Somebody at the 4-letter thinks the Red Sox will now pull off the greatest comeback in the history of baseball, coming back from a 4 games to 3 deficit. Well, Bristol is in the heart of Red Sox Nation. (Thanks Brett).

We have now watched the 8th and 9th innings about a dozen times. One thing we didn't notice last night was the incredible play that Aki Iwamura made on the final out. The ball takes a wicked (pun intended) hop and nearly goes over Aki's head. If he misses that ball, it is first and third and things are suddenly very scary.

Also, let's not forget the one guy that has worn the Devil Rays/Rays uniform longer than anybody else and knows the pain of the first 10 years more than most, Scott Cursi. The Rays bullpen catcher has been warming up pitchers since 1999. Congrats Scott, you earned it.

Finally, last week we took exception when one Red Sox blogger wrote about Carl Crawford and his "gangster neck tattoo". This week, Red Sox bloggers are back at it. This time courtesy of Surviving Grady.

Especially that punk-ass Carl Crawford, who you know is just an injury away from boosting car stereos.

Stay classy Red Sox Nation.

(The image after the Webtopia is from the Boston Globe)

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Some photos from the game 7 celebration. [Tampa Tribune]
• A recap of the game (with unfortunate appearance from Steve Harvey) from the guys at "The Dugout". [Fanhouse]
  
• It is impossible to overstate exactly how big David Price was in game 7. [Big League Stew]
• 10 reasons to watch the World Series. [SI.com]
  
• One writer at Bugs and Cranks is bracing himself in anticipation of having to get a Rayhawk after losing a bet. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Boston Irish will be rooting for the Phillies in the World Series because the Rays fan base "haven't exactly earned this as yet". They also hate the idea of all the "punk, spoilt, brash NBA star types" on the Rays being champs...Jonathon Papelbon? Something comes to mind about a pot and a kettle and grapes that may or may not be sour. [Boston Irish]
  
• Apparently, the Rays were just practicing for these postseason celebrations back in May. [The Sports Hernia]
• Coolest Rayhawk yet? [Deadspin]
  
• Dick Vitale was his usual passive self last night...Ahh, who are we kidding, the dude went batshit crazy. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Big League Stew debates whether Terry Francona stuck with Jason Varitek too long. [Big League Stew]
  
• Jordi Scrubbings spoke to Sports On My Mind about the Rays, prior to game 7. [Sports On My Mind]
  
• The cover of today's Boston Globe (thanks Scot). [Boston Globe]
• The Rays may have ended the Red Sox captain's career in Boston. [Boston Score]

THE TELLING: There was a lot of discussion as to whether Eric Hinske or Fernando Perez would be left off the roster in the ALCS. We are not sure why it was even a question. Joe Maddon needs Perez on the roster. When Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox, Rocco Baldelli is the Rays right fielder, if he is ready to play the field. If Rocco can't go, it will be Perez in right field...We would never want Joe Maddon's responsibility to tell Troy Percival he is not on the ALCS roster. But could you imagine how much worse it would have been if the opponent was Percy's former ballclub, the Angels?

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Edwin Jackson has been added to the ALCS roster as the 11th pitcher. To make room, Eric Hinske was removed. This leaves Fernando Perez on the roster. [The Heater]
• Sweet. Fancy. Moses. Her Rays asked for it and now a Spa in the Bay Area is delivering. Rayhawks for women. Be sure to catch the end of the video. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Joe Maddon addressed the media. Among the questions was when Maddon thought the Rays turned the corner this season. He pointed to the Blue Jays series after the all-star break after the Rays had lost 7 in a row and everybody was predicting an end to that "nice story". [MLB]
• Here is a transcript of James Shields meeting with the media. [MLB]
  
• This may be satire, but at least one member of the Red Sox Nation remembers that the Sox sucked for 86 years and that winning the World Series is not a birthright. [Over The Monster]
• Several people suggested this for the ALDS. The Rays will have 11 original season-ticket holders throw out the first pitch for game 1 of the ALCS. Dick Vitale will do the honors in game 2...There is a nice symmetry to the number 11. It is the number of wins needed to win the World Series. [Rays Report]
• If the Rays win the ALCS, the Red Sox writer at Bugs and Cranks will have to cut his hair into a Rayhawk...Game On! [Bugs and Cranks]
• One computer simulation says the Red Sox have a slight edge in the series, winning 53% of 10,000 simulations. [Fire Brand of the American League]
  

As we mentioned earlier this morning, Evan Longoria is leading the vote for the final spot of the AL All-Star squad. Voting ends at 5pm ET on Thursday. Now we find this little piece of propaganda from none other than Dick Vitale pushing people to vote for Dirtbag (Thanks JJ).



Yikes. We love Dickie V. We really do, especially now that he is older and he reminds us of our crazy grandfather who would sometimes have entire conversations with the dog about what play the Redskins should run on 4th down. But do we need to call Longoria a "PTPer"? Really?

