Allsports Kiss of Death to the Tampa Rays Confirmed

So allsports kiss of death to the Rays is now complete. If you remember on one of my previous posts about sports news on the web, I picked the Rays to with the World Series. The Rays, who hit the cover off the ball in their series against the Red Sox, showed a pop gun offense and their lack of experience to adjust in the series with the Phillie’s. I have a few theories on that issue which I will talk about a bit later. Here are some of the brighter series notes and you guessed it, it is all Philadelphia.

Jamie Moyer came out in game three after a rain delay and put on a pitching clinic for six plus innings. The Rays just could not deal with his pin point control and mastery of pitching to both sides of the plate. Video of his pitching should be shown to all young pitchers on the how too of finesse, I don’t think he had one pitch over 85 mph all night but he sure kept the Rays off balance. The home town boy waited twenty-two years for his ring. Chase Utley homered and Ryan Howard followed him with one of his own. The Rays fought back to tie it at fours but in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies had a runner on third with no one out and a first in World Series history happened. Rays manager Joe Maddon, went with a five man infield to try and cut the run off at the plate on a ground ball. It did not work and the Phillies scored to win the game 5-4. You have to admire Maddon though for thinking outside the box.

Jamie Moyer

Game Four was a wash and a 10-2 pasting by the Phillies on the Rays. Howard was a one man wrecking crew with two home runs and five runs batted in. Joe Blanton helped his own cause, hitting a home run as well as winning the game.Here is a sports news article on the web with a full account of the game

Game five had a life or lack there of it. The Phillies ace, Cole Hamels started the game and it looked like the Rays were in deep trouble. The game was played with 43 degree F temperatures and a 17 mph wind. Rain started in about the fourth inning and the night was completely miserable. Pena and Longoria, my name in Evan, not Eva, finally broke out of their 0 for about 31 slump and got a couple of hits. It had to have been the longest game in major league history, because they called it after six and a half innings and it took two days for them to pick the game back up. So the game took about 50 hours to finish.  I thought the break helped the Rays because they managed to dodge the Hamels bullet but when play resumed and the score 3-3, the Phillies pushed home another run in their half of the seventh. With their bullpen that would be all they needed. Here’s the complete web sports news story.

The Tampa Bay Rays did not handle the adversity of the weather very well at all and the down fall started with the rain delay in game three. Matt Gaza was the Rays starter and being the high strung individual that he is was wandering the clubhouse like a caged lion waiting for the game to begin. When it finally started he was too wound up and could not get his pitches over for strikes. Moyer on the other hand took everything in stride like the pro that he is and was relaxed on the mound and pitched a gem.

The Umpiring in the series was brutal with quite a few gaffs and in game five the home plate umpire was squeezing the strike zone on Kazmir. If he had got a couple of those calls it could have been different. It takes away from the game when the Umpires help to control the outcome.

Finally the scouting staff of the Phillies deserves full credit for helping win the championship. Their information on pitching to the Rays and telling their hitters to be patient at the plate was likely the difference in the series. That and the fact that the young Rays did not adjust well to what they were given. Chalk it up to inexperience and youth but be sure that the Rays will be back with their young talent if economics can keep the team together.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb