Boston Red Sox!?! (Bangor, Amherst: places, alligator, steaks)

[AlisonL]

Life sux, and so do the Rays.

[mollysmiles]

Are the fans at Fenway that rude?

Still not sure about the whole thing with Ortiz---was it a strike (or TWO) because he went around or because it was in the zone?? and hitting Pedroia after the near miss with Youk made me want to pound Garza through the mound--little too much pitching on the inside I think. grrr.... but, I guess you could say that's just sour grapes, except that I felt that way *before* the game was lost.

But hey, at least we were there That's more than the MFYs can say.... and speaking of the MFYs have you seen that Yankee Stadium memorabilia isn't selling *NEARLY* as well as they'd hoped? imagine that....

[Maineah]

Hey ...I guess you can't be in the World Series every year!!! At least I know I won't be watching THAT series...Phillies and Tampa.....boring! Cheese steak and ......whatever Tampa has.....swamps I suspect....zzzzzzzzzzz.

[dano04631]

I was born and raised in Philly and I'm a big Phillies fan. Nothing personal, but I'm glad the Sox lost. I'd much rather take my chances against Tampa.

[mollysmiles]

tropicana oj maineah! (no vodka or champagne or peach schnapps either)

I'd actually have to go with the Phillies there too. Never thought I'd say *that*!!

[lrfox]

I'm pretty down about the Sox losing, but I am not as upset as I would have been had they lost game 5 (the 7-0 comeback). I felt that, until that point, they showed no signs of life or spirit which was depressing. The comeback sparked some life into the team and I was impressed by the effort and determination of a team plagued by injuries and fatigue. They lost in 7 games to a healthier, and over all better Tampa Bay team. I can't complain.

Further silver lining (for me, anyway) is that Beckett is done for the season. That Oblique injury looked worse than he let on and I'd assume you'll hear more about it now that the season is over. I would have hated to see him pitch 10-16 more innings in the W.S. and do further, maybe permanent damage. I'm hopeful that two extra weeks rest and around a dozen fewer innings will help his healing process.

Watching Ortiz's labored swings made me cringe too. The big guy needs some time off to regain health.

I'm VERY hopeful for next year with a healthy, talented, young rotation and some healthy sluggers (Ortiz, Drew, Lowell) back in the lineup as well as any other off-season additions. This time has a bright future and they'll be back to the promised land. As for this year, they did better than expected, I'd go so far as to call them over achievers. I'm happy with what they did.

Congrats to the Rays and the Phillies and while I'm pulling for the Rays, I'd be content with either in this situation. Both cities deserve it.

[RMoore007]

Well said lrfox. It takes me a couple days to get over it but I'll end up watching most of the series anyway because I'm a baseball fan. There are a couple guys from Rhode Island (Dan Wheeler & Rocco Baldelli) that are (used to be) Red Sox fans themselves on the Rays. That's about as much of a connection as I can come up with. It'll have to do this year.

[lrfox]

^Don't forget Carlos Pena is a Boston guy and Northeastern grad himself.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

tropicana oj maineah! (no vodka or champagne or peach schnapps either)

I'd actually have to go with the Phillies there too. Never thought I'd say *that*!!

Are you just mad at Tampa Bay Molly??
OJ huh...between the OJ and the Cheese steak I'd have killer heartburn....I know stuff a red sock in it right?
I'll be quiet now..........

[ogre]

Originally Posted by dano19606

I was born and raised in Philly and I'm a big Phillies fan. Nothing personal, but I'm glad the Sox lost. I'd much rather take my chances against Tampa.

You may live to regret that. We'll see what happens, but this Rays team is for real, and should not be underestimated. What I find especially disappointing about this outcome for the Sox is that they came so close while being a walking orthopedic ward. I'm afraid the question of what might have happened if they had been healthy is going to nag at me. There are those who will take that as making excuses, but I don't mean it that way. I mean exactly what I said: I wonder what MIGHT have happened if . . . Again, not to make excuses, because what happens happens, and you play with the team you take to the playoffs, but I suspect that the Sox might have been the best team in the playoffs with all their players healthy. Not by the wide gap that separated them from the other teams last year, but still the best. In that case, you might have been right to prefer that the Phils not play them.

Regardless of what might have happened if, the Rays are for real. I'll be pulling for the Phillies. The Rays to me somehow are not all that appealing as Cinderella teams go. They play in a bland indoor stadium. I've never been to the Tampa Bay area, but I hear it's nothing special, aside from the warm weather and the water views, which can be found elsewhere in Florida, and other places. I hear Tampa is kind of worn and faded, and St. Pete is just sterile sprawl. The Rays' fans fit that mundane image as well. They have suddenly appeared after being nowhere to be found until the team is successful (and clanging those annoying cowbells--whose idea was that?). The Rays' players hold no special appeal either. There's no colorful personality there that I've picked up, not much personality to that team, period. They're just an efficient but nondescript machine. I can't get with that team. So, go Phillies, but I think the Phils have a challenge on their hands with these Rays. The Rays are the real deal.

As for the food wars . . . how about cheesesteaks vs. alligator burritos? I'm not kidding. There really is such a thing. I used to order gator burritos in a restaurant that was nowhere near Florida, but it fits, so there you go. Go Phillies.