Yo, Rocco! He's Back - Again - But Is This Photo Real Life?

Rocco Baldelli is back! but tell me, is this photo real life? Nothing about this picture says a 28 year old Italian American with great athletic talent who once drew comparisons to Joe DiMaggio.

Seriously, what's the deal with the sketchy porn star stache??? Did he lose a bet? Has he lost his vision as a result of his case of mono?

Joe Murph just commented that he looks like a character from "Gangs of New York". True story, he looks more like defeated 35 + league softball player than anything else.

He almost looks like mentally challenged David Arquette.

But seriously Rocco, buona fortuna. Me, and the entire state of Rhode Island, are rooting for ya.

Just make sure the Sox pass you guys for the wild card.

ITM Over or Under

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming to Boston for the weekend. Let's play a little over or under:

1. Over or under 3 home runs for Evan Longoria
2. Over or under 12 stolen bases for the Rays
3. Over or under 2 throws into center field for Victor Martinez
4. Over or under 7 strike outs for David Ortiz
5. Over or under 1 "lets go Bruins" chant

This is going to require some reader participation, time for all our fans to give something back and let us know what you think. My thoughts are as follows:

1. Over
2. Over
3. Under
4. Way Over
5. Under

Boston, Meet Your Future Ace

He's a 20 year old kid who just transitioned from shortstop to a full time starting pitcher. He turned down a full ride to Tennessee to be the University's starting quarterback. He's athletically gifted but still trying to find his ultimate role in the game of baseball. Today, he gave you reason to believe he's the real deal.

On the mound for the big league club, under the pressure of an ESPN national broadcast, and against an elite major league lineup, Casey Kelly kept things in check.

He was admittedly nervous this afternoon, but lasted three innings against the Rays, looking dominate at times while keeping his composure when their offense threatened. He threw 61 pitches, striking out 4 (including the meat of their order), while giving up two runs on three hits to the mighty Rays lineup (those last four words still just don't seem right when I type them, but it's true).

Kelly had most recently been facing double AA competition down at the minor league complex, but fared well today on a much bigger stage and being under the microscope.

ITM got a close up look at Kelly while down in Ft. Myers, and I can say without a doubt that the ability is there. His stuff is electric. As he matures as a pitcher, there is no reason he can't be a force in the big leagues......let's just hope he's not rushed in that process.

5 Days, Go Sox.

Let Down, that's a wrap

After the buzz of opening night, Fenway got a lot quieter tonight.

Lester started out strong, with five strikeouts in his first two innings, but from there seemed to lose control and intensity. He fell behind hitters, walked leadoff men, and eventually got pulled after five, having given up five.

On the bright side, the bullpen finally got a work out. Delcarmen pitched a clean inning, as did Ramon Ramirez (who looked very strong). Takashi Saito gave up a homerun to Evan Longoria, the first hitter he faced as a Red Sox, then retired the next three. Even Javey Lopez got into the act, giving up a run in the ninth. All in all, not a great performance from the Sox staff we were all feeling so infinitely rosy about this morning.

Kazmir, on the other hand, was on point, going six innings, giving up only one run. (Yes, I'm biting my tongue about that strike zone, as I'm assuming that Lester had some gimmes, too, but every fiber of my being wants to say that damn was Kazmir getting the benefit.) And the Rays offense bounced back nicely after a lackluster opening.

But what's to be expected? The Rays are here to stay. It's all just part of the rhythm of the baseball season. Settle in for at least 160 more up-and-down nights.

Rays Sign Burrell, Continue to Quietly Improve

The Tampa Bay Rays may not be getting the same amount of ink that the Red Sox and Yankees are, but they are quietly getting better and filling their holes this off season. Yesterday, the Rays signed outfielder Pat Burrell from the Phillies. The deal is worth 16 million over 2 years, fitting right into the Rays payroll limitations and could be considered a discount over the current market rate of outfielders with power.

