SCOTT JACOBS

You can’t help but wonder what is in the water in Florida. Or what they’re feeding these guys in Florida. Or something, anything at all, to explain the state that just refuses to lose. We’re talking about Florida. The same state that decided the 2000 election, is also the same state that just refuses to lose when October comes around. What am I talking about? Well, after Tampa Bay won today, the Sunshine State improved to 27-13 in the playoffs, and a perfect (make that sterling) seven for seven in playoff series.

The Marlins won the World Series in both 1997 and 2003, and have made the playoffs twice since their inception in 1993. They’ve had just five winning seasons, and every time they break 90 wins, they win the Wild Card and take home the World Series. Tampa Bay’s story is just as amazing. Sure, they haven’t won anything — yet– besides a huge fanbase cheering on the underdogs, but after nine years in the basement and one year in fourth, this year’s first place Rays are two wins away from the Fall Classic, and six away from another Sunshine State post-season romp.

The moral here: it’s a bad idea to bet against Florida. You don’t mess with Florida. The Marlins were underdogs in every series they played, and they won ‘em all. The Rays were given some chance to beat the Red Sox, but most people weren’t going to go against the defending champs. Well, how about now?

And it would be a shame to forget about Philadelphia’s stunning come from behind win over the Dodgers on Monday. With their 7-5 win, the Phils took a commanding 3-1 series lead in this best of seven NLCS, and took one step closer to advancing to their first World Series since 1993. But this is bigger then just the pennant. The Phillies are closing in on a chance to end a long string of Liberty Bell sports infamy, 25 years without a NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL championship.

And wouldn’t it be ironic? The Phillies have been around for 125 years, and have one World title. The Rays, in their eleventh season of play, are six wins away from tying them.

There’s a lot of baseball left to play, but it looks like that Dodgers-Red Sox series that so many of you predicted last week, is growing more unlikely by the day.

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Rays win wild game two 9-8 in 11 crazy innings to tie their ALCS with Boston 1-1

SCOTT JACOBS

Fans were sleeping. Heads were slouched, yawns aplenty. On the surface, this didn’t look like the closing moments of a crucial game two. It looked more like the 2008 All Star Game, that kept going and going… and going. And what a marathon this game two was.

It took five hours and twenty seven minutes to finish this dandy. And when it was over, after pinch runner Fernando Perez slid safely into home on a shallow right field popup in the bottom of the eleventh with the bases loaded and an 0-2 count on B.J. Upton the Rays found themselves back in this thing. After the 400 plus pitches were thrown, the Rays found this roller-coaster ride of a season alive and thrillingly well. 1-1 going back to Boston. It’s a split Tampa Bay will gladly take.

So, instead of staring at a devastating 2-0 series deficit and the prospects of losing the first two at home, heading back to Boston for three, the Rays had to win this game. Nine runs later they did.

This one had it all. Seven home runs tied a post-season record. And that was with Scott Kazmir and Josh Beckett pitching. Twenty four hits. A brilliant three and a third scoreless relief appearance from the Rays Dan Wheeler. And lest we forget the rookie David Price stepping in during the 11th inning with one out and one on, and getting out of the inning unscathed.

The Red Sox weren’t as fortunate. Mike Timlin who had last pitched September 28th took the loss in his 45th post-season appearance. Maybe he just wanted some sleep! It was 1:35 a.m. when the Rays got the game winning run home.

David Ortiz has really struggled in this post-season without Manny Ramirez. Ortiz is just 4-23 in these 2008 playoffs.

It looked like the Rays had control in the 8th inning leading 8-7, but a wild pitch allowed Dustin Pedroia to score. And on and on we went into the wee hours of the night and into the morning.

Rays 9 Red Sox 8.

We’ve got a series folks.

This one’s got a long way to go.

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SCOTT JACOBS

Goodbye laughingstock, hello final four.

If there was ever a doubt that the Tampa Bay Rays were for real, even as we entered the post-season, those doubts have been put to bed. If there was ever a wonder if these baby Rays could hang with the big dogs, those questions were put to rest. If anyone thought this team was a mirage, guess what? They’re still here. The Tampa Bay Rays once upon a time were the team that could only dream of playing post-season baseball. Now, they’re one Red Sox win away from hosting the ALCS.

After an impressive, scrappy series win over the home run happy White Sox, the Rays proved once and for all that they’re for real. And they’ve got another huge thing going for them. They’re from Florida. Once just a crazy efficient stat, there’s now something to this whole Florida teams in the playoffs thing.

Seven for seven.

Florida teams don’t lose in the post-season.

The Marlins christened both of their trips to the postseason with World Series titles, and the Rays look like they may be on their way to keeping that crazy string of Sunshine State success going.

