It's October

[kovalchuk71 212]

They wont lose, not with Bostons hobbled pitching (COUGH....Beckett)

[ponty 0]

Boston is a long shot to win this series for sure. Last year Indian fans were feeling very confident of a "hobbled" Schilling and we know what happened.

It probably will not happen but we may break out the "Drop Kick Murphy's" again soon.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Oh NOT THE DROP KICK MURPHYS

"Shipppppinnnnn off to Bostonnnnnnn"

[ponty 0]

Yea I know all the suck bands to come out of Boston like Aerosmith, God Smack and J-Giles.

What a joke.

[troy 12]

It's not over yet, chief.

Never said it was captain, but this doesn't look like the '04 Sox.

Well, I'm preparing to eat my words now if necessary.

[DCott 0]

It's not over yet, chief.

Never said it was captain, but this doesn't look like the '04 Sox.

Well, I'm preparing to eat my words now if necessary.

haha, Sox-Phillies series as I called it earlier.

[troy 12]

We were planning on exacting some revenge on Tampa, the Bucs from the '03 NFC Championship (also the last game at the Vet), and the Lightning from the '04 ECF. I'd rather take the Rays, I see them as damaged goods if they make it through whereas, the Sox would be hot and the Phils would be coming off a week long layoff.

[DCott 0]

yeah the layoff killed Colorado last year

[mack 44]

If the Rays win, I hope they do so without hitting a HR so we can be spared that crappy song.

[kovalchuk71 212]

No HR needed. They will find a way to fit it in. ;)

EDIT: Told ya ;)

[mack 44]

FEEL. THE HEAT. OMG YES, JAMMIT.

[D-MaN88 0]

Great series. Price is a stud.

Now that the Sox are out :(...jumpin' on the Phillies bandwagon. Let's go Phils.

[Jason Harris 31]

The D-Rays deserved it. Garza was outstanding tonight, and over seven games it was obvious the D-Rays have more talent, with the only mitigating factor being their inexperience led to some errors. Take those away and it would have been a five game series.

On the other hand, it would have been interesting to see how much closer the talent would have been if Lowell played. That would have given the Sox a seven-deep lineup, although Kotsay hit the ball hard at times. Still, I would have rather had him coming off the bench.

[D-MaN88 0]

While I agree on all your points Jason, there is one I just don't agree with. Yes his stats may say differently but I don't ever feel comfortable when Lowell is up at the plate. His D is outstanding but for some reason, him and Varitek just make me shake my head most of the time when they're at the plate.

Granted, this post season when Lowell was at the plate he was always most likely injured so that greatly affected his performance.

I do agree though, the Rays deserved it.

[kosydar 0]

I'm sick of the "its better for baseball if Boston is in the World Series" argument that people throw around so often. Maybe I'm different from most casual fans, but as it stands I'm looking forward to seeing the Rays play. If Boston had won I wouldn't watch a single game, and it isn't like I dislike Boston.

[Jason Harris 31]

D-Man, Lowell had 17 homers and 73 ribbies in 113 games this year, the last 30+ games of which he was noticeably hobbled. And he performed well in last year's postseason (.353 with 7 doubles, 2 homers and 15 ribbies)

I'd take those stats, particularly since it means either Bay, Drew or Youk would have been batting seventh, which is a deeper lineup.

Obviously, the number one question for next year is how much is it worth to have a team leader who is a solid defensive catcher with diminishing arm strength and a disappearing bat? That might not be too difficult a decision if he'd accept a platoon, but Boras is his agent, so I'm worried they'll ask for too much. By the way, I was trying to figure why Tek's batting became so horrible over the season, and all I can think is his swing is too long so he can't catch up to fastballs.

I'm a little bit concerned about the same thing with Papi as we go forward, but he obviously gets a pass because of the wrist. Still, he doesn't seem to be the best at taking care of his body, so I think his skills will disappear quickly when they do.

[Chadd 916]

I'm a little bit concerned about the same thing with Papi as we go forward, but he obviously gets a pass because of the wrist. Still, he doesn't seem to be the best at taking care of his body, so I think his skills will disappear quickly when they do.

Two words for you:

Mo Vaughn

[mrusse01 0]

8th inning, bases loaded, down by two runs, game 7 of the ALCS, big rookie LH on the hill....how many RH hitters in history would you rather have at the plate than Manny Ramirez?

Drew has more than his fair share of huge hits for the Sox, but that whole at bat I couldn't help but think, "Manny ties the game here, no question about it". And yeah yeah, I know they might not have been in that situation with him, Price probably wouldn't have pitched to him, whatever...I don't care. If you trade away one of the greatest post-season hitters ever and you end up leaving the bases juiced in the 8th inning of game 7 down by 2, then you made a bad deal.

[Chadd 916]

8th inning, bases loaded, down by two runs, game 7 of the ALCS, big rookie LH on the hill....how many RH hitters in history would you rather have at the plate than Manny Ramirez?