Burrell played mostly left field for the Phillies in their championship run last year, but figures to be the Rays full time DH in 2009. Burrell hit .250 with 33 homers, 33 doubles, 86 RBIs and 102 walks in 157 games in 2008. The increased pop will surely deepen an already explosive Rays lineup, although it remains to be seen how well Burrell hits against tough AL East pitching. Regardless of your thoughts on Burrell, the Rays are undoubtedly (on paper) an improved team after reaching the World Series last year.....

Projected Rays 2009 lineup:
1. A. Iwamura
2. B.J. Upton
3. C. Crawford
4. E. Longoria
5. C. Pena
6. P. Burrell
7. M. Joyce
8. D. Navarro
9. J. Bartlett

...I was hoping they would end up with a declining Jason Giambi....but it appears he'll be headed to Oakland.......The AL East will without a doubt be the best division in baseball (as usual), and incredibly fun to watch.....

.....a little less than a month until pitchers and catchers report......

Keeping track of the Rays...

With most of the baseball media covering the Red Sox and Yankees within the AL East, ITM figured it was a good time to take a quick look at what the defending AL-Champion Rays have been up to.

As a result of their low payroll and young nucleus of players, the Rays have had a relatively quiet off season.....and this is expected to continue. There are however, a few small moves that could make a difference come April of 2009.

-First and foremost, the 2009 Rays will look a lot like the 2008 Rays, the only free agents on the team are the bulldozer Eric Hinske and Rocco Baledelli (who may get hurt just by reading this article). There have been rumors that the Rhode Island native Baldelli could be coming to Boston to fill the role of a 4th outfielder, but that rumor has lost its momentum over the last few weeks. I can't say I'm too mad about that either....I know I would go out, buy a Baldelli jersey T-shirt and scream "ROCCOOOOO" at my tv for the first few weeks of the season, and then want to burn it after he somehow manages to pull his hamstring while playing volleyball in Cumberland, RI and miss the final 5 months of the season (see my JD Drew jersey T-shirt story).......Cliff Flyod and Trever Miller did not have their club options picked up by the team and are therefore also free agents.

-Perhaps the most important move for the Rays was trading Edwin Jackson to Detroit for Matt Joyce. Joyce is a young outfielder with some pop who could settle in nicely with a young team. It can be assumed that Jackson was moved in order to make room in the rotation for the 23 year old phenom David Price.

-Coco Crisp's buddy and life long friend Jonny Johnson Gomes (seriously, that's his full name, nice parents huh?) won't be back with the Rays. Tampa decided to not tender him an offer and make him a free agent. ITM is praying he lands with the Royals just to see what happens.

-Without much money to spend on the free agent market, the Rays are also likely to spend much of the off season focusing on their farm teams. Ensuring there is a steady growth and pipeline of talent within the organization will be critical to long term success in Tampa.

All that said, with a few small tweaks and another year under their young belts, the Rays could possibly be an even better team in 2009 than in 2008.....but with the Yankees having more spending more money than God, and the possibility of the Sox bringing Mark Teixeira to Boston, they might have to be.

Rays Keep Rolling, Lead Series 3-1

Losing sucks, always has and I imagine it always will. I started typing this post in the top of the 6th inning not because I've given up on the Red Sox, but because the Rays look unbeatable right now.

When I played Little League there was one team we could never beat, Swifts Beach. Swifts had the best pitchers, the best hitters, the best 9 & 10 year olds, I think they're coach even bought them Gatorade every game. Point is they seemed unbeatable to me back then and the Rays look unbeatable in every facet of the game of baseball right now.

There's not much to say about the game tonight for Sox fans. The Rays took an early 3-0 lead when Pena and Longoria (this guy is killing us) went back to back in the first inning. Wake gave up another home run and that was his night after 2+ innings pitched; I give him credit he hasn't pitched in 2 weeks and you know he gave it his all but the knuckler just wasn't knuckling tonight. On the flip side Andy Sonanstine pitched a gem for the Rays, of course he did, this game was over when Pena went deep in the first.

