Spinsterblog

So, in a few short hours the ALCS will begin. Everybody keeps telling me this must be a dream come true for me, because either way, I win!

NO! It is a NIGHTMARE! Either way I LOSE! WOE!

I am, of course, cheering solidly for the Rays. I don’t want the Red Sox to be humiliated*, so I hope we play some really good, really close games**, and that the Rays go on to the World Series.

Now, if Boston wins, am I going to be disappointed? Sure I am! But does that mean I’d be SAD to see them represent the AL in the World Series? No. I mean, it’s far, FAR better than the Yankees and certainly better than a team I have not feelings about (Hello, Oakland Athletics!) heading there. But, still, they won last year, and my Rays have never been anything more than the butt of everyone’s jokes. I want VINDICATION, y’all, and that is not going to come until there is some sort of garish sapphire WS ring on Evan Longoria’s finger.***

Jamie Shields said, of Boston, “It had to be them, right?” And, really, it kinda did. If we were to face off against the Angels, would it have meant as much? Sure, you have the Maddon/Percival ties to the team, and, yes, they were the team with the best record this season, but isn’t it more interesting to see the Rays face off against the Red Sox? These are two teams with HISTORY. I’m not going to jump on the Bad Blood Bandwagon, but their rivalry has at least had some passion over the years.****

Being a fan who cheers for both team is giving me a unique perspective on the series, mostly because I keep getting annoyed with both teams’ fan bases and media. The Red Sox are not some sort of evil legacy of doom that is out to crush everyone with the weight of their…I dunno, Red Sox Nation. The Rays are not some sort of upstart team that DARED to stand up against the Red Sox.

And for once, I am firmly on the other side of Red Sox Nation. Sure, I go to Camden Yards with half the population of Boston in attendance and cheer for the Sox. But, you know, the Orioles can’t fill a stadium on their own. It is, however, going to pretty seriously annoy me when RSN shows up at the Trop tonight, decked out in Ortiz jerseys and trying to drown out the sound of cowbells. This is NOT a case where the home team couldn’t fill its own stadium. And finally, FINALLY we are at that point, and I want the Bostonians to keep their asses at Fenway so that the Floridians can finally enjoy this moment without them.

So, tonight I will be ready, decked out in my shiny new 9=8 ballcap, and chugging Pepto-bismol. Let’s see if I can make it to October 22 without getting an ulcer.

* Note: I do not expect this to happen. I am not crazy. I actually expect the Rays will lose. Probably in seven to drag out the stress.
** “We.” Because I will be out there on the field catching popups.
*** Although a great deal of vindication happens when Jeter is sitting at home on his couch watching this series.
**** And I think that the Red Sox have, in a weird way, helped the Rays to discover their camaraderie. Right or wrong (although I do side with the Rays in this one), when Shields threw at Coco he didn’t just send a message to Coco and the Sox–he sent a message to his teammates that he had their back.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.