2008 MLB Playoff Picture

I love the fact that the Rays pretty much beat up on the Sawx in the regular season, including winning 2 of 3 at Fenway which really salted away the division, record wise and you still pick Boston in 6.

And even so, the Angels are tied 2-2 right now as I type that comment and I believe the Angels are supposedly the best team in baseball, and if they win at Fenway it will be 2 in a row heading back to LA and the Sawx could very well, as you said, choke their way out of the series.

Maybe it's my liking of the underdog, but I can't see the Rays being stopped in the ALCS, especially with Longoria doing everything right and BJ Upton hitting homers at will.

Motherfacker

BTW Trecole - the Rays have home field (where they had the best home record since the '98 Yankees) and the Rays had a better record this season than last year's World Series winner...

Plus the Rays have proven that they aren't afraid of the Sawx and can definitely win games at Fenway.

Time to open the top seats at the Trop!!!

I don't know Manny, none of these Rays players have ever been on this kind of stage and playing at fenway in June with nothing on the line is a helluva lot different than playing there in freezing cold October with the crowd noise off the rictor scales. The Red Sox do not face the same kind of hostility when they go to the Trop which probably won't even be sold out, lol. I like the Rays and I'm polling for them to knock off the Sox, but I just can't see that happening. Then again, I didn't think the Marlins would win the Series back in '04 when they went on that run and the Rays have a very similar team to that one.

What? Now you did it...

1) No experience...? yet here they are. If you think thye're going to "fold under the pressure" then you haven't paid attention to these players at all. The Rays are a TEAM, not a group of talented individuals. They are of one mindset and led by a masterful manager/psychologist that has them thriving on cohesion. Almost HALF of the teams that won a World Series in the last 20 seasons won a World Series on their first trip in the postseason. The game of baseball doesn't change - you still get 27 outs and 3 strikes per out... BTW - the Rays won 2 of 3 IN Fenway IN SEPTEMBER with the AL East title on the line, then took ANOTHER two of three at home a week later to seal the AL East title - a far cry from your June hypothesis...

Not only that but most of these guys have 1) won championships in their respective minor league teams - the Rays have had an outstanding minor league system for several years now 2) played competitive baseball their entire careers at high levels. The game doesn't change when you know how to play it right and as a team.

1b. Do you think playing in the AL East doesn't give a team experience??? Take a look around... The AL Champs will have come from the East 11 of the past 16 seasons including this one. The AL East MAKES champions.

1c. Cliff Floyd and Troy Percival both have rings and have been the primary emotional leaders in the clubhouse for that very reason. This team is too hungry to worry about "Experience". Joe Maddon has a ring from his bench coach days with the Angels. The "experience" argument doesn't hold water.

2) "Not sold out"... There's some mindless regurgitation for you. At least you went for an original angle, right? The Rays sold out their games against the White Sox, but they won't sell out against the Red Sox... ok! And furthermore, who cares if only ten people show up, the games still get played.

BTW - the Rays are now 23-2 in home games with a crowd over 30,000 (the losses were the Season opener against Baltimore and one game against Boston just a few weeks ago)- which they WILL indeed be crowds over 30,000 for the ALCS.

Also BTW - the capacity at Fenway is about 3,500 more than a sellout at the Trop... of course, the Trop is MUCH louder because it's a dome.

3) You keep mentioning how the Rays are like these other teams... No, they aren't. The Rays are built on pitching and defense - just like most championship teams usually are. They rely on forcing the action with athleticism, aggressiveness and team speed. They weren't built to make a one year run, they were built like the 1991 Braves - around three young starters (Glavine, Avery, Smoltz = Kazmir, Shields, Garza) to make a decade and a half run!!!

Still the non-believers ignore the basic facts. The Rays are healthier, have a deeper bench, have a better pitching staff from top to bottom, have had crazy good mojo ALL season long and still no one wants to believe it's really real...

First off, I never speculated the Rays' would be "folding under pressure". I did mention having to play at probably one of the top 3 toughest places to go into and play in the postseason and for a very young team, that is something to take into consideration. it would be something to take into consideration for the White Sox too if they would have won. Even if Boston doesn't have the home field advantage, there will still be 3 games played there. And the young Rays may have won in the minor leagues, but this team has never tasted the post-season until now, so yes, they are relatively young and in-experienced as far as that goes. Not saying they aren't going to compete, but to the majority of this Red Sox team has already won 2 championships... at the major league level. Also, the Not Sold out thing was a joke dude, notice how I put the lol after it, don't know how I could have made that any clearer.

Second off, I said the Rays remind me of the '03 Marlins because of that, they were built on pitching and defense with a little bit of offense and speed. That Marlins team wasn't built for a 1 year run either, all the players were dealt away, but most of those guys were home grown prospects that came up and produced, just as the Rays' youngsters have done. So your basically contradicting yourself on that front. I basically only compared them to the Rockies because the Rockies were the Cinderela Story last year like the Rays have been this year.

Third- your making it sound like I am bashing the Rays, I very much believe in them. Do you see me picking the Sox to sweep like most baseball people? Not at all. And I have been watching them and they beat a very mediocre Chicago White Sox team that barely snuck into the postseason. If they were facing the Angels, I would give them more of a shot, but the Red Sox now are like the Yanks were in the late 90's.

Look at what they just did to the best (regular season) team in baseball. They smoked them, 3 games to 1. Goes to show you that regular season success doesn't neccesairly translate into post-season success. I am by no means a Red Sox fan and again, would love nothing more than to see the Rays sweep them, but If I had to bet the farm on it, I would have to take the defending champs. That doesn't make me a "non-believer", it just makes me believe the Sox will beat the Rays in this series. If the Rays can keep this thing together, they are going to be a force for years to come.

And finally, I definitely respect your opinion, and I'm in no way knocking you for taking the Rays. I see where your coming from. They have all the momentum in the world and are playing with nothing to lose. I'm just saying, I'm taking the Sox in 6.

BTW, Cliff Floyd has a little bit of postseason experience but that's about it as far as the hitters go and he is far from an impact player. And Percival can root and encourage all he wants, but he's not going to be the one out there pithing under pressure.

No, he's not

Too bad we don't live in the same are Many. I'd love to wager with you on this sereis.

*area