I'm still personally in shock over last night, and I can't stop watching the replays of Dan Johnson and Evan Longoria's home runs. But there have already been thousands of words written about the Rays in the space of the past 12 hours, and there are many of them that are absolutely fantastic.
So please, take some time today and read through all these pieces. I know it seems like a long list, but I'm not putting anything on here that I haven't already read myself and found amazing. Moments like this bring out the best in sportswriters everywhere, so don't miss out on some truly wonderful reads:
Bill Buckner Strikes Again, by Nate Silver Whenever Nate Silver writes about baseball, you need to stop and give it a read. In this piece, he breaks down exactly how utterly improbable last night's sequence of events was. By rights, there's no way the Rays should have ended up winning that game...the odds against all this happening the way it did were out of this world.
Baseball Night in America, by Joe Posnanski A piece about last night by Joe Poz? I shouldn't need to tell you any more than that.
Dan Johnson is the Extra 2%, by Adam Sobsey Who else to tell the story of Dan Johnson than Sobsey, who's been following the Durham Bulls for the past handful of season? Sobsey's writing belongs at a place like Grantland; it's only a matter of time before someone realizes his talent and picks him up for a big-time gig. This piece is no exception.
2011 Tampa Bay Rays: Do You Believe In Miracles?, by Bradley Woodrum Our own Woody wrote this season-in-review type piece for FanGraphs. Love the graphic in the middle, showing how the Rays' offense got carried by key hitters at certain times of the year.
Reliving the Final Day in the AL Visually, by Jack Moore Another FanGraphs piece, and this one includes a graphic of the overlapping Win Expectancy charts for the Rays and Red Sox games last night. Amazing.
Evan Longoria's Amazing Season Continues, by Mark Simon Longoria for MVP. Seriously. After all his early season struggles -- his injury played a large role -- Longoria has been indispensable for the Rays. He's been incredibly clutch for the Rays down the stretch, and Mark Simon points out exactly how much so.
The Playoff Run, by R.J. Anderson The Process Report is back for the postseason, so give those guys some lovin'. His last few lines in this piece are the truest words that can be said about last night.
Carl Crawford And The Red Sox: The Perfect Storm, by Grant Brisbee For better or for worse, Crawford just turned himself into the modern day Bill Buckner. Wow.