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It's April, But Who Cares? Rays Are In 1st Place

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 28, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Heck, let's build them two stadiums.

True story: I was at the Home Depot on 22nd Avenue N. in St. Petersburg early Sunday afternoon. I could've sworn I saw a guy who was wearing a Rays shirt walking out. He was carrying a broom. It was probably nothing.

So it doesn't turn May for three days. So the hometown nine has spent most of its 10 years finding a thousand ways to turn seasons into nightmares.

Those really were the Rays finishing a weeklong flight of fancy Sunday at Tropicana Field by blanking the World Series champion Red Sox 3-0 for another (yawn) three-game sweep.

Rays starting pitcher James Shields, who outdueled Boston's Josh Beckett, had thousands on their feet as he closed out a two-hitter. He was congratulated by fellow believers.

"This is what we're talking about," Shields said.

Bucs, schmucks.

Your first-place Rays are on the clock.

Their magic number is 135.

Still Feeling The Magic

Yes, the Rays held women's roller derby outside the stadium after the game the other night. And their "Feel The Heat" theme song needs work. And this deal where the visiting team has as many fans as the home team has got to go. It just might if the Rays keep this up.

Yes, we stifled our laughter over the team's pregame notes, which told us the Rays had NEVER been three games over .500 this late in a season. NEVER, all caps, italicized. This is also the latest in a season the Rays have had a share of first place.

This season hasn't even finished its morning coffee.

It should be noted that the Red Sox had NEVER won the World Series later than their four-game sweep of Colorado in October.

Have your fun.

But the 14-11, six-in-a-row Rays are having more. They'd never had a week like this. They swept the Blue Jays at Disney, and the magic didn't end when they left the Kingdom.

It's April, it's April, it's April.

But those really were the Rays sweeping the Sox. Boston came in leading the majors in hitting. They left having scored once in the final 23 innings of this series. Maybe this weekend was the Big Bang, where Rays history really began.

Down, boy.

Still, these Rays find ways.

They won Friday on an 11th-inning RBI single by household name Nathan Haynes. Now it's just a matter of finding the house. Saturday, the Rays were three-hit - and won. This time it was a late home run by Akinori Iwamura. Sunday, the Rays struck out 15 times - and won again.

They're doing all this without starting pitcher Scott Kazmir. Last season's team MVP, Carlos Pena, is batting .200 and hasn't hit a homer in 16 days.

"It's like a 180-degree turn," Red Sox shortstop and former Ray Julio Lugo said. "It's like they are confident they can win. You can see it."

"It's about believing," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Bullpen Gets Day Off

Beckett struck out a career-high 13 batters, including the first five Rays he faced. He lost. These Rays found ways.

In the fourth, shortstop Jason Bartlett singled and later came all the way around to score off Beckett's wild pickoff throw. In the seventh, fearless Rays rookie Evan Longoria, having watched two called third strikes, hit a hanging Beckett curve over the fence. In the eighth, Carl Crawford, who has long waited for a team of believers, doubled home a run.

The Rays didn't even need their bullpen, though it's the real story behind this start. It was the worst in baseball last season, historically awful. It's been the best this month.

The bullpen just watched Sunday. Shields faced only 29 batters and needed only 98 pitches. He retired the last 11 Red Sox in order. Did you know the Rays had NEVER swept the Sox in a three-game series?

Next is a nine-game road trip, beginning with a three-game, loser-cracks-the-crab, first-place showdown with ... Baltimore? Why, the Rays might be Yankee-hated in Boston next weekend. But Shields will start in a game at Fenway Park. Kazmir is expected to start up there, too, his first appearance this season. It'll be May by then.

It's April, it's April, it's April.

Sunday, who cared, who cared, who cared?

Evan Longoria has been a major-leaguer for 16 days.

"This is fun," he said.

Believe it.

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