41 Predictions of the 2012-2013 NBA Season

The NBA season is beginning tonight, testing to see if the success from the season before can carry over to 2013. Can the fans be as interested when the season runs a full 82 games? Or should the NBA honestly reconsider their schedule and start the season Christmas Day and have fewer games altogether? Either which way, as a Magic fan I am not very excited, while all my neighbors to the south are extremely enthusiastic as the Heat are looking better and better. Here comes my list of predictions for this upcoming season of basketball:

1) Derrick Rose will get hurt. Again. The Bulls will make the playoffs again but the injuries will prevent them from going anywhere…..again.

2) The Miami Heat have a legitimate shot at the NBA Finals, and winning the entire thing. Eric Spolstera you are a lucky son of a-

3) The Indiana Pacers are one of the sneaky-good teams in the NBA that can and will challenge the aging bums known as the Celtics as well as the upstarts like the Nets.

4) The Boston Celtics will remain bitter all season over the disappearance of Ray Allen, and their age will continue becoming their biggest flaw

5) Atlanta Hawks were sneaky good until they started losing players like clockwork. Expect them to be a lower-half seeded team with minimal hope

6) The Orlando Magic are going to suck, pure and simple. And we will STILL have a chance at the playoffs.

7) Expect way more minutes for J.J. Reddick, and he will be one of the most important players to any team this season.

8) The New York Knicks will disappoint severely and will regret losing Jeremy Lin as they watch Carmelo Black Hole Anthony eat up the season

9) The Philadelphia 76ers are a one-trick pony and will prove it to the world this season

10) The Milwaukee Bucks hate the NBA. For as long as the status of the NBA remains the same, nobody will ever find playing for the Bucks attractive

11) The Detroit Pistons will play better than last season, but its still not enough

12) See above statement, now change the name to the Toronto Raptors

13) The Brooklyn Nets are going to start a cool rivalry with the Knicks while battle for the final seed

14) The Cleveland Cavaliers are going nowhere.

15) Washington Wizards are going nowhere

16) The Charlotte Bobcats are going to continue to destroy the legacy of the Michael Jordan Post-Bulls days

17) The San Antonio Spurs will hang on to the title of the 2nd best team in the West

18) The Thunder are going to really regret losing Harden, as their chemistry took a nasty, nasty hit

19) The Los Angeles Lakers look good, but the current status of the NBA doesn’t need a good center—and Dwight Howard’s presence won’t change that that much.

20) The Memphis Grizzlies will quietly be a major threat to the top three seeds in the West

21) The Los Angeles Clippers will begin their ascent to Earth in 3…2….1……

22) Blake Griffin will continue to receive undeserved attention for his aggressive and selfish promotion basketball ways

23) The Denver Nuggets will have the worst uniforms in the entire league, and will play damn good too

24) The Dallas Mavericks will have to fight for a playoff spot, because their off-season was quite a disaster.

25) Expect at least 5 fines on Mark Cuban after his frustration reaches a boiling point a quarter of the way through

26) The Utah Jazz will contemplate moving to Pittsburgh so they can nab a 4-seed in the East

27) The Houston Rockets will become your surprise-surprise team of the West with the Harden-Lin combination

28) The Phoenix Suns will resemble the state of Arizona: miserable, no hope, an embarrassment, and an afterthought

29) The Portland Trail Blazers are going to flip when they see Brandon Roy succeed in Minnesota. And also suck.

30) The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be one of the 5 best teams in the West----the season Roy, Love, and Rubio are fully healthy

31) Golden State Warriors will make vast improvements, and the owners will find a way to **** that up again.

32) The Sacramento Kings may have saved their franchise, but it will be years before they can save their team.

33) The New Orleans Hornets are going to be like the Milwaukee Bucks; they have a great player, but will then realize that with no help they ain’t goin’ nowhere.

34) The Heat will run into the Spurs in the Finals---because the Thunder got rid of Harden

35) The surprise team that can go very far in the playoffs this year will be the Houston Rockets

36) Interest in the NBA will not be as heavy as last season because we are back to the long-arse season consisting of far too many games

37) The flopping problem in the NBA will remain as the fines aren’t heavy enough

38) There will be a flop that will change the outcome of a game, leading to Stern flipping out.

39) Steve Nash is going to play his soul out playing for the Lakers

40) The Heat-Celtics rivalry will reach new new heights, although if Miami wins all 4 games can it be really considered a rivalry?











