Postseason games to start earlier

Major League Baseball and Fox announced today that playoff games will have earlier start times this season.

Weeknight games will start at 7:57 p.m., Saturday games could start even earlier than that and Sunday games will start after Fox’s NFL coverage concludes.

"Postseason games on Fox the last couple years have been running longer. This will move the conclusions of the games back to between 11 and 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, which we think is optimum," Fox spokesman Lou D'Ermilio said.

Recently, games began past 8:30, so this change is somewhat significant.  And according to this AP report, this will be the first time in more than 30 years that a World Series game will begin before 8 p.m.

These changes only affect Fox ALCS and World Series games at the moment.  Bud Selig said it is undetermined whether TBS, who has the NLCS this year, will also start earlier.

Of course, this means nothing to us should the Yankees miss the playoffs again.

This is why Philly shouldn't be allowed to win

Philadelphia fans are certainly celebrating like they haven't won anything in 25 years. Via Deadspin comes this video:



I'll admit it: I laughed.

At least it wasn't the Red Sox

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies for winning their first World Series championship since 1980. The Rays had a good run, but the Phillies were simply better.

Now the Hot Stove season really begins. I can't wait.

Mr. Vazzano can now know how I felt in 2004 and 2007.

No baseball tonight

The completion of last night's fifth game of the World Series, originally scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m., was pushed back to tomorrow night.

I'm amazed they played as long as they did last night. The game should've been called much earlier than it was. Imagine if the Rays didn't score in the top of the sixth?

The Rays have looked like a team that's just happy to be in the World Series. As a result, the Phillies have pretty much wiped the floor with them. Unfortunately, it's pretty much over. It was a good run by them.

Now let's get the Hot Stove fired up. Remember, teams can negotiate with free agents other than their own 15 days after the completion of the World Series.

AP Photo

Thank you, Rays

The dragon has been slayed! The Rays were able to fight the Red Sox momentum and beat them 3-1 to advance to the World Series.

The two Red Sox fans in my room haven't said a word in minutes and I have the biggest smirk on my face. I haven't felt this good about October baseball in a few years. This is a great feeling. I'm very happy for them.

Let's go Rays!!!

Game 7 tonight

Yes, I know the Red Sox have all the momentum in the world. Yes, I know the Red Sox have forced a Game 7 after being in a large deficit three straight times.

That said, let's go Rays. Please. Please prove the baseball world wrong. Please beat up on Jon Lester. Please. Por favor. どうぞ.

Banish this man from "Yankees Universe"

Read this Harvey Araton article, and tell me how you feel about Jeremy Flug.

For one thing, I'll never be caught dead wearing a Red Sox cap ever, let alone in Fenway Park cheering for them in the playoffs.

"The Red Sox grow on you," Flug said. If the Red Sox are a parasite, then yes, they do grow on you - and the host does not benefit.

Huge comeback vaults Sox into Game 6

Unbelievable.

The Rays, up 7-0, nine outs away from advancing to the World Series, gave up eight runs over the next three innings to lose 8-7 to bring the series back to Tampa for Game 6.

This is the kind of win that can catapult Boston to the World Series and the kind of loss that can cripple the Rays.

Scott Kazmir was cruising through six innings. When he came out of the game, everything went to hell. What a shame.

Game 6 is tomorrow night at 8:07 p.m.

Phillies advance to World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Joe Torre-led Dodgers to win the National League pennant tonight. Needless to say, my Mets fan roommate is unhappy.

He's probably feeling how I felt in 2004 when the Red Sox made the World Series and eventually won the whole thing. While the Phillies didn't advance to the World Series at the expense of the Mets, there are parallels to this situation.

Hopefully the Rays will only need one game to close out the Red Sox and will beat the Phillies in the World Series so everyone is happy.

Fenway Citgo sign catches on fire

Keeping in tune with the slow news day them, I saw this on The Final Score:

The Boston Red Sox's season isn't quite up in flames, but a small fire at a landmark near Fenway Park can't be a good omen.

