Tampa Bay Rays In First Place!

[UndergroundVint]

I just got back from the Rays/Yankees game. The extra innings win was the Rays 6th in a row and 11th at home....and it put them in first place in the A.L. East. Plenty of good pitching, tons of speed, and bats that haven't even come close to coming alive yet.

I dont expect the Yankees to do anything this year. If the Red Sox tail off this could actually be the beginning of a Rays dynasty. You heard me. A young, cheap team that will be fortified by a few more years of great prospects. This will be fun!

[tonedaddy]

I've watched about the last 8 games on tv.

This year the Rays are looking so good. You could see glimmers of this team last year, but they really plugged all the holes in the roster during the off-season, didn't they? Got rid of any distracting personalities, too. As you said, this team has it all: pitching, speed, hitting, as well as great defense. They're young, they're confident, and they're having fun. Like you said, makes for a fun team to watch.

Last year they didn't have the confidence to believe they could play anyone, anywhere, and win. This year they do, they have, and they will.

Go Rays!
:AOK

[tonedaddy]

I had posted about the game earlier tonight, but deleted the thread when you started this one.

But I've got to copy over a little celebration of the Yankee sweep!
:D

http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7ADDFE8D-670D-48BF-B9AA-053E2EC6BA27/0/streetpave.jpeg

http://www.excellcorp.co.nz/pix/singles/WLG%20Sweeper%20-%20front%20-%20cropped%201.jpg

http://www.photograph-london.com/london-photos/200501232.jpg

http://www.claycrossps.co.uk/competition_winners_2007/september_2007/Basel%20street%20sweeper%200111_th.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/geography/1/7/o/L/DSC00901.JPG

http://cache.lego.com/images/shop/prod/7242-0000-xx-12-1.jpg

http://www.jamescarbone.com/portfolio/afghanistan/img/Street%20sweeper%20Kabul%202006.jpg

http://www.thegraphicweekly.com/assets/images/july2607/feature/mal2.jpg

http://www.cvhoa.org/images/sweeper.gif


Go Rays!!

[UndergroundVint]

I just posted this possible scenario on the Rays site: Wild card comes from the West with 90+ wins. Red Sox suffer more losses than usual due to improved Tampa and Baltimore teams. Tampa Bay takes the division with 89 wins.

The Yankees just don't look good in person or on paper. I don't expect Schilling to be a factor at all for Boston. If they have any problems with Dice-K or Beckett they'll be under 90 wins for sure. That is if Timlin doesn't blow every other game for them anyway. Boston's bats will keep them in the hunt as always, but I think the Rays could steal this one.

[tonedaddy]

I just posted this possible scenario on the Rays site: Wild card comes from the West with 90+ wins. Red Sox suffer more losses than usual due to improved Tampa and Baltimore teams. Tampa Bay takes the division with 89 wins.

Great point about how Baltimore also upsets the former balance of W-L in the division. Your scenarios make a lot of sense.

I hope they all come true!
;)

[QRSS]

where'd the "devil" go?

[UndergroundVint]

The owners felt that was a negative vibe so they dropped it. Now the logo is a ray of light instead of a manta-type ray. I didnt mind losing the word devil but the ray of light logo is pretty weak.

[Scott Auld]

The Rays have a better winning percentage, but Boston & the Angels have won one more game than the Rays.

Teams with the same number of wins (or more) as your Rays:

Marlins
Cubs
Oakland
Boston
Angels
Diamondbacks

In other words,

Settle down, it's still May :D:D:D

[jimfog]

The owners felt that was a negative vibe so they dropped it. Now the logo is a ray of light instead of a manta-type ray. I didnt mind losing the word devil but the ray of light logo is pretty weak.

What????

That is really pathetic.

My pop lives in Tampa now, and was considering making their baseball team my AL rooting interest......but not with that ridiculous name and decision.

[mojocaster.com]

The Rays are in first place?

1. Good for them, and congrats.
2. That's how you know it's still May ;)

[FloridaSam]

Whatta bout them MARLINS!!!? Last year the team was all but packed up and gone, now first place and a new stadium coming. Very nice!

[jimfog]

Whatta bout them MARLINS!!!? Last year the team was all but packed up and gone, now first place and a new stadium coming. Very nice!

That's ANOTHER screwed up team name.........WTF is it about Florida???

The plural of Marlin?

Marlin!!!!

No worries, it's still early.......they'll come back to earth soon. Phils are already just a game back, and their not even playing that well.

[dave s]

I think it's GREAT!!! Go Rays! Anybody who beats the Yankees and/or Sox is ok in my book!

But tell me something, is anybody showing up for the games yet? My wife and I were down there last year. Had GREAT seats. Asked the guy sitting next to us to take our pic. We were the ONLY two people in the picture ... along with about 17,000 EMPTY SEATS!!!

Go RAYS!!!

dave

[TheBigShow421]

I just got back from the Rays/Yankees game. The extra innings win was the Rays 6th in a row and 11th at home....and it put them in first place in the A.L. East. Plenty of good pitching, tons of speed, and bats that haven't even come close to coming alive yet.

I dont expect the Yankees to do anything this year. If the Red Sox tail off this could actually be the beginning of a Rays dynasty. You heard me. A young, cheap team that will be fortified by a few more years of great prospects. This will be fun!

With only 4 1/2 months left in the season...

:banana:NUTS:banana:NUTS:banana:NUTS:banana

[UndergroundVint]

That's right. There is simply no reason to expect the Yankees to improve at all this year. This is as good as they're gonna get. Boston could very well stay strong but I see too many veterans that could get injured on that line-up. Of course they're the team to beat, not just in the AL east either.

The Rays still have tons of room to improve by contrast. They've only recently had an active Kazmir (last year's AL strikeout leader) and there's depth and tradebait all over the field.

If they make the playoffs it'll be by a nose and with the help of a September skid by Boston. They play eachother in late Sept so that could be the division right there.

[QRSS]

That's right. There is simply no reason to expect the Yankees to improve at all this year.

i can think of two.
-arod
-trading deadline

i think its great what the rays are doing, but you may be getting ahead of yourself a tad.

[bdegrande]

That's right. There is simply no reason to expect the Yankees to improve at all this year. This is as good as they're gonna get. Boston could very well stay strong but I see too many veterans that could get injured on that line-up. Of course they're the team to beat, not just in the AL east either.

The Rays still have tons of room to improve by contrast. They've only recently had an active Kazmir (last year's AL strikeout leader) and there's depth and tradebait all over the field.

If they make the playoffs it'll be by a nose and with the help of a September skid by Boston. They play eachother in late Sept so that could be the division right there.

I absolutely buy Tampa as a good team, even more so next year than this year as they have a couple of great pitching prospects coming along.

That having ben said, the first sentence is nuts. The Yankees won't be improved by:

Adding Alex Rodriguez?
Adding Jorge Posada?
Adding Philip Hughes?
Putting Joba Chamberlain into the rotation?
Adding whatever they need at the deadline?

[frankencat]

I was gonna go tonight but couldn't. I will probably go to tomorrow's game. Wouldn't it be cool if it was a sweep? It would be like we won the series, lol :D

[Cowboy]

A sure sign of the End Times... :Devil

Still - outstanding, Rays!

Cheers,
Cowboy

[UndergroundVint]

I absolutely buy Tampa as a good team, even more so next year than this year as they have a couple of great pitching prospects coming along.

That having ben said, the first sentence is nuts. The Yankees won't be improved by:

Adding Alex Rodriguez?
Adding Jorge Posada?
Adding Philip Hughes?
Putting Joba Chamberlain into the rotation?
Adding whatever they need at the deadline?

The Rays dont need any improvement to their pitching whatsoever. It's NY that needs to start looking forward to next year.

A-Rod and Posada wont drive in 100 more runs between them this season. Joba will have to be sent down for 2-3 weeks to be made into a starter. That will result in a few extra losses and then you'll miss him as a set-up man once he gets back. A-Rod, Posada, and Joba are examples of why the Yankees are a worse team this year. They'll trade away to improve next season, not this one.

[tonedaddy]

In other words,

Settle down, it's still May :D:D:D

Hey, you've got to celebrate when you get the chance to.
:D

All of the talk aside, it's all about having a great game for the fans to watch. And this year, it's a much better game to watch.


But tell me something, is anybody showing up for the games yet? My wife and I were down there last year. Had GREAT seats. Asked the guy sitting next to us to take our pic. We were the ONLY two people in the picture ... along with about 17,000 EMPTY SEATS!!!

Unfortunately, the fans are not showing up yet (Rays attendance is still very low this year and was the 2nd lowest in MLB last year, I believe).

In fact, that was the topic of a front page article in the morning paper Wednesday. It's particularly important as the team and city are promoting the building of a new stadium on the St. Pete waterfront to be ready around 2012, costing at least $450 mil., (likely more as public stadiums seem to have a habit of going over budget). A controversial project not only for it's projected cost, but also because it's proposed to be an outdoor stadium with a retractable roof using a modern fabric to provide shade/weather cover. Lot of folks are complaining about the prospect of walking away from a covered stadium with A/C (not a bad combination considering Florida's hot/humid summer climate and nightly summer rains), and a new site that has very little parking available. Some folks say it will be tough to pick up fly balls visually against a white fabric (don't know if that) Also the standard taxpayer protests against public funding for a private enterprise.

The flip side is the old stadium isn't in the best area of town, and is far from downtown St. Pete which is begging for a kickstart for redevelopment. I'm betting the stadium gets built in spite of the arguments against it. Seems like sports stadiums always get built when they have support from the powers that be in the city, and in this case the the Rays appear to have it. Part of the new stadium plans includes selling the old stadium land and getting developers to improve that area with a combination of retail/office/housing to make it more attractive & people-friendly. I think the city leaders are looking at it as a 2-for-1 redevelopment deal, so they win.

