We wanna be sedated…

Lots o’ Linkety Goodness, so let’s get right to it.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • “Rays Index binging on caffeine” is back. This time we were asked by Deadspin “What the World Series means to us.” [Deadspin]
  • Game will mark the first time this season that the Phillies played a game on artificial turf. [Beerleaguer]
  • Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays will go with the same 25-man roster used in the ALCS. There is some speculation that Shawn Riggans and/or Eric Hinske could be added to the roster. Topkin says neither is likely. Also, as expected, Scott Kazmir will be the game 1 starter. [The Heater]
  • Evan Longoria was named the AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. [The Heater]
  • Tim Welke will be the crew chief during the World Series. [MLB]
  • An in depth statistical look at the World Series by Baseball Prospectus gives the edge to the Rays. (thanks Scot) [Baseball Prospectus]

For all of the detail above, I keep coming back to one point: the Rays are a much better baseball team than the Phillies are. The gap between the leagues is real, and when you adjust for it and other factors—as third-order wins do—you find that the Rays were actually ten games better than the Phillies this season. They’ve also beaten better teams to get to the Series. Compare the rosters, and while the Phillies have their share of frontline talent, perhaps even more than the Rays have, the Rays have almost no dead spots on the roster, and are much stronger towards the bottom of the lineup, the back of the rotation, the bullpen, and the bench…Three of the last four World Series have been AL sweeps. The presence of Hamels makes that result unlikely, but even he won’t be enough. Rays in six.

  • A solid piece on ESPN.com looking at how the Rays were built for success. [ESPN]
  • The Phillies are putting all their hopes on rubber duckies…OK, may be not all. [The Fightins]
  • David Chalk makes a guest appearance at Walkoff Walk and in his usual unbiased manor, predicts a Rays win. [Walkoff Walk]
  • Some tales of “wretchedness” from the Rays fanbase. [Deadspin]
  • Big League Stew has a cool video of fans at Raymond James Stadium gathered around TVs watching the final inning of the ALCS game 7. [Big League Stew]
  • A Rockies fan will be rooting for the Rays for selfish reasons…The odd thing is we used the exact same logic last season when we were rooting for the Rockies. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Yet another Red Sox blogger throws their support behind the Phillies…We wouldn’t want it any other way. [Sully Baseball]
  • In a classic example of “Like Team, Like Fan”, one fan tries to run onto the field at Fenway and fails miserably (video). [Home Run Derby]
  • Big League Stew ranks the Mohawks found in the Rays’ clubhouse. [Big League Stew]
  • Home Run Derby breaks down the Rays and Phillies cheer squads. [Home Run Derby]
  • 31.5 reasons to watch the World Series…Our favorite is #31.5. [ESPN]