Well, it happened. After a spring and summer of waiting for the other shoe to drop on the Tampa Bay Rays' magical season, those pesky Sunshine Staters clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.And although we aren't saying we are responsible for this improbable run, we certainly didn't hurt. In fact, we went on record early around here regarding Tampa's finest.
Blog brother Kevin Allen lived near beautiful Tropicana Field for a while, and raved about the intimate nature of the building. I mean, where else could this type of tomfoolery fly?
"One of our favorite rituals at the Trop was to send half of us to the third-base side and the other half to the first base side and have a conversation across the field as the game was going on. Those watching at home could make out perfectly what we were saying. Whenever an opposing pitcher came in to warm up, we would give annoyingly loud (and often high-pitched) sound effects to the ball. At one point, Francisco Cordero told us in so many words to refrain from doing that.While the rest of the world waited for the collapse to come...it didn't. The Rays smashed their previous high-water mark for victories, and have battled the reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox tooth and nail.
In fact, it looks like the only way teams have been able to best these guys this year is to *cough* cheat. Just kidding, A.J. We'll never get sick of you hosing a hustling Joe Cowley at second base.
Congratulations, Tampa Bay Rays. You're this week's Sports Pros(e) smile, wink and acknowledging head nod award recipients. (it's a coveted award, don't knock it)
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