Here are renderings with the roof retracted/open and closed/covered:

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/images/ticketing/y2008/new_ballpark_570x300.gif

http://i25.tinypic.com/155mdy0.jpg


And a website about the new proposed stadium with drawings, virtual tour, etc:
http://www.majorleaguedowntown.com/

[bdegrande]

The Rays dont need any improvement to their pitching whatsoever. It's NY that needs to start looking forward to next year.

A-Rod and Posada wont drive in 100 more runs between them this season. Joba will have to be sent down for 2-3 weeks to be made into a starter. That will result in a few extra losses and then you'll miss him as a set-up man once he gets back. A-Rod, Posada, and Joba are examples of why the Yankees are a worse team this year. They'll trade away to improve next season, not this one.

You haven't a clue. I hope for your sake that you aren't a gambler. The Rays will be better next year because Price will be better than ANYONE in their current rotation, and Longoria, who was brought up with very little AAA experience, will have a much better year next year than this year.

Your opinion of the Yankees is wishful thinking obviously based on nothing.

[danyeod]

That's right. There is simply no reason to expect the Yankees to improve at all this year. This is as good as they're gonna get. Boston could very well stay strong but I see too many veterans that could get injured on that line-up. Of course they're the team to beat, not just in the AL east either.

The Rays still have tons of room to improve by contrast. They've only recently had an active Kazmir (last year's AL strikeout leader) and there's depth and tradebait all over the field.

If they make the playoffs it'll be by a nose and with the help of a September skid by Boston. They play eachother in late Sept so that could be the division right there.


blah blah blah. I heard the same thing last year about the Yanks and look how many games they wound up winning. In fact they were WORSE last year. They haven't even gotten Cano off and once he starts hitting he won't stop. He started off slow last year as well then from i think July 1st on...he hit 427.

Arod hasn't been in the lineup and what about Posada?


The reason why you don't think the Yanks will get any better is because you're completely clueless about baseball.

[danyeod]

I absolutely buy Tampa as a good team, even more so next year than this year as they have a couple of great pitching prospects coming along.

That having ben said, the first sentence is nuts. The Yankees won't be improved by:

Adding Alex Rodriguez?
Adding Jorge Posada?
Adding Philip Hughes?
Putting Joba Chamberlain into the rotation?
Adding whatever they need at the deadline?

And once Cano starts hitting he's like adding another player. I bet he ends up hitting .315 with close to 100 rbi's.

The Rays will long out of it by late July.

[danyeod]

The Rays dont need any improvement to their pitching whatsoever. It's NY that needs to start looking forward to next year.

A-Rod and Posada wont drive in 100 more runs between them this season. Joba will have to be sent down for 2-3 weeks to be made into a starter. That will result in a few extra losses and then you'll miss him as a set-up man once he gets back. A-Rod, Posada, and Joba are examples of why the Yankees are a worse team this year. They'll trade away to improve next season, not this one.


hahahahaha. That comment about Arod and Posada not getting 100rbi's between is a DOOZY. Did you start watching baseball THIS YEAR?

The Yanks won't trade away for next year. Giambi's contract is done at the end of this year. That's 23 million coming off the books. I believe Carl Povano's contract is also coming off. Plus, Mussina's contract is also done this year, he's getting 16 million. If they bring him back next year it will be for a heck of a lot less than what he's getting now.

Not sure if Damon comes back, his contract is also done after this year.

CC Sabathia and Mark Texiera are both free agents next year. I expect the Yanks to go after both of them.

They obviously screwed up by not getting Johan Santana. But if Hughs and Kennedy can mature and start pitching better then the non trade won't hurt as bad.


And ya gotta love Met fans for booing Johan Santana on his first appearance at Shea this year.

[Rev2S]

Enjoy it while it lasts....the Rays will implode and order will be restored. The Yankees always have a crappy few months then pick it up mid-season and take first or second place. The Sox will be up near the top as well. The Jays come next and the Orioles and Rays will fight over last place.

[onemind]

It sounds like all the Mets fans moved to Tampa.

[Jahn]

It sounds like all the Mets fans moved to Tampa.

Let's not kid ourselves, old Yanks and Sox fans are there in force too. Florida, the Northeast's retirement destination.

[tonedaddy]

Let's not kid ourselves, old Yanks and Sox fans are there in force too. Florida, the Northeast's retirement destination.

Yep.

When the Yanks and Sox are in town, they seem to outnumber Rays fans in the stands.
Makes for a tough home crowd....
;)

[tonedaddy]

Ok, it wasn't a sweep, but we Rays fans will take 3 out of 4 any time we can.
:AOK

Check the standings, Yankee fans.

And don't shoot the messenger.
It's the Yanks that need to be bitched at, not Rays fans.
;)


Enjoy it while it lasts....the Rays will implode and order will be restored. The Yankees always have a crappy few months then pick it up mid-season and take first or second place. The Sox will be up near the top as well. The Jays come next and the Orioles and Rays will fight over last place.

I'm saving this post on my desktop until September when I'll repost it.
I say the Rays won't be in the cellar.
At least 3rd place (hopefully higher).

Go Rays!

[frankencat]

GREAT job. Go Rays! :)

[UndergroundVint]

You haven't a clue. I hope for your sake that you aren't a gambler. The Rays will be better next year because Price will be better than ANYONE in their current rotation, and Longoria, who was brought up with very little AAA experience, will have a much better year next year than this year.

Your opinion of the Yankees is wishful thinking obviously based on nothing.


You know a Yankee fan is losing an argument when he has to bring up past or future seasons. I'm not really concerned right now about how much better the Rays will be next year. They are in first place now while the Yankees are in last. YOU need to focus on rebuilding. Forgive me while I embrace THIS year's current success.

[UndergroundVint]

hahahahaha. That comment about Arod and Posada not getting 100rbi's between is a DOOZY. Did you start watching baseball THIS YEAR?


For all of the guitar players here that know so much more about baseball than me, please enlighten everyone as to how many RBI's Posada and A-Rod are likely to hit.

For the casual fan here are some stats to put things in perspective: Posada has 1 homerun and 11 RBI's. A-Rod has 4 homeruns and 11 RBI's. Both are out with injuries. The season is a quarter over.

[UndergroundVint]

Last place Yankees currently 5 games behind first place Rays.


:)

[UndergroundVint]

May 25th: Rays are again in first place in the AL East. Yankees are still 5 games behind. Posada and A-Rod remain non-factors.

[orangewizard]

Posada is STILL not playing.
A-Rod is already contributing to an awakened offense of late.
Even Giambi is coming around,and starting to crush the ball.
Cano will come around.
The pitching coming around,or not will determine where the Yanks finish this year.
I'm not worried yet.



Oh yeah,Boston just got swepped by the MIGHTY Oakland Athletics:bow this weekend! :D

[UndergroundVint]

I'm not worried about the Red Sox. They'll come in second place in the AL East. I'm aware that Posada is not playing. That's the primary reason I predict he and A-Rod will hit less than 100 more RBI's between them this year. Pitching this lame doesn't "come around", it only gets worse.

[orangewizard]

I'm not worried about the Red Sox. They'll come in second place in the AL East. I'm aware that Posada is not playing. That's the primary reason I predict he and A-Rod will hit less than 100 more RBI's between them this year. Pitching this lame doesn't "come around", it only gets worse.OK,so who is winning the division then?

[tonedaddy]

The Rays aren't just in first place. With Arizona, they share the best records in MLB!

Rays looked great all weekend. I still can't get over how solid they are all around. Folks that think the Rays are going to implode haven't seen this squad play.

The Rays have won 15 of their last 16 home games, and they've got 7 more straight home games on the schedule. They're something like 21-12 in the AL East now, and even with that the East team records still show it's arguably the strongest AL division. Meaning the Rays are consistently winning against some of the strongest teams in the AL.

I'm hoping to get out to tonight's game!
:AOK

Go Rays!!

[UndergroundVint]

OK,so who is winning the division then?

Rays 90-72
Red Sox 89-73
Yankees 86-76
Blue Jays 81-81
Orioles 78-84

A sad final season for the fans at Yankee stadium indeed.

[orangewizard]

Rays 90-72
Red Sox 89-73
Yankees 86-76
Blue Jays 81-81
Orioles 78-84

A sad final season for the fans at Yankee stadium indeed.Oh come on mang...you CAN'T really believe this?! :NUTS

[UndergroundVint]

I believe what I see. And I believe my predictions all came true last year while your's....not so much.

[orangewizard]

If I recall correctly,the only thing I predicted last year was that the Yankees would rebound from their terrible start,and make the playoffs.Besides,it aint LAST YEAR anymore,know what I mean?

[UndergroundVint]

I'd be happy to keep the conversation about this year's teams. I wish all Yankees fans would remember what season it is before they regurgitate championship totals from the last century. I never hear Celtics fans reminding Magic fans about all of their banners from the 50's. It's a useless stat.

To really focus on the present, let's recap what happened today, May 26th: The Yankees were just beaten 6-1 by the Orioles (who were just swept by the Rays).

[tonedaddy]

To really focus on the present, let's recap what happened today, May 26th: The Yankees were just beaten 6-1 by the Orioles (who were just swept by the Rays).

And while we're at it, we can mention the Rays won again,
and remain in first place.

Kazmir is hot!
:AOK

Go Rays!!

[FloridaSam]

:munchMarlins still in first :)

[tjs]

Price will be better than ANYONE in their current rotation

Considering Kazmir led the AL in strikeouts last year and Shields had the fifth lowest WHIP in the majors, if that turns out to be true then you might as well cancel next season and just give us the World Series win.

[tonedaddy]

Rays still in first place!

I'm going to try to see either tonight's game (reportedly sold out, so I guess I'd have to scalp tickets...not on TV either) or Sunday.
Anyone else coming out to root for the home team?
:AOK

Go Rays!!

