Red Sox vs. Rays

coco has been doing pretty good as of late and now they will probably have to play brandon moss instead of rice crispies who got snapped,crackled, and popped. and if we sweep i might have to pinch my self to see if i am dreaming….and btw those of us wont cant the rays games all the time the wednesday’s game is on espn with kaz going against dice-k also when the rays play on tv this year and i watch they are 3-3

I have a gut feeling that there are going to be a lot more Rays fans attending these games than we are used to seeing

Key stat: With large crowds expected, the Rays are 9-1 this year at home in front of 30,000 or more and 11-2 in front of 25,000-plus.

i hope that 30,000 show up so we can improve that record to 12-1!

Granted the Sox fans already have their tickets for the most part, but there is going to be a massive Rays walk up crowd. I personally already know quite a few people that rarely if ever go to the games that are planning on going.

Haven’t been around much lately, but had to check in and wish you all luck for the next 3 days. Strategically I guess should root for the Sox to take 2 of 3 – more chance to make up ground on both for my guys – but it would be sweeter to just catch the Sox and push them out of the playoffs.

Gotta be exciting for all down there – first place in July??!! Hope your fans, even newbies, show up big. If this can’t get Tampa’s attention turned to baseball, don’t know what else could.

“there is a big guy upstairs that would be happy to collect on the Red Sux end of the bargain”

Why are you assuming the debt is owed upstairs rather than downstairs?

In 2004, I wanted Boston to win the whole thing. I think a lot of America did, becuase, afterall, they’d waited so long to do it, came so close in ‘86 and were the Yankees arch-rivals.

But there is a phrase we should have kept in mind: You Better Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just May Get It!

We got it. What we got in 2004 was a great baseball story. A good, solid team won the World Series, and a good, solid sports city was rewarded. I don’t begrudge the team or its fans anything. But since that time, there have been hundreds of thousands of Red Sox fans either coming out of the woodwork or jumping on board. All the newbies are the ones who make me sick and make me dispise the Red Sox now.

The following spring, we were at a Rays/Oakland game in April in the Trop. A section over from us and a few rows back were five guys, early 20s, all dressed up in Red Sox crap. Why? Boston was playing across the country at the same time. Fans? Ok. Then go watch your game at a bar and cheer for your team there. They didn’t just come to the Trop to watch TB/Oakland, they were there to chant and be loud with an inferiority complex so freakin’ big it was embarrassing. All they talked about was how “Fenway” was better, the Sox were champs, Boston rules, etc. Ad friggin nausiem.

And it’s been like that since. Walking into Wednesday night’s game (the only one of the three I got to go to…I watched the other two on tv), some jackass Red Sox fan with his family and a few others was just past the checkpoint (you know, they ask you to tip your hat) and was barking about how they were “gonna get one tonight with Dice-K on the mound”.

We exchanged words and it ended with him calling me a “hillbilly”. Yeah, ok. Florida has no hills, I’m not named Billy, Will, William or Willy but ok, sure, I’ll take my University of Florida education, proper upbringing and presentable appearance and accept that I’m a hillbilly. If I’m a hillbilly, what’s that make a high school-educated, fat slob who runs his mouth in public Red Sox fan? A dirt bag? Thought so.

Now, I know this clown was not and is not typical of Red Sox fans. The vast majority of them have followed their team all their lives and their families are fans for generations. No problem. I get that. Afterall, there has been a team in Boston for more than 100 years, they have a tradition. It’s the new kid on the block, the one who bought the hat in October, 2004 and his girlfriend who bought the pink t-shirt in 2005 who piss everyone off because they don’t know crap about the game, don’t know crap about their team but sure as hell know how to yell and scream and generally piss people off with ignorance and and arrogance to match.

THAT is why America hates you Boston. It’s not the rings ON THE PLAYERS FINGERS, NOT YOUR FINGERS, it’s your stupidity, arrogance and hostility which goes with an INFERIORITY COMPLEX growing every year, winning or not.

Go Rays!