For Whom the Cowbell Tolls: Red Sox Grab Share of First Place from Da' Rays

David Ortiz greets Mike Lowell after one of the six Boston jacks on the night. (AP Photo)

Last night was an utter statement made by the Boston Red Sox as they demolished the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 13-5 in a laugher at the Trop. The Red Sox came into Tampa with a mission at hand, reclaim the AL East lead, and they sure looked up to the task last night. The game was over by the fifth inning as the Sox finally got to Scott Kazmir and made the Devil Rays #1 starter look lost, scared, and lonely on the mound. Mission Soxtober indeed.

It all started with a giant three run blast by the Red Sox emotional leader, David Ortiz, and didn't stop there. By the end of the night six homeruns blasted by the Sox became the most hit by the club since 2003. If this was a close game Dice-K would be a larger issue here, however he did get squeezed pretty hard early-on, and in the end, he got us the win. Come playoff time no start of his will have me feeling easy, but that's talk to have in a few weeks, right now the Sox are tied for first.

The Red Sox magic number is now any combination of six Twins losses or Red Sox wins, and with Josh Beckett toeing the rubber tonight, they may very well be in first place all by their lonesome come Wednesday. One game at a time I know, but it's hard to fight the inevitable turning of tide that's happening.

One question I have: Is September the 15th finally the date the Rays show the pressure of an inexperienced club that people have thought would happen months ago? I sure hope so, that's for sure.

What almost amazes me most is how much I've grown to dislike this team...and especially their "fans" which leads me to:

Top 10 Reason to not Like the Devil Rays or their Fans:

1. The goddamn cowbells at the games. Seriously, you need cowbells to make it appear loud in your ballpark?
2. Tropicaana Field is the worst stadium in baseball. Between the faux dirt and dead atmosphere the place just reeks of stale Florida consumerism.
3. The catwalk. Please build a stadium that can handle fly balls. It's like playing a volleyball game at the middle school in your home town, totally unsuitable.
4. Cheerleaders. You guys have figgen cheerleaders on top of your dugouts. The day this happens at Fenway is the day I stop going to games there. Mark my word.
5. Joe Maddon. This guy is the first, and only, metro-hipster coaching in MLB. Someone should tell him which way to the "Death Cab for Cutie" concert. He bothers me, I can't help it.
6. Of all the players you boo Coco Crisp the loudest. Seriosly, get over a hard slide.
7. The Red Sox sell more tickets in Spring Training then the Devil Rays do during the regular season. (Totally fabricated but I bet it's closer then you think)
8. You played "Sweet Caroliine" after a victory. I'll never forget that. I mean....you're the Tampa Bay &$%^$%^ Devil Rays...seriously.
9. You took the word "Devil" out of your name, the only cool thing about your club.
10. Your mascot disrespects Wally.

Comments

[Kris]

I agree on most points, but not the Maddon thing. C'mon, you of all people should know that this guy deserves a whole lot of credit for them finally getting out of the cellar this year. You respect the game too much to reduce yourself to ragging on the way a guy looks. He's turned a terrible franchise into a team that the Red Sox finally caught up to in September, after three months atop the East. I'm not saying you have to like him, but I do think he deserves a little respect...

Now, if he coached for the Skankees, that'd be another story...

[Derek Hixon]

I've given the whole Rays organization a ton of credit throughout the entire year, and yes Joe Maddon has a lot to with their great season.

I still think Maddon's a D-Bag though. He's whined in the past rather loudly about "MLB bias" towards the Red Sox and Yankees, and like it or not, he's the bad guy now.

Plus that and he looks like the love child of Rivers Cuomo and Craig Finn.

He should come out with his own baseball video game.....and talk about turduckens too.

There's some people who just rub you the wrong way, and he does for me.

[Marci]

I roared with laughter when I hear them playing Sweet Caroline. To me, that showed more of playful sense of humour than spite.

I never want to take myself or baseball so seriously that I can't take some (well deserved) razzing from the opponents.

[Derek Hixon]

Weird, but good for you, I just remember that particular game was a tough one because they swept us (when they played it) and it just seemed a little too soon to be that cocky.

But sh**, maybe that's why they've been so good this year, having a carefree/cocky attitude can be great in sports if used wisely. I just thought the sound guy went a little over the top there, especially since they can't even sell the place out.

I also grew up in NY and was constantly belittled with 1918 and curse abuse so I think I'm a little scarred from that...yeah.

[Jim Romine]

C'mon sawxblog, your guys may have smeared
the Rays that first night, but how 'bout
dem Rays and those other two games that keeps
your Sox in stitches. Ha! Ha! Get real
with the facts; that bunch of kids in St.
Pete have shown the entire world what will
happen when you take the devil out of your life. The good Lord works in many ways!

[Derek Hixon]

Jim, read the next post, give Rays their due props for sure. And as far as the devil quote goes, can't tell if you're serious or not, but either way, hilarious :-)