Drew has more than his fair share of huge hits for the Sox, but that whole at bat I couldn't help but think, "Manny ties the game here, no question about it". And yeah yeah, I know they might not have been in that situation with him, Price probably wouldn't have pitched to him, whatever...I don't care. If you trade away one of the greatest post-season hitters ever and you end up leaving the bases juiced in the 8th inning of game 7 down by 2, then you made a bad deal.

Don't forget that Drew had the walk off hit in game five. Nobody converts every time they're up in a big spot, even Manny.

[Steve_v3 289]

I'm sick of the "its better for baseball if Boston is in the World Series" argument that people throw around so often. Maybe I'm different from most casual fans, but as it stands I'm looking forward to seeing the Rays play. If Boston had won I wouldn't watch a single game, and it isn't like I dislike Boston.

I couldn't agree more. When is baseball going to get similar salary constraints like the other major sports. I know the MLBPA will never go for it. But it is a shame that if the Rays only have a small window in order to win a World Series title because they won't be able to keep there players. There was nothing better than watching the Yankees not make the playoffs.

I loved Red Sox fans who used to complain about how much money the Yankees spent. Besides the Yankees they spent more than everyone else. Although now that the Yankees have a new Stadium and shed some bad contracts they will probably spend even worse than usual.

[TBLfan 25]

I'm a little bit concerned about the same thing with Papi as we go forward, but he obviously gets a pass because of the wrist. Still, he doesn't seem to be the best at taking care of his body, so I think his skills will disappear quickly when they do.

Two words for you:

Mo Vaughn

Good call. Don't forget guys like Cecil Fielder(2 year stint with the Yankees in the twilight of his career), hell, I think his whole family is a bunch of fatasses. Cecil was probably the least fit player in the history of baseball.

... and come on, they are the Rays. Drop the "D" guys, I think they've earned the respect to call them by their name.

[Jason Harris 31]

Actually, the Sox had dropped to fifth in spending at the start of the season, although I believe they ended at fourth after the in-season acquisitions. It will be interesting to see how they much they spend this offseason, since it's obvious they need some thumpers and don't have any close in the minors, but both Manny and Schilling's dollars will be off the books. They've expressed they want to build from within, so it wouldn't surprise me if their payroll continues to drop slightly.

mrusse, Manny forced them to trade him, so as much as all of us wanted his bat in that lineup, what could they do? In 2006 he shut it down for the last 5-6 weeks of the season, without any structural damage found to his knees, so they were concerned he might pull the same ploy this year. Given Boras would only be paid if the Sox agreed to drop the options from his contract, I think it's a guarantee that Manny would have bailed on them this season if they hadn't traded him. I'm just glad he wasn't rewarded with a trip to the WS as a result of that charade.

There were definitely missed opportunities in the 8th inning. If Coco had slid trying to beat the throw, versus a takeout slide, that would have turned Iwamura's throw into another defensive mistake by the D-Rays and would have left the Sox one run down with bases loaded and one out, assuming Youk still walks. At that point, who knows who Maddon would have pitched because, outside of Wheeler in Game 2, their bullpen looked shaky throughout the series.

By the way, that seemed to be a bad call against Drew. Based on PitchTrax to Kotsay in the next inning, the Drew pitch appeared to be four to five inches outside and he appeared to check his swing easily, but the ump never called to third for confirmation. It was only Ball Two, however, so he could have struck out on the next swing.

... and come on, they are the Rays. Drop the "D" guys, I think they've earned the respect to call them by their name.

When you can get botantists around the nation to change the name of the aquatic creature, I'd agree with you. But when the story we were told is they changed their name in response to a threatened boycott, then I gladly use the term that all of us have used for years.

[TBLfan 25]

Typical Red Socks fan.

They changed their name, SalmingUSA. You should respect that. Do you still call the Ducks the Mighty Ducks?

[Jason Harris 31]

1) You know what's interesting? I had always thought they used to be the Pilgrims, then they became the Red Stockings, before finally the Red Sox. But according to Wikipedia, those weren't official names. Apparently, they had no name until the owner gave them the name "Red Sox" after the 1907 season, although that had become the common name they were referred to by the fans and papers. Actually, I've always felt "Red Sox" is a bland name and not indicative of the area. I always like when teams try to find a name that expresses something for which the area is renowned. And "Red Sox" just doesn't conjure the image of an infestation of drunk skunks at a ball park......

2) Particularly since the company no longer exists, don't you think it's better that I post under my actual name? I think it adds a level of honesty and intimacy to a message board. I actually didn't like it when people would refer to me in the past as Salming, even though they knew my name was Jason.

3) If they had changed their name to the Sunsets, I wouldn't have cared. But when they shorten their name to appeal to a minority of people who take offense to a commonly used term by botanists, I lose respect. The name change was obviously economically driven; i.e., the team had been lousy until this year, so they felt they had no "political" strength to stand up to a boycott.

4) The (Mighty) Ducks I go back and forth on.

[mack 44]

Wait, what the hell would botanists have to do with a devil ray?