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (37 days until opening day)

DRG here again to get you through the weekend...

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• I love this story...In 1990 Joe Maddon was a minor league instructor for the Angels. Troy Percival was a single-A catcher that could barely hit .200. The team wanted to make Percy a pitcher. What was Maddon's response? Maddon said it would be a mistake to switch to pitcher.[ Bradenton Herald]

"I'll teach you how to hit," said Joe Maddon, a hitting coach in the California Angels' instructional league in 1990...So Maddon met Percival in the batting cage, bringing with him all the tricks he used to make hitters out of young hitters who couldn't hit...Maddon tried to shorten Percival's swing; tried to get the ball to jump off Percival's bat...Nothing worked..."Turns out he was just a bad hitter," Maddon said.

• Trever Miller hit Carl Crawford with a pitch this morning in batting practice. Trever, today is not the day, dude. Not the day. Not sure if you noticed, but CC is not in the best of moods right now. [The Heater]
  
• Joe Henderson remarks on how refreshing it was to hear Carl Crawford step-up and be heard concerning Delmon Young. According to Henderson, the Rays needed that sign of leadership and Crawford was just the man to do it. [Tampa Tribune]

Whether [Delmon Young] was challenging Maddon's authority, or swinging for a hit on an 0-2 pitch over his head instead of trying to move a runner along, he made sure the chip on his shoulder was never out of sight...So when somebody asks how you trade a player who was just runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year, that's how...Crawford Steps Up...someone in the Rays clubhouse needed to actually say out loud what everybody already knew, and what better person for that than Crawford...If it's going to change, Crawford has to lead the way. This is a great start.

• Al Reyes does not look at his move from closer to set-up man as a demotion, but rather as an opportunity to make the bullpen better. [Tampa Tribune]

Reyes said he thinks the offseason overhaul has given the Rays "one of the best bullpens in the league." At the very least, the hope is that the relievers will be able to carry their own weight and not drag the rest of the team down as they often did last year. Dropping lead after lead in the late innings can't help but take a psychological toll.

• Jeff Passan recounts how Rocco Baldelli has gone from once promising star to a bit of an enigma. Baldelli's only goal for 2008 is to stay healthy. [Yahoo! Sports]
  
• Dick Vitale took time from preparing for tonight's 1 vs. 2 matchup in college basketball to talk about the Rays. [Bradenton Herald]
  

• We predicted a few days ago that Brendan Harris would start digging into Ben Zobrist's playing time. That is starting to look like a reality.
• The question is whether the Brendan Harris we are seeing is the real Brendan Harris, or if we will soon see the player that was designated for assignment by the Reds.
  
• Where would the Rays be right now without the consistent dominance of Al Reyes?
  
• Buster Olney reports that there is nothing wrong with Brad Lidge's arm or mechanics. His only problem right now is confidence. That could make acquiring him much more difficult.
• The White Sox are in the market for an outfielder....hmmmmm? Paging Mr. Williams.
• Season-ticket holder Dick Vitale is going to the mattresses with a local landlord over the closing of his favorite restaurant.
• An interview with Rays skipper Joe Maddon. The usual party-line commentary.
  

It is looking more and more like the Baseball team in Tampa that we call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays... or Rays... or D-Rays is preparing for a name change. It would be the first major league baseball team to change their name without moving since the Houston Colt 45s in 1965 became the Astros. Of course, that is, if you don't count the name change by the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Which brings us to our point. What will the new name be? Some suggestions have included dropping the "Devil" and simply calling the team the Rays. Others have suggested a completely new identity to go along with the new outlook and new ownership of the team, including the Tarpons, which was the name of the longtime minor league team in Tampa. Personally, we are fond of the Tiger Sharks or T-Sharks. However, one of the other points of contention is the "Tampa Bay" part of the name. The Tampa Bay sports franchises are named for a body of water and of the few in the four major sports to NOT be named directly for a city or a state. The others are the Golden State Warriors, who are named indirectly for the state of California, The New England Patriots, and the schitzophrenic Angels, who are named for two cities. The options include changing the name to Tampa, which is unlikely as long as the team plays in St. Pete. Changing the name to St. Pete is also unlikely as St. Pete is not as recognizable as Tampa on the national scene. Also the Buccaneers are now a successful NFL franchise and it is in the best interest for the Rays ,or whatever their name will be, to continue to associate with that success by maintaining the moniker Tampa Bay.

There is one other option. The oranization could follow the lead of the Angels and most politicians and try to make everyone happy. It would also could be fun to honor the team's most famous season ticket holder, Dick Vitale....We present THE TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS OF ST. PETERSBURG NEAR TAMPA, BABY!....Alas, this name, like most politicians while trying to make everyone happy, will succeed only in pissing everyone off.

Devil Rays may play name change [St. Pete Times]