Comments on Basement Dwellers: Rays win!

Two things will determine how long the Rays will r...

2008-10-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

Two things will determine how long the Rays will remain the darlings in my eyes. First, how their fan base reacts. I too was happy for the Sox when the beat the Yankees, but their fans have been insufferable over the last 5 years. The got the benefit of being the Yankees' nemesis back before they won the Series in 2004, but since then they've basically become Yankees' v2.0, even though many fans still want the rest of the world to think they are the underdog.

Secondly, it depends on what sort of exposure the Rays get. It's unlikely that they'll be treated like the Yanks and Sawks, but given that they all play in the same division, ESPN's narrative could easily turn into a threesome. If that happens, I could see myself being turned off from the Rays. Then again, they will likely still be doing it with a low payroll, so that will be fun to watch.

Yeah, it's interesting how the tides change. I re...

2008-10-20T09:49:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's interesting how the tides change. I remember feeling just as excited when Boston beat the Yankees in 2004. Now, the Red Sox are the evil empire...well, not quite so evil as the Yankees--at least a great deal of their excellence is home grown or the product of good trades--but I'm pretty bored of the Red Sox storyline at this point. And I'm thrilled to get to enjoy this Tampa Bay team a few weeks more. :)

It will be hard to root against Chase Utley, though. I think I'll be a bit more passive during the series in terms of emotional involvement. But I would like to see Tampa win, if for no other reason than as a demonstration that yes, young talent can win on the big stage just as well as veteran talent can.
-j

I agree, I can't remember ever getting so excited ...

2008-10-20T02:56:00.000-04:00

I agree, I can't remember ever getting so excited about a game my team wasn't in. I do suspect, however, that we will all find the Rays a lot less warm and cuddly when they have been dominating the league for a few years with their absurd young talent! Still, for the moment, it is of course impossible not to root for them wholeheartedly.

That makes two of us. I watched the game with my f...

2008-10-20T01:09:00.000-04:00

That makes two of us. I watched the game with my friends, by the ninth inning they thought I was nuts for how I was acting over a game my team wasn't playing in.... Go Rays!