More Cowbell: ten good reasons to root for the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series

Just about a year ago today, I posted on the ten reasons that folks should root for the Red Sox in the World Series. I was, quite naturally, hoping to recycle it again this year (although I would have to have altered the point about Manny), but (alas) the Olde Towne Team lost the best of seven American League Championship Series to the upstart Tampa Bay Rays.

1. The Rays don't fold under pressure - part 1: Once the Rays took hold of first place in the AL-East (arguably the most competitive division in the majors), the baseball talking - and typing - heads started with a steady state of 'wait until crunch time, they're young, they're inexperienced, they'll fade in September.' Didn't happen. 
2. The Rays don't fold under pressure - part 2: Just last week, the Red Sox, with an amazing derring-do, clutch-defining performance, crawled out of a big, brink of elimination hole. Down 3 games to 1, and behind by seven runs with two out in the seventh, the Sox came back. Talk about cardiac kids: my heart was thumping so badly I really thought I was near death. The Red Sox went on to win Game 6, setting up a one-and-done Game Seven.  The talking - and typing - heads were at it again. 'These kids will fold. They haven't been there before. Red Sox in seven. Nice try, kids, but here's where the miracle season ran out.' Didn't happen. These guys stayed focused, loose, and strong. Great mental game!
3. The Rays have a fish tank in their park, with a real live ray in it. As I watched kids (wearing Red Sox jerseys, by the way) trailing their hands in the tank, my first thought was, 'Didn't one of these suckers kill Steve Irwin. Crikey!' As it happens, the ray in the tank has been de-fanged, or de-clawed, or de-stingered, or whatever they call it. Phew! My second thought was, what it the poor ray got hit by a ball.  Apparently that doesn't happen, or SPCA would be all over them.
   
   Fish tank in the park...Yes, I know it's non-baseball purist and bizarre to have wildlife in the stadium, but - given all the phoney-baloney fake mascots running around, including the Rays' own Raymond - it's kind of amusing to see the real thing. (Of course, the poor bastard would probably rather have his stinger back and be zooming around in Tampa Bay... And while on the topic of wildlife, I was watching a Rays-Sox game last year when they showed a rat running around the broadcast booth., but that's another story.)
4. The Rays wear Mohawks. While no one since Uncas (yes, I know he was a Mohican) has looked good in a Mohawk, it's actually kind of fun to see most of the guys on the team - and a lot of their fans - sporting the do. I pity their wives and girlfriends, but it is kind of sweet to see the boys bonding. And speaking of boys....
5. The Rays are really young. I don't know the stats, but the Rays have a very young team - no grizzled veterans, as far as I can see. I think I heard that their starting pitchers average under 25 years of age.  David Price - the kid who came in and stopped the Red Sox cold, closing out a great performance by young-pitcher Matt Garza - just got out of Vanderbilt last year. These guys are young. Really young.
6. The Rays have a very low payroll.  When you have young players, you tend to pay less for them. The way it's set up, there's a - relatively speaking - indentured servant system that players coming up must withstand before they get the really big bucks. But the Rays rank 29 out of 30 teams, with a lowly payroll of $44M (vs. the Red Sox slightly exaggerated $133M, which includes the Manny-money). Nice to see the 'have nots' beat the 'haves', isn't it?
7. The Rays were in last place last year. Worst to first is a tremendous achievement. The Rays were able to do it by taking advantage of all those years when they were worst and making very shrewd draft choices, which are now paying off for them. Moving from the joke-of-the-league to the AL champ, with a very good chance of being the World Champeen, is just remarkable.
8. The Rays have a couple of New Englanders.  Carlos Pena is from Haverhill (and Northeastern University, and - alas - the Red Sox). Rocco Baldelli is from Rhode Island - and not cool, destination-city, swanked up Providence. Rocco's from Woonsocket, just down Route 146 from my own beloved Worcester.
9. The Rays beat the Red Sox.  Unless they're wearing pinstripes, rooting against the team that beat you has  always struck me as kind of odd. If they were good enough to beat your team, don't you want them to win it all? That way, you can always say you were beaten by the best - as opposed to getting beaten by second best.
10. The Rays have a manager who looks like Captain Binghampton on McHale's Navy. Joe Madden is clearly going to be Manager of the Year, and his demeanor and personality bear no resemblance to that of "Old Leadbottom." But he does bear close resemblance to Joe Flynn, doesn't he? (Must be those Roy Orbison glasses.)

I'm not wild about the fact that the Rays fans ring cowbells throughout the games. The noise is appalling, distracting, and ridiculous. But I'm someone who believes you can both be a knowledgeable, discerning baseball fan and also have some fun. Thus, I personally enjoy singing "Sweet Caroline" between the top and bottom of the 8th inning at Fenway. So maybe the Rays fans could just do their cowbell thing at some point between innings, and cheer and chant like everyone else during most points of the game.

But the cowbells aren't enough reason to counterbalance the full list of rooting reasons.

Nor is the fact that they changed their name from the Devil Rays to the Rays and, as a result, I fear that some of those with a certain religious bent will attribute this year's success to exorcising the devil from their name.

Frankly, the only reason I can think of to root against them - other than Jonny Gomes who sucker punched our Coco Crisp during a bench clearing brawl earlier in the season - is that, now that they're winning and drawing more fans, it will be more difficult for Red Sox fans to get tickets. "Historically" - i.e., the last couple of years - in the games I've watched from the Trop, there have been more Sox fans in the stands than there have been Rays fans. So it's been fun to watch, and hear our announcers, Jerry and Don, talk about Fenway-South. Alas, I fear, tickets will be harder to come by next season. (There's always Camden Yards.)

It's not, by the way, as if there are no good reasons to root for the Philadelphia Phillies. I like that they're from a big, old, Northeast city. That they're a big, old, Northeast ball club. That they have multi-generation, rabid fans. That they have Ryan Howard. That they've been waiting to win since before the Rays existed.

Still, while exceptions can and will be made, I'm an American League girl.

I'm looking forward to this Series.

Sure, it may not be the dream matchup by TV audience attracting standards - that would have been Red Sox- Dodgers, out of this year's Final Four - but, on both sides, this is a good story for baseball.

Go Rays!