Boston Red Sox!?! (2009, traffic, spring)

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by ogre

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.

What about Evan Longoria??? I thought she was great on Desperate Housewives!!!

[ogre]

Good post, Irfox. I agree that it was good to see them make a series of it. It would have been awful if they had just rolled over. And the fifth and sixth games were good games as well. Good to have the opportunity to watch them win a couple of games like that, even with an unfortunate final outcome.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by Maineah

What about Evan Longoria??? I thought she was great on Desperate Housewives!!!

LOL! Thanks Maineah. It's good to laugh it a time like this!

[mollysmiles]

gator burritos.... ok, with the philly cheese steaks and OJ.... this all *should* be heartburn city...

Ogre I agree about the Rays fans suddenly appearing out of nowhere--remember what that stadium looked like in June?? It was a bit on the empty side.

So, as a general rule I don't care for the teams that come out of PA, excepting of course the Steelers in the days of Bradshaw, but I'll be behind the Phillies for this one. I usually switch to the National League if the Sox aren't in the series.... I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that!

[tankratt]

Boston is part of New England and the Sea Dogs are one of Bostons farm teams so you get to see some of the guys before they make it to the show

[ogre]

Molly, I lean the opposite way about which league's champion to pull for in the Series. We all have our own sentiments. I'm an AL loyalist. As I kid, I always pulled for the AL champions. No exceptions. Now I'm more flexible. A big factor in this was when the MFY became good again in the late '70's, after being non-contenders for a decade or so in the era right after Mantle's prime. I couldn't pull for MFY, so . . . Now I tend to pull for whichever team I like, or against a team I dislike, and default in favor of the AL team if neither team stirs up feelings one way or the other.

[ogre]

Yep, gator burritos. Hmmm, combined with cheesesteaks and OJ . . . could be interesting.

I used to have gator burritos at a place in Amherst, MA. As I said in the earlier post, nowhere near Florida, but it would still fit a Florida team.

Hmm, looks as if the gators are making a meal of the cheesesteaks tonight. Yuk.

[mollysmiles]

woo hoo Phillies!! How nice is it that Matt Stairs will be bringing a ring home to Bangor?

[ogre]

Can't say that I was thrilled about the way the rain situation was handled, but the outcome was AOK by me.

[dano04631]

Originally Posted by ogre

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.

I'm still not sure the outcome would have been the same if it had been the Sox, but I'm certainly happy with the outcome we got