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When Moment Arrives, It Will Be A Great One

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

Updated: 09/20/2008 12:27 am

ST. PETERSBURG - You don't have to wonder much longer what it will be like when the moment actually arrives.

It may happen today. Maybe Sunday. But it will happen, and nothing will be the same once it does. The Rays are so close now to making history. Wrap your arms around it as tightly as you can and enjoy.

They clobbered the Minnesota Twins 11-1 Friday night at the Trop. The magic number to assure a spot in the American League playoffs for the first time is 1. Just one more win.

We've all seen it play out a thousand times on TV, but this will be different. This will be Tampa Bay's team charging out of the dugout as one, jumping and dancing in the center of the infield at Tropicana Field. Flash bulbs will pop. Throats will go hoarse from screaming.

Whoever is lucky enough to be pitching when they get to two outs in the ninth will be frozen in time forever. It will be pandemonium when it's over.

Maybe he'll throw his glove toward the catwalks.

Maybe his hat. Maybe he'll pump a fist.

Catcher Dioner Navarro will come charging toward the mound, either to bear-hug the pitcher or to jump into his arms. The noise will be incredible. Artificial fireworks will explode. Mumm champagne will spray like wind-blown surf inside the clubhouse.

Everyone will be soaked. Everyone.

That's how they celebrate great moments in baseball. This will be one of them.

A Rollicking Night

Friday night's game was over early.

The Rays were up 9-0 after four innings, but people stuck around anyway. Who would want to leave something like this? They were loud. They were into it all night long.

"They were really, really there for us," Rays manager Joe Maddon said afterward. "This area has had world champs, so they understand what they can do for a team, and right now they're doing it for us.

"When you have everybody on board like they were tonight - there were no distractions from the opposition, no momentary cheering from Red Sox fans or Yankees fans - it was all about us tonight. That was truly enjoyable to listen to. There was no letup in the group. They cheered like we played."

It was such fun, sneaking peeks at the scoreboard to see if the White Sox, Blue Jays and (tee-hee) the Yankees would all lose and put the Rays into the playoffs right then.

It didn't happen, though, and that's not a bad thing. Something this monumental needs a proper stage. This afternoon's game against the Twins is on national television. That works.

"That gives the fans something to look forward to - at least the ones who have been coming all year," Rays starter Edwin Jackson said. "The new ones, that gives them something to look forward to, too."

Jackson was magnificent, allowing Minnesota just one run in 72/3 innings before leaving to a standing ovation that was loud and genuine, not the polite kind of pitter-patter applause players sometimes receive. Think he needed an outing like this? He was 0-2 lifetime against the Twins with an 18.90 ERA prior to this game.

"They've been my Kryptonite," he said.

Not this night.

Work To Do

Yes, the Rays still need to win the American League East, and there's a lot of work to do there. First things first, though.

"It's very exciting to be in this position," Maddon said. "To be able to move onto the postseason would be great, but that's just one of the goals. It's also to win the division, and it's also to have the best record in the American League. I'd love for us to have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

"So I don't want any of us to be satisfied with just getting there at this point. There may have been a day when that was OK, but it's not now."

No one will be satisfied just yet, but that shouldn't stop the party. We know what it has been like around here. We know about the bad teams and the indifference they brought to everyone. We remember all those losses over all those years.

Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

There are no Red Sox or Yankees hogging this stage. This is all about the Rays now, just like Joe Maddon said. It seemed like it might never arrive, but it has.

It's here now.

One more win.

Just one more.

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