[UndergroundVint]

June 1, still in first place with the Yankees 6.5 games behind. A-Rod is hitting a so-so .287 and Posada is still a non-factor. What fantastic investments they are. Everything is right on track for the Rays.

Weekends selling out are great. All that's left is to increase weekday attendence at The Trop.

[QRSS]

impressive! first place at the 1/3 mark!

[tjs]

This team is for real. I'm not saying the Rays are going all the way this year, but they are capable of winning a series against any team in the majors. If they can stay relatively healthy (particularly with their young starting rotation) through the end of the season, the sky is the limit.

[dave s]

Good for the Rays!

My wife and I went to a game late in the season last year. We parked for free, drove right up to the main gate, bought a GREAT pair of seats for less than $50 and enjoyed a killer, come-from-behind win by the Rays.

The funny thing was we ask the guys sitting to our left to take a pic of us. They obliged. When we got home from vacation and downloaded the pic, my wife and I are the ONLY two people in the entire pic! There couldn't have been 5k people at that game!

Sad. Really sad. They're not going to be there long if people don't start packing Tropicana Field.

dave

[UndergroundVint]

Last season's team was fun to watch with its better hitting and better outfield arms. And Carlos Pena's comeback was a real treat to follow. Unfortunately, many a 5 run lead was blown last year. I believe I saw a 10 run lead blown against Toronto as well. Yeesh.

Now I feel completely at ease with a 2-0 lead in the 7th. I'm sure the Rays pitching will take its lumps later on but I'm 100% positive that there will be way more offensive production. Expect more hits, more steals, more runs, and more wins.

Buy your season tickets now and cash in during the playoffs!

[frankencat]

I was at the game vs the White Sox the other night. Best bargain in MLB right now. First base box for $22. No brainer. I think I will be going to a few games this year :)

[UndergroundVint]

What would $22 get you at Yankee Stadium? Upper deck and a 2 f0r 5 performance by Matsui.

[QRSS]

What would $22 get you at Yankee Stadium? Upper deck and a 2 f0r 5 performance by Matsui.

electricity that has never been matched in st pete.

[todd921]

But I still love my Sox.

Nice to see the Rays fielding a decent team...we might even see a few series that actually count for something this August in the AL East!

[UndergroundVint]

electricity that has never been matched in st pete.


I wouldn't be so sure of that. The Rays have had several walk-off homers and hits this year. Has ANYTHING even remotely electric happened in NY this season? 40,000 miserable fans whining about Joba not starting doesn't count as electricity.

[QRSS]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. The Rays have had several walk-off homers and hits this year. Has ANYTHING even remotely electric happened in NY this season? 40,000 miserable fans whining about Joba not starting doesn't count as electricity.

lol...i think they had another one today.
electric=;
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance?sort=home_pct&year=2008&seasonType=2

has the major league team from tampa ever had a sellout?
i know they never had a playoff game.

i'm a yankee "hater" but i have enough experience(30+) to know you never count the yankees out. i think they've qualified for postseason 13 strait(?) years. that gets my respect.

those 51k sometimes miserable fans is far more electric than 18k jubliant wagoners. electric is EXPECTATIONS that your team will win based on a winning tradition(and of course salary). make a good showing of rays fans when yanks and sox come to town next time around.

time to develop that tradition tamp(a)er!
good luck rays! check back at the 2/3 mark: 01 AUG.
the way your pitching is flowing, you wont need to make any deadline moves.

[UndergroundVint]

I dont doubt that there is electricy in the air during playoff games. But NY fans watching a .500 ballclub lose to the Twins never have and never will be as enthused as Rays fans watching a walk-off homer against the White Sox. You have 51,000 tourists watching your games. We have 18,000 baseball fans.

The Rays' attendence will get better. The Yankees' record will not.

[FXMonkey]

Nice to see small market teams like the Rays compete.....

The Reds have an impressive young nucleus too...the problem is the small market can never keep their young talent once they develop into great players.... the Yankees and Red Sox buy them all :-)

[zekmoe]

It's be cause they removed Devil from their name. He was holding them back.

[drgonzoguitar]

As a Twins fan, I am happy to see the Rays doing so well. That walk-off homer yesterday makes for good baseball watching! God, I love baseball......

[QRSS]

The Rays' attendence will get better. The Yankees' record will not.

i hope you're right. :drink

[UndergroundVint]

Looks like Ortiz will be out for a month+ for the Red Sox. Good news for the entire AL East. Tomorrow all of New York's hopes and dreams will go down the tubes when Joba gets pulled after 4 innings. Look for a nervous breakdown from him later this summer from all the pressure. Even if he delivers, Farnsworth will lose enough games this season for both of them.

This week's predictions: Rays will take 2 of 3 in Boston and Toronto will take 2 of 3 from NY.

[tonedaddy]

Keeping the thread alive till the end of the season.
The Rays cap a sweep of the Marlins with a nice one-hitter by Garza today!

Go Rays!!

[frankencat]

Go Rays!!

[UndergroundVint]

June 29 and the Rays are back in first place. A-Rod, Posada, and Joba are all performing as expected and the Yankees still can't gain any ground. If Carlos Pena can get on track the second half of the Rays season will be a LOT of fun.

I'd love to see Ken Griffey Jr. traded to the Rays for some young guys. We have plenty of those around. Junior would get a great shot at a ring and be close to home in Orlando. The Rays would get a HOF'er, better attendence, and a solid leader and citizen. He could DH his way to 660+ homers over the next couple years. Plus it would make a great story which is what the Rays need to gain more exposure.

Either way, it looks like we'll have a good playoff race during the second half.

[tonedaddy]

The Rays are in first place?

1. Good for them, and congrats.
2. That's how you know it's still May ;)

So how do you know it's July, half the season's over, the Rays are still in first place by 2.5 games and they have the best record in baseball?
;)

Rays 90-72
Red Sox 89-73
Yankees 86-76
Blue Jays 81-81
Orioles 78-84

A sad final season for the fans at Yankee stadium indeed.

Current standings

Rays: 51-32, -- GB
Red Sox: 50-36, 2.5 GB
Yankees: 44-40, 7.5 GB
Baltimore: 42-40, 8.5 GB
Blue Jays: 41-44, 11.0 GB

:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana



Oh come on mang...you CAN'T really believe this?! :NUTS

orangewizard....
Paging orangewizard.

Paging Mr. Wizard, initial O.
:D



Check this out, Rays Fans and Mr. O. Wizard:


I was looking at the MLB standings tonight and doing some thinking.
The Rays are now 51-32 (19 more wins than losses).

We've just past the halfway point in the season this past week.
There are only 79 games left.
If the Rays play .500 ball from here on out, they win 39 or 40 games.
Add that to the 51 wins already and you've got 90 wins!

Not impossible to believe they could play better than .500 ball for a few more wins than losses and be at 90+ wins.

To win 100 games they've got to go 49-30 (again, 19 more wins than losses). Mr. O. Wizard and other critics might say it would be tough (or nearly impossible) to replicate their winning average for the second half of the year (which would give them 100 wins). But if you've seen this entire team play this season it's certainly not hard to believe the Rays, if they stay mostly healthy (and that's obviously key), can play .500 ball for the rest of the season.


UndergroundVint,
I think you seriously have a chance to be the guy
that nails the prediction for the Rays this year!
:AOK


90 wins with .500 ball for the rest of the season is seriously doable with this team.

Is this just incredible, or what?
:dude

[tjs]

Can you say SWEEP?:D

[tonedaddy]

Yes we can!!!


http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7ADDFE8D-670D-48BF-B9AA-053E2EC6BA27/0/streetpave.jpeg


52-32 record, and 3.5 games in front of the Red Sox!
:dude

[UndergroundVint]

UndergroundVint,
I think you seriously have a chance to be the guy
that nails the prediction for the Rays this year!
:AOK





I'm not right about everything. The Jays and Orioles still need to swap paces. :)

I don't see even an outbreak of injuries down the stretch keeping the Rays from playing .500 ball. If two pitchers, Navarro, AND Longoria go down, then we might have a problem.

[tonedaddy]

I don't see even an outbreak of injuries down the stretch keeping the Rays from playing .500 ball. If two pitchers, Navarro, AND Longoria go down, then we might have a problem.

I agree, injuries are the only thing I can imagine creating problems.


How about the defensive plays these guys are making?

Upton's over-the-shoulder catch up at the wall? Shades of Mays?
Navarro throw out of Lowell trying to steal? Lowell had a huge jump on the pitch, and Navarro's throw not only beats him to the bag, the ball shot down there like a laser-guided missile to land picture perfect on the frickin' corner of the bag! Beautiful!
How about Longoria's throw from his knees the other night? He's been doing stuff like that all year! He is so quick to the ball.



Here's a few paragraphs from MLB.com tonight I found interesting:

Completing the sweep gave the home team 13 consecutive wins in the budding rivalry, which will not resume again until Sept. 8, in Boston.
....
The Rays are now 33-13 at Tropicana Field and 29-6 (at the Trop) since April 22. After their seventh series sweep of the season, they have a record of 52-32 and find themselves just 14 games away from last season's win total.
__________________________________________________ _________

[tonedaddy]

Check out this analysis/predictions:


If we believe the Rays can play .500 ball for the rest of the season then, ok, who are the Rays playing going forward? Because if you can maintain any of the current momentum for this month and play better than .500 for July, it reduces the need to win later on (and you can even go below .500).

So can we play better than .500 for July?


JULY

The Rays play 23 games for the rest of July.

Here's the schedule of who they're playing for the rest of this month, and the strength of those teams relative to the number of games we play them:

Schedule:

KC - 8 games (4 home, 4 away), 38-47, 11.5 GB, (next to last place in division),
Yanks - 2 games (2 away), 45-40, 7.5 GB
Cleveland - 4 games (4 away), 37-48, 12.5 GB (last place in division)
Blue Jays - 6 games (3 home, 3 away), 41-45, 12 GB (last place in division)
Oakland - 3 games (3 home), 45-39, 5.5 GB

Teams Rays play that are currently below .500:
18 games against 3 teams that have total records together of 116-140.

