice the size of SF and everyone has heard of SF. HK with about 8 million was across the Pearl River, and Shenzhen with about 6 million was 40 miles away, we are very fortunate to live where we live, we may think it is crowded but you have no idea what crowded is until you live in China.
I've heard of India
By the way, Shenzhen now supposedly has a population of 12 million per Wikipedia, so Laoren must have missed the most recent explosion. I was there last week on business. and it didn’t seem all that crowded.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions
I've found it difficult to find data on television markets online, which really surprised me
but the one list I did find lists Philly at #4 and Houston at #10.
Philadelphia is the biggest single-team media market in MLB. Bud woulda preferred the Cubs, obviously, but there’s no way that he’s unhappy about Philadelphia being in the series.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Now that the Sox are out,
I can go back and enjoy the way they embarrassed the Angels. Heehee!
by likeiwouldtellyou on Oct 20, 2008 2:21 AM PDT reply actions
I'm just going to say it now.
I’m pulling for the Phillies. No special reason really because I certainly won’t shed a tear or break a television if the Rays win it.
I have never placed my allegiances on what league the teams play in, or what region for that matter. And the Rays’ journey doesn’t really give me hope for the A’s because that hope is always- and always will be- there. I guess you can say it gives me more hope.
So call it a Blanton thing (us big guys need to stick together). Or maybe it’s me straying from the norm (can’t imagine there will be too many people here rooting for the Phils outright). Of course, by that logic, I would have wanted Boston to win. But let’s not get silly.
All I know is that it’ll be nice to watch a Series without a team I hate (and for the record I hated the 2006 Tigers for what they did to the A’s), and I am hoping it goes the distance.
I'm here to talk about the past.
similar feelings here
Very happy I hate neither team this WS. I’ll be rooting for whichever team is behind, so maybe we’ll get to see seven more games this year.
THANK YOU RAYS!!!
by Brian in 317 on Oct 20, 2008 7:14 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd be marginally pulling for the Phillies
only because of Cupcakes Joe. I actually was even hoping for Kotsay to do well, while hopining the Red F@#x would rot in hell.
Let's have our Piazza and eat the Cust too - SPWC
I live near and work in Philly now, so I'll be pulling for the Phils
I don’t like the Philly sports scene/fans very much — whiny and dumb mostly — but this is a football-obsessed city, and I’d really like people here to stop caring so much about the Iggles and start paying more attention to baseball. Plus there’s the Joe factor you point out, and also Stairs.
And Ziggy was teammates with Ryan Howard in college.
I’m actually surprised at people saying that the Rays are so much better than the Philies. Philly actually had a better pythagorean record than Tampa (by one game), and I think the teams are very evenly matched — Longoria/Upton/Pena is pretty similar to Utley/Howard/Burrell. Werth is basically a healthy version of Baldelli. Rollins, even in a bad year, was a better hitter than Crawford, but Navarro is much better than Ruiz. The Rays have an advantage at the #4 starter, but 1 through 3 I think they’re even. And Lidge probably balances out the Garza/Cupcakes disadvantage for the Phillies.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Garza is the #3 starter for the Rays
Sonnanstine is the #4. He’s been better than Blanton this year but I don’t really see much difference between the two of them.
Looks like a very evenly matched series to me.
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
Is Moyer going to be #3 or #4?
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions
3, I think
Carlos and Victor Zambrano have exactly the same number of career postseason wins. Who would have thought?
I can't imagine any outcome...
other than a lopsided Rays’ win when Moyer pitches. Maybe he’ll surprise me.
Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb
by FoolshGame22 on Oct 20, 2008 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I think people just assume the AL champ is better than the NL champ, regardless of Pythags
By Pythagenport W3, the Rays are a 97 win team and the Phillies 87. That’s probably more in line with how most people see them.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
the Sux's lineup had some significant downgrades this postseason
Bay for Manny, and Kotsay for Lowell — plus Ortiz’ wrist injury also limited his effectiveness.
I am excited about this World Series — I think we’ll see some good baseball, and would be surprised if it didn’t get to at least 6 games.
The only reason I might root for Philly over Tampa Bay?
It’d be cool to see Matt Stairs get a ring.
But it’s gonna be hard to root against the team that eliminated the most vile, disgusting, over-hyped, and over-rated fanbase in the history of sports … thank you Rays — with all that is in me — thank you, thank you, thank you.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
Actually, they eliminated two "overhyped" fanbases.
Yankees and Red Sux.
Carlos and Victor Zambrano have exactly the same number of career postseason wins. Who would have thought?
Do the Yankees have an overhyped fanbase?
I thought it was mostly Red Sox and Cubs
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
It's nice to see Tampa finally develop a fan base.
I was pleasantly surprised at the level of hometown support they received in the ALCS. Of course, I’m fully prepared to develop a pathological hatred of them on short notice. But until the shine wears off, I’ll be pulling for them in the series.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
A couple thoughts...
…and hopefully the A’s can follow the Rays’ path next season and beyond.
Is it just me, or is that an ironic statement? Don’t get me wrong, there’s truth to it, but a year ago I doubt anybody would have said so with a straight face.
…<insert network & MLB here> are just pissed right now that two small market teams will battle for the World Series.
I hear/read that so often that I flat out don’t care what the networks want. As far as I’m concerned, their job is to broadcast what they get, and if they feel they’re getting shortchanged, then maybe they should re-examine their bids beforehand.
"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds
last night an ESNP radio talk show host asked for non-Sux fans to call in
and say whether they were glad or sad that neither Boston nor the Yanks were in the World Series this year. He pontificated a bit on how fans need a “global” team to root for or against, otherwise they’d lose interest. Then he took calls from Diamondbacks, Braves, Rockies, and Cubs fans. Every single one said how HAPPY they were that the Sux weren’t in the World Series. The host sounded surprised (dissed the Braves fan a bit after that call), and then changed the subject to football.
That's funny.
Basically, he didn’t get the answer he wanted.
"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds
I guess ESPN is the global team everyone is rooting against
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Oct 20, 2008 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Way to go, Rays!
It must be killing Selig to see another team with a crappy stadium and low payroll making it to the World Series. For over a decade, he and his cronies have been telling us that teams need shiny new taxpayer funded mallparks to be competive. Just a few years ago Bud considered the (Devil) Rays candidates for contraction. (Damn that pesky lease!) Now they’re in the World Series and they have the potential for more. I love it!
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
Bud also made it clear...
…that on-the-field success would not save a team from contraction. The unspoken meaning, of course, was that money and profits were the ONLY factor.
Maybe they should award the championship trophy to the team that makes the biggest profit instead of the team that wins the world series. They can have an accountant accept the trophy… full ESPN coverage… yada yada yada.
Kind of moot, though, as I don’t think contraction is happening anytime soon, if ever.
"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds
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