ALCS Rooting interest poll: Rays-Red Sox

[stevejrogers]

Who do you root for? AL East Champs Rays or AL Wild Card Winners Red Sox?

[stevejrogers]

This will be the 10th time both LCS participants will be from the same division, 5th alone for the AL East! The NL Central and NL East have two LCSs, while the NL West represents the other.

And it has been an even affair with the Division winner winning the series 5 times to the Wild Card Winners 4.

1996 AL East
Division Champs Yankees 4
Wild Card Winners Orioles 1

1997 NL East
Wild Card Winners Marlins 4
Division Champs Braves 2

1999 AL East
Division Champs Yankees 4
Wild Card Winners Red Sox 1

1999 NL East
Division Champs Braves 4
Wild Card Winners Mets 2

2003 AL East
Division Champs Yankees 4
Wild Card Winners Red Sox 3

2004 AL East
Wild Card Winners Red Sox 4
Division Champs Yankees 3

2004 NL Central
Division Winner Cardinals 4
Wild Card Winner Astros 3

2005 NL Central
Wild Card Winner Astros 4
Division Winner Cardinals 2

2007 NL West
Wild Card Winner Rockies 4
Division Winner Diamondbacks 0

[Gwreck]

Tampa, of course. By the widest margin possible.

The team that won twice in in the last 4 years, or the team that was in last place for 9 of the past 10 years. Gee, that's tough.

[batmagadanleadoff]

SteveJRogers wrote: And it has been an even affair with the Division winner winning the series 5 times to the Wild Card Winners 4.

It's been even closer when measured by games instead of overall series.

Division Winners: 27 games won.
Wild Cards: 26 games won.

I'm not surprised. Short series' between two good teams really are a throw of the dice. To me, the Cubs failure to advance beyond the first round was not the least bit surprising or improbable. Ever since this three tiered playoff system was instituted, I've always believed that a Wild Card team will win the World Series, on average, once every four years -- just as often as either of the two teams with the best regular season record in their respective leagues.

I've been rooting for the Rays to win it all since the beginning of this year's playoffs. I can't help but see the parallels to the '69 Mets. And like those Mets, the Rays are too new, and too innocent of anything to hate just yet.

[Guest themetfairy]

Tampa's a great story - it's hard not to root for them.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Have they been selling out their playoff games?

[MFS62]

I voted Rays.
And I can't say any more that the Devil made me do it.

Later

[soupcan]

Red Sox.

Rooting for a Red Sox - Dodgers Series.

[Guest holychicken]

Tough one.

Tampa Bay is hard to root against. The Red Sox have been winning a lot recently and I am getting sick of it.

But then again, the idea of a LA/RS WS and hank Steinbrenner's head asploding! really intrigues me.

Even so, I bet I will be pulling for the Rays the whole time.

[Benjamin Grimm]

All four Division series are now over, and I haven't seen a single play or even a pitch from any of them, and that includes highlights on TV or the Internet.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Same here. In fact, since the institution of the baseball Wild Card, I hardly watch any post season baseball at all unless it's a Met game.

[Frayed Knot]

The only team missing from 'the final four' that would really make Steiny's head "asplode" is us!
Think about it;
- the hated Red Sox
- he's always hated the hometown Tampa team, even when they sucked
- and then there's Torre proving he CAN succeed w/o pinstripes
- and then le Metsies would be grabbing the headlines every time

Setting up that foursome alone would have been good enough reason to beat Florida in the last week.

[Benjamin Grimm]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Same here. In fact, since the institution of the baseball Wild Card, I hardly watch any post season baseball at all unless it's a Met game.

That's how I am too, but it's not because of the Wild Card but it started with the 1994 strike. I tried watching the post-season as usual in 1995 but found that I didn't care anymore.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Same here. In fact, since the institution of the baseball Wild Card, I hardly watch any post season baseball at all unless it's a Met game.

I'll tellya. As long as the MFYs aren;t in it and my reverse-rooting reflex isn't activated, I actually enjoy these games. It's not like must-see but I like having them on. Long time still to watch sitcoms and reality TV

[Willets Point]

I haven't watched any games either mainly because MLB.TV doesn't show postseason games and I'm too much of a responsible parent to hang out in saloons.

[Guest sharpie]

I saw the end of the Sox-Angels game last night and it was pretty entertaining.

Like Lunchbucket said, without having to root hard against someone it makes the whole experience kind of relaxing and I can appreciate watching good players playing well in high stakes games.

[soupcan]

sharpie wrote: I saw the end of the Sox-Angels game last night and it was pretty entertaining. Like Lunchbucket said, without having to root hard against someone it makes the whole experience kind of relaxing and I can appreciate watching good players playing well in high stakes games.

Yup, and not experiencing angst when the team you are rooting for (Red Sox) gives up a 2-run single to tie it in the 8th.

[Gwreck]

I've tried to watch but I sit down and find that I can't watch more than about an inning at a time. It's not disinterest (the games certainly are entertaining). It's just that not being there bothers me so much more when the games are on.

[G-Fafif]

I haven't been able to watch the first round of the postseason with any greater commitment than Gwreck describes these last two years. A decompression period seems necessary.

Hope the Rays win, not rooting for the Sox to lose. I'm so used to seeing Boston as an A.L. East savior that it's hard to not want them to win. The two teams together finally formed an effective MFY barrier this season. Let's give 'em both a trophy.

[seawolf17]

What are these "playoffs" everyone keeps talking about? I thought the season was over. When do pitchers and catchers report?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm not making any effort to avoid the playoffs, I'm just not inclined to watch them.

I remember being glued to the postseason games because I enjoyed seeing baseball's historic moments as they happened: the homers by Kirk Gibson and Joe Carter, Jack Morris' gem against the Braves for the Twins, Leon Durham's error, that fantastic NLCS between the Phillies and the Astros in 1980. But now, if these big things happen, I not only don't see them, I probably don't even find out about them.

And I'm okay with that.

[G-Fafif]

If the Mets are in them or weren't anywhere near them during the season, then it's required viewing. Lately to come close and miss out is an invitation to look away. BG, you mention the Durham proto-Buckner play. In '84 and '85 I watched hellaciously closely because I could picture the Mets in and because I figured the announcers would have to mention the Mets as the team that competed against the Cubs and Cardinals. It didn't really work that way, I discovered. The '88 World Series was the first I went out of my way to avoid because it hurt too much to look. Same for '99 and '06.

[metirish]

I'm watching , been some good pitching going on. I especially like watching some of the young pitchers the Rays have(no this is not to drag up Kazmir) , both starters and guys from their bullpen.

I'll watch the NLCS with a lot of interest , having said all that I have no problem turning over to watch something else.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Oh, by the way G-Fafif, your name, I think, was mentioned in a UMDB memory that I posted yesterday. (http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/memrecent.php?tabno=4)

If you'd like me to edit your name out of that post just let me know and I'll be glad to do it.

[willpie]

Rays. The potential for this to be their 1969 is just too cool.

Plus, I'm getting kind of tired of the Sox.

[Valadius]

Rays. The Red Sox have won two championships, that's one too many already in my book. I wanna see a Rays-Dodgers World Series, so the Steinbrenners will erupt like Mt. Vesuvius.

[Elster88]

Devil Rays/Dodgers would cause a bigger eruption than Red Sox/Dodgers? Inconceivable.

I choose Tampa.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't think we'll see much of a reaction from the Steinbrenners either way.