Ricky Clark - Yay for the Rays (a doubter turned believer)

I’ll be one of the first to admit, I never thought the Tampa Bay (Devil..err.. nvm..) Rays would have a winning season in the AL East. I’ve doubted this team all season long, expecting the Yankees to somehow pull it all together and take the wild card spot along with the Red Sox winning the division. Not only have the Rays had a winning season, they won the division and are just one game away from the World Series.

It’s not that I hold any bias towards the Rays, I just enjoyed them more when the team were the bottom feeders of Major League Baseball. When I was a kid playing Ken Griffey Jr. Slugfest on Nintendo 64, my choice of team was the [Devil] Rays. A line-up stacked with past their prime sluggers Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff and a bunch of no-name pitchers. I remember all the constant defensive blunders and offensive meltdowns.

This team has come along way in such a short period of time, and they don’t look like they will slow down in years to come. Evan Longoria will win AL Rookie of the Year, and he’s already one of the best third basemen in the AL. Longoria is a player that will lead this team and challenge for MVP awards if his career isn’t derailed by unfortunate things. The pitching situation looks promising as well for the Rays. David Price who was just called-up in September has the potential to be a dominating hurler, throw in other pitching prospects like Wade Davis and Jeff Neimann the team has more depth to add to their all ready strong starting rotation.

So in looking dumb for doubting this team..

Good luck to the Rays in hopes of gaining a world series birth!