Yesterday marked the kickoff of one of the world's greatest sporting events, the almighty Fall Classic. This year's world series, in case you did not know, mathces two of the most pitiful baseball teams in Major League history: the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Phillies franchise has the most losses of any sports franchise in history with over 10,000 total. Similar in futility, the Rays are an expansion team from 1998 that had not won more than 70 games in a season or finished higher than fourth in the AL East before winning the division with 97 wins this year.
How did we get stuck with these losers? I am thoroughly disinterested since my Dodgers lost to the Phillies in the NLCS, so I decided to interview fans that do seem to care.
Michael Bamberger '09 tried to explain to me how the Rays got here, focusing on how the Rays dropped the word "Devil" from the team name before this year began.
"Everyone knows that baseball is America's official pastime, and everyone also knows that America is God's favorite country (i.e. manifest destiny)," Bamberger started to explain. "The word 'devil' is a bad omen for a team subject to the whim of the Lord. In most facets of life -- the business world, for example -- pledging one's allegiance to Lucifer is most certainly beneficial -- but to declare the name of the Devil for a baseball team is encroaching on God's most sacred of territories. Such blasphemy and sacrilege can only lead to punishment and suffering. Such was the fate of the Devil Rays up until this year. Coincidence? I think not."
FOX Sports must be throwing a hissy fit after what could have been in the World Series, as the Rays beat the Boston Red Sox and the Phillies beat the Manny-led Los Angeles Dodgers to reach the Fall Classic.
A Red Sox"Dodgers World Series would have no doubt resulted in huge ratings and a media buzz reaching a fever pitch with the previously maligned Manny Ramirez leading an upstart Dodgers squad against the mighty defending champions looking to prove they didn't need Manny in the first place. But alas, the match-up was not to be, and we are stuck with a Rays-Phillies series to decide the champion.
While this may disappoint a large portion of people on campus, there are plenty of fans that wanted to see this match-up (believe it or not). One quiet fan is Kevin Pellecchia '09 of Reading, Pennsylvania, a mere stone's throw away from Philadelphia.
"I know there are a lot of lifelong fans of the storied Rays franchise who would be devastated by losing this World Series, but I have a gut feeling a title would be more meaningful for Philadelphia," Pellecchia said. "Oh yeah, to be a lifelong fan of the Rays, you can't be any higher than the fourth grade."
Pellecchia has a point, as I have found it more difficult to find many diehard Rays fans. As it's not possible to get a quote from 10-year-Rays-season-ticket-holder Dick Vitale, the perspective of Bamberger, a resident of Florida, will have to suffice.
"I think we all remember what happened the last time someone dared cross the path of a Ray: I expect the Phillies to go the way of Steve Irwin," Bamberger said.
But one may ask how Bamberger became a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays in the first place.
"My allegiance lies with any and all aquatic-creature teams from Florida," Bamberger explained. "Fortunately, such a system for fandom leaves me with a lot of wiggle-room in terms of my potentials for team allegiance. The Marlins, Dolphins, Gators, Rays, Hurricanes -- which are born over the ocean -- are all eligible. Buccaneers live a life at sea, but that's shaky ground to stand on."
Despite Bamberger's optimism, Pellecchia likes the Phillies' chances.
"The Phillies have a great bullpen, an amazing offense that even in an off year led the NL in home runs, and can counter AL teams with great pinch hitters like Greg Dobbs and (starting pitcher) Brett Myers," Pellecchia said, satirically alluding to the surprisingly stellar hitting in the postseason by Myers.
Yet other Philly fans have some reservations.
"It's been so long since we've won a championship that I still can't believe we're here, and I'm scared we're going to blow it like we always do," Andrew Geffken '08 said.
Geffken did have enough confidence to predict a Phillies win in four games, though, as he aptly put it, he is "just an engineer."
Hopefully Geffken's prediction is off-base, because we can all watch the World Series in the hope that drama will more than make up for the lackluster match-up and make this series classic. I'm thinking extra innings in Game Seven.
