2008 ALCS: Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

[Slayer 0]

I thought Smues lived in Alaska

He's down in Tampa on some trip which I'm sure he'll elaborate about when he returns

 

also, he made about ten different posts talking about how he was trying to get tix for Games One and/or Two of this ALCS on said trip

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I would have sent him. Bay can't throw for shit, and Crawford is fast as hell.

He would have been out. Bay was playing really shallow there.

[treble 0]

And heeeeere come the Rays.

 

Neeeeeevermind.

[Brett Favre 0]

I would have sent him. Bay can't throw for shit, and Crawford is fast as hell.

He would have been out. Bay was playing really shallow there.

 

His throw barely hit the cutoff man.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Tell me they didn't call that kid "Big Game James?"

[bob_barron 0]

I thought Smues lived in Alaska

He's down in Tampa on some trip which I'm sure he'll elaborate about when he returns

 

also, he made about ten different posts talking about how he was trying to get tix for Games One and/or Two of this ALCS on said trip

 

Oh, I'm not really an AL guy, so I didn't really notice.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Tell me they didn't call that kid "Big Game James?"

 

They've been calling him that all night. This has to be what, the first or second big game he's ever pitched in?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

You have a bullpen, Tito. Use it.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Well...Hindsight is 20/20 and it may not end up mattering anyway... but as soon as they started talking about how rarely he pitches this long all I could think was "Then why in the hell is he doing it here?". Playoff series are long, and there are enough days off that you can pretty much use your full bullpen every night.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Well...Hindsight is 20/20 and it may not end up mattering anyway... but as soon as they started talking about how rarely he pitches this long all I could think was "Then why in the hell is he doing it here?". Playoff series are long, and there are enough days off that you can pretty much use your full bullpen every night.

Dice-K struggles after 100 pitches. Okajima can't pitch with runners on. So what does Tito do? He lets Dice go way past 100, then brings in Oki after there are two men on base. That's baffling to me.

 

Francona has always been an expert in-game manager in the postseason. He hasn't look that strong this year.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

At least Okajima got his man out.

 

...And now they're out of the inning.

 

Man the Rays are joining the Angels in LOVING blowing chances against the Red Sox.

[Brett Favre 0]

Well Matsuzaka was dominating, it's not that big of a deal.

 

Plus you can always count on the Rays to swing at a 3-0 pitch like idiots.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Pena swinging on 3-0 was their undoing in that inning. With two guys on, no outs and that count, all the pressure is on the Sox there. No need to swing away at what looked like a marginal strike at best. I sense the Sox are out of danger for Game 1, though I would still expect (or at least HOPE) we get a competitive series out of this yet.

[KingPK 0]

I would have sent him. Bay can't throw for shit, and Crawford is fast as hell.

He would have been out. Bay was playing really shallow there.

 

His throw barely hit the cutoff man.

 

It still was the good call. You want to be really sure that the runner has a good chance to score on that play before you send him; Bay's throw was a little off, but he got that ball in fast.

 

EDIT: All right, someone tell the directors at FOX and TBS that the shots of worried looking fans in the crowd was played in '04.

 

EDIT 2: Caray's "The clock has struck midnight on the Cinderella Rays" would have been more apropos if it wasn't the first fucking game of the series!. I pine for Buck and McCarver. There, I said it.

Edited October 11, 2008 by KingPK

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I'm sure he's a darling for Sox fans, but as a neutral viewer, Papelbon's more irritating to watch close a game down than K-Rod.

[KingPK 0]

 

If we were playing "Caption This", I'd use:

 

Umpire: "Look, I'd love to explain that call to Terry himself; he didn't need to send the batboy out to argue."

[cabbageboy 0]

Man, the Rays had every chance to win that game but blew it time and time again. Have they never heard of a timely bunt to move runners into scoring position?

 

That said I take issue with the Rays being a Cinderella team. They've been good all year, unlike a true Cinderella team like the Rockies last year who were mediocre most of the season and got crazy hot in Sept. for whatever reason.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I did like the constant shots of the distressed Rays "faithful." I'm sure they've got their true fans, but how many of the people they showed tonight looking all gloom and doom were fans of this team a year ago?

[Guest Smues]

Who Matsuzaka? Ya he has a no hitter going. Just nine outs away. JINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINXJINX

Smooze IMed me from live at Tropicana Field, right before the first Rays hit... I blamed him for breaking up the no-no

You're welcome

 

Seriously Bud Selig forcing God Bless America into the 7th inning stretch every postseason needs to fucking end already.

Actually that was what I IMed Slayer about. When you're at the game you can't mute that shit:( Plus everyone expects you to stand and take your hat off like it's the national antheme and not some sappy shlock that should have stopped being played after the 2001 season.

 

Great game, the stadium was a dump, and no one in the stands knows why Pena swung at that 3-0 pitch. I know most of the fans are bandwagon jumpers, but hell what have they had to cheer for in the teams entire existence? As mentioned before, the Mariners were god awful for a longer period of time, got good, and established a decent fanbase. Hopefully it works out for Tampa like that. And with that stadium I understand why fans would stay away. Besides trhe seats being uncomfortable the field part of it isn't so bad. I had a good view and since it's a dome it can get loud fast and the atmosphere is quite electric. The real problems are the concourses which can't really hold a sell out crowd, and the layout of them is pretty bad. Going down the stairs to get to the outfield, huh? And the parking. Ugg. When we were walking towards the car I IMed Slayer about how awful leaving major sporting events is. As I was stuck not moving in the car I checked the timestamp of that message and to see how long it was taking us to leave. 20 minutes to get out of my lot, and over an hour and a half to get half a mile to the freeway. That's ridiculous since the stadium only holds 30,000 something people. I've left sold out or close games at Turner Field and gotten on the highway in 10 minutes. If this team is going to grow a fan base they really need a new stadium, and better traffic planning.

 

Overall it was a great time though. There were some Boston fans of course but the Rays fans, band wagon or otherwise, turned out in surprisingly high numbers, and were LOUD. I've never heard a louder first inning live. and after the last out the attitude wasn't "HOP OF THE BANDWAGON" it was "we'll get them tomorrow, this was only game 1."

 

And the wierd moment of the night: John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and Nasty Boy Knobbs on the jumbo screen cheering on the Rays. Certainly caught me off guard. I wonder how many people actually recognized Knobbs, as he certainly isn't at the level of Cena and Hogan. (To be honest I only recognized him as one of the nasty boys, I needed Slayer to confirm that the blond one was Knobbs.)

[alfdogg 0]

I'm not Slayer, but yes, the blond one is Knobbs.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

In response to the picture: I didn't know that David Eckstein was in the playoffs again.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Baseball is such a weird sport. Dice-K goes out there and throws shit at the wall last night and doesn't give up a hit for six innings. Becket comes out dealin' today and gives up two first inning runs.

[Cartman 0]

Beckett is NOT healthy. Something is wrong when a guy who averages 95-97 is only hitting 92.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The ball is jumping off the bat tonight. What is that? Six homers?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Shit... there goes another one. It's a new playoff record for homers in a game and we're not even half way done.

[bob_barron 0]

Chicks dig the long ball

[treble 0]

Have they all been to leftfield? Bay just crushed that one.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Have they all been to leftfield? Bay just crushed that one.

 

Floyd's was to dead center. The other's all went to left.

[treble 0]

Holy shit, what a game so far.

[garfieldsnose 0]

Yeah, this game rules especially if you're not a fan of one of the teams so your emotions don't get involved.