The Citgo sign, looming over Fenway Park, was damaged in a fire on Wednesday, an off-day in the ALCS.

The fire melted and blackened some of the plastic panels on the red, white and blue Citgo sign over Fenway's Green Monster in left field. No one was injured.

That's great news for the Tampa Bay Rays. Game 5 will take place tomorrow night in Boston at 8:07 p.m. ET.

One more to go

The Tampa Bay Rays are one win away from reaching the World Series after defeating the Red Sox 13-4 tonight.

The Red Sox have been down at least 3-1 before, and have come back to win the series in 2004 and 2007 and eventually, unfortunately, the World Series.

Hopefully the Rays are not like the 2004 Yankees and 2007 Indians.

Let me tell you, it's extremely sweet watching the cocky Red Sox fans around school have a quick change of heart regarding their team. I'm sure many television sets were turned off after the Rays' five-run sixth inning tonight. The giant television in my common room was one of them, and I had a huge smile on my face when it was switched over from TBS to ESPN.

Go Rays. Go Evan Longoria. Go B.J. Upton. One more win is all I'm asking.

Yankees fan's playoff envy

Jane Heller, author, blogger and commenter on this blog(!), wrote a piece for todays's New York Times about how Yankees fans have a serious case of playoff envy. Truer words have never been spoken. I implore you to check it out.

Basically, she adopted the Dodgers as her October '08 team. As much as Joe Torre's Yankees meant to my adolescence, I can't bring myself to rooting for the Dodgers this year (unless they play the Red Sox in the World Series). When it became clear that the Yankees wouldn't make the playoffs, I decided that I'd make the Tampa Bay Rays my team for this October.

Her Dodgers are down 0-2 to the Phillies while my Rays had a very nice win earlier this morning in extra innings.

H/T to Dave and Aziz from Pride of the Yankees

This can't be good

The ALCS begins tonight and MLB.com is selling these t-shirts. This is probably referring to the Rays' triumph in the AL East, but this takes on a whole other meaning with the two teams meeting in the ALCS.

Rays in seven. What are your predictions?

H/T to the first comment on this Bronx Banter article.

Video: Game 5 of the 1961 World Series

Brian from Reel Sports Fan (get it?) sent me video of Game 5 of the 1961 World Series this morning with the following text: "No playoff baseball this year for Yankees fans, so we have to get the fix somehow." Truer words have never been spoken.

Enjoy this video of the original TV broadcast of Game 5 of the 1961 World Series from Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

Rays, Red Sox to meet in ALCS

Erick Aybar's brain-cramp at third base did indeed cost the Los Angeles Angels a chance to force a deciding Game 5. Jed Lowrie made him pay in the bottom half of the ninth to score the series-clinching run.

The Red Sox will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, after the Rays were able to finish off the White Sox 6-2 earlier tonight. Game 1 will take place Friday night on TBS.

In the senior circuit, the Phillies and Dodgers will meet in Philadelphia for Game 1 on Thursday.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Rays look to eliminate Chicago's other team

Game 4 of the Tampa Bay Rays/Chicago White Sox is underway, and B.J. Upton has already put the Rays on top in the first inning. A Rays victory will put them in the ALCS.

I have already declared the Rays my team this October, so obviously I am very proud of them. I have a rooting interest in Evan Longoria, and they are generally a likable team (sans Jonny Gomes).

Oh, by the way, let's go Angels. The last thing I want to see this season is a Red Sox/Dodgers World Series. My brain would explode.

Torre advances to NLCS

A few minutes ago, Jonathan Broxton struck out Alfonso Soriano on a ball in the dirt (I miss Soriano flailing at balls off the plate for the Yankees, I really do) to finish off the Cubs in three games.

As a result, Joe Torre advances to an LCS for the first time since 2004 while the Yankees sit at home this October. There is no cause and effect, really, but it is an interesting situation to ponder.

