Archive for the 'Pink Hat Nation' Category

Sep 29

Joy, Jubilation, and the Sheer Exuberance of Victory

Baltimore Orioles, BJ Upton, Boston Red Sox, Cheap is as cheap does, Chicks dig the longball, Cowbells, Dan Johnson, David Price, Evan Longoria, F*ck the Heck?, Feed your mind, Insane in the membrane, Jake McGee, Joe Maddon, joel peralta, Johnny Damon, Jordi Scrubbings, Karma is a bitch, Lifestyles of the rich famous and good looking, Magic Number, Memories, New York Yankees, Other teams envious of Rays payroll, Pink Hat Nation, Pink Sox Nation, Playoffs?, Putting us in our place, Rays look good in glass slippers, Tampa Bay Rays, there are no rules, Things that make us giddy, Too early to open a beer?, Victory!, Walk-off win, Walk-off wins make us giddy, Your thoughts please Jordi Scrubbings 6 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings was at the game last night. Here is his report. You can also here Jordi tonight on “The Sully Baseball Show” which can be heard HERE…

When I was a younger, I rooted heart and soul for the New York Mets. My dad was a Mets fan and I followed in his footsteps. One of my fondest memories of my dad and I’s shared fandom was when Mookie Wilson’s grounder rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the World Series. Being young and skinny, my dad gave me a big hug and swung my around the living room. Although I was a happy new fan, he was overjoyed. The Mets lived to see another day.

Here I am today the roughly same age my dad was in 1986.  The Rays have in many ways replaced the Mets as my true heart’s desire. The Mets are my first fan love and I will never forget them, but since 2007 day-in and day-out I’ve ridden with the Rays.

Although the Rays have made the Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 13

ESPN.com Writer Says Something Nice About Rays

Pink Hat Nation, Playoffs? Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

We all enjoy dumping on the Four Letter for their biased coverage. But remember, the E stands for “Entertainment,” not “News.” And unlike some others, ESPN has never pretended or even claimed to be “fair and balanced.” They are a business, and they want ratings.

That being said, we were shocked when we saw that David Schoenfield wrote a column in which he outlines why the Rays will win the Wild Card in the American League…

The Rays are 23-10 since Aug. 8. The Red Sox have lost five in a row and nine of their past 11. The teams have four games left against each other, starting Thursday at Fenway Park. The odds are still stacked against Tampa but I’m going to make the call: They’re going to win the wild card. Here’s why.

  1. Starting Pitching
  2. Evan Longoria
  3. Bullpen issues in Boston
  4. Pressure

Clearly Schoenfield didn’t get the memo for his superiors. There will be hell to pay.

Schoenfield goes into greater depth in his column, so feel free to head over there to get the entire scoop.

Sep 01

Interest In Red Sox Is Falling Faster Than You Can Say “Bandwagon”

Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines 18 Comments »

Without a doubt, the Rays have attendance problems. But with the Rays ranked in the top 10 in local television ratings, interest in the team is at an all-time high.

At the other end of the spectrum we have “The Red Sox Nation,” baseball fans that are smarter and better than regular fans and would never bail on their team! The group that can trace their Red Sox lineage back to a relative that wore a Red Sox cap on the Mayflower. The holier-than-thou “Red Sox Nation,” that can actually improve the potential of their team! Yeah, not so loyal after-all…

On the eve of September 2010, here’s the problem: you now see through it. Whether one measures the Red Sox’ Q rating through television ratings, talk-show volume, web hits or that intangible buzz, the Sox took a major hit this year. Broadcast ratings have plummeted. Secondary ticket sales have slowed to a crawl if not stopped altogether. Fenway Park has gone from among the most fashionable places to be seen to just another ballpark, and the timing could not be worse for a Red Sox administration that might have been planning for another lean year.

All this for a team that some believe still has a shot at the playoffs.

To us, there are two different types of “bandwagon” fans. The first kind Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 30

World Series Not A Birthright For Red Sox Fans

Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines No Comments »

Here is a blogger that knows about as much about baseball as a hamster.