Final: The Orlando Magic will frustrate me, severely. And it has less to do with the loss of Dwight and more to do with the loss of Stan Van Gundy, a proven coach that could have weathered this storm a lot better than your average leading man. The Eastern Conference is weak enough that the Magic can be a sneaky good team if Jamieer can learn to Point Guard more, if Hedo can go back to his 2009 ways, and if the shooter-happy squad can land the shots. But like I said before, I really wish Van Gundy was here to coach at least one season to see what he could pull off with a depleted squad.
Is it baseball season yet?




Post-Note: With the NFL trying to expand to London, I still don't see why the Magic don't reach out to Brazil.....it could really help a fanbase that's truly madly deeply pisssssssssssed off.

War: The Best Potential Budget Cut

Dear Mr. President:



You folks say that we are in an economic crisis. You folks say that we are in financial debt with China and we have been improving very slowly in this seemingly endless recession. I understand this. And I also do understand that we have to make sacrifices and we have to make budget cuts in order to make ends meet. I also understand how taxes might need to be raised in order to bounce the nation as a whole away from the red ink. All this is indeed fine and dandy. But there is one place that is absorbing all of our money yet we do nothing to try to stop.



War.



You want to improve the economy? End the stupid nonsense in the Middle East. Let’s get the hell out of there, now. Immediately. Don’t argue this, let’s go now. Let’s stop with the nonsense in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, and any other nation that we might dig our noses into. Let’s just back away from that conflict, bring 95% of the soldiers home (we still need some to protect and help the Embassies around the world), collect the losses, and focus strictly on ourselves. It is that easy.


The Middle East has been fighting since before Jesus Christ himself. Seriously, look it up. And the last 5 presidencies have involved us having to head over there to do something, and spending good money while at it. We had Obama with ending the Iraq war and killing more terrorists and evil group members than any other president in recent memory---but still with hundreds of soldier deaths to attend to. And then there’s Bush with the beginning of both the Iraqi and Afghan wars, Clinton with the Kosovo incident, Bush Sr. with the Persian Gulf War, Reagan with sending troops to the Lebanon among other places and also selling weapons to certain nations over there, and lastly with Carter and the Iranian hostage crisis among other ordeals.


Can you believe that we have spent the last 4 decades having to deal with issues over there? Wouldn’t it be easier to just back off and leave it at that? These two wars in the past 10 years have cost us over 3 trillion dollars. To put that in a sense, that’s $9,550+ per CITIZEN in the United States!!! Can you imagine how much better things would be if you just wrote each of us a check for half that amount? Sorry, dreaming, back to topic....

In a more ridiculous sense, that’s over 30 BILLION tickets to the Magic Kingdom. With the money we spent overseas, we could have bought the New York Yankees over 1,500 times!!! There are so many ways we can use this money that doesn’t involve wars, sending soldiers overseas, using missiles, using bombs, using drones, using essential supplies, etc, etc, etc.

Not sure if the politicians in Washington have noticed, but the United States is in trouble. Poverty is getting intense, unemployment is still at a high number, we have had to save the auto and bank industry, there has been a growing angst amongst minorities that reared its ugly head after Obama was elected, religious tolerance has taken a big hit, the middle class is struggling a bit, education is a pure disaster, and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting smaller. Americans in a generality is not spending because of financial fears unlike what happened in the 90s and even for a short period from 2003-2006. Gas prices are still high, some states are in pure shambles, and worst of all America no longer looks like the go-to place for living and not even for visiting. Tourism used to be extremely strong, and unless you are Central Florida (which honestly finds ways to always succeed) no outsider wants to see you.

The United States was on a downward spiral, and the climb back to 90s glory remains painstakingly slow. The greatest way to begin the focus on what is most important is to just drop away from everything happening in other parts of the world and begin to focus on ourselves. We don’t have to be the World Police. Because a) we need help personally, and b) we seriously are incapable of saving everybody. If it’s not Iraq, then it’s Iran, then its Pakistan, then its Rwanda, then its North Korea, or most of the African nations under tyrannical rule. In order to improve others we have to improve ourselves in terms of finances and in terms of morality.

Nothing on the face of this planet wastes more money than war. And the sooner we can end our current conflicts and keep away from others, the sooner we can focus on rebuilding a nation that has been struggling mightily for a multitude of reasons. So please Mr. President, pull those troops now. I support them, they have done a fine job, but now is the time to fix the one country that’s been requiring help for several years now:

The United States.

