The Rays once again came back after a disastrous game 1 versus the Red Sox to win the second game in dramatic fashion. This time it was a 1-out bases loaded walk-off single by Dioner Navarro…Meanwhile in Cleveland, the Indians also won in walk-off fashion over the Twins.
Yes RAYSHEADS, the Magic Number is now 5 to clinch a playoff spot.
In other words, even if the Twins win their last 11 games, the Rays would only have to finish 5-8 to earn their first-ever playoff spot.
The Rays can clinch at least a Wild Card spot as early as this Friday.
From XM MLB Chat we get the story of a caller to 1010AM radio in Tampa in which a Rays fan told host Bobby Fenton that he was not allowed to a wear a t-shirt at the Trop last night that said “Red Sox Suck”.
Caller to 1010AM radio in Tampa, big Rays fan, went to game last night, was told by stadium personnel he could not wear the t-shirt. The fan was quite upset, wondered if management even knew this policy was being perpetrated. Said the Rays are very family-oriented and want a kid-friendly atmosphere, hence frowning on controversial t-shirts. 1010 host Bobby Fenton empathized with the fan, who also noted the place was awash in Red Sox fans, huge cheers when Youkilis came to the plate, almost nothing when Evan Longoria came up. Fan would’ve liked to have more Rays’ spirit with inclusion of t-shirt.
So Red Sox fans can say whatever they please, but Rays fans can’t wear a T-shirt that features a word you would probably hear 12 times in every episode of Sesame Street?
Considering our “Buck Foston” shirts are among our best sellers, we are certain those have made numerous appearances at the Trop this season. Has anybody been told they were not allowed to wear the shirt?
And if “Boston Sucks” is so bad, why is THIS GUY, not only admitted to the game, but sitting next to Todd Kalas and getting his shirt on TV?
Tampa Rays fan not allowed to wear “Red Sox suck t-shirt” at Trop [XM MLB Chat]
Stuart Sternberg was at the Trop last night and this video suddenly appears on the interwebs today…Coincidence? If you watch the video under the assumption that Sternberg is in the banana costume, the comedy factor increases exponentially…And we would love to make fun of Raymond, but ever since his renaissance, he just might be the coolest mascot since the San Diego Chicken.
Below you will see two polls that ask about your confidence in the Tampa Bay Rays. Please take a moment to answer each question. We will present these same polls every Monday. The results will be presented in graphical form on Wednesday, and will be displayed permanently in the sidebar. The goal of the Confidence Graph is to get a feeling of how Rays fans feel about the team and the franchise and track how that level of confidence changes through time. Thanks!
**WHEN ANSWERING THE POLL ON CONFIDENCE IN THE 2008 RAYS, WE WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE IN NOT JUST WHERE THE TEAM IS HEADED, BUT HOW THE TEAM IS PLAYING RIGHT NOW**
Raysiverse events of the past week that could impact confidence levels…
The Rays are 88-60, tied with the Red Sox for first place in the AL East, 1 up in the loss column. The Rays magic number to clinch at least a Wild Card spot is 7. Last week the Rays won 2 of 3 in Boston and lost 2 of 3 in New York.
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…
THE GOOD: The Rays still lead the Red Sox by 1 game in the loss column and the Twins by 8 games in the loss column…That translates to a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.
THE BAD: Do people not understand that the Rays still lead the Sox by 1 in the loss column and the Twins by 8 in the loss column for the Wild Card? They must not, or we would not see headlines with the words “Collapse“, or references to the Rays’ season as “Gloomy“, or as “striking midnight“. THERE ARE ONLY 14 GAMES REMAINING! And the Twins only have 12 left. If the Twins go 12-0, the Rays still only need to finish 5-9 to force a 1-game playoff. That is because the Twins and the White Sox play each other 3 times. So even if the Twins win all three, the White Sox will have at least 69 losses (they have 60 now). 5-9 GUARANTEES AT LEAST A 1-GAME PLAYOFF.
THE TELLING: After walking the first two batters on 8 pitches Scott Kazmir gave up his first home run to a left-handed batter since 2007. Game Over.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
BJ Upton still does not know when he will be able to return noting that when he suffered the same injury last season he was out 36 days even though he thought it would only be 5. [Tampa Tribune]
Carl Crawford still is not close to being able to swing a bat but says his surgically repaired finger is progressing well and he hopes to be back in two weeks.” [Bradenton Herald]
Gary Shelton says Scott Kazmir sure didn’t look like an Ace last night. [St. Pete Times]
One of our commenters from the Blog-A-Baloo last night (Scot), was quoted today in the Providence Journal. [Providence Journal]
Her Rays tries to divert our attention from the car wreck that is the Rays, with a picture…She is cute. [Her Rays]
Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot will only be used if the Rays are beset by unforeseen circumstances, such as a starter getting knocked out early due to incompetency or injury. [St. Pete Times]
Brittany Ghiroli reports that the Rays are still maintaining a loose atmosphere despite the recent struggles. [MLB]
Jayson Stark says the Rays played “like a team that looked exhausted” and feels that not winning the division would be a “gigantic letdown” let down for the Rays. [ESPN]
Stuart Sternberg is confident that attendance will pick up in 2009 noting that season ticket sales will help fill the park next coming off the winning season and business partnerships will increase during the off-season. [MLB]
Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald wonders if Rays’ payoff games should be moved to “a place where fans actually care about the product.” [Boston Herald]
We previously heard that Cliff Floyd was contemplating retirement after the season. Now he sounds like he has already decided to come back next season. [SI.com]
Only a few months ago, Floyd was sure that he was going to retire. Now he wants to return as a Ray. “I’m going to play,” Floyd said. “I don’t think you can break this unit up.”
Outs Per Swing breaks down how everybody has performed since the all-star break…The are some surprising numbers. [Outs Per Swing]
While we try to figure out why Scott Kazmir thought he was throwing pre-game batting practice, we can at least take solace in the fact that the Twins suck more than the Rays do right now.
Yes RAYSHEADS, the Magic Number is now 7 to clinch a playoff spot.
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In other words, even if the Twins win their last 11 games, the Rays would only have to finish 5-8 to earn their first-ever playoff spot.
