Bobby is currently the General Manager and Assistant Publisher at the Daily Statesman after serving his term as Managing Editor. He wears many hats in the office, including coordinator of all things online, but his real passion is sports.

And then there were two

Posted Sunday, October 19, 2008, at 11:05 PM

Who will wear the crown when the dust settles?

With the Philadelphia Phillies watching and waiting after clinching the National League pennant earlier, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays FINALLY defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games in the ALCS to lay claim to their first World Series appearance.

The Phillies have to be the World Series favorite with the power they have in their lineup and the pitchers they have in the bullpen.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell combined for more homeruns and runs batted in than any other triple threat in baseball this year and last year's MVP Jimmy Rollins just started getting hot as the regular season winded down.

Did you honestly know more than two players for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the playoffs put them in the spotlight and into our living rooms?

C'mon, be honest!

After watching the Rays in the playoffs, it's obvious that they are not a fluke. It looks like they play some serious team ball and can hang with anyone after regaining their composure after losses to Boston in games 5 and 6.

Well, who's it going to be? Share your baseball knowledge and give John Public some predictions. Who will win and why? Who will be the MVP? Strategy? Come on and chime in.

Comments

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Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on dexterstatesman.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

Cardinals....going with the Cards!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Mon, Oct 20, 2008, at 9:32 AM
Hard to root against that story there! Cards will have to Show Me! I have seen them do both nothing and make key aquisitions, so we will see. Rays winning a Series in 1st year, Cubbies wait 100+!!!!!! Now that is funny!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Mon, Oct 20, 2008, at 3:24 PM
I here Peavy may be going to the Astros. Which still leaves Sabathia out there. But we all know the Cardinals won't buck up for him....I'm taking the Rays in 6.

-- Posted by BonScott on Mon, Oct 20, 2008, at 10:06 PM
Not meaning any disrespect to any fellow bloggers, but this is not supposed to be be a Cardinals discussion, but a discussion about the World Series this year. My opinion is the Rays in 7. The Phillies are well rested, but the Rays are on a roll right now, and they have home field advantage due to the fact that the National League can't seem to win an All-Star Game. (dumb rule that needs to be changed-but I digress). The Rays are definetely the feel good story of the year, but the Phillies only title came way back in 1980 over the Royals, so I am looking forward to a good series and may the best team win.

-- Posted by chuckd on Tue, Oct 21, 2008, at 8:13 AM
Thanks chuckd for policing the blogs. Without you we would just rant about nothing.

-- Posted by BonScott on Tue, Oct 21, 2008, at 4:34 PM
Heaven forbid!

-- Posted by goat lady on Tue, Oct 21, 2008, at 9:25 PM
Hey, Hornet_claws...whatever that means...Have you got it figured out? Man, I don't know. I do know these guys, but your powers of deduction are lacking some there Sherlock. I'm not sure if you've figured either out. I know for a fact, you're wrong on one...most likely both. Oh, and Jamie Sifford...wow...are you kidding? You sound like you're defending that wimp. He can't hide behind those dogs anymore.

PS. I KNEW you knew what I did last summer.

-- Posted by Jim Morrison on Wed, Oct 22, 2008, at 1:30 AM
Wow, that came outta nowhere! I don't recall having seen Hornet Claws on the blogs before. Must have been hiding under the rocks, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Pretty nasty stuff, and, actually - despite my own running gun battles with certain bloggers (who shall remain nameless), I guess I consider this a breach of blogger ethics. You don't try to out someone, just because you disagree with them. In the sports arena, I think they call that poor sportsmanship. In boxing, I believe it's called hitting below the belt.

Interesting development for all you sports blogger guys to figure out. Good luck!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Oct 22, 2008, at 7:26 AM
Oh, my gosh! Hornet Claws disappeared before my very eyes, as I was posting that last comment!! He got DELETED! Good job, Bobby! His comments were totally unfair. He may even need to be banned from the blogs for unsportsmanlike behavior!

Pitch him outta the game!! Heck, pitch him outta the GYM! He doesn't even deserve to sit the BENCH!

Yeah!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Oct 22, 2008, at 7:33 AM
JB, good job. We need to be bigger than that. Once someone starts getting as spiteful as claws, it encourages everyone to jump on board, and then the blogs are just plain 'ole nasty. I've never seen Topix, but that's the sort of thing I hear about it.

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Oct 22, 2008, at 4:21 PM
Exciting stuff going on in the mean blogging streets of the DS.

I think the Rays can pull it off. It would be good to see them win it. And Philly fans are kinda like hornet claws if you know what I mean!

-- Posted by layne staley on Fri, Oct 24, 2008, at 8:36 AM
JB--I don't know what claws wrote but evidently you have a problem with it. It also looks like you have a problem with me since you called me out by name. Let me give you a little advice since you evidently know who "DuBrow" is---be a man and confront me face to face if you want to get on here and start lies. I can assure you that claws and DuBrow are not the same person. Claws, whoever you are, I would suggest that you better not get on here anymore and start crap. Seems like there are always one or two that ruin it for everyone else. This is my last post about this childish stuff. The Dead Rockers only get on here for a little fun and excitement now and again, but not for this kind of stuff. Rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DuBrow

-- Posted by KevinDuBrow on Fri, Oct 24, 2008, at 11:05 AM
Can we please ban DuBrow! Layne and I partied with him once and Carlos was much cooler!

-- Posted by Cliff Burton on Sat, Oct 25, 2008, at 10:32 AM
Oh, my, bobby, looks like your sports bloggers have deserted you. Do you think they're so disappointed with the Phillie-Rays' games that they've gone into a massive depression??

Or has their Fearless Leader, he whose name must not be spoken, called a boycott of the Statesman website???

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Oct 29, 2008, at 7:47 AM
Inquiring minds want to know!!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Oct 29, 2008, at 7:49 AM
Goat, don't count us out just yet. We may be "dead", be we are far from forgotten, and I would much rather talk sports than politics....Unfortunately Bobby G, they did finish game 5 and it didn't end like I wanted it to. The Rays had a hell of year and I think they have a bright future with all of their young players. It was a good run.

-- Posted by BonScott on Wed, Oct 29, 2008, at 10:35 PM
Good to hear,Bon. Despite all your overall orneriness, your group does spice up the blogs considerably and would be missed if your absence were permanent! (I may retract that statement at a later date...)

-- Posted by goat lady on Thu, Oct 30, 2008, at 8:02 AM

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