Teams Rays play that are currently above .500:
5 games against 2 teams that have total records of 90-79.


Out of the 18 games (7 home, 11 away) against teams below .500, I estimate the Rays will go 11-7.
Out of the 5 games (3 home, 2 away) against teams above .500, I estimate the Rays go 3-2

So that's 14-9 for the rest of July. That's aggressive for a schedule of 10 home and 13 away, but I'm factoring in the significant weakness of the teams they're playing.

Add that to the current record of 52-32 and you've got 66-41.
And that leaves only 52 games at the beginning of August.
You only need a record of 24-28 to hit 90 wins at the end of the season.

You can hardly get a better July schedule for the Rays to keep winning with the record they have now.

July's schedule looks easy, but the issue is the Rays can't let up.
They have to take advantage of their current momentum,
and capitalize on that schedule and play better than .500 ball.

And I think they can do that with their schedule.


The farther you go out, the less confidence you can have in your predictions, so I include cooling off later in the season.


AUGUST

So then, what about August?
Say we cool off significantly.

Schedule:

Detroit - 42-42 3 games (home)
Cleveland - 37-48 3 games (home)
Seattle - 33-51 4 games (away)
Oakland - 45-39 3 games (away)
Texas - 44-42 3 games (away)
Angels - 51-34 3 games (home) 1st place team
White Sox, 49-35 3 games (away) 1st place team
Toronto, 41-45 3 games (home)
Baltimore, 43-40 3 games (home)

Total 28 games (15 home and 13 away)

We cool off and play the Angels and White Sox (current combined record of 100-69) 3 home and 3 away, and walk away with 2-4.

We play Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and Baltimore at home, teams with a current combined record of 163-175. That's 12 games, and we cool off at home (remember we're currently 33-13 at home) and go 7-5.

That leaves 10 away with Seattle, Oakland and Texas with a current combined record of 122-132. Against them we go 4-6.

For August, even though we're playing 15 home and 13 away, we cool off and go 13-15.

Add that to the predicted record at the end of July (66-41) and at the end of August the Rays are at 79-56.



SEPTEMBER

September leaves 27 games.

To win 90 games we only need to win 11, so we can go 11-16 and still hit 90 wins.


So what's it all mean?

I think it means.....you can see July and August has the Rays playing excellent schedules to predict winning 90 games with a high degree of confidence.

And they really need to kick ass for the rest of July.


GO RAYS!!

[UndergroundVint]

Tonedaddy, if you're not going to take this discussion seriously please refrain from posting.

Ha!

Everything you say is right on. The Sept series against NY and BOS will be big obviously. If we can play .500 ball against them and play .600 ball against everyone else we'll be fine. What we dont want is BOS to dominate over NY as those are games they need to split. Finally, TB will need to win a few games in BOS before Sept/Oct. That home field advantage story between these two needs to be squashed come playoff time.

[QRSS]

just win today...

you'll be ok

[UndergroundVint]

Just got back from tonight's Rays game against the Royals. Fun game with lots of great defense, base running, pitching, and hitting. Pena had an especially good night.

Meanwhile, the Yankees fell to 4th place in the A.L. East....9 games behind Tampa Bay. Can you hear the splashes? Lots of NY fans jumping ship here in FL.

[tonedaddy]

Just got back from tonight's Rays game against the Royals. Fun game with lots of great defense, base running, pitching, and hitting. Pena had an especially good night.

Pena has such a nice swing, doesn't he?

Watched the game on TV, and it did look like a fun game. The Rays were hitting on all cylinders. Aki's looking strong again since the suspension break.

How about Reid Brignac turning that double play in the first inning! Not bad for stepping on the field for your first major league game ever and making a big league play in the first inning. Baseball America says he's the best defensive infielder in the Rays minor league system, and the long-term starter for SS on the Rays roster. Gotta love it when Rays minor league system is so good.


Meanwhile, the Yankees fell to 4th place in the A.L. East....9 games behind Tampa Bay. Can you hear the splashes? Lots of NY fans jumping ship here in FL.

:D
No doubt!

They're not just jumping ship here in FL, notice it's been mighty quiet with the lack of baseball threads on TGP this year? NY fans aren't even arguing with Red Sox fans!

And neither of them are even posting on this thread!
;)


On the countdown to 90 wins, as of today:
Rays have to play .481 ball to get 90 wins.
Boston has to play .521 ball to get 90 wins.


Read this today:

The Rays are the only team since 1900 to have the Major Leagues' best record on July 4 the year after owning the Majors' worst record.

[UndergroundVint]

The number of Yankees fans telling me that my last post proves I "know NOTHING about baseball" is down as well. I bet I read that ten times last year.

This season could have been different for NY. If Hank and George had given Torre half the respect he deserves and paid him what he was worth, NY would have a chance this season. I'd love to see the Dodgers in the World Series...Torre deserves it after what he's been through.

Just curious, do any Yankees fans actually like Hank Steinbrenner?

[tonedaddy]

This season could have been different for NY. If Hank and George had given Torre half the respect he deserves and paid him what he was worth, NY would have a chance this season. I'd love to see the Dodgers in the World Series...Torre deserves it after what he's been through.

I agree.

I've always liked Torre, and lived in the St. Louis area during his entire career
as a player with the Cards (including the year he won NL MVP). He always
cracked me up leaving the ballpark in his car smoking a big fat stogie. I hope he has a great career with the Dodgers.

[ocripes]

The number of Yankees fans telling me that my last post proves I "know NOTHING about baseball" is down as well. I bet I read that ten times last year.

This season could have been different for NY. If Hank and George had given Torre half the respect he deserves and paid him what he was worth, NY would have a chance this season. I'd love to see the Dodgers in the World Series...Torre deserves it after what he's been through.

Just curious, do any Yankees fans actually like Hank Steinbrenner?

He's good for comic relief, what with the way the Yanks are stinking up the joint.

BTW, did you you all see the weird cliff hanger of a triple, where the ball just sat on the fence? It's a sign...:warning

[UndergroundVint]

Its a sign that Damon needs to be their DH. He's a major league baseball player, no? But he can barely reach his cutoff man without a bounce or two. A play at home plate? Forget it. Is there a weaker arm in baseball?

[improviduto]

I knew The Rays were contenders in the spring when they were getting chippy with the Yankees. I think it gave them the spark they needed.

(And apparently not winning the big show in 100 years is incentive enough for the Cubbies to perform.)

[danyeod]

Well guys, hate to burst your bubble but the Rays collapse looks like it's right on schedule. And kicked off by the Yankees sweeping the Rays in 2 games at THE stadium.

[danyeod]

For all of the guitar players here that know so much more about baseball than me, please enlighten everyone as to how many RBI's Posada and A-Rod are likely to hit.

For the casual fan here are some stats to put things in perspective: Posada has 1 homerun and 11 RBI's. A-Rod has 4 homeruns and 11 RBI's. Both are out with injuries. The season is a quarter over.

Hey, go check your stat book and tell me how many RBI's Arod has.:rotflmao

[UndergroundVint]

Thanks for bringing that up. I'm right on pace.

They've driven in 52 RBI's since I posted that in May. Yes, I predict they'll drive in 47 by the end of the season. Posada is good for 10 more, overpaid paperweight that he is. And A-Rod will injure himself running to first base again, leaving him with just 37 more if he's lucky.

Feel free to bump this thread everytime A-Rod hits a homer. It wont last for long.

[danyeod]

Thanks for bringing that up. I'm right on pace.

They've driven in 52 RBI's since I posted that in May. Yes, I predict they'll drive in 47 by the end of the season. Posada is good for 10 more, overpaid paperweight that he is. And A-Rod will injure himself running to first base again, leaving him with just 37 more if he's lucky.

Feel free to bump this thread everytime A-Rod hits a homer. It wont last for long.


If you knew anything you would know that Posada has been injured all year and missed a lot of games and you're an idiot if you think Arod won't wind up with close to 110-120 rbi's. He will wind up hitting close to 40 homers this year easy.

What happened to Pena this year? Actually I'm not suprised. His 46 homers last year was a fluke. He will be lucky to hit 30 this year. Look at his career stats. He hit over 30 once, last year.

[Donnie B.]

and you're an idiot if you think Arod won't wind up with close to 110-120 rbi's. He will wind up hitting close to 40 homers this year easy.

Considering the Yanks have already played 58% of the season and he currently has 19 homers and 53 RBIs how do you figure?

[TheBigShow421]

6 games and counting... Looks like a sign of things to come...

[UndergroundVint]

If you knew anything you would know that Posada has been injured all year and missed a lot of games and you're an idiot if you think Arod won't wind up with close to 110-120 rbi's. He will wind up hitting close to 40 homers this year easy.

What happened to Pena this year? Actually I'm not suprised. His 46 homers last year was a fluke. He will be lucky to hit 30 this year. Look at his career stats. He hit over 30 once, last year.


If you knew how to read you'd know that I'm well aware of Posada's injuries. He's an old catcher that I predict will go down again before the season ends.

A-Rod would absolutely hit 110+ RBI's if he remained healthy. But my prediction revolves around him going down again as well. Also keep in mind though that the hitters in front of him aren't getting on base like they should.

Pena will hit 35 homers easy.

[UndergroundVint]

6 games and counting... Looks like a sign of things to come...


Only 3 games out of the next 24 will be against teams with winning records. And those 3 are against Oakland at home. I see the Rays going 19-5 during that run.