The Rays are up 3-1 in this ALCS and other then the day off tomorrow I only have one piece of encouraging news; the Sox have been here before. I won't dwell on it but the Sox do have Matzusaka, Beckett and Lester lined up to pitch games 5, 6 and 7. Matzusaka looked great in game 1 and Beckett and Lester can certainly win a ball game on their own. Are the odds slim at this point, yes, but the the Sox have been here before. I'm not throwing in the towel quite yet.

I'm done with game 4, lets move on to some quickies:

ITM Notes:

The Sox lineup weren't the only ones not to show up; where the hell were the Fenway faithful. I don't even know if that helps but it be nice to hear some noise from the fans.

Ortiz, Ortiz, Ortiz, not that anyone hit tonight but come on guy. I jumped on someone who posted because they had no faith in Ortiz at the plate...I've been wrong before I'll be wrong again. Ortiz did manage a triple in the 7th, maybe that will get things started for him.

At work I asked a couple guys what they thought about tonights game, one guy answered the Sox would get killed and he had no confidence in Wakefield. It's worth noting this is the same guy (who is a sports fan) said that Brady was due to get hurt this year. I am not talking to this guy the rest of the week.

The Sox did get the offense going a little bit in the bottom of the 8th, but it was obviously too late. Hopefully this carries over to game 5, putting 10 up on the Rays would make me and a few other Red Sox fans feel better. Also I forget what cheering is like, and it would be nice to hear the announcers ball wash the Sox for a few innings. Oh no I'm getting bitter...

At this point its one game at a time starting Thursday at Fenway with Dice K on the hill. My Little League team never beat Swifts Beach, but maybe the Sox can, metaphorically speaking.

Where is Josh Beckett?

Who was that guy who started game 2 for the Red Sox and what has he done with Josh Beckett? One problem with the recent success of Boston sports is that we as sports fans have become spoiled and expect certain things, Josh Beckett included.

Saturday Josh Beckett went 4.1 innings giving up 8 earned runs on 9 hits. This is the second straight playoff start Beckett has been roughed up and there is certainly cause for concern in Red Sox Nation. Perhaps more concerning then the 8 earned runs is Beckett's velocity and control issues. Usually Beckett touches 96 on the gun and can put his fastball where he wants it. In game 2 Beckett topped on at 92mph and struggled with his location.

The Sox maintain that Beckett is not hurt however he did receive a shot of painkiller and anti-inflammatory on the last weekend of the season when he injured his oblique. I don't know if Beckett is still hurt, or maybe he just doesn't feel comfortable pushing himself for fear he will re-injure himself. If the Sox are lucky, Beckett is still fighting rust issues as his throwing schedule has been dramatically altered over the last 3 weeks.

With the series tied up at 1 the Sox send Jon Lester to the mound against Matt Garza in game 3 Monday at Fenway, 430pm start time (I myself will have to get creative and find a way to watch it at work). Lester has yet to give up an earned run this postseason and is filling the role of ace vacated by the troubled Josh Beckett.

ITM notes from game 2:

-Despite losing the Sox bats did heat up, unfortunately so did the Rays. Pedroia homered twice and Bay and Youk also had good games at the plate. Ortiz still remains in a slump, perhaps I was quick to jump on an earlier comment about his ability to come up with a big hit this series.

-The Sox bullpen performed great in game 2, again the Rays were just a little better. When Timlin came in I think a lot of fans thought that would be it, sure enough it was. Perhaps bringing in Paul Byrd might have been the better option.

-One question I would like Francona to answer is why he let Beckett pitch to Longoria in the 4th inning? Longoria already had two hard hits off Beckett and it was evident he didn't have his ace stuff.

Pitching wins Championships

The Angels are back in California working on the basics of the suicide squeeze and the question on everyone's mind going into game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Rays is, who is starting game 1 for the Sox?

