Tuesday, September 09, 2008

The Rays are fucked...and why America should care

Well, America shouldn't necessarily care. That was just being hyperbolic and magazine-y. You could totally see that as an SI headline, right? Totally.

But, yes, the Rays are screwed like a pornstar and it's bad for baseball.

After a 3-0 offensive-awakening Monday against Boston, the Rays have lost six of seven and hold only a half game lead over Boston, which, as a city, is collectively mourning the loss of Tom Brady by drinking and talking with poor accents.

The Sox win the East by three-plus games, no question, but with a 7.5 game lead over Minnesota for the final playoff spot, you'd think the Rays would be able to clinch their first playoff berth in franchise history. Not much of a consolation, though, will be having to go to Anaheim and face the Angels in the ALDS.

Tampa has 20 games left (seven at home, 13 on the road): five with Boston; three with New York; four with Minnesota, Baltimore and Detroit.

Minnesota has 19 games left (nine at home, 10 on the road): three with Cleveland, Baltimore and Chicago; four with Tampa; six with Kansas City.

Hard for any team to make up 7.5 games with 20 to play -- especially with that team has only been 13 over through 143 games.

But Baltimore might not win another game and Kansas City hasn't been good in like 80 years. And the Rays could very well lose 12-14 of those remaining 20 games.

Considering most people thought that Tampa was still a year or two away from competing -- in what's easily baseball's toughest division -- the fact that the Rays would have to hang themselves from the ceiling fan to choke as badly as they'd need to choke to miss the playoffs is a pleasant surprise.

But kiss the AL East crown goodbye. But the playoffs are looking good, Tampa. Though they could totally blow it. What if they blow it? That'd suck. Big time. Fuck. They might blow this thing.

3 comments:

GMoney said...

Does Jenn Sterger root for every team?

Anonymous said...

I don't care who makes it as long as the Yankees are nowhere to be seen.

Anonymous said...

swing and a miss dipshit