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With the Cubs once again home without a World Series trophy, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune is desperate for a story. How desperate?

"Of course, if we had won it, we'd be in the World Series by now," Maddon said. "We'll just have to wait one more day, hopefully, to get that done."...He meant one more game, as Friday was a travel day. And he did add an important qualifier with the word "hopefully." But still …When your team gets as close to the World Series as the Rays were—seven outs away, seven-run lead—and then unravels, the task ahead is about a lot more than waiting "one more day."

It amazes us that some writers get paid to write this shit. We are not sure if Phil Rogers is familiar with how the game of baseball works. But actually, it is that simple. The Rays are still one win away with two games at home and their two best starting pitchers. One more day. One more win. That's it. And somehow Phil Rogers turned that one benign quote into a 700 word cluster***.

Apparently Phil Rogers would prefer Maddon to just give up and go back to the shitpile with the Cubs.

Damn, we are an angry blogger right now. Nothing would give us more pleasure than to be on the mound with a ball and have Phil Rogers step into the box. Dude is a little too comfortable.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• We have asked this before and we will keep asking until somebody gives us a satisfactory answer: Why is it OK for football teams to play in domes and it is not OK for baseball teams? Football is a game that is often better in bad weather. Some of the greatest and most memorable games in the history of the NFL were played in severe conditions. And yet baseball, a sport of precision, is stopped when it rains. The NFL has 6 teams that play indoors (Colts, Falcons, Vikings, Saints, Rams, Lions) and yet nobody ever complains. Anybody care to explain? And don't give us that "tradition" crap. We love the tradition of baseball more than most but anytime somebody brings up tradition we ask them why they aren't taking dumps in an outhouse any longer. [New York Times]
• Everybody is rooting against the Rays. Good. Keep it that way. Screw the networks and their bottom line. If the Rays go to the World Series we hope those FOX TV executives choke on their champagne when they are cruising the Mediterranean on their luxury yachts. What fan gives a flying hoot what ratings are? Either you watch the game or you don't. Why do some people care if other people watch? Jesus. Somebody get us a uniform. We are ready to run through a wall for Papa Joe. [Los Angeles Times]
• Really? The Hartford Courant is going to compare JD Drew's winning hit to the ALCS-winning, walk-off home run by Aaron Boone in 2004. Do they have Bonobos writing at the Hartford Courant? We worry about the sanity of Hartford. If all their stories are this idiotic the IQ of the entire town is in serious trouble. [Hartford Courant]
• You know those Red Sox fans and how they are the bestest fans in the whole world. How the entire Red Sox Nation was born in South Boston with a little red sock tattooed to their asses. How their ancestors came over on the Mayflower wearing a Red Sox cap and how they would prefer a league in which every season is just a Best-of-162 game series with the New York Yankees...Well those diehards were so diehard that they were seen piling out of Fenway in droves on Thursday night in the 6th and 7th innings. Big League Stew has the top 10 things overheard from the exodus. To which we would have added: "Who is Carl Yaster Zemski?" [Big League Stew]
• Big League Stew answers the question: "Why cowbells?" for those not familiar...Stu Sternberg (and Joe Maddon with his 9=8) both understand a very simple premise in marketing. Keep things simple. Keep them corny. The initial reaction will often be to snicker. But stick to it, and eventually corny becomes cool. [Big League Stew]
• Rob Neyer explores James Shields nickname "Big Game". The reason is suggestion #2 from Neyer. Joe Maddon believes it and wants Shields to believe it also. It is that simple. [ESPN]
• Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs got kicked out of Fenway during game 5, to which we ask: Who wears a shirt with their own picture on it? Knobbs does. [Home Run Derby]
  
• Rhyne Hughes is having himself a nice little Arizona Fall League. [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
  

Indians 2, Devil Rays 1.


DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Stuart Sternberg spoke to reporters before the game last night, and he came down hard on the entire organization. He vowed to spend more money and improve the club. [USA Today]

"I know we're going to be spending more money," Sternberg said. "There's a large pool of money. We don't say we're going to spend 'X' on major league payroll and 'Y' on signing bonuses. I'm comfortable that we've got the resources and we're spending and using it in a very wise fashion."

• Rocco Baldelli will begin a rehab assignment on Monday with Vero Beach. [TBO]
• Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune reports that " The current feeling is that Joe Maddon will get a contract extension as the manager in Tampa Bay." This is surprising given that the team still has a 2-year option on the current contract. The more likely move is for the team to pick up the option and either work out an extension or fire him following the 2008 season. The team will not enter the 2009 season with a lame-duck manager. [Chicago Tribune]
• You mean the Trop isn't going to host an all-star game? weird. [Herald-Tribune]
• Want to take a guess at what the current odds are for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays winning the world series? 5000 to 1. Huh? So they are saying that if they played out the rest of this season 5000 times, the Devil Rays would overcome a 21 game deficit in the wild card and win the world series one of those times...They could play out the regular season another 10 million times and there is no way the Rays would ever make up a 21 game deficit and leapfrog 10 teams to make the playoffs. There are only 43 games left. Even if they went 43-0 it would be nearly impossible. [The Baseball Analysts]