Elvis was not singing about the baseball team that plays in St. Petersburg, Florida, but apparently there is more in a name than most people think. No longer in disguise and well on their way to making history, they will actually be playing on national TV as opposed to TBS. Nothing against TBS, but the Red Sox-Rays series captured the hearts of baseball fans across the country and could have been seen by even a larger audience if they played on FOX. Since the Florida franchise existed in 1998, they have been nothing short of horrible coming last in their division every year except once. Then they remove the name Devil from Devil-rays and are now playing in the World Series, though is World really the most appropriate name? How could it be called the World Series when all the teams in MLB, with the exception of those Blue Jays in Canada ay, play right here in the states? Yes, the best players come from all around the globe to play in the majors, but until a team comes from Spain, the Dominican Republic, Japan, or any other country it is tough to actually consider it the World Series. Either way the Rays have come from nowhere by playing an exciting brand of baseball with young talent and defying all odds {literally 100-1 odds to win the World Series before the season started}
Joe Maddon is the obvious manager of the year. Unlike another madden, who is known for his captain obvious statements and giant yellow circles that take up an entire screen, this maddon is actually intelligent. {Now all he has to do is create his own videogame} His methods might not necessarily be the most conventional, yet the results are indisputable. He has put his club in a chance to win it all even after tweaking his starters in games 5 and 6 plus surviving an epic scare after losing to Boston with a seven run lead. The most important thing he has done is allowing his team to play with a sense of purpose. His young core of talent has played with confidence throughout the entire season by overcoming adversity that has been thrown at them. Being able to win the AL East Pennant with the Redsox and Yankees chasing them was remarkable in itself, but beating both colored soxs {white and red} in the post season was a statement to the rest of baseball that these Rays are in fact for real.
Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton have become instant stars in the playoffs producing a ridiculous 13 homeruns and 26 RBI’s combined. There ages are respectively 23 and 24 which allows for Tampa fans to actually look forward to the future. Imagine free agents actually choosing to come to Tampa Bay not just for the warm weather, but to actually win baseball games. Their pitching has also been impressive not just in the playoffs but regular season as well. Matt Garza was the most underrated offseason acquisition in baseball from the Minnesota Twins winning MVP of the ALCS. While their future looks bright, the present seems imminent for them to capture World Series rings. The Philadelphia Phillies have not been to the big series since 1993 and most years would gain my support, but this year is different. This Rays team is headed for destiny and is too talented with hitters up and down the lineup. Their bull pen which has been the strength of this team all season long just got even better after the performance of first round pick David Price whose fast ball help record the final four outs in game 7. The Phillies are a great team but question marks remain with their starting pitching. The inconsistent Brett Myers, the AARP recipient Jamie Moyer, and your average Joe in Mr. Blanton are not exactly the most threatening opponents which is why the Rays will ultimately win the series 4-2.
Another possible team that can go from worst to first in just one year similar to the Boston Celtics is great for sports. Who knows, maybe the Dolphins are next? What makes this Rays team so fun to root for is that they give all dysfunctional organizations like raider nation, the Lions, and especially my Knicks a reason to believe that one day their luck will also turn around.