Before I attempt to answer that question, at least give my opinion, lets lay out some things we do know. The American League Championship Series is a best of 7 series, so each team will have to carry 4 starting pitchers as opposed to the 3 the Sox had in the division series. Expect Tim Wakefield to be starting game 4 for the Red Sox and Paul Byrd to pitch out of the bullpen. Jon Lester is definitely our best pitcher right now, but game 1 is Friday and that would leave Lester to pitch on 3 days rest.


So here is my take; I think Matzusaka starts game 1 for a couple reasons. First his record on the road is 9-0 this year, so you can argue he's not easily rattled on the road with the crowd and their cowbells (really cowbells? come on Tampa, try the wave if enough people show up). It's also the Dice Man's turn in the rotation to start, keeping some kind of consistency and the starters fresh, giving them more rest when needed. Dice K would also be pitching on 6 days rest, historically he pitches better when he gets more then the normal 4 days rest.

Game 2 is anyone's guess at this point, however I think Beckett starts game 2 in Tampa. He seems healthy and there were definitely signs of rust on Sunday, so I'm not sure holding him back again is the right answer. At the same time the Sox main priority should be to maximize Jon Lester's starts right now. However, he did throw 210 innings this year, which is a career high, so maybe holding Lester back to game 3 isn't a bad idea for extra rest. The good news is which ever rotation Francona and Theo decide on it will enable Beckett and Lester to pitch games 6 & 7 if they are necessary.

The Rays will probably keep their rotation the same throwing James Shields in game 1, Scott Kazmir in game 2, Matt Garza in game 3, and Andy Sonnanstine in game 4. That's not a bad starting rotation either if you like young unproven guys in the playoffs. Seriously, those guys are good, but I've seen better men cry on the mound in October, see exhibit a CC Sabathia.

I could be 100% wrong though, the Sox might pitch Beckett on regular rest on Friday, and bring Lester back for game 2 on Saturday, giving Matsuzaka even more rest before game 3. No matter what the Red Sox Brass decide, it's not a bad problem to have this time of year.

Speaking Openly to Rays Fans before Fear and Hatred Overtake Me

There's really not too much to say.

Evan Longoria homered in his first two postseason at-bats and added an rbi single in the 5th. But you already knew that, likely.

All I wanted to say, Rays fans, is enjoy it. I'm not saying "Enjoy it," like I'm giving you the eye and saying you better have a good time now 'cause the Sox are gonna bounce you in the next round. I'm saying "Enjoy it" with all the sincerity I can muster and no condescension because many of you are new to the postseason and new to the moment when one of your players suddenly shows a flash of brilliance that makes you think "Holy s**t this feels good." Then you pause, and you look at your roster and you think, "Holy s**t, it might feel like this for a long time."

It's something special when a player shows that he's ready to step up in October. Not many are. So enjoy it. It's the best part of baseball, in my book. And enjoy the idea that there might be a lot of Octobers for Longoria and the Rays to come.

Rays Rake in Series Finale, Win 10-3

Tonight's match up was billed by many as the most important game of the season, one that would shape the AL East landscape as the season rounds out. Well, it may have indeed been exactly that, but it was sure over quickly. The Red Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning off a David Ortiz "no doubt about it" tater to right center, from there however, it was all down hill.

Tim Wakefield, who until recently had a flawless 9-0 record at the Trop, got lit up by a Rays lineup that was aggressive from the plate to the base paths tonight. Wake gave up three taters and only lasted 2 1/3rd innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits. Deveran Hansack came in to try to limit the damage long enough to keep the Sox in the game.....he managed to get one out.....one. The 30 year old (still can't believe he's "30") gave up two runs and the Red Sox were effectively out of the game for good after three innings. Luckily for the Sox, with the off day tomorrow, they had the luxury of being able to empty the bullpen without cause for concern. You know it's bad when the camera turns to the bullpen pitcher warming up and you don't have a clue who it is (sorry Chris Smith...I had no idea). The Ray's bullpen however?...allowed only one hit.....one. The Red Sox were able to win a total of one game out of nine in Tampa this season....one.