Throughout the season and into October, many baseball fans and media types waited for the [Rays] inevitable collapse, which never really came. I was one of them, never believing the Rays were for real. Honestly, I still don’t…How quickly I forgot about the Rockies making that run in 2007. I expect to just as quickly forget about the success the Rays had in 2008. In my mind, the 2008 season was a fluke, a perfect storm of pitching, defense and timely hits. I am already on record predicting a sub-.500 season for the Rays in 2009…

A typical Sox fan that doesn’t realize that the Rays are as similar to the Rockies as Julio Lugo is to Carl Yastrzemski.

A typical Sox fan that doesn’t realize there is actually baseball outside of the Northeast. A Sox fan that isn’t aware that the Rockies got hot late in the year in a weak division. On the other hand, the Rays were in first place every day of the second-half, in the toughest division in baseball.

Read the rest of World Series Not A Birthright For Red Sox Fans (378 words)

Oct 17

[SOX ON LIFE-SUPPORT] Boston Writer Summons Ghost Of Carlton Fisk, Renders Death Inevitable For Red Sox

Carlton Fisk, Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines 31 Comments »

OK, we have one link to help RAYSHEADS put everything back into perspective…

Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox were dead and came back to life and compares last night’s Red Sox win to game 6 of the 1975 World Series by summoning the ghost of Carlton Fisk.

Yet the fact remains: The Red Sox were dead, and dead teams are not supposed to wake up. It is scientifically impossible. You’re dead, you’re dead. Then again, if dead teams did not awaken, we would not have Bobby Thomson and Carlton Fisk and all that.

Somebody needs to remind Buckley that the Red Sox lost game 7 of the 1975 World Series.

Teams can come back to life. It is a thing we like to call “life-support”. But eventually the plug must be pulled.

Somehow, Red Sox get magical [Boston Herald]

Oct 15

[THE RAYSHEAD ARMY] An Interview With A Pilgrim That Dared Enter An Unholy Land

Pink Hat Nation, The RAYSHEAD Army Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

In game 3 one member of The RAYSHEAD Army received national attention when he caught Evan Longoria’s home run ball while sitting above the Green Monster at Fenway Park.

We caught up with Michael Aguis and asked him a few questions about the home run that pissed off the Red Sox Nation.

RI: Monster seats are among the most coveted seats for a Red Sox game. How does a diehard Rays fan end up with Monster seats for an ALCS game?

MA: The guy sitting to the right of me (who dropped it) is a good friend of mine (and a Red Sox fan), and he had a connection to get them. We had gone up to Fenway about 4 years ago to see a D-Rays/Sox game, so he knows I am a real fan.

RI: Did you attend the game with the Red Sox fans sitting next to you? What was their reaction to you ending up with the home run ball?

MA: Yes. They thought it was pretty funny. They are not typical chowds. I stayed with the couple to the left of me.

RI: What was the reaction of the Red Sox fans near you? Any memorable one-liners?

MA:All of Fenway that day was very low-key, but the Green Monster Seats had a very corporate crowd. MUCH nicer fans than the bandwaggoners who come down to the Trop, I think either they didn’t really care about the game, or were too pissed to be down 5-0 to worry about me. I have felt more intimidated at a UF-Vandy game in Nashville! BTW: Speaking of the bandwagoning Pink Hat Nation, look at the third picture down on this old Sports Guy column from 2002 blasting the D-Rays. The seats are empty. BUT NO RED SOX NATION, either!!

RI: One Red Sox website was upset with how much fun the lady next to you seemed to be having during the game and questioned her loyalty…Any chance we can get her to wear a Rays cap and a blue scarf next time?

MA: I saw that site. Her and her husband share season tickets with friends down the 3rd base line. I can call her and ask her to…She is a good sport.

RI: When did you first realize that you were a story that lots of people were talking about?

MA: Within 30 seconds, I got about 10 texts. I knew the cameras would be up there if one was hit.

RI: Were there any stories about you and the home run that you thought were particularly funny/weird/memorable?

MA: The funny story is that I told everyone for a week that if a Red Sox player hit a HR up there, and I caught it, I, in my Rays jersey, would throw it back, and give some attention to the Rays and our fans. I was warned by my friend on the train ride up not to do it. I think this was better.

