I am SUPER EXCITED today. And no it's not just because I was up at 6:30 this morning for a 7:15am crew call for the morning show I am working on (it's going to be a long semester) or the fact that I just had about a gallon of Dunkin Donut's Iced Coffee (actually that may be the only reason I am excited). Hopefully I can bang out this blog before I have a total caffeine crash.
So why am I so excited? Is it because Tina Fey once again made fun of Sarah Palin on SNL this weekend? (sort of) Is it because Obama said orgy in the debate? (yeah, that was pretty awesome). Or, is it because the playoffs for Major League Baseball start this week? (bingo!).
Finally, it's October, Soxtober for all you Red Sox fans, and the hunt for the World Series title is on. And what kind of sports blog would this be if I didn't give my predictions on who will win the Divisional Series?
Red Sox vs. Angels: (Red Sox). The 2008 Red Sox are no where near as strong as the 2007 Red Sox especially in the bullpen. Does Manny DelCarmen ever have more than two good outings in a row? Can the Sox pull it together even without their Ace, Josh Beckett for the opener? I think so. The Red Sox serve the Angels a beat down almost every year in the playoffs and I think this year will be no different. Although, I don't think 2008 will provide another championship ring for the Sox.
photo from flickr.com
Chicago/Minnesota vs. Tampa Bay: (Tampa Bay): At this point the Sox and the Twins have not played their tiebreaker game to determine their fate. But it's irrelevant. The Rays are going to take the series because they are a living Disney movie, if they lost in the first round of the playoffs, it would be a helluva short Disney film. They have to make it at least to the World Series, then they can lose. 
Photo from Flickr.com
L.A Dodgers vs. Chicago: (Dodgers): So the Cubs are the new Red Sox, the team that can't seem to win a World Series and are followed by a cloud of misery (and no I'm not just talking about Hurricane Kyle, wow that was a bad joke). And this year will yield similar results. The Dodgers, under Joe Torre's exceptional management skills and Manny's hot bat will advance over the Cubs. 
photo from flickr.com
Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia: (Phillies) Is this even a question? If ESPN likes the Phillies then I do to, and with a strong bullpen and equally strong offense, the Phillies cannot mess this one up although a good upset makes for an even better story so I may just change my answer to the Brewers for the sake of journalism.
photo from flickr.com
So who takes the cake? Who is going to win it all this year? The Yankees. Haha sorry I wouldn't resist, maybe next year Jeter. Well I may not like them, and I may hate their Cinderella story, but there is something about a turn around year and team chemistry that goes a long way so I'm going to have to say the Tampa Bay Rays will take it all this year. I never thought I'd utter that sentence unless I was being sarcastic (and just plain mean) but I think luck is obviously on their side and it's the Ray's year.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my expert prediction or have some thoughts of your own? Am I completely wrong? (no, just kidding). Post a comment, let me know your opinions.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Hey Tampa it's Been Fun and All but Enough is Enough
When I was a mere child (like ten years ago I'm only 20 after all) and you had told me that I would see the Red Sox win the World Series at least once in my life time, I would have agreed because I don't believe in curses, not even ones that Dan Shaughnessy makes up. If you had gone on to tell me Nomar wouldn't finish out his career in Boston and further more not propose to me but Mia Hamm instead, I would have told you off because Nomar loves Boston! And me! (shakes head sadly). And finally, if you had told me that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would change their name to the Tampa Bay Rays and clinch their first ever playoff spot in franchise history in 2008, I would have laughed in your face.
Nomar and Mia, grrr. Photo from flickr.com
Well apparently 2 out of 3 is bad Meatloaf because my former child-self was wrong wrong wrong but the focus of today's blog unfortunately will not be on Nomar but instead the Tampa Bay Rays.
I'm sick of the Tampa Bay Rays success story. It's all well and good if it were a Disney uplifting feel good movie like Remember the Titans or Miracle (I don't know if that was a movie but it sounds good) but this is real life, these stories are not supposed to actually play out.
But I wasn't always this jaded. I was just as gun ho as the rest of the baseball world was when the Tampa Bay Rays were not 15 games out of first 4 weeks into the season as per usual. I gave them a round of applause just like the rest of the sportscasters and quoted glowing ESPN reports on how great of a season they were having so far and what a feel good story those ol' Rays were. But I think myself and the rest of the world were cheering for the Rays the same way you cheer for that gawky, un-athletic seven-year-old on the Tee Ball Team. You shower him with extra praise when he manages to make contact with the ball and run the correct way to 1st base (take a right sweetheart), but you don't expect him to consistently get hits and become the MVP of the team. Those spots are reserved for the bigger guys, aka Sox and the Yankees. That gawky un-athletic seven-year-old cannot become a superstar because it throws off the whole balance of sports.
Photo from Flickr.com
And that is what the Rays have done to me by clinching a playoff spot only a year after having the worst record in baseball. And call me crazy, but that seems a little suspicious to me. I could be normal and chalk it up to having the right players at the right time and simply playing some good ball but, I'm not. I have narrowed it down to two things, 1. Juice 2. the name change.
1. Juice: The Rays have been quoted as saying that the mohawks that most of them now sport are a testament to how close they have become as a team. Well know what also makes you close? Having to inject steroids in each others behinds every day. Nothing like a little HGH to bring a team together and start winning. (This is clearly speculation, they probably don't use steroids, it was just wishful thinking).
2. The name change: Personally, I liked the name Tampa Bay Devil Rays, it has a certain je ne sais quoi. But I think the removal of Devil from their name has something to do with their success. It seems reasonable that the Gods of Baseball are not big fans of the Devil so therefore by removing the Devil from their team, the Rays have been blessed with a remarkable turnaround from last year. Hm, maybe if I remove all the Devil from my life I will be blessed with, I don't know, 6 pack abs, a boyfriend, a better main facebook photo, the skies the limit. So to start, I should probably change my middle name from Devil to something a little more heavenly, then I should stop eating so many deviled eggs and devil dogs and throw away my dirt devil and stop exclaiming "oh the devil!". Hey it worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, it can work for me.
But really, the Tampa Bay Rays haven't sealed their Disney movie deal yet. They haven't won the World Series yet.
OMG Matt Cassel! How Will He Fill Brady's Shoes!? He Hasn't Started Since the Late 90's!? How Will He Play Against Big Mean Brett Favre!?
New England has been in a state of cardiac arrest for the past month.
First it started with the slight stroke which was "Manny being Manny," if Manny being Manny means being a totally jerk and flipping the bird at the Sox organization and his beloved fans and stamping his foot until he got traded.
And he did get traded. And has gone on to play almost as well in three weeks with the Dodgers as he did this whole season with the Sox.
But New England didn't care, but it did increase their heart rate a bit.
Tom Brady. Photo from flickr.com
And then came the massive heart attack which led to this state of cardiac arrest: Tom Brady. New England flat lined last weekend when Tom Brady was sacked in the opening game of the season, injuring his left knee which required him to not only exit the game, but also the 2008-2009 season with a little ol' thing called knee surgery. Which made me happy for one reason and one reason only, I have also had surgery on my left knee, I'm just like Tom Brady! Well, except for the fact that I don't make millions of dollars a year, star in campaign ads for Gillette, have a butt-chin, or date Gisele, or even look anywhere as hot as Gisele. Moving on.
Matt Cassel. From Flickr.com
So, with Brady gone, New England fans were down for the count with their lives hanging on defibrillator known as Matt Cassel, the 2nd string QB after Brady who has never seen a pro football game as a starting quarterback because, well, he's playing under Brady. It's really self-explanatory.
And the media had a field day with it. How could Matt Cassel replace the great Tom Brady? How could a guy who hasn't started as a quarterback since high school possibly succeed in the pros? How could he beat a vet like Favre on the Jets home turf?
No wonder Cassel didn't read the papers or watch tv the week leading up to his season opener.
By the way the media described him, you would have thought Cassel had never seen a football before, but I knew better. Sure I haven't raced in the 200M backstroke in 6 years but if I were in swimming shape could I be thrown in a race and have success? Yes. And same with Cassel. The man has some talent, he is on a pro team after all.
And SHOCKINGLY enough, he didn't only succeed, he won the game! The Pats took the lead in the 1st Quarter 3-0 and went on to win 19-10. I'd go as far as to say the game was a bit boring because it never really got close. Even the announcers seemed bored that they started arguing over if they thought Brett Favre appeared to be fatigued during the third quarter. Duh, he's an old man, of course he was fatigued, it's football.
But Cassel's win didn't come without some problems. He didn't play a perfect game and his lack of experience did show at some points especially when he had a tough time in the 3rd quarter with two sacs. And then there were some communication issues with the coaches and the players but that is to be expected, he hasn't worked with them as long as Brady has, but he'll learn in due time.
Cassel is also pretty lucky because he's a new starter for a very strong team offensively and defensively. Sure the Quarterback is a pivotal part of a football team but you can't win a game if your D can't stop the opposing team from scoring and your offense has a case of the butterfingers. Cassel has stepped into a picture perfect situation. As long as he can find his stride, learn how his team operates on the field, and use his natural God given talent, he could be the next Brady, but maybe without the supermodel girlfriend.
Here are some bonus pictures from my Flickr.com findings. The first one is of Matt Cassel just to prove that wow, he may be better looking than Brady. And then the second picture is a photo shopped picture of Brady and I just find it hilarious, and slightly disturbing. Enjoy!
