The House That Tampa Destroyed

Thus far, the ALCS has been captivating to say the least.

Game one was a pitchers’ duel. Dice K looked phenomenal, striking out nine and allowing only four hits in seven innings (Shields didn’t do too badly himself, but the two runs won the game for the Sox).

I fell asleep Friday night, thoroughly convinced that the Red Sox could quiet the bats of the Rays…

Then game two happened, and it was a home run derby. Beckett, who the Sox praise primarily for his postseason dominance, was shelled for eight runs in less than five innings. Kazmir, the heart of the Rays’ rotation, was also abused by the bats of the Sox, namely Dustin Pedroia.

But, after a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th, I fell asleep Saturday night thinking not only could the Rays' bats easily go shot for shot with the Sox, but they could win this series.

So, I got up this morning getting ready to type a piece about how this series has the potential to be just as compelling as any of the great Yankees vs. Red Sox match-ups over the past decade. Then I started thinking about a bunch of different things currently happening in the AL East.

Pretty much since 2001, the Red Sox have been making more noise in the AL East than the Yankees, even without winning the division crown in the regular season. On the other hand, the Yankees are coming off their worst season in a very long time.

The sports media mill in New York is swirling with rumors and “reliable team sources” who are all saying that Yankees players are less than thrilled with new manager Joe Girardi. A lot of the Yankees' vets are getting hurt, and the younger players didn’t get the time that numerous analysts said they would get this season.

Now we have a situation where Hank Steinbrenner has already said that this team will be much better in their 2009 campaign, and a large part of their success is going to rely on a lot of young players.

In the meantime, Tampa Bay is giving the Red Sox a serious run for a berth in the World Series, and they are doing it with a ton of young players who, unlike a lot of the youthful Yankees, appear to be legitimate with their development years behind them.

And more importantly, Tampa has the overwhelming majority of this team locked down for the next two seasons. So, if you are a Yankees fan, it may be time to get a little nervous. For the first time in more than 15 years, you are the odd man out.

It is funny that the Rays and Marlins both represent the state of Florida and the two lowest team payrolls in Major League Baseball. But baseball fans need to look beyond the surface and see that this is merely coincidence.

Tampa Bay looks like they are ready to make a serious investment in this team, and they have already locked up a number of key components. Now they have a fan following which has responded to their apparent commitment to winning.

Moral of the story: MLB fans should get comfortable seeing Tampa and Boston at the top of the AL East. The pressure is solely on the Yankees to be great again, and more importantly, the Rays don’t look like they are going to slip.