To all the other red sox fans here

[carnie_sf]

We lost tonight and I'm a little conflicted, and I'll tell you why. In 2004 I tried to make a deal with God, I said I'd trade a red sox championship for a Kerry presidency. Of course we won the championship and lost what I consider to be the more important contest. Now we're not going to the world series, but I'm almost relieved because it gives Curt Schilling a much less visible platform to campaign for the repuke. Anyway, I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, maybe it's just my maudlin thoughts at the close of another baseball season. BTW FWITW, my girlfriend is from ghana and knows nothing about baseball, but is thrilled by the prospect of an Obama presidency, PS I should call him O'Bama since I'm Irish.

[NHDEMFORLIFE]

1. Don't feel too maudlin

Considering the injuries they had, during the season and in the playoffs, it's kind of amazing they got to Game 7 of the LCS.
Besides, the Rays are kind of a neat story.

[Grown2Hate]

2. As a hard core Red Sox fan here, I have to say that superstition gets the

best of me. And although I started doing SOMERSAULTS when we came back from down 7 runs in the latter part of Game 5, I started the 04 - 08 corollary in my mind as well. I didn't want our comeback to coincide with a McCain comeback (the older, more established team, coming back and beating the younger more vibrant team that everyone was rooting for). Much like you, I have NO idea where I am going with this either, other than to say... if the simile stays true, GO RAYS. GO OBAMA. But, as for next year...

LET'S GO RED SOX! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!)

[carnie_sf]

3. Thank you

I was afraid I might be the only superstitious New Englander up tonight, but apparently I have a kindred spirit :toast:

[Old and In the Way]

4. No shame for the Sox in this series.

We saw one of the great comebacks in game 5. We beat the Rays at home in game 6. We had 'em on the ropes in the 8th, but couldn't get the deal done. The boys done good...the Rays did a little better. I like this Ray's team, they have heart and they've gone from chumps to potential WS champs in one year. Good for them!

[Skink]

5. Schiling was a Repuke?

From now on it's steroids and fastballs.

[Bluebear]

12. Bigtime >>>> "Curt Schilling pitches for John McCain's presidential bid"

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2007/12/05/curt_schilling_pitches_for_john_mccains_presidential_bid/

[Bill219]

6. Too many injuries near the end of the season

Gotta tip the caps to the Sox for pushing it to a game 7

Pedroia is going to be haunted all winter by that pop up in his last at bat, he got the pitch that he was looking for and got under it.

Big Papi needs to get his swing back

Did we witness that last game of Tek in a Sox uni?


Regroup in the off season and come back and try to do it again

Until then

Go Phillies

[oldtime dfl_er]

7. I'm sorry for you Red Sox fans but

being a (cough) Mariner fan, I KNOW what disappointment is. Your guys did great, they made it a great series and have nothing to be ashamed of.

That said, I'm kind of on board with the Rays now, cuz their story is great. It's going to be a great World Series!

[flvegan]

8. Could you tell Francona when you're making a deal with God, please?

It makes the job easier on the bullpen.

BTW, I doubt your "deal" with your god put World Series Champions in Fenway and cost Kerry the White House.

More likely, the Sox did their jobs and won The Show and Kerry and his supporters (including us), Congress, the Supervisors of Elections, etc, etc, etc didn't.

The rethugs stole it, the Rays earned it. And that comes from the heart of a Sox Nation member. Not enough "umpires" looking over our electoral process as there are judging a foul ball on the left field line in any MLB game. Shame that.

[spin]

9. Sometimes the underdog wins...

Remember there are a lot of fans in Tampa Bay who are excited beyond belief that the Rays are headed to the World Series. I lived in the Tampa Bay area during the time that the Rays started out and for years were ridiculed (and deserved it). I also lived in Tampa when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started and were considered the worst franchise in sports history. And of course, there was the Tampa Bay Lightning, the hockey team who won the Stanley Cup after many frustrating years.

I did watch part of the game on Sunday night, even though I'm not a baseball fan. If I were in your position, I would cheer for the Rays during the World Series. I felt the Red Sox played a good game and a good series. They're a great team and there is always next year.

But remember at the beginning of the season, the Rays were given no chance of winning. At the beginning of the political race for President. Obama was also given no chance of winning. It sure looks like he will win, but we still have to get out and vote as McCain is also a big underdog who was given no chance of winning the Republican nomination.

The Red Sox are a great team. While they didn't go all the way this season, you can still be proud of them. They did a hell of a lot better than the majority of other teams.

[JackRiddler]

11. Yeah, sometimes the underdog wins... like the Sox in '04.

Now that was good.

[flvegan]

13. Hold on...the Rays weren't the underdog.

They won the league. The Sox were second, and therefore statistically the underdog.

As a Tampa resident, I can say that yes, there are a lot of very excited Tampa Bay folks crazy for the Rays now. No idea where they were six months ago, when the Trop had 10,000 fans there. This is odd for Tampa, considering that the Bucs SUCKED for so long, but folks loved them. The Lightning had a great following YEARS before they won the Stanley Cup.

Baseball, the Rays, not so fervently embraced here until we hit the playoffs. Yeah, j'accuse Tampa Bay. This Sox Nation fan loved the Rays from the start. Where were you then?

[spin]

14. As I've pointed out, I'm not a baseball fan...

But as I understand it, the Rays are trying to go from worst to first. At the beginning of the year, I believe they were the underdog.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 2007 season, the 10th season in franchise history, involved the Devil Rays trying to improve on their 2006 season, where they finished last in the American League East Division, and managed to finish the season with a league-worst record of 61-101. During the offseason they signed Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura to a three year deal. Their manager was Joe Maddon who entered his 2nd season with the Devil Rays.

Although the Rays again finished last in the division, they improved their record by five games, to 66-96.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Tampa_Bay_Devil_Rays_season

Yes, the Bucs sucked for years. If you remember, the fans began to boycott the games after many years of support. Now that they are a winning franchise, the fan support is back.

One possible cause of the lack of support for the Rays was the location of the stadium. Downtown St. Petersburg might not been the best choice. Had the stadium been in the Gandy area, the fans from Tampa might have made the journey to watch a third rate team. The stadium did provide for some much needed urban renewal in St. Petersburg.

It seems that after the first years of the Buccaneers, the fan base in the Tampa Bay area will not support a team that doesn't perform. This might be the true legacy of Hugh Culverhouse.

Although Culverhouse was initially seen as a hero for making Tampa a major-league town, he soon became one of the most despised owners in the NFL. He frequently shifted money from the Bucs to his other investments and kept the Bucs' payroll one of the lowest in the league. Unfortunately, this kept the Bucs from attracting quality players in an era when large payrolls were all but required to contend. The few who did rarely stayed long; Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon was the only genuine star who stayed with the team for a long time. In most other cases, Culverhouse either traded quality players away or wouldn't pay them enough to keep them in Tampa. For example, he allowed the trade of Steve Young after only two seasons at quarterback.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Culverhouse

Culverhouse was a good business man. To him the Bucs were merely a business. People with that attitude should avoid buying sports franchises. Owning a team should be a hobby not a business. You justify wasting the money you make in a business on a hobby for the shear enjoyment you receive.

[JackRiddler]

10. Enough of you people.

Phillies in '08! Mets in '09! A new era of National League dominance begins! Muahahahaha!