Sports at its Finest

Now, this is usually a football blog, but I can't help to note what is going on in baseball right now. Just a quick question. Before the season, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE PHILLIES AND THE RAYS (yes, I repeat, the Tampa Bay Rays) WOULD BE REPRESENTING BASEBALL IN THE FALL CLASSIC? For the Phillies, they may have gotten 10, probably 15-1 odds. For the Rays however, it's closer to 100, 150-1 odds.
This was a Rays team that many said would fold to better talent the AL East. They didn't. When they won the AL East, many said they would fold in the playoffs due to their youth and the White Sox penchant for clutch hitting. They didn't. When they faced off with Boston in the ALCS, many said they would fold because they were inexperienced, and the Red Sox were the defending champs. They didn't. Now, after years and years of being in the cellar of the American League, and all of Major League baseball for that matter, the TAMPA BAY RAYS have a chance to win something that a team like the Chicago Cubs hasn’t won in 100 years, a World Series ring. With all the dramatics and defying years and years of horrible expectations aside, there actually another team to talk about in this equation.
The Philadelphia Phillies, the team with the most losses in major league baseball history, is that other piece to the finest 4-7 games of the year for America's Pastime. To put this into perspective, the Phillies last reached the World Series in 1993, while the franchise of the Tampa Bay Rays started in 1998. The moment that the Phillies last had in a World Series was walking off the field after Blue Jays' OF Joe Carter hit a championship winning walk-off homerun, walloping a fastball over the left field fence off Phillies RP Mitch Williams. Williams, once known as the Wild Thing, is now a commentator for Comcast Sportsnet, doing pregame and postgame shows for, whom else, but the Phillies.
Once you people get past the two degrees of separation I just played, the in-experience of both teams, and two managers who I could easily see playing shuffleboard in retirement homes before managing professional baseball teams, you must see that this is going to be an INCREDIBLE series.
I mean, yes, I am from Philadelphia. I am biased, and a "senseless homer" defined by my close family members. But it's not hard to see the potential in this matchup. Both teams are loaded with baseball's new age of talent. For the Phillies, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins are the past two NL MVP's, while NLCS MVP Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Pat Burrell have all had career seasons (and postseasons) to get the Phillies to this point. For the Rays, years and years (9 for those people who cringe for details) of high first-round draft picks have paid dividends in their farm system, and finally, for their actual team. Evan Longoria and B.J Upton are the youngins' that lead this team is almost every talent-based category, while Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Carlos Pena are other parts of a lineup that made AL pitchers (especially now the Red Sox) this year sweat.
Just based on the postseason, this series is an absolute TOSS UP. While the Phillies arguably showed more dominance (went 7-2 so far this postseason), the Rays have played and beaten the better talent (Red Sox were the defending champs, and the White Sox arguably won the most competitive division in baseball). The Phillies have had a penchant for clutch pitching performances and the big inning this postseason, while the Rays beat both Sox' teams by playing consistent baseball for 9 innings. Yes, it's a contrast of styles, but both teams have alot going for them right now. For the Rays, it's confidence. For the Phillies, it's rest.
There is one kicker to this series though. One word that will have alot to do with crowning the winner of the World Series. That word is PRESSURE. For the Phillies, its 25 years, and 1.5+ million people worth of pressure. For the Rays, its home-field advantage and the possibility of destroying the fan-base that Rays' nation has worked so hard to build this year. The pressure doesn’t seem to compare, does it? The Phillies have much more pressure when it comes to this series. But what comes with pressure comes support, and if the Phillies can split the first two games at Tropicana Field, coming back to Philadelphia with the series tied 1-1 (or poss. up 2-0) would be a sight to see at Citizens’ Bank Park. The term "home-field advantage" would be shifted towards the Phillies, and I got to say, I'm not sure if the Upton, Longoria, and the rest of the Rays can deal with 10,000 losses and almost 3 decades of pain from the Philly PHaithful. Then again, I didn't think they could deal with Fenway's atmosphere either.

Phillies in 6

P.S. Next post will consist of NFL Week 6 recap. Should come Monday or Tuesday.