RI: Is this the most embarrassing photo that has ever been taken of you?

MA: It would have been if we lost.

RI: Since the national attention, do you now regret not having a mohawk?

MA: I regret not staying in Boston last night for the real beating.. I’m not sure a Rayhawk would fly at work, but I am growing a lucky beard – stopped shaving the day we clinched. I grew one for the Gators when they won the BCS, the Final Four, and for the Giants when they won the Super Bowl. I call it the Billy Barool, like Judge Smalls’ lucky putter in Caddyshack.

Oct 15

[HAPPY HOUR] Apparently Red Sox Lead ALCS 1 Games To 3

BJ Upton, Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, Derryl Cousins, James Shields, Joe Maddon, Pink Hat Nation, Scott Kazmir, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

The Red Sox Nation rallying cry is “we have been here before.” You would think Red Sox fans wanted to lose 3 of the first 4 games. Anybody with a pink hat on today will be quick to point to the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees and the 2007 ALCS against the Indians.

Funny how these fans also forget facing elimination in the 2005 ALDS against the White Sox. Down 2 games to none with game 3 at home. The Red Sox lost. And then there was the 2003 ALCS with the Red Sox losing an elimination game against the Yankees. And the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees. In a scenario similar to this year’s ALCS, the Red Sox trailed 3 games to 1 with game 5 in Fenway. The Red Sox lost.

Oh yeah. The Red Sox have been here before.

And this just in…The ’07 Indians aren’t even in the same league as the Rays. Well, you know what we mean.

Bonus pic after the links (Thanks Brian)

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Scott Kazmir will indeed start game 5. Buster Olney reported this morning that this move was made at least in part because of the tumultuous history between Kazmir and umpire Derryl Cousins, who is scheduled to be the home plate umpire in game 6. [The Heater]
  • One writer at Bugs and Cranks says Joe Maddon is waiving the white flag in game 5 by starting Scott Kazmir in place of James Shields…Of course they don’t take into account the history between Kazmir and umpire Derryl Cousins, or Kazmir’s history in Fenway or Shields’ home/road splits or the off-day after game 5. Other than those reasons, then yeah, Papa Joe wants to lose game 5. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks says Joe Maddon’s decision is “genius” because he is infallible. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Some are starting to notice that this Rays team is not a flash in the pan. [The Big Lead]
  • We think we figured out where Willy Aybar’s home run ball landed. The Citgo sign behind the green monster spontaneously caught fire today. [WMUR]
  • Gerry Fraley points out that there is no Curt Schilling to bail out the Red Sox this year. [Sporting News]
  • One Pirates fan wishes he was a Rays fan…To which we say: Why aren’t you? Do it. Don’t be afraid. Jump on board. You can keep the Buccos on the side. We don’t mind. The RAYSHEAD Army is growing, and we are welcoming new members with open arms. And we don’t even mind if you think Scott Kazmir’s first name is “Eric”. We can work on the details later. We would have trouble with the first name of any of the Pirates starting pitchers. [Fanhouse]
  • 8 reasons why the Red Sox are losing…One thing we haven’t mentioned today: Many are looking at the triple last night as a “coming alive” moment for David Ortiz. Why is nobody mentioning that even though he hit that ball well it still came well short of leaving the park? It seems that the triple just made it even more clear that Big Papi’s swing is not well right now. [RBI Magazine]
  • Anthony Rieber thinks the Rays are only good because of a “lot of luck.”…Anthony, research is a writer’s best friend. Try it some time. [Newsday]
  • Hidden behind ESPN’s “Insider” wall, Buster Olney breaks down the 4 things the Red Sox need to do in order to come back in this series. Really it is 3 reasons as one is based on Scott Kazmir pitching game 6. [ESPN]
  • Really? One writer wonders if the Rays will sell out any potential World Series games. Never mind that the Rays sold out all the ALDS and ALCS games in less than an hour. This is the World Series we are talking about…Our IQ went down having read that post. [yoonewverse]
  • The Hardball Times tries to project BJ Upton’s ’09 season based on his ’08 stats, including his postseason performance to date. Of course, they don’t take into account the shoulder injury that Upton battled most of the season. [The Hardball Times]

Oct 15

[BOSTON MASSACRE] Fenway Not So Intimidating

Pink Hat Nation, The RAYSHEAD Army Cork Gaines 5 Comments »


Is that the sweetest image you have ever seen that doesn’t involve Salma Hayek?