Would the Yankees have reached the playoffs this season with Torre at the helm? I'm not too sure. It was clear that this team was flawed, what with the pitching question marks and too much money tied into aging players. It was only a matter of time before they would miss the playoffs. The fact that there was a managerial change is just a coincidence in my book.

Friday morning perspective

If you ever think you have it bad, just remember that at least you're not a Chicago Cubs fan.

The Cubs have looked absolutely dreadful in their two games at home and they are now one loss away from not winning the World Series in 100 straight years. The sadist in me wants to see the Cubs win both games at Dodger Stadium and then lose the fifth game at home.

Eight years doesn't seem like a long time in comparison.

Reuters

Vote Rays in '08

Let's go Rays.

Yes, you read that correctly: Let's go Rays. I understand they are in the same division as the Yankees, but who cares? This team has been a wonderful story all year, starting with them taking on the big, bad Yankees in spring training and riding that momentum all the way to an improbable first-place finish in the AL East.

The Tampa Bay Rays will begin their division series matchup with the Chicago White Sox today at 2:37 (exactly) p.m. this afternoon, with James Shields starting Game 1 against ex-Yankee Javier Vazquez.

Imagine, for a second, they get all the way to the World Series and have to face the Cubs? The Cubs looked horrible last night, but they haven't reached the World Series since 1945, let alone win it since 1908. What drama that would be: The up-start Rays against the lovable losers! It doesn't get much better than that, save for the Yankees being in the World Series.

In this baseball-starved city, we don't have our Yankees to root for this October. Let us have a little fun and root for the Rays. Hopefully they'll beat Boston in the ALCS.

Yet another playoff defeat

I had an epiphany Friday night. After smashing my television remote on the ground twice, I realized that if the Yankees were supposed to win, they would win. If they weren't supposed to win, nothing I could do would change that. It doesn't matter what song I listen to, it doesn't matter where I sit and it doesn't matter what time I showered.

That helped me get through yesterday. When Chien-Ming Wang gave up those runs early, I got the impression that the Yankees weren't interested in winning. I was able to watch the game without being nervous. I was sort of in a numb state. And it was a great feeling.

When the bugs came Friday night, the Yankees weren't destined to win this series. I'm starting to get the feeling that the Yankees are cursed in some way. It's rather fitting that something so silly as a swarm of gnats would derail a comeback season and series.

Anyway, onto Games 3 and 4.

I was at Game 3 in Tier Reserved Section 34 (where the real fans sit). The game was pretty much amazing. The atmosphere was fantastic - the fans wouldn't let the Yankees lose, despite falling into an early 3-0 hole. I've been to playoff games before and this was the loudest I've ever heard a crowd.

The fans booed Kyle Farnsworth during player introductions and Roger Clemens was partially booed when he left the mound for perhaps the final time. Phil Hughes will be a fan favorite after his performance Sunday night. He allowed the Yankees to come back. Johnny Damon got a tremendous ovation when he took left field after hitting his go-ahead three-run home run.

The Yankees won this game by a score an 8-4. There was an intense feeling of optimism in the Stadium as we were walking to the Subway. That feeling was quickly crushed.

Wang was awful once again. He gave up four runs in one inning of work, relinquishing any momentum the Yankees had after their from the night before.

Alex Rodriguez homered in what could have been his last penultimate as a Yankee. Jorge Posada struck out to end the game in what could have been his last at-bat as a Yankee.

Derek Jeter grounded into yet another double play.

If and when it is announced that Joe Torre, Jeter and Posada have no right to say anything. They will be the first to defend Torre. However, they had an awful series. With Torre managing for his job, the two team "leaders" failed to show up. Posada was 2-15 with three strikeouts and Jeter was 3-17 with four strikeouts and three double plays.

After Wang, these two were most responsible for another early-October exit.

In the coming days, weeks and months, there will be many changes made to this team and coaching staff. Change, in this situation, will be a good thing. Stay tuned: only a little more than 100 days left until pitchers and catchers. Go figure.