Going into the game, after looking at the lineup, I knew the Sox were in for trouble if Wakefield couldn't hold the Rays to 4 runs or less. Unfortunately I was right. Tonight's lineup, without Lowell, Drew, and Bay, simply wasn't deep enough to put together the big inning the Red Sox needed to get back into the game. The Rays made a statement early and often tonight, and the Red Sox could not respond (ITM note: their 8 and 9 hole hitters went back to back for god sake!). Not only could Boston not respond, but they helped the Rays by throwing the ball around the infield like my West Wareham little league team did so well back in 94'. I blame Tim Murphy's wrap-up post from last night where he noted the Sox were now the best fielding team in the league....figures.

The Sox are now 2 games back in the East on paper, but are essentially 3 games back since the Rays have the tiebreaker advantage. So with the biggest game of the season behind them, and the Rays now in charge of the AL East, the Red Sox need to worry about getting themselves ready and healthy for the playoffs. If that means they somehow manage to take the division, great, if not, that's fine with me too...so long as the Sox are in a better position to be successful in October than we are right now.


ITM game notes:

-It was a "sell out" for the Rays tonight, 36,048 strong. The 6th of the year. How can they count it as a sell out when they had 8,000 seats covered by tarps in the outfield??

-I don't want to get all fired up about it, but Mike Lowell went to see a specialist today for the torn Labrum in his hip.....someone should tell JD Drew to go see a specialist for the "I'm a big sally" injury he's currently suffering from.

-Performances like this make me wonder if we'll see Wakefield on the playoff roster...it may come down to him or Paul Byrd. Since it's Tito managing the team, my money is on Wake making it.

-Anyone else notice that Remy simply can not get Ruggiano's name right? Remdawg, you played with enough Italian-American players in your time that you should have this nailed.

-The Red Sox 2009 schedule is out....April 6th opener at Fenway...bring your winter hats.

-Lastly, if you didn't hear the "Curt in the car" call into WEEI this afternoon to talk/bash Manny, it's well worth the listen. Great stuff with Lou and Dauber on the show as well.

Rays 'Walk-off' Into First Place

A young Tampa Bay Rays team re-gained sole possession of first place in the American League East tonight. Going into tonight's game one of the questions being discussed was how would the Rays respond to the surging Red Sox and the pressure of the playoff push down the stretch; however none of that seems to be bothering this team.

Dioner Navarro singled to deep center with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th off Justin Masterson to give the Rays the 2-1 win. Last nights game was was a slug fest with the Red Sox hitting 6 home runs while beating the Rays 13-5. Tonight the pitchers stepped up. Josh Beckett threw 8 brilliant innings of 3 hit ball giving up a lone home run to Carlos Pena while striking out 7. Perhaps equally impressive was Andy Sonnanstine for the Rays as he kept the Sox bats silent over 6 innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

Both teams played well enough to win, and in the end the Rays proved to Boston and maybe the rest of the baseball world that they are not going to crumble under the umbrella of inexperience in September. The rubber game of the series, and final match up of the season is Wednesday night; the Sox send Tim Wakefield to the hill as he opposes Matt Garza for the Ray's. Wakefield is 9-10 with a 3.92 era while Garza is 11-9 with a 3.62 era.

Despite the loss Red Sox fans can take some comfort in Josh Beckett's performance tonight. Although he picked up a no decision Beckett's command and velocity were very good, and his curve ball had really good break on it. Beckett has been on a pitch count since coming off the disabled list logging 95 pitches tonight. I believe that in Beckett's next start and into the playoffs we'll see him throw 110-120 pitches if need be.

ITM notes from the game:

-The Red Sox are the best fielding team in the American League, sporting a fielding percentage of .986. They've come a long way since the beginning of the year with Lugo at short.

-Bartolo Colon is apparently heading to the bullpen for the first time in his career as the Sox finish out the season.