[mailman]

Well now, let's see... Red Sox 1/2 game out of 1st and tasting it; Yanks 5 1/2 games out of first and climbing,...Rays teetering?:munch

[dave s]

...and isn't it a head scratcher how they can come into Cleveland and lose THREE (so far!) to the Tribe?

Another reason I LOVE sports!

dave

[danyeod]

Considering the Yanks have already played 58% of the season and he currently has 19 homers and 53 RBIs how do you figure?

Take at look at his AB's. You do realize he was on the DL for 2 weeks right? Every year he has a stretch where he hits a LOT of homers and he has yet to really do that, it will come. And he rarely goes on the DL so i highly doubt he will miss anymore time this year. So you can easily count him improving on his first half numbers.

[danyeod]

Only 3 games out of the next 24 will be against teams with winning records. And those 3 are against Oakland at home. I see the Rays going 19-5 during that run.


Take a look at the Rays September schedule! BRUTAL.

And they just got swept by Indians! What's their record? When was the last time the Rays won a game anyway? It's been a while.

[UndergroundVint]

Sept schedule 12 games against NY and BOS, half home, half away. They'll split 'em so 6-6 there. Add to that 10 road games against TOR, BAL, and DET, all losing teams but let's say they split those too, 5-5. The only other games are the final four home games against MIN. I have no problem calling that a sweep, 4-0.

Put me down for a 15-11 Rays record during that BRUTAL September. And don't forget the last 6 games in August are at home against TOR and BAL. There's no reason the Rays wont play .600+ ball during their final 32 games.

[Teleplayer]

The Rays will sweep Minnesota when cows fly.

[UndergroundVint]

The Rays have swept the Angels, Cubs, Marlins, Red Sox (twice), Royals, Orioles, Blue Jays, and a two game Yankees series at home. They split two games against the Twins in Minnesota. Plus it'll be the final home series in the Rays' most successful season ever. And it's a weekend series so it'll surely be a sellout.

I would say the Twins don't stand a chance.

[Gene]

Not anymore...

[TheBigShow421]

Bump for 7 straight losses...

:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana

[tonemeister]

Bump for 7 straight losses...

:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana


Reality is harsh, isn't it?

It was nice while it lasted ... oh, and I am a Boston fan.

[UndergroundVint]

Relax, the Rays won the 7 games before that.

In the last 14 games the Rays are 7-7, the Red Sox are 7-7 and the Yankees are 6-8.

I guess none of them is capable of winning the division.

[tonedaddy]

Yes, the Rays have struggled (and in some ways sucked) in the last 7 games.
We played 2 teams that both hit hot streaks.
At least we're willing to admit it.
;)

Fortunately it hasn't been because of injuries, and that would be more worrisome for long-term implications.
Baseball is a game of averages.
I'm sure most Rays fans are fine with that.
I believe the Rays went 9-1 followed by 0-7.
They were in second place before these two stretches.
And they're in second place now.
Frankly, I'm much happier to have an 0-7 run before the All-Star game instead of in September.
The Rays still have much easier schedules the rest of July and August than either Boston or NY.

What's more interesting is when the Rays were bitch slapping the Red Sox and Yanks,
their fans were nowhere to be found on this entire forum (and certainly not on this thread).
Fair weather fans?
;)

If you've been watching the Rays all season long, you'll see they're fielding a very exciting young team that is building for long-term success (along with the best minor league system in baseball). If folks think this year's Rays are a one-season fluke, they're not looking.

But hey, Rays fans will be on this thread till the end of the season.
Everyone's welcome to come along for the ride, no matter where and how it goes!
:AOK

GO RAYS!!

[QRSS]

fair weather fans?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance?sort=home_avg&year=2008&seasonType=2

you're closin' in on oakland. :rolleyes:

[UndergroundVint]

I've done my part. I have 8 season tickets.

[tonedaddy]

fair weather fans?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance?sort=home_avg&year=2008&seasonType=2

you're closin' in on oakland. :rolleyes:

I suppose pointing out my post stated it was about fan attendance here on the forum would be too simple to understand....
:jo

[UndergroundVint]

July 18th....back in first place.

[orangewizard]

Bump for an A-Rod homer,big win to start the 'second half',and picking up a badly needed righty power stick. I'm ready for the home stretch!:stir

[UndergroundVint]

Yes, let's hear it for the Yankees who are tied for the 6th best record in the American League!

To quote QRSS:

"You're closin' in on Oakland."

[orangewizard]

I'm just looking for progress at this point...6 games out with 66 still to play aint insurmmountable.Look for NY to pick up some pitching help before all is said and done too.

[tonedaddy]

July 18th....back in first place.
Yeah, and I'm an Angels fan this weekend!
;)
I'm watching the Boston v. Angels game on mlb.com, and I think they'll have their hands full this weekend (LA's up 3-0 in the first).
Good scheduling for this weekend that hopefully will work to the Rays advantage.

Nice to see the Rays' pitching coming back strong (which seemed to be the main issue for the last stretch).
Balfour impresses me more every time he's on the mound.

[UndergroundVint]

I wonder if the Rays will bother to pick up any new players. The Yankees can have Sexon.

[orangewizard]

Sexson is still considered enough of a power threat that he'll help take some heat off a couple guys in that line-up.Matsui is likely done for the season...BB anyone? :worried:D

[frankencat]

Cool. So they won tonight? I missed the game. Go Rays!!

[tonedaddy]

Cool. So they won tonight? I missed the game. Go Rays!!

Yeah, and Boston loses to the Angels 11-3!
Puts the Rays 1/2 game up of Boston.

Go Rays!

[danyeod]

Rays lose. They're 3-7 in their last 10.

Yanks win, only 3.5 games back and they are finally playing like they should. Cano is on fire right now.

Now if Seattle can just win at least once against the Sox.

[UndergroundVint]

Posada is out though, possibly for the season.


Rays still in 1st place, Yanks still in 3rd.

[tonedaddy]

Posada is out though, possibly for the season.


Rays still in 1st place, Yanks still in 3rd.


Well, it's August.

The Rays are still in 1st place, and they have the second best record in baseball.

And the Yanks are still in 3rd.
;)


GO RAYS!

[UndergroundVint]

The Rays should be leaving the Yankees in the dust this week. NY plays four games in 100+ degree heat in Texas and then three in Anaheim. Good luck with that.

The Rays play three against Cleveland at home and then four in Seattle.

Next Monday night the Yankees should be 8.5 games out of first. The wildcard is still in reach though, if Boston and Minnesota somehow both start to tank. :)

[dave r.]

The Rays just don't lose! They have a great team this year.

[frankencat]

Yeah, we pulled it out today. This team just never gives up. It's great to watch....finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :AOK

[orangewizard]

The Rays should be leaving the Yankees in the dust this week. NY plays four games in 100+ degree heat in Texas and then three in Anaheim. Good luck with that.

The Rays play three against Cleveland at home and then four in Seattle.

Next Monday night the Yankees should be 8.5 games out of first. The wildcard is still in reach though, if Boston and Minnesota somehow both start to tank. :) May I just ask why you have it out for the Yankees so? Maybe because they're still more popular in Tampa than the Rays? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...:banana

[UndergroundVint]

There are not more Yankees fans in Tampa Bay than Rays fans. If there were it would be because thousands of New Yorkers flee that god forsaken city on a DAILY basis and head straight for Florida.

Name one thing that is to like about the Yankees this year. They are the most overrated team in all of sports and will be lucky to place third in the wildcard race.

I have it out for Yankees fans who have been insulting the Red Sox, the Rays, and the game of baseball for years. The amount of insults I've received from NY fans on this site alone equal more than I've received in all other areas of my life combined. All because I correctly point out what the Yankees are not and accurately predict what they inevitably will not be each season.

[Smakutus]

Yeah, we pulled it out today. This team just never gives up. It's great to watch....finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :AOK

The Tigers are just a total mess.

Jeff

[dave r.]

Despite being traded, Farnsworth is still killing the Yankees.

[UndergroundVint]

Just an update, Rays are still in first place, 3.5 up on BOS and 6.5 up on NY.

The Yankees are THIRD in the wildcard race, soon to be overtaken by another team or two. A-Rod is tearin' it up lately going 1 for his last 17. And that was mostly against Texas pitching. Nice.

Interesting move by the Yankees, trading away youth and then giving up on the season.

[orangewizard]

Yeah,whatever fella...The Yanks have got 6 games each with the Rays,and Sox.That is where they will make their move! :stir

[UndergroundVint]

Gloat time:

And once Cano starts hitting he's like adding another player. I bet he ends up hitting .315 with close to 100 rbi's.

The Rays will long out of it by late July.

Cano is hitting .268 and 53 RBI's. Rays are long IN it in August.

hahahahaha. That comment about Arod and Posada not getting 100rbi's between is a DOOZY. Did you start watching baseball THIS YEAR?



They SHOULD have hit 200 RBI's but alas, my prediction is right on track. As the games become less and less important however, A-Rod's bat should wake up. Haha.

You haven't a clue. I hope for your sake that you aren't a gambler.

Your opinion of the Yankees is wishful thinking obviously based on nothing.

I wasn't gambling when I signed up for front row Rays season tickets two seasons ago. I've got 8 total and I didn't buy them based on opinions, only facts. The Yankees are on their way to the gutter and the Rays poised for several years of AL East domination.

[orangewizard]

Cano is hitting .268 and 53 RBI's. Rays are long IN it in August.



They SHOULD have hit 200 RBI's but alas, my prediction is right on track. As the games become less and less important however, A-Rod's bat should wake up. Haha. Boy,you're really talking it up now...I can't wait for you to eat it man!

[Dr Git]

Go Rays and Mets for the World Series (if the Mets can get a few relief pitchers before Sept).....I grew up a Mets and Yankees fan BTW, but I live in the Tampa area now

[UndergroundVint]

Boy,you're really talking it up now...I can't wait for you to eat it man!