End of Watch: 9/10

Intense Cop Drama with a Best Picture feel, 22 October 2012


The world may definitely end in 2012 because the best film of the year is one with a "found footage" style of filmmaking.

End of Watch is a spectacular, haunting, and intense journey through the lives of two police officers and their squadron as well as the families of the main characters involved. While I expected good material from the man that helmed the script for the eternally underrated Training Day, I didn't expect to be overwhelmed, moved, and totally embedded in the lives of the characters presented. Unlike most films about cops which usually are presented as dirty, lazy, or with cruel intentions, this one showcases cops as homeland soldiers in the brutal battlefield of the ghettos and the underworld. This film may possibly even change your stance on policemen.

The plot is simple; it follows two cops (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) in the course of around a year as they fight crime in the underbelly of one of the toughest parts of the country. Using secret cameras attached to their uniform they show the viewer the behind-the-scenes moments within the police department and then display some of the situations they get involved in—from the tiny disturbance calls to the more violent incidents that can occur in any time.

As if the writer used to be a cop himself (his research on the LAPD has definitely helped), David Ayer composed a script that not only throws our foot soldiers out into the crime world, but also gives us a glimpse into their social lives and how they remain connected with the job. And it is not just the script that made this cop flick unique, it was the cinematography. With the shaky found footage style, End of Watch comes off as much more realistic as the norm as the close-ups are intense, the action is right on your face, and sometimes the gruesome images find its way in center frame far longer than you desire.

Chemistry runs this film, and brings the dialogue to life. Jake Gyllenhaal is very hit-and-miss but delivers by far his best performance of his career as the hotshot cop with subtle issues that pops out every so often during the shift. Supporting him is the equally impressive Michael Pena as the Mexican cop that despite his obvious differences with his partner is an excellent companion as well as friend. Helping round out the cast are the hilarious sweethearts Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez.

This film doesn't have the summer blockbuster feel, it has the crime drama touch that combines itself with some hyperrealism through the kinetic filming style while adding the necessary humor and heart to maintain the film flowing without it becoming too overly dramatic or depressing. It is essentially the best film of the year because it delivers a powerful experience that never feels contorted, never feels cliché, and in a subtle manner celebrates one of the most heroic occupations in the country.

Kind of like Training Day.

And if your film deserves to be compared to that gem, then your film is worthy of recommendation.

Argo: 9/10

Argo is a tense but enjoyable cinematic trip with a 70s feel, 14 October 2012



Craving a tense, heart-pounding political thriller that doesn't let go of its grip until the end? Look no further, we have Argo.

Argo is a skillfully directed and shot film that keeps the audiences riveted with its colorful cast of characters, extreme moments of tension, tight script that doesn't offer any slow moments, and a subtle political undertone about the continuing crisis that occur in the Middle East between the ruthless leaders and the citizens that are always inches from exploding in pure anger.

Based off of a compelling true story that takes place in the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979, Argo follows one man creating a fake film studio and film production so he can pose as a Canadian filmmaker as he searches for the missing Americans that fled the embassy that came under attack by angry mobs of Iranian citizens. The first half focuses on the planning, and the more riveting half focuses on the execution.

This movie has 70s political thriller written all over it, from the substance to the style. Ben Affleck gives his best directing performance here as he shoots the film with a 70s look and feel to add realism to the conflict while at the same time paying homage to classic dialogue-heavy thrillers like All the President's Men and Dog Day Afternoon.

His old-school, close-up style of filmmaking helped his first two features, and it definitely enhances the anxiety of the moments when the characters can be seen in the hostile environment of Iran. You will hear your heart as the cast drives through the heart of the rebellion.

The best of movies can successfully combine drama with humor, and the dark humor of Argo helps the viewer relax and breathe a little as the stakes get raised higher and higher. This movie is actually surprisingly funny, with the best lines being delivered by the veteran actors John Goodman (where's his Oscar?) and Alan Arkin. The rest of the cast does a wonderful job being likable and being people you want to root for during their highs and their low points.

Bottom Line: 120 minutes of heart-pounding drama and heavy content is what makes Argo one of the best films of the year, and pretty much certifies Ben Affleck as a successful and good director that manages to erase his ugly streak of bad movies. There isn't a dull moment here as you will remain glued to the screen up until the very end. Its good old-fashioned gritty filmmaking at its finest, with characters moreso than action running the show.

The Deteriorating Relationship Between NBC and Quirky

So we all know NBC sucks, right? Let's get that out of the way. The Olympics coverage was quite pathetic.

