Last night, I was disgusted

I respect the heck out of the Phillies for winning the World Series. It was a tough pill to swallow, but they deserved it and congrats to them. Still, Phillies fans felt the need to boo.

Come on now, Philly. You just won the World Series, your first title in over two decades. Celebrate, cheer, be happy!

But when they announced commissioner Bud Selig, the owner of their own team, and the Tampa Bay Rays, they were all resoundingly booed by the crowd. Selig, maybe I can understand. Probably dealing with the weather and all that baggage. The Rays, too, I can be OK with. You did just beat them in five games, and it was a good, fun and competitive series.

But the owner?! Your team, his team, just won the World Series. You're the best team in the league, mostly due to his money and decisions. Yes, the GM does a lot, but who do you think puts him in his position?

Come on, Philly fans. At least cheer for your own team, own organization, and maybe give a hand to the other team.

Jason Bartlett is my MVP

There was a bit of a hubbub when Jason Bartlett was named the MVP of the Tampa Bay Rays. Now, it is undeniable he is the hero. Free tacos for everyone!

Thanks to Bartlett's stolen base in the fifth inning, everyone in America will be able to stop by Taco Bell on Oct. 28, between 2 - 6 p.m. for one free taco.

Genius move on Taco Bell's part. No way, no how, is someone going to go to Taco Bell and only have one measly taco. They're bound to buy something else, especially a drink if you're as sensitive to spicy food as I am. (I can't even eat Chex Mix. And I mean the normal, completely normal Chex Mix. I'm a wuss, I know.)

Anyway, I'll be heading out next Tuesday to pick up my free taco, and if you join me, you must thank Jason Bartlett.

Big League Stew grabbed a screen cap of the wonderful graphic.

World Series predicition time

Everyone know I've been pulling for the Rays (even if I didn't pick them to make it through the ALCS). Everyone also knows how much I despise the Phillies. Still, here is my completely unbiased World Series prediction.

Rays in seven.

For one, I think the six day layoff is going to hurt the Phillies. They were running on some great momentum from the end of the regular season, then against the Brewers and the Dodgers. This near-week break period will not be beneficial.

Also, I don't think the Phillies have great pitching. Yes, they have Cole Hamels, and he's the main reason the Phillies are going to string this out to seven games, but Brett Myers and Joe Blanton are bound to get beat up, and the Rays have the offense to make that happen.

The bullpen will be the main problem for the Rays. They need their young rotation to go deep into games, and hope their offense comes along for the ride, too. The "bullpen by committee" thing can only work so many times (we all saw it not work in Game 5).

I think the Rays will lose Game One, win the next two, lose the fourth and fifth, and then win two in a row to take it. That will be an exciting series, eh?

So, once more: Go Rays!

(I must say, I absolutely love the 2008 World Series logo. It's awesome.)

Awkward ad placement

I was browsing Rays Index late last night, and two of their little AdSense boxes caught my eye. I know they're automatically generated by keywords on the page, but still, this is just a tiny bit awkward.

Click for full size.

Go Rays.

Off Topic: Go Rays; The end of a dynasty

A terrific Game 7. Close game throughout, sprinkled with opportunities and clutch performances in key spots. Can't ask for much more than that.

I had a rooting interest, and it actually panned out. I was pulling for the Tampa Bay Rays. I said in a previous post that I miss "Uncle" Cliff Floyd, and I was very happy to see him on the top of the pile as David Price notched his four-out save to propel the Rays into the World Series.

This team is chock-full of great stories, and I couldn't be happier for them. From Floyd (at least for me), to Rocco Baldelli, to Scott Kazmir, and even Price, the Rays played great baseball all year, and were strong enough to take down the defending World Series champs, and live to play another day.

As if I didn't want them to win before, now I'm 110 percent in the Rays camp. I would love to see them beat the snot out of the Philadelphia Phillies. I think the layoff between the NLCS and WS is going to hurt the Phills, but I'm sure they'll be able to put up a fight.

Go Tampa Go!

And on to point number two: Last night, we watched the mighty fall. They did not go down easy, but they did bow out eventually. Could the Boston sports dynasty be coming to an end?

I used to respect Boston. The long-suffering fans and the classy, hard-nosed teams were always one of my favorites to watch and secretly pull for. Anything to anger a Yankee fan, really. But over the past few months, my mini-allegiance from Boston has eroded, and a new disgust has nestled in it's place.

It all started with the 2007 World Series.

Watching the Red Sox win the WS really had no effect on me. I was still reeling from the collapse of the Mets. Anyway, when the Sox won, a person who will remain nameless, who is a big Sox fan was running around screaming "It's been three long years!"

Three long years?? Give me a break. Try never seeing a championship in your lifetime. Try only being able to see your team win on VHS or SNY re-runs. Try watching your team come within outs of the '06 WS. Try watching your team fall flat on it's face and miss the '07 playoffs. And from there, I knew that Boston fans were starting to get spoiled.

Don't get me wrong. I know not every single Boston fan is as boisterous or as greedy as this one, but after experiencing life around more and more Sox/Pats/Celts fans, I think this is the greater majority.

It didn't end there. Cue up Super Bowl 42.

My New York Football Giants taking on the perfect New England Patriots. We all know how that turned out.

It has taken up until yesterday night for me to hear one Patriots fan say to me, "The Giants just played a better game. They deserved to win." I was floored. To this point in time, all I had heard was that the Giants "got lucky" or were the benefactors of "BS calls."

Even when the Giants play now, all they do is "get lucky," according to some fans.

But last night, was some sweet revenge, even if it was a dish best served by the Rays. With the Red Sox losing on Sunday night, and the Patriots poised to take on a mediocre Denver Broncos team, could this be the beginning of the end for Boston sports? Sure, the Celtics look to be amazing again, but watch out for those New York Knicks.

Yeah, right.

Go Rays.

I found the Mets bullpen

Rough loss for Tampa Bay last night.

See? Other teams have major bullpen issues too.

Scott Kazmir may have been traded, but he was an honorary Met last night. 6 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 BB, 7 K. And then the Rays lost 8-7.

Sound familiar?