How will I eat it? Will A-Rod choke when the games matter or will his bat explode once the Yankees have been eliminated?

Or will Posada punch out the anesthesiologist, hop a cab to the ballpark, magically heal his own arm, put himself in the line-up, and somehow hit a few more RBI's??

[orangewizard]

How will I eat it? Will A-Rod choke when the games matter or will his bat explode once the Yankees have been eliminated?

Or will Posada punch out the anesthesiologist, hop a cab to the ballpark, magically heal his own arm, put himself in the line-up, and somehow hit a few more RBI's?? Why is it all about A-Rod? Posada is done,that's old news.
Jeter
Abreu
Nady
Pudge
Damon
Mussina
Rivera
Giambi
Marte
Pettitte
Hell,even Ponson has far exceeded expectations.

We got a few other weapons as well,and TB doesn't have such a cakewalk of a schedule in Sept...trust me,you're getting WAY ahead of yourself with your AL East title celebration! :Spank

[UndergroundVint]

Your weapons include old players whose bats are cooling off. Damon and Pudge are aging pretty rapidly. Would you like to bet on both of them being in the lineup come the final ten games? Five more wins out of Mussina wont get the team that far. Marte is a wash. Pitching is not a Yankee strong-point.

The Rays' have made it this far with a bunch of .270 hitters but now their bats are heating up. You have it backwards, the Red Sox and Yankees are worrying about playing the Rays. We just need to split those games. You need to win at home AND at the Trop.

In fact, after a few more wins, the Rays will just have to play .500 ball the rest of the way to clinch.

[orangewizard]

It doesn't matter dude...because unless you're going to consider winning the East the ultimate achievement,there's no way in hell that you guys are going to beat the Angels to go to the Series! :NUTS

[UndergroundVint]

You forget that the Rays are 4-2 against the Angels this season. We swept them at home and play them three more times there.

You also forget that the Angels have lost 9 straight playoff games to the Red Sox. They will play eachother and the Rays will play the White Sox or Twins. Look for the Rays to ultimately beat the Red Sox in the 7th game of the ALCS.

Then listen for this little gem in sports bars all over New England:

"Carlos Bleepin' Pena"

[orangewizard]

You forget that the Rays are 4-2 against the Angels this season. We swept them at home and play them three more times there.

You also forget that the Angels have lost 9 straight playoff games to the Red Sox. They will play eachother and the Rays will play the White Sox or Twins. Look for the Rays to ultimately beat the Red Sox in the 7th game of the ALCS.

Then listen for this little gem in sports bars all over New England:

"Carlos Bleepin' Pena" OK man.

[UndergroundVint]

Helluva comeback there. I'll take that as an admission of defeat.

We can move on to how the Bucs will be better than the Jets this year if you'd like.

[orangewizard]

Helluva comeback there. I'll take that as an admission of defeat.

We can move on to how the Bucs will be better than the Jets this year if you'd like.
Nope,just done arguing.The season will take care of itself,and do what it does with/without my frustration.

[geargirl]

Red Sox'll struggle w/out sweet Manny. Shame on Boras for being such a jerk.

[orangewizard]

Red Sox'll struggle w/out sweet Manny. Shame on Boras for being such a jerk. Waaaaaaahhhhhhhh...:rolleyes:

[UndergroundVint]

3.5 up on the Red Sox.

7.5 up on the Yankees.

[UndergroundVint]

NINE games up on the Yankees. I wish NY would at least put up a fight.

[orangewizard]

I will admit this ****in' team has shown me absolutely zero these last 4 games...nice work if you can get it,I wish I could get paid that kind of $ to underperform,and not even seem to care! :FM

The division is probably gone...Girardi/Jeter/somebody better manage to light a fire under their ass before all hope of the Wild Card is history too.

Congratulations,I still say the Rays won't go beyond the ALCS AT BEST!

[UndergroundVint]

Okay here's your chance to make up some games. Longoria and Crawford are both on the DL and the Rays have 6 more games on this roadtrip. Bring it NY!

[danyeod]

NINE games up on the Yankees. I wish NY would at least put up a fight.

I knew they were in huge trouble when Joba went down. Joba DL, Wang out probably for the whole year, Matsui who knows, Posada gone for the year, Hughs who knows. It's actually amazing that they can still try for the wildcard.

From what I've seen this year nobody is going to beat the Angels. The Rays have never made the playoffs so you have NO idea how they're going to do once they get there. You know the Angels are going to be tough with homefield. And in case you haven't noticed the Angels have owned the Red Sox since the All Star break. And without Manny i just don't see the Sox winning it all.

[danyeod]

I will admit this ****in' team has shown me absolutely zero these last 4 games...nice work if you can get it,I wish I could get paid that kind of $ to underperform,and not even seem to care! :FM

The division is probably gone...Girardi/Jeter/somebody better manage to light a fire under their ass before all hope of the Wild Card is history too.

Congratulations,I still say the Rays won't go beyond the ALCS AT BEST!

Posada was hitting .338 last year and gave Arod protection, they really miss him. Also, it's clear that Posada is the real vocal leader in the clubhouse not Jeter. Derek seems like the team cheerleader hanging out on the top step of the dugout.

[danyeod]

I will admit this ****in' team has shown me absolutely zero these last 4 games...nice work if you can get it,I wish I could get paid that kind of $ to underperform,and not even seem to care! :FM

The division is probably gone...Girardi/Jeter/somebody better manage to light a fire under their ass before all hope of the Wild Card is history too.

Congratulations,I still say the Rays won't go beyond the ALCS AT BEST!

As long as the red sox get knocked out i don't care what happens.

[UndergroundVint]

Crazy Red Sox/Rangers game tonight. The Sox scored 10 in the first inning with two 3-run homers by Big Papi. He'd have a third homer ruled a double for fan interference (very tough call). Rangers up 16-14 now in the 6th inning!

[tjs]

Very bad news with Longoria going down and Crawford possibly being out for the season.:(

At least Rocco's back, though.:AOK

[Donnie B.]

Crazy Red Sox/Rangers game tonight. The Sox scored 10 in the first inning with two 3-run homers by Big Papi. He'd have a third homer ruled a double for fan interference (very tough call). Rangers up 16-14 now in the 6th inning!

And the Sox pull it out 19-17. :banana

[tonedaddy]

Okay here's your chance to make up some games. Longoria and Crawford are both on the DL and the Rays have 6 more games on this roadtrip. Bring it NY!

Road trip over.
Opportunity lost.
Yanks are now 9.5 games back.
;)


On the "90 wins this season" bets/rants that started early in this thread:

The Rays have played .610 baseball so far this season.
They have 39 games left.
They only need to win 15 to win 90 games total.
That's .385 baseball.
To not win 90 games, the Rays would have to play .359 or less baseball.


Furthermore, of those 39 remaining games, 19 are at home.
The Rays are tied with the Cubs for the best home records this season (45-17, .726 average). If they stay true to form, they could win 13-14 games at home, not including any additional wins on the road.

In fact, if they continue to play .610 baseball, they could win 23-24 more games (that would be 98-99 wins total).


So, as of today, anyone want to bet against UndergroundVint's prediction of 90 wins for the Rays this season?

[frankencat]

I'm thinking it's going to be a 100 game season. :AOK

[tonedaddy]

I tell ya, in my wildest imagination, in the early part of the season I couldn't even fathom the possibility.
But if you look at the numbers, you at least see it could happen!

I'm trying to be conservative, but just .500 ball from here on out still gets you to 94-95 wins.
That's incredible!
:dude

GO RAYS!

[UndergroundVint]

Looks like the Rays will also overtake the Angels for the best record in the AL. 5-2 against them this year and 4-0 at home. Two more games this week, hurricane pending.

I just got my post-season ticket bill....yowza. World Series outfield seats are $150. fieldside box seats are $225.

[tonedaddy]

Looks like the Rays will also overtake the Angels for the best record in the AL. 5-2 against them this year and 4-0 at home. Two more games this week, hurricane pending.

Gotta wonder if after seeing this year's home record, the owners will ditch the plans for a new stadium.... something magical goin' on at the Trop!
;)


I just got my post-season ticket bill....yowza. World Series outfield seats are $150. fieldside box seats are $225.

:eek: :eek: :eek:


Where is Upton's head these days?
Looked like he caught a cab instead of running out that double.
Then he looked genuinely surprised that someone was backing up the throw to second.
He's got his mind on something, and it ain't baseball.
I don't want to judge the guy as he could genuinely be going through something that's distracting him.
It's just such a contrast to the way he aggressively ran bases at the beginning of the year.

[UndergroundVint]

I'm not concerned about Upton. That was a fluke out and one that I've never seen before. It just bad timing after the last couple incidents. He's hitting well and a walk-off hit or game winning catch will put him in everyone's good graces again. He's just a kid. Veteran players mis-judge homers every week in MLB.

It definitely looks like the Angels' confidence is gone. They peaked too early and won't be able to handle losing the top seed. I'm guessing that losing it to the Rays might sting a little extra.

A-Rod meanwhile has heard about my 100 RBI challenge. He hit 5 RBI's yesterday which helped make up for his lame last couple weeks. Still a piss poor year for the game's highest paid player. Only nine more years left in his contract Yankees fans!

[orangewizard]

:puh

[frankencat]

B e l i e v e !

[Rev2S]

I am a long time Yankees fan. The Yanks are pretty much done for the year. Injuries, crappy playing, blah, blah, blah... For the post season, I will be rooting for the Rays. I hate Boston.

It would be nice to see a Rays-Brewers World Series.

[UndergroundVint]

Another win against the Angels tonight gives the Rays the best record in the AL.

11 games up on the Yankees now who are about to be surpassed by Toronto!

[tonedaddy]

Time to update the analysis for the remaining season.

