Rays' turnaround is one of best in history
Deuces Wild
Harold McIlvain II
Issue date: 10/15/08 Section: Sports
Over the summer, I had trouble believing the paper when it came to the MLB standings. Day after day, I turned to the baseball section and pondered the results.
But the glaring mistake was printed each day.
And it appears, even after the regular season has ended, the same mistake is being made.
It has the Tampa Bay Rays facing the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, which can't be the case.
Prior to this season, the Rays have finished last in the AL East every season of their existence except for one, when the team finished fourth out of five teams.
That didn't happen last year either, as the team finished 66-96. Are you telling me a team four games shy of losing 100 games last year has a shot against the Red Sox?
But it turns out the paper was telling the truth. The Rays overcame both the Red Sox and Yankees to claim its first divisional title.
And the Rays are for real.
As a huge fan of baseball and the Red Sox, I have to admit this is one of the best turnarounds in sports history. Baseball history has it being the best for the sport, as the Rays have the best record after having the worst in the league the previous year.
The talent the team is winning with for the most part wasn't acquired overnight either. The majority of the roster is homegrown with everyday players in Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli.
Josh Hamilton, a former first round pick for the Rays, wouldn't hurt the team's chances if he was still with the team.
On the pitching side, James Shields, David Price and Andy Sonnanstine were all drafted by the team.
But relying on just the draft isn't something the Rays have done. Over franchise history, the team has acquired impact players via trade in Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Dan Wheeler and Dioner Navarro. (The Kazmir for Victor Zambrano trade still looks terrible.)
The team has taken chances in the free agent market, too. Carlos Pena, who hit 31 and 46 home runs in the past two seasons, signed a minor league contract with the team in 2007. The team rolled the dice on contracts with Cliff Floyd and veteran closer Troy Percival. All have paid off so far.
But the glaring mistake was printed each day.
And it appears, even after the regular season has ended, the same mistake is being made.
It has the Tampa Bay Rays facing the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, which can't be the case.
Prior to this season, the Rays have finished last in the AL East every season of their existence except for one, when the team finished fourth out of five teams.
That didn't happen last year either, as the team finished 66-96. Are you telling me a team four games shy of losing 100 games last year has a shot against the Red Sox?
But it turns out the paper was telling the truth. The Rays overcame both the Red Sox and Yankees to claim its first divisional title.
And the Rays are for real.
As a huge fan of baseball and the Red Sox, I have to admit this is one of the best turnarounds in sports history. Baseball history has it being the best for the sport, as the Rays have the best record after having the worst in the league the previous year.
The talent the team is winning with for the most part wasn't acquired overnight either. The majority of the roster is homegrown with everyday players in Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli.
Josh Hamilton, a former first round pick for the Rays, wouldn't hurt the team's chances if he was still with the team.
On the pitching side, James Shields, David Price and Andy Sonnanstine were all drafted by the team.
But relying on just the draft isn't something the Rays have done. Over franchise history, the team has acquired impact players via trade in Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Dan Wheeler and Dioner Navarro. (The Kazmir for Victor Zambrano trade still looks terrible.)
The team has taken chances in the free agent market, too. Carlos Pena, who hit 31 and 46 home runs in the past two seasons, signed a minor league contract with the team in 2007. The team rolled the dice on contracts with Cliff Floyd and veteran closer Troy Percival. All have paid off so far.
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