-Mike Lowells' partially torn labrum in his right hip is looking like it will play a factor down the stretch. Lowell was pinch run for in the 9th inning after singling to left field. After making a running play in the 4th inning Lowell came up grimacing in pain, I wouldn't think he'd be in the line up tomorrow night, especially with the day off Thursday.

-Masterson has had better outings than tonight as he picks up the loss. A bit of bad luck with Barlet's bloop single and some control issues loaded the bases before Navarro won the game. His slider and sinker did have really good movement, ask Evan Longoria who looked foolish in his 9th inning at bat.

Sox Jump Out Early Against Kazmir

The Red Sox have gotten to Scott Kazmir early...and often. Thanks to home runs from David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, the Sox have opened up a 4-0 lead against the AL East leading Rays. While Dice-K hasn't exactly looked sharp either, he is just doing what he does best....throwing a lot of pitches and getting himself out of jams. Neither pitchers seem comfortable and so far the officiating seems inconsistent....I expect both items to sure up as the series progresses.

This should be a fantastic series, one with boat loads of playoff implications. Even if you're not a fan of either team, you gotta be excited for this three game set.Game on.

Sox End Up on Losing End of 14 Inning Affair (why am I still up?)

After splitting the first two games it was almost fitting that the Rays and Sox remained knotted at 1 until the 14th inning. It is WAY too late for me to post much about the game, but here are some sleep-deprived thoughts....Much like last night, the Rays had their share of chances, but the Sox were able to get out of jams (thank you Masterson, Delcarmen etc). The bullpen went 7 2/3rds innings without giving up a run, which, at least from my standpoint, should be MORE than enough to win. Ultimately however, it was the Bay state's own Carlos Pena who hit a 3 run shot in the 14th, Percival nailed down the save, and the Rays exit Boston taking two out of three.

Josh Beckett was the key story going into the game, and regardless of the outcome, should still be the number one topic. The long and short of it is....He's back. It's early, but at least initially there were no negative health issues with Beckett's 84 pitches in 6 innings give up one run and striking out 7 at Fenway tonight...last night...whatever it was. So the Red Sox may be 1.5 games out of the AL East, but this is the true story. Going into the playoffs (knock on wood), the Sox appear to have their ace back.

Overall it was a well played game by two teams that will likely battle for first the rest of the way. To be honest, I was quite surprised by the Red Sox fan who interfered with Mike Lowell's fly ball in the 2nd. I assume this man is from the Boston area and a fan....they WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? If the Sox were in the field, ok, but you should know better. That crap may fly in Pittsburgh, but not here. If I was standing next to him I would have tackled him to the ground before letting him touch the ball in the field of play, I hope someone at least threw a slice of pizza at him (I can't get enough of this clip, I watch it over and over again and can't stop laughing....it's an instant classic...Youtube has taken it off their site so this is the only place I could find a decent video).



Ok, off my soapbox. Despite the outcome, the endgame is the Red Sox are playing good baseball and have their ace back and healthy (or at least close to 100 percent).

....work is going to hate me tomorrow.

Oh What Could've Been...

I was close to starting my post for tonight's game early....I had plans of using "The Red Sox Steal One and Take Control of the AL East"....glad I didn't get that far. Tonight's game had all the makings of a demoralizing loss for the Rays, one that would send the young team to second place for good. Jason Bay pulverized a pitch over the left field wall in the bottom of the 8th to put the Sox up 4-3. There was a curtain call, there were multiple calls by me yelling to brothers, friends, fiances etc. This was going to be one of those nights where I was so excited it took an extra hour or two to get to sleep. I assumed a morally defeated Rays team to go down 1,2,3 in the 9th against the best closer in the game. Well the Rays made an ass out of all of us.