Did you know the Rays are 16-6 so far in August!
Woohoo, the Rays are hot, hot hot!!
:AOK


Ok, back on 7/3, I estimated:

Check out this analysis/predictions:
.....
Add that to the predicted record at the end of July (66-41) and at the end of August the Rays are at 79-56.


Here's how the Rays fared on my estimates:

By the end of July, the Rays record was = 63-44 (vs. my 66-41 estimate)

And by the end of August??
I estimated they'd be 79-56.
Well, there are 6 games left in August and they're already 79-50.




More analysis of the Rays' winning percentage and how it affects their season record, including comparisons to what the Red Sox might do in the race to the division championship:


The Rays have 33 games left (16 home, 17 away).

Below are the teams left to play, the number of games left against each team, the Rays 2008 record against each team, and the each opponents total 2008 record:

Rays' current 2008 record = 79-50

Toronto - 6 games left (Rays are 9-3 against them in 2008), 67-63
Baltimore - 7 games left (8-3 against them), 61-68
Yanks - 6 games left (5-7 against them), 70-60
Boston - 6 games left (6-6 against them), 75-55
Twins - 4 games left (1-1 against them), 74-56
Detroit - 4 games left (3-0 against them), 64-66


The Rays are currently playing .612 ball.
If they continue to play .612 ball, they win 20 more games for a final record of 99-63.

If they only play .500 ball, they win 16-17 games for a final record of 95-67 or 96-66.

They only need to play .333 ball to win 90 games.
To not win 90 games, they have to play .303 ball or less.

I've also calculated the Rays 2008 record against each opponent left to play this year, and if the Rays would continue those records against those individual teams, they'll win 21 games for a final record of 100-62.



Alternatively:

Boston has 31 games left (19 home, 12 away)
Boston's current 2008 record = 75-55

Yankees - 6 games left (6-6), 70-60
White Sox - 3 games left (2-2), 74-55
Baltimore - 3 games left (9-6), 61-68
Texas - 3 games left (7-0), 63-68
Rays - 6 games left (6-6), 79-50
Toronto - 6 games left (4-7), 67-63
Indians - 4 games left (2-0), 62-67

Boston is currently playing .577 ball.
If they continue to play .577 ball, they win 18 games for a final record of 93-69.

If they only play .500 ball, they win 15-16 games for final record of 90-72 or 91-71.

To win 90 games, they only need to play .500 ball.
To not win 90 games, they play .452 or less.

I've also calculated the Red Sox record against each opponent left to play this year, and if the Red Sox would continue those records against those individual teams, they'll win 18 or 19 games for a final record of 93-59 or 94-58.





You can play all kinds of "what if" scenarios, and see ifit takes the Rays to the championship, for instance:

Rays drop to .500 ball and they go 95-67 or 96-66. Red Sox continue to play at their existing season winning percentage and have a final record of 93-69.
Rays play their 2008 winning percentage against each individual opponent left and they go 100-62. Red Sox play their 2008 winning percentage against each individual opponent left and they go 93-59 or 94-58.


Here's my take on the race to the playoffs:

I think it's going to be a very exciting, and very tight race to the end of the season.
Hey, I hope I'm wrong, and the Rays coast into October continuing their 4+ game lead over Boston.
But there are risks out there.
You can see above that if Boston turns the heat up just a bit in September, they could win 96 games.

As of today for the Rays, winning the division championship is by no means a slam dunk.
To win the division championship, the Rays have to continue to dominate at home.
And I'm going to take an alternative view of the remaining teams the Rays face.
I'm not worried about the Yanks/Boston/Twin series in September.
I much more worried about remaining Toronto/Baltimore/Detroit series.

If the Rays can dominate the Toronto/Baltimore/Detroit series, all the Rays have to do with the Yanks/Baltimore/Twins is break even or even a little less.
This week's home stands against Toronto and Baltimore are huge.
It's time to get on out to the Trop and root these guys on!
:dude

In fact, just sweeping this week's 2 series at home would get them into September at 85-50. That's certainly doable. So far this year against Toronto at home they've gone 3-0 in one series and 2-1 in another. Against Baltimore at home they've gone 2-1 and 3-0. Two sweeps this week and playing .500 ball in September gets the Rays to 98 wins and gets close to locking up winning the division.

GO RAYS!

[UndergroundVint]

I'm no longer worried about the divison or wildcard. Longoria will be back next week and hopefully Crawford is still on track for October. I need the Rays to have the best record in the AL and lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Yankees meanwhile continue to embarrass themselves. If they pounded the Red Sox for three games the entire playoff picture could have been disrupted. I guess their paychecks clear regardless. Imagine what that club could do if they had even a single ounce of passion.

[tonedaddy]

I need the Rays to have the best record in the AL and lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

I agree. That's why I said the Rays need to be whipping up on the weak teams when they have a chance. We need to knock off 4 straight here through the weekend. Home field advantage would be huge at the Trop!

The Yankees meanwhile continue to embarrass themselves. If they pounded the Red Sox for three games the entire playoff picture could have been disrupted. I guess their paychecks clear regardless. Imagine what that club could do if they had even a single ounce of passion.

I caught the last few innings, and the Sox were taking batting practice.
I swear most of the only remaining Yank fans in the stadium were taking naps.
;)

[UndergroundVint]

I went to the game tonight - another win and another great pitching performance. 100 wins here we come!

[tonedaddy]

The Rays have a better winning percentage, but Boston & the Angels have won one more game than the Rays.

Teams with the same number of wins (or more) as your Rays:

Marlins
Cubs
Oakland
Boston
Angels
Diamondbacks

In other words,

Settle down, it's still May :D:D:DThe Rays are in first place?

1. Good for them, and congrats.
2. That's how you know it's still May ;)

How do you know it's September???

The Rays are STILL in first place and have the best record in baseball.
:dude

Go Rays!!

[tonedaddy]

Update:

My 7/3 estimate for the Rays at end of August had them at 79-56.
The Rays wrapped up the month at 84-51.


The Rays have 27 games left (10 home, 17 away).

The Rays are currently playing .622 ball.
If they continue to play .622 ball, they win 16-17 more games for a final record of 100-82 or 101-81.

If they only play .500 ball, they win 13-14 games for a final record of 97-65 or 98-64.


Games left:

Toronto - 3 games left (Rays are 11-4 against them in 2008), Jays are 70-66
Baltimore - 4 games left (11-3 against them), 63-73
Yanks - 6 games left (5-7 against them), 72-64
Boston - 6 games left (6-6 against them), 79-57
Twins - 4 games left (1-1 against them), 77-60
Detroit - 4 games left (3-0 against them), 66-70

Calculating the Rays 2008 record against each opponent left to play this year, and if the Rays would continue those records against those individual teams, they'll win 17 games for a final record of 101-61.



Alternatively:

Boston has 26 games left (16 home, 10 away)
Boston's current 2008 record = 79-57

Boston is currently playing .581 ball.
If they continue to play .581 ball, they win 15 games for a final record of 94-68.

If they only play .500 ball, they win 13 games for final record of 92-60.


I've also calculated the Red Sox record against each opponent left to play this year, and if the Red Sox would continue those records against those individual teams, they'll win 16 games for a final record of 95-67.

Yankees - 3 games left (8-7), Yanks are 72-64
Baltimore - 3 games left (9-6), 63-73
Texas - 3 games left (7-0), 67-71
Rays - 6 games left (6-6), 84-51
Toronto - 7 games left (4-7), 70-66
Indians - 4 games left (2-0), 65-70



My predictions?

Barring any catastrophic injury to one or more starters in the bullpen, the Rays go at least 15-12 (that's .556 ball) in September and win the division at 99-63 or better.
As I mentioned above, if the Rays just play .500 ball, they win at least 97 games.

If Boston plays as well against their remaining teams as they have all year, they go 16-10 (.615) and finish 95-67.
To win 97 games, they have to go 18-8 (.692).
To win 98 games, they have to go 19-7 (.731).
To win 99 games, they have to go 20-6 (.769).
Ain't gonna happen.

And UndergroundVint is absolutely right on the money about getting home field advantage.
Gotta have it with the Trop's mojo!
;)
If the Rays get home field advantage throughout the playoffs,
they go to the World Series and defeat the Cubs in 7 games.


And the hottest, most watched race through the end of the season?

Watching to see if the Jays can step it up just a notch and pass the Yanks who drift into fourth place.
:D

GO RAYS!

[orangewizard]

Rays looked VERY human against the Yanks,and with a bounce or 2 going our way...could have easily been swept. Look for the Sox to pass them up very soon,and easily win the division.New York WILL have a re-vamped team and be ready to legitimately begin competing for all the marbles starting next season! The run had to end sometime.

*ring...ring*...Oh CC...........$$$

[frankencat]

We shall see. I agree they looked very vulnerable against the Yanks, mostly due to spotty defense and pitching which has been the strong point all season. It's just a bump in the road. We have Toronto and then we go to Boston. Even if we only win one at Fenway I think we will take the division. These guys are hungry though so I expect great things from Joe Maddon and the boys. Go Rays!! :)

[UndergroundVint]

I went to the game last night. The Yankees simply didn't show up until the 9th inning. It looked like the Rays were playing against little leaguers. It was hilarious watching the Yankees fans make fools of themselves all game. At least they got their money's worth in the final inning.

Speaking of the ninth inning, I heard the most unbelievable stat about A-Rod the other night: before this series, A-Rod has had only ONE 9th inning RBI this season. I haven't looked it up but if it's true that takes his choke factor up 10000% in my book. There are vagabond NL lefty specialist pitchers with more 9th inning RBI's than that. At worst, 1/9th of A-Rod's RBI's should come in the 9th, no? To completely fail as a competitor in the final inning is shameful.

[orangewizard]

Enjoy first place...

























...for one more day! :moon

[UndergroundVint]

The Rays will leave Boston in first place. I am sure of this. Besides playing the Rays five more times, the Red Sox will also have to play the red hot Blue Jays SEVEN times. The very team that just overtook the Yankees. The Rays are in excellent shape.