Something in the water or something. Kind of astonishing if you think about it. No state, no pair of franchises has been more successful percentage wise in winning post-season series. Okay, so the Rays are still drinking from the sipee cup considering this is their first go around, but whatever they’re feeding those guys keep it up.

O and there’s this: maybe the Rays are just really good, and that their 97 wins were the true story. They survived a tough AL East to secure the second best record in the AL, and now their young guns are psyching themselves up for the ALCS. 9=’d 8, but today, 9=4, and maybe, just maybe, it equals 1.

Windy Worst Nightmare

And just like that Chicago is wiped right out of the playoffs. The Cubs bowed out quietly to the Dodgers on Saturday in their second consecutive sweep to the NL West winner. The White Sox at least got a win before being punched out by Tampa today. And just like that the dream is dead. South Side. North Side. How about no side? With both teams already out there will be no Chicago party this year. There is however still the possibility of an LA-LAA Fall Classic. When Juiced Sports went to press the Angels had just started game four of their series with the Red Sox.

How about a Dodgers-Phillies NLCS? Well, we’ve got it. The Dodgers hadn’t won a post-season series since 1988, and the Phillies hadn’t done anything in October since 1993, so the NLCS presents a matchup of two playoff success starved teams and it should be a good one. As you may know Philly’s sports teams haven’t won a championship (sorry Arena League doesn’t count) since 1983, a curse commonly known around the city of Brotherly Love as the Curse of William Penn. They haven’t been to the Fall Classic since Joe Carter belted them right into elimination and history in 1993. The Dodgers haven’t been to the Fall Classic in 20 years. Someone’s going to get back there in 2008.

And a Rays-Red Sox ALCS would be bon apetit. It’s about time the Yanks-Sox rivalry takes a back seat. What better matchup then the new rivalry growing between the Sox and Rays. And just sort of a funny fact: if the Red Sox advance to the ALCS, the Rays will have to beat both Sox to make it to the World Series.

Sock it to ‘em Tampa Bay! Beat Sox=Fall Classic? Could be a catchy t-shirt Joe Maddon.

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SCOTT JACOBS

The Chicago Cubs coasted to 97 wins, put a great deal of separation between them and the rest of the NL Central, and convincingly rolled to the best record in the National League. Fans, experts, anyone with a voice began chanting, “This is the year. This is when the stars will allign, hell will freeze over, and the Cubs will finally win a championship.”

O Chicago, if it was only so easy.

Wait till next year? Sounds about right, after the Los Angeles Dodgers stunningly pushed the Cubbies to the brink of elimination, obliterating the North Siders in a pair at Wrigley to take a commanding 2-0 lead in this best of five series.

Maybe it’s really not shocking. Maybe we’re just naive buying into the notion that the law of physics says after a century of futility and frustration a team has to be due. These Cubs don’t look elite. And right now, they don’t look like they’re going to fulfill the destiny that their loyal faithful thought they would.

Instead, the last game (probably) played at Wrigley this year was a classic dud. A 10-3 spanking to LA, a team that has just come out of nowhere to not only win the NL West, but to look like a prime contender to win the National League. The baby bears looked liked they didn’t belong as they committed three (count ‘em) THREE errors in the second inning.

Not only did the Cubs drop two to the Dodgers, they dropped two at home, in the friendly (although the spattering of boos didn’t sound so friendly today) confines of Wrigley Field.

The Cubs made four errors on the night but the Dodgers earned this one. They scored on a bunt, they got it done on gapers, and once again Manny Ramirez came through with another long home run. Man, has he been the perfect pickup for a Dodgers team now one win away from their first playoff series win in 20 years! You can say all you want to about C.C. Sabathia, but we might look back when it’s all said and done, and crown Manny as the greatest mid-season pickup of this year. The guy has been brilliant, and the Dodgers have been great since they landed him.

As for the Cubs? Well, they’re once again displaying why regular season success means nothing. There’s a reason so many teams win the World Series as a wild card, or road team. Seeds mean virtually nothing in baseball. When you break it down the four teams are so closely matched for the most part that a Dodgers series victory wouldn’t be monumental.

Devastating to Cubbies fans, yes. But world-breaking, mind blowing, no, not really.

We saw this with Seattle in 2001 when they won 116 games and didn’t even make the World Series. So if the Cubs get knocked out, no one should be amazed. It’s a shame for Chicago if it happens. And it makes you wonder if it will ever happen, but outside of the Windy City it’s just baseball being baseball.

In a five game series anything can happen. Great pitching, timely hitting, good defense, and a relief staff that gets hot at just the right time is what it takes. The Dodgers have it.

I’m starting to believe.

Unfortunately, it’s no longer in the Cubs.

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