I have to admit that I was a skeptic; I didn’t think that the Phillies had a ghost of a chance.   The Rays were firing on all cylinders offensively, their pitching was dominant against both pairs of Sox and they were riding a wave of success that had carried them along from April to October.

On the other hand, The Phillies backed into the playoffs on the back of another epic collapse by the New York Mets.   While their offense was scary, the heart of it, namely Ryan Howard was ice cold, and their starting pitching staff after Cole Hamels was shaky.  The one thing that they had was a lights out bullpen but the Rays had one of those too.

Over the last ten days the Phillies reminded us that the reason they play the World Series is to decide who the better team is; the pundits can’t make that determination. The hitting woke up, the pitching took it to the next level and the Phillies’ bullpen proved to be far superior to that of the Rays.   And for that they deserve all of the accolades in the world and hearty congratulations for their accomplishment.

No doubt about it, the Phillies deserved to win this series.  They outplayed the Rays from game one.   And while the city of Philadelphia rejoices, the kids from Tampa are licking their wounds and dreaming of what could have been.

The fairy tale ending of going from dead last to World Series Champions in a single season was not to be.  But they can take solace in the fact that they beat the Yankees, the Angels, the White Sox, and the Red Sox to win the American League pennant.  And if you think of it, that’s a heck of an accomplishment right there.

This team has no reason to hang their heads.  What they accomplished was nothing short of amazing – even the most optimistic of fans and experts never saw this coming.  In fact, it’s doubtful that even the management that assembled this group of talented youngsters imagined this team could gel and be so successful so quickly.

If nothing else that should excite the imagination of baseball fans for years to come.  These Rays will be exciting, and they won’t be the doormats of the American League anymore.  Tampa has a rosy baseball future and it should be an entertaining off-season watching the Yankees and Red Sox scramble for free agents in order to contend with the Rays next year.

It’s funny how things change.  Had we been talking about the A’s or the Twins or the Astros, we’d be talking about teams that we expect to put together consistently competitive squads despite low payroll and seeming gaps.   But the Rays have been a joke for so long it still seems impossible.  But, then again so did the Rockies last season. The Rockies turned out to be a one season wonders.  Mainly because their pitching vanished as did a good chunk of their offense.   They were essentially eliminated by Memorial Day.

That’s not a fate I’d expect for the Rays.  The core of their pitching staff - Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza appear to be a trio that can keep any team in contention for years to come, even without the emergence of David Price who seems to be a possible ace.  Combine that with the rising star of Evan Longoria, the power of Carlos Pena, the middle infield of Iwamura and Bartlett and an outfield consisting of fleet-footed stars and you have the potential for a dynastic team.

That might be a tall order in any division where you compete with the Yankees and Red Sox, who possess the biggest payrolls in MLB, but the Rays have locked up their players to long term deals.  They have chemistry, they have time, and they have turned the American League on its ear. 

They won’t be long shots going into next season – even if their inter division rivals retool.  Instead they’ll likely be favorites and an inspiration to all of those who hate watching the large market teams dominate the game.  They’ll be role models for other franchises, and inspire fans in small markets from all over the country.

From Seattle to Florida they’ll inspire change and maybe even alter the way that teams are built.  But what the Rays, and the Rockies before them, really have accomplished is far more important.  They have essentially breathed life into a sport that was for all purposes dead in their own market.  And the results might well be contagious, inciting a baseball mania across the country.

That alone could make the Rays exciting for years to come.  

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