an open note to the rays
So Joe Maddon says the chances of a deal are 50/50? Don’t look now guys, but the Yankees are gaining ground and…….one moment…….this just in……..THEY JUST SIGNED THE GUY YOU NEEDED!!!!
As I sit here, the Rays have just put a single run across against the Royals in the second inning. A single run seems to be a common thing these last couple of weeks. It’s almost predictable. You can count on our starting pitchers to give up two runs at the most. You can count on our bats to produce four runs scattered over nine innings and leave about fifteen on base.
What you can’t count on is our bullpen. Mad props to Grant Balfour for having that wicked fastball of his, but our bullpen seems to think they’re playing for last year’s team. A solid night is followed by a horrible night is followed by a solid night and so on.
Wait, this just in. It looks like the Yankees aren’t done yet. Look for Jarrod Washburn to be wearing pinstripes by weekend’s close. Call me a cynic or whatever you might (I’ve earned this living through the first twenty VERY thin years of the Buccaneers), but the underdog just became more so. And with a “deal being 50/50″ we have to hope that the ship rights sooner rather than later and that all the talk of Rocco Baldelli coming alive is not fluff to make us feel comfortable with the fact that there will be no Jason Bay and no Xavier Nady.
Three weeks ago, the Red Sox were our greatest threat and our worst adversary. Look out folks….that monster from the Bronx has finally left the runway and they…..are……AIRBORNE…..
Note to ownership: You might want to give a little more than 50/50 consideration to getting that deal done, because the likelihood of surviving this Yankees surge is much less than surviving the consistency the Red Sox have shown. This surge is looking more and more likely to be come an accepted 2008 norm from the Yanks. Here’s the problem: You produced a team we could get behind and rally behind. You are pushing the “last chance for season ticket packages”. I’ll make a deal with you: You demonstrate your dedication to us and we’ll demonstrate our dedication to you. We like what you’ve done so far, but the bar has been raised. This is what life is like in the sports world and I, for one, am hoping you’re prepared