Finally, the wait is over. In just 11 hours or so, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will begin what should be an exciting American League Championship Series. For the Red Sox, it’s their 4th trip in 6 years while for the Rays, they are breaking their cherry.
The Red Sox 2008 ALCS roster is all set as Terry Francona and the brain trust decided to they wanted to carry 11 pitchers and added Mike Timlin to the roster. This time Gil Velazquez was the odd man out after being added to the ALDS roster.
“I don’t know how [Timlin] will fit in,” Francona said. “But I know there will be a comfort level putting him on the roster. We felt like in a potential seven-game series, you need to have the other pitcher. You get yourself into a little bit of a bind if you don’t.”
We held a poll over the last three days here at SOX & Dawgs about who you wanted to win the ALCS. 78% of the readers have chosen the Red Sox to win the ALCS.
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Terry Francona sets the standard for managers.
The Rays almost had Jason Bay at the trade deadline.
Daisuke Matsuzaka cherishes the role of being the opening Red Sox pitcher in the ALCS.
Did the pitch that James Shields hit Coco Crisp with change the Rays season?
Which Dice-K is going to show up for the Red Sox tonight?
How do the Red Sox and Rays stack up in all aspects of the game?
Harold Reynolds was on the Dale and Holley Show yesterday and said Jon Lester is the best pitcher in baseball right now (It’s at about the 6 minute mark or so).
Gary Marbry of WEEI.com has his second ALCS Nuggetpalooza.
An old college friend of mine has some tickets available for Games 1 & 2 in Tampa. You can also look for tickets by visiting our sponsors located in the left sidebar.
For more playoff slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times websites.
