Panic By the Bay

As Game 7 fast approaches, one team from the American League is set to play its last game of the season. The Red Sox have been there before, multiple times with mixed results, and recent history is on their side. The Rays are in a state of shock, their hitting has dried up, their pitching has been shaky and now their fans and some of their players are beginning to panic. Here's a few examples of the fear and why they should be afraid:

Game 7 is Rays' shot at history- St. Petersburg Times

The Rays can say they are not shaken. They can pretend their nerves are not frayed. They can act as if they will take the field this evening with their usual carefree outlook on the world.

But history suggests they are scared hitless.

Who Would You Rather Be Tonight? - Tampa Tribune

They spend the winter thinking about being seven runs up and seven outs away from the AL pennant the other night in Boston. That's their Bartman.

Rays of (False?) Hope - WEEI

“We know what happened. We were on the damn field,” Floyd continued. “You never put it out of your mind. You never completely get over what happened the other night. Hell, we’re all human. I think the most important thing is you don’t want to watch it over and over and over and read the same thing.”

Yet that is precisely what the Rays will find it nearly impossible to avoid. Whether or not the team has moved on, all of its members face questions about where the American League Championship Series went off the rails.

A comment from a dbayrays.com reader:

but it’s going to be awfully tough. Garza in a Game 7 makes me extremely nervous… which one is going to show up?

I’ve never believed in momentum, but when you give a team like Boston life after having the series all but wrapped up, the other team does get a ton of confidence. I also don’t believe in “comeback magic” but Boston can do no f'ing wrong when they get down big in these series. Like I said earlier, it’s like they almost purposely get down in these series.