We have to admit, for all the knocks against Rays fans this season, we are severely disappointed in the Boston “faithful”. We have been to regular season games at Fenway versus the A’s that were louder than the crowd in games 3 and 4. We already learned this morning that premium seats were easier to obtain at Fenway than at the Trop. Add to that the early exodus of pink hats from Fenway, and we feel that Red Sox Nation is in turmoil.

Guess that is what happens when the fan base just assumes the Red Sox will win the series.

After seeing firsthand how loud and rockin’ The Trop was in games 1 and 2, we have never been more proud of The RAYSHEAD Army.

Oct 13

[CARL CRAWFORD] Carl Crawford Is Apparently ‘Gangster’ Because He Reads His Horoscope

Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines 24 Comments »


[UPDATE] We are shutting down comments on this post. We have already deleted several comments in which somebody who came to this site from a link on another site has used the N-word to refer to either Carl Crawford or BJ Upton or both. Anymore comments on this post will be deleted immediately.

[Ed. note: This post was originally written last week and then shelved when the author gave a mea culpa in the comments section. But then the author's tone changed after some readers jumped on us after we expressed our concerns with the wording in the comments section.]

We can be pretty hard on Red Sox nation around these parts. Most of the time it is just good-natured ribbing, as we truly believe that 99.9% of Red Sox Nation is composed of good baseball fans that know the game and understand the nature of a friendly rivalry. Besides, our sister, with her idiotic Red Sox tattoo, is the biggest Red Sox fan we know. It is the other 25.1% that give Red Sox Nation a bad rap.

Unfortunately, one Red Sox blogger tried to single-handedly revive the stereotype that all Bostonians are racist when he explained why he hates the Rays.

Maybe it’s because of Jonny Gomes and his endless string of cheap shots. Or Carl Crawford’s gangster neck tattoo.

To which we wonder: Is it “gangster” because it is the symbol of Leo? Because you guys know, one stereotype of gangsters is they read their horoscope everyday. Or is it “gangster” because Crawford is black?

If that one statement wasn’t so ignorant we would tear apart the rest of his idiotic post, like the hypocrisy of a fan for a team that sucked for 86 years, making fun of another team for sucking for 10 years.

For the record, Crawford has the tattoo on his neck because Leo is his horoscope sign and it is a symbol that represents him as a person.

“People always want to know what it is, what it means. Some think it’s the Omega sign. Some people think it’s a snake or something. I always have to explain it. It’s my Zodiac sign. Leo. It’s the sign for Leo. When I got it, I wanted it to be about me. I look at my sign every day, my horoscope, so I figured that would be cool. I didn’t want it to be nothing crazy. I wanted it to be nice and elegant looking.”

Little did Crawford know, it is also apparently “gangster” looking.

[Ed. note: Here is the response from the author. "Let me explain the “gangster” comment. Obviously being black and having a neck tattoo doesnt make you a gangster. Al Capone was white and tat-free, and he was the original gangster.’Gangster’ was a poor choice of words, I should have described his neck tattoo as ugly, or unprofessional. Having a tattoo on your neck, regardless of what it is, is stupid. If it makes you feel better, I think Allyssa Milano’s neck tat is pretty ridiculous also."...This statement only proves our original point. The author does not describe the tattoo as "ridiculous" and as far as we can tell, the author never describes Milano's neck tattoo as "gangster". In fact, we did a search for "Alyssa Milano" and "gangster neck tattoo." The results were as expected.]

Love to Hate [The Foul Line]

Sep 18

[THE PINK HAT NATION] Stay Classy Red Sox Nation

Pink Hat Nation Cork Gaines 13 Comments »

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