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| (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) |
Where to start?
Never mind the month-long collapse of the Red Sox and comeback by the Rays, the last day of the season was the most exciting conclusion to the regular season in recent memory.
The Red Sox went from winning, to waiting, to watching, to losing. Up 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, rain showers delayed the game for over an hour, allowing for the Sox players to go into the clubhouse and watch the Rays complete a seven run comeback against the Yankees. It would take nearly five hours but when Evan Longoria deposited a ball into the left field bleachers in the bottom of the 12th, the Rays were the AL Wild Card winner.
Some will call it a collapse; some will call it a comeback. A label will do no justice though. One has to witness it firsthand to grasp the situation. Not just the earthquake but the aftershock as well. Terry Francona is now gone. Stories are coming out about a lack of chemistry, a lack of guidance, about starters drinking in the clubhouse on off days. Jonathan Papelbon and David Ortiz need new contracts. John Lackey and Carl Crawford need, well, something.
As one falls, another rises.
The Rays are the talk of baseball. A young talented team led by a manager who seems to say all the right things and make all the right moves. A starting rotation no one wants to face and the type of momentum primed for a late October run.
You see that Yankees fan over there with the big smile on his face because the Sox are out? Check back in a few weeks and don’t be surprised if he’s replaced by someone wearing an Evan Longoria jersey.
The Red Sox went from winning, to waiting, to watching, to losing. Up 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, rain showers delayed the game for over an hour, allowing for the Sox players to go into the clubhouse and watch the Rays complete a seven run comeback against the Yankees. It would take nearly five hours but when Evan Longoria deposited a ball into the left field bleachers in the bottom of the 12th, the Rays were the AL Wild Card winner.
Some will call it a collapse; some will call it a comeback. A label will do no justice though. One has to witness it firsthand to grasp the situation. Not just the earthquake but the aftershock as well. Terry Francona is now gone. Stories are coming out about a lack of chemistry, a lack of guidance, about starters drinking in the clubhouse on off days. Jonathan Papelbon and David Ortiz need new contracts. John Lackey and Carl Crawford need, well, something.
As one falls, another rises.
The Rays are the talk of baseball. A young talented team led by a manager who seems to say all the right things and make all the right moves. A starting rotation no one wants to face and the type of momentum primed for a late October run.
You see that Yankees fan over there with the big smile on his face because the Sox are out? Check back in a few weeks and don’t be surprised if he’s replaced by someone wearing an Evan Longoria jersey.
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