It's a little surreal watching your home team, who was suck-ass last freaking place in the league last year, vying for the World Series this year. Now, I am not a baseball girl, I don't think I've watched a full baseball game since Cal Ripken Jr retired from my Orioles back when I was a little girl living in Maryland. But what's even more surreal than Tampa being in contention for the World Series is watching them blow their attempts at clinching that spot - over and over again.
I stayed up until 1:30am watching game 2 go into the eleventh inning and end with the Rays up. I was delighted and downright giddy at our 13-4 win over the Rays Sox in Fenway. And then I watched in horror as our 7-0 lead in game five dwindled away until Boston managed to tie it and then take it, without us able to score another run. And then tonight's game, where we had the advantage of batting in the bottom of the inning (Baseball is one of the few places where I love being on the bottom) and inning after inning, we just didn't score. We just... didn't... score. The World Series on the line, and they couldn't pull it together.
So now, after being last in the league last year, and after having this miraculous 3-1 lead in the ALCS where we actually just might be able to do this, we've lost two in a row and put ourselves on even footing with the Sawks. So on to game 7, and we'll see whether the first pitch of the world series happens at Tampa.... or at Boston. :( 8pm tomorrow at our very own Tropicana field, we'll either become another miraculous comeback story for the Sox, which have been behind in a series before and gone on to win it, or we'll have the cinderella story for Tampa Bay that I find myself so desperately wishing for.
And I don't even like baseball.
Also happening in Tampa tomorrow night at about the same time is my Bucs playing against the Seattle Seahawks. Moobs, baby I love you and all, but I hope your team dies a horrible burning death at the hands of my team. Figuratively, yanno. I'm not going to have much fun with the games tomorrow. Because the baseball game starts at 8:05 and the football (FOOTBALL!) game starts at 8:15, I'm going to be watching the Bucs and worried and distracted about the Rays. And knowing my pessimistic husband, if either of my teams lose tomorrow (or god forbid both), it's going to be him who takes the blame squarely and wholly.
So please, if you're not a Boston fan (and no one really should be :p ), please, please, please think happy thoughts for the Rays. And if we happen to get to the World Series, I won't even think bad thoughts about the Phillies. Not too bad anyway.
Go Rays! Ack ack ack.
This amused me far more than it should:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a150/quisalas/tfb.jpg