Dice-K was far from effective tonight, going only 5 innings, walking 4 and giving up 8 hits. This was one of those frustrating outings by Dice-K that keeps him outside of the serious Cy-Young candidates. Oddly enough, our middle relief held up (Lopez, Delcarmen, Oki), but our all-world closer gives up three hits and two runs, including a home run by Dan Johnson (who??...exactly). Perhaps there really is karma surrounding all of New England after I relayed NESN's great Papelpon stat on last night's post (I'm kidding of course....kinda). His 5th blown save of the season came on a night when he was throwing a majority of fastballs and was not able to control his splitter.

The Rays continue to look like they're ready to crumble, but somehow stave it off and find someone it their lineup to provide a spark. Tomorrow's game now becomes much more important....not from an overall playoff standpoint, we're almost a lock, but for the division, home field advantage, and the possibility to play the Whitesox instead of the Angels standpoint.

It could have been a great one, one of the handful of games during the season that you point to as defining and memorable. It could have been the Red Sox going for the sweep tomorrow with their ace on the mound. It could have been Boston in first....the Rays in second...and the Yankees in fourth. It could have and should have, but that doesn't mean that ultimately, it won't.

The Sox are winning series, but that's not enough to catch these Rays

*ITM Note: This post is not a result of the Red Sox loss today....

The Red Sox have taken two out of three from the Yankees, Bluejays and now the Whitesox, they finally had a good road trip (10-6), and their pitching has been solid......yet they remain 5.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, 6 games in the all-important loss column.

Now I'm not ready to concede the AL East, not on the last day of August with a favorable schedule when compared with the Rays, but I'm just coming to the understanding that it is more than the Ray's young confidence, they're a damn good team that has been showing resiliency every night. When Crawford, Longoria and Percival all went down with injuries most everyone expected a drop in the standings....it hasn't happened. They continue to have players step up and their confidence has not faltered. Of late, Carlos Pena and Rocco Baldelli have help the Rays expand their lead on a Red Sox team that is playing good baseball. I'm not even surpries anymore, it's crazy, but I just assume the Rays are going to win. Somehow Rocco is still only 26 years old and showing signs of his "old" self...like the Red Sox, if this team can get healthy, look out. I would have felt much more confident in the Sox ability to come back and win the division if we were 2.5 or 3 games out going into September, but 5.5 with 27 games to go will be difficult.

A Red Sox AL East division championship will only happen if the Red Sox are able to catch fire and win 20 of their remaining games (possible), and/or the Rays severely stumble down the final stretch (doesn't seem as likely). While I don't like stressing over the Rays, Whitesox and Twins, I will still be happy if and when the Red Sox clinch a playoff spot. As we all know, anything can happen in October and if Boston is able to get even just a few players back (namely Beckett and Lowell), I'll feel great about going into playoffs as the AL East Champs or the Wildcard team, so long as we get there.

It's going to be a fun/stressful/interesting September....

Who are these guys and what have they done with the "Devil Rays"??

The Rays just continue to hit well, pitch deep into games and most importantly, win. The latest W came in dramatic fashion this afternoon. I checked in on the game earlier and it appeared like tonight would be a great opportunity for the Sox to finally pick up a game on the AL East leading Rays....and then the bottom of the 9th comes and all hell breaks loose. A rbi double and two home runs later (including a 3 run walk off by former Wareham Gatemen and Cape Cod League MVP, Carlos Pena) and the Rays are 10-7 winners. Yes the Rays have a difficult schedule in August and September. Yes they still have a lot of games against the Yanks and Sox in the AL East. But they have a level of young confidence that can not be taught, and at the right levels, is downright scary. I've written them off about 7 separate times this year, but they truly are a factor and as much as we want to talk about the Yankees, it's time we take this team very, very seriously.

Consider these quick facts as you wonder if I'm crazy for thinking the Rays are legitimate or not:

• Today's win was the Rays' 68th this season; the franchise record is 70 wins.



• The latest Tampa Bay was in first place prior to this season was April 16, 2004.



• The Rays are enjoying this success all during a "down" year from Carl Crawford (not to mention he hasn't even played in the last few games due to a sore hamstring).

More and more scary with each passing day....