[tjs]

At worst, 1/9th of A-Rod's RBI's should come in the 9th, no?

No, that's actually not the case. I don't want to get into too much detail, but basically since A-Rod has a fixed spot in the lineup each night, and the rotation of that lineup is governed by a combination of set rules and game events, you could theoretically* derive a set of probabilities for A-Rod hitting an RBI in each inning, but they would not be the same (the most obvious reason for which being the fact that he does not have the same probability of having an at-bat in each inning).

*In practice, of course, the amount of variables that would need to be taken into account to produce an accurate estimate would be staggering.

[orangewizard]

You gotta understand...UV has such a seething hatred for the Yankees that he will stop at nothing to spew some kind of bile their way.No,the Yanks won't be playing next month,but they sure are proof that success breeds contempt aren't they? :huh

[UndergroundVint]

Valid points about the 9th inning probabilities. There's no denying though that the highest paid player in baseball should have more 9th inning RBI's than dozens of pitchers, backup catchers, utility infielders, and kids who were called up and sent back down to the minors this season. He is the 180 degree opposite of clutch.

I dont hate the Yankees any more than any other non-Yankee baseball fan. I didn't exactly invent Yankee bashing out of thin air. The moronic front office, greedy players, and narrow minded followers bring it out of all true baseball fans. There is nothing more blinding in any sport than "Yankee Pride".

[Zelmo]

The Rays will leave Boston in first place. I am sure of this. Besides playing the Rays five more times, the Red Sox will also have to play the red hot Blue Jays SEVEN times. The very team that just overtook the Yankees. The Rays are in excellent shape.

Either by 1/2 game, or 2-1/2.

They have a tough road schedule ahead of them, however....

[QRSS]

how much does winning the division beat being the wild card?
does it really matter?

[UndergroundVint]

It matters for the Rays and Red Sox because neither can win at the other's park, so home field advantage is big. Also, I believe the Red Sox are 1-8 against the Angels this year. So both the Rays and Red Sox want to play Chicago in the first round and have home field advantage in the ALCS. The Angels will rest their players and give up on the number one seed chase. With their road record the Angels definitely care the least about home field advantage.

[orangewizard]

Yankees win,theeeee Yankees win! Hey,we only gotta whittle off 5.5 games before sweeping the Sox in Fenway the final weekend! :boxer

[UndergroundVint]

And then they will be third behind the Rays and Blue Jays!!!!!

[QRSS]

you cant go into the playoffs being afraid of who/where you play.
win one of the first two road games and you just took away any home field advantage.

being a sox fan, last year's title wasn't as satisfying because someone else took care of the yankees. i'll still take it though.

[UndergroundVint]

Big win tonight against the Red Sox. What a season this has been!

[orangewizard]

I really look forward to seeing what they can do on the big stage of Octoby. :barf1

[UndergroundVint]

It would go a lot like the last three games in Boston. I dont think there's been a bigger series in baseball yet this year.


Leave it to a Yankee fan to witness a team deliver on almost every possible level all year long and NOT like their chances in October.

[Zelmo]

It would go a lot like the last three games in Boston. I dont think there's been a bigger series in baseball yet this year.


Leave it to a Yankee fan to witness a team deliver on almost every possible level all year long and NOT like their chances in October.

Leave it to a Rays fan to think that they're clairvoyant.

[tjs]

Valid points about the 9th inning probabilities. There's no denying though that the highest paid player in baseball should have more 9th inning RBI's than dozens of pitchers, backup catchers, utility infielders, and kids who were called up and sent back down to the minors this season. He is the 180 degree opposite of clutch.


Oh, I definitely agree. A-Rod has a long history of disappearing in clutch situations.

[orangewizard]

Oh, I definitely agree. A-Rod has a long history of disappearing in clutch situations. Unfortunately,I have to agree.I can think of AT LEAST 4-5 games since the beginning of August where he was in a position to get a big hit,and do some real damage with men on base...and struck out,popped out,or grounded into a double play.A lot went wrong for us this season,and Alex certainly doesn't deserve all the blame,but I hold him directly responsible for the outcome of enough games that we could easily still be right there in the Wild Card race! :(

[Donnie B.]

Unfortunately,I have to agree.I can think of AT LEAST 4-5 games since the beginning of August where he was in a position to get a big hit,and do some real damage with men on base...and struck out,popped out,or grounded into a double play.A lot went wrong for us this season,and Alex certainly doesn't deserve all the blame,but I hold him directly responsible for the outcome of enough games that we could easily still be right there in the Wild Card race! :(

Think about the true studs who come thru in those situations (can you say David Ortiz in 2004?) and it makes A-hole look even more like a total choke artist.

Most overpaid athlete EVER?

Easy.

[UndergroundVint]

Who's the most underpaid player right now then? Pedroia, Youklis, Hamilton? A-Rod could learn a lot from these guys.

[tjs]

It's not looking too good for the Yankees right now.:rotflmao

[orangewizard]

Rays fans= :worried

[UndergroundVint]

Still in first place.

[Zelmo]

Still in first place.

You should get a job as a 'political consultant'.

[UndergroundVint]

I'm no political spinster. I said the Rays are in first place and they are. I can't see the future but I can, like every other baseball fan, see that the Rays have a 99%+ chance of making the playoffs.

Yankees fans dont have a dog in this hunt, they can only jeer from the cheap seats.

[Zelmo]

Yeah - they're 'still in first place', but the real story is that the Rays got knocked out of sole possession of 1st place last night and now share the lead.

I will make no hair-brained prediction about one team kicking the other's @ss because that's not likely to happen at this level of the sport and particularly at this time of the season. Makes for good baseball whoever you root for.

Sorry - that would be 'whomever' you root for.

[Zelmo]

I stand corrected. I have learned that the Rays are 0.002 percentage points ahead. in first place. :worried

[frankencat]

The two worst pitching performances of the season, back to back against the Yankees and the Red Sox. Tonight we get back on track. Go Rays! :)

[tjs]

Man, you just gotta love the way this team keeps coming back! Every time you think the game is lost or the season is over, they reach down deep and come up with the victory.

GO RAYS!!!

[QRSS]

i think UGV said the rays have a 99% chance of making the playoffs.
time to start resting players and pitchers. it's in the bag.

[UndergroundVint]

We'll need to fight right up till the end in order to win the division. Clinching at least the wild card should happen by the end of this week when the Rays play the Twins.

Too bad about the Mets collapse. CHI/NY/LAD/PHI would be a great set NL playoff teams.

[UndergroundVint]

Another win against Boston, up 2 games now.

[tonedaddy]

Hey orangewiz,

The Rays are 90-60 today.
I suppose you're still betting against them winning 90 games this year?
:D



Go Rays!!

[UndergroundVint]

Orangewizard is in a bar somewhere sputtering some nonsense about this year's injuries, past championships, how Joba will turn things around, and alas, next season.

Maybe next year the Yankees will be sole occupiers of third place in the AL East. Sharing that spot with Toronto is going to eat them all winter.

[orangewizard]

Up yours...........AND YOURS! :BOUNCE

[tonedaddy]

Up yours...........AND YOURS! :BOUNCE

Hey, there's still a chance for the Yanks to be the best 4th place team in the AL,
so you've got that going for you.
:D


Go Toronto!!

[orangewizard]

There's one thing I'll clue you in on...it is NOT in Yankee spirit to be a good loser. When they're mathematically eliminated...watch out! :stir

[PUCKBOY99]

Man, my Sox just can NOT beat this team !

Good for them though; too bad the Marlins couldn't hang in there. Would've something to see...2 of the lowest payrolls duking it out in the WS !!!! :AOK

[tonedaddy]

There's one thing I'll clue you in on...it is NOT in Yankee spirit to be a good loser. When they're mathematically eliminated...watch out! :stir

:D
ow, it's all in good fun!

And for Rays fans, it's definitely more fun this year.
;)

[frankencat]

B e l i e v e !

Longoria...man I love this kid! :AOK :D :D

[drgonzoguitar]

Sorry....my Twins need to win a few to get to the dance. I have been pulling for the Rays in the east...but now its come down to home team first!

:BEER

[Rev2S]

As a Yankees fan...I hope the Rays win the division. I hate the Blowsox and hope the Sox take a dive in the next 9 games...

Go Rays!!!!

[orangewizard]

Basically,the Yanks would have to win out which would include sweeping Boston next weekend...and the Sox would have to take a serious nose dive overall. I'm not holding my breath,but stranger things have happened! :bong

[UndergroundVint]

Rays Clinch!


Watching the Yankees final home game "ceremony" right now. I think Steinbrenner is under the impression the Yankees are a division of the US military or something. The soldiers, I mean players, all look miserable. What a god-awful spectacle this is.

[markguitar]

Rays Clinch!


Watching the Yankees final home game "ceremony" right now. I think Steinbrenner is under the impression the Yankees are a division of the US military or something. The soldiers, I mean players, all look miserable. What a god-awful spectacle this is.

"god-awful"?? Your Rays must be effecting you like a bad drug!!! I'm a huge Red Sox fan and certainly don't love the Yankees but still have great respect for probably the greatest sports franchise ever!! I watched most of the pregame and am watching the game. I thought the ceremonies were great.

[orangewizard]

Rays Clinch!


Watching the Yankees final home game "ceremony" right now. I think Steinbrenner is under the impression the Yankees are a division of the US military or something. The soldiers, I mean players, all look miserable. What a god-awful spectacle this is. I can't wait until they're :BOUNCEed right outta there in a big first round knock-out too! :boxer:boxer:boxer

Hey look...EVA LONGORIA is down for the count,HA HA~ :banana

[tonedaddy]

I'm a huge Red Sox fan and certainly don't love the Yankees but still have great respect