Anyway. Back to topic.



So NBC has decided to quietly attempt to kill one of their shows by taking the cult classic and moving it to Friday nights for no actual reason. They fired the original creator for no reason. Worst of all, there’s very little mention of when the next season is actually debuting. Folks, we are witnessing the attempted murder of the show Community---with NBC being the sole suspect. NBC has definitely attacked its chances of life in the past, but with the firing and movement to the Death Slot, it is only a matter of time before this gem of a program receives its final moments.
Let’s just sum this up nicely: NBC now hates quirky humor.

HATES it.

They used to embrace it and go out of their way to find it, but somewhere along the lines, the hatred towards the material began brewing. With Community about to go under, long gone are the days when NBC used to adore the likes of Scrubs, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, My Name is Earl, etc. But when the ratings weren’t the numbers of Friends, Seinfeld, or Will and Grace, I am sure the bosses were beginning to grumble. The bosses started desiring to move back to the clichéd sitcom style of comedy that has made Two and a Half Men the top-rated comedy in the last seven years.



They will never admit it, but this may have been their breaking point and the beginning of the end of NBC’s love for quirkiness. The fans loved the self-mocking humor, loved the fun Music Man reference, and loved how Conan was basically making fun of his own network while hosting a show on the SAME network. The acclaim for his hosting was certainly there, as his zany humor was a major breath of fresh air for the award ceremony. But, the ratings to this Emmys telecast dropped, their top-rated comedy was #68, something had to be done. The quirky unique comedies’ days were numbered.

Last Episode Year:

Scrubs: 2008 (Shut down unexpectedly)

My Name is Earl: 2009 (also shut down unexpectedly, with a cliffhanger)

Late Night With Conan O’Brian: 2009 (Shut down for Tonight Show—was not opened up when Conan left Tonight Show)

Tonight Show With Conan O’Brian: 2010 (Shut down extremely unexpectedly)

The Office: 2013 (slow death)

30 Rock: 2013

Community: 2013 (I predict)

Parks and Recreation: 2014 (I predict)


This is why Conan’s Late Night show failed miserably in their eyes so darn quickly (even though it took Jay Leno THREE years to win the ratings when he first started), this is why Parks and Recreation is slowly getting dismantled, this is why Scrubs got shoddy treatment towards the end, and this is why Community has never had any hope ever since its debut a couple years ago---with the rabid fanbase saving it time, and time again. Chevy Chase, a longtime NBC friend, talking trash about the show is most likely not helping it much either.

Conan’s humor was very college-esque, while also dwelling deeper into the subpop culture fandom than arguably any talk show host in history, with Jimmy Kimmel desperately trying to gain that audience. Remember those Chuck Norris Facts? They really didn’t take off until Conan started throwing in Chuck Norris clips in his talk show. Did the ratings improve? Not really, but the online exposure took a nice bump. Remember the feud against Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert? Comedy Central does, but NBC certainly doesn’t. Actually, NBC eliminated all evidence of Conan ever being on the network. That’s how vengeful the network became.

So what does this all mean? If your show has a fun sense of humor that appeals below the mainstream and into the hearts of internet junkies----and get picked up by NBC--expect not to last, no matter how good it may be. While I doubt NBC will attempt to nab a show with the Conan or 30 Rock type of humor, NBC has always been known for changing their minds like a person changes clothes. Katy Perry reference for the win.

Community was saved TWICE by the internet, while shows like Scrubs, The Office, and 30 Rock had to receive their fanbase through syndication as opposed to love and support from NBC. Remember Fox’s obsession over trying to make Arrested Development a hit? Have you seen ABC’s love towards Modern Family and its mediocre shows that precede and follow it? Has never happened on NBC.

And this is why NBC sucks.

And this is also why Community, one of the cleverest and hippest shows in years, will shut down far sooner than we desire.

The 2012 Tampa Bay Rays Seasonal Hangover

I still have not recovered fully from Game 162 2012 Edition. The emotions were there, there were definitely a lot of tears being shared in Tropicana Field (Once again, empty Tropicana Field—about 10,000 less than last season’s stunning finale), but the difference was that we were an amazing team that was going to miss the playoffs. As a matter of fact we were the best team in all of baseball to miss the playoffs---it was so bad that teams with worse records than us were heading into the postseason. Ah, the cruelty of the AL East division. But before we can get to my pick as the #1 reason why we did not make the playoffs, let me point out the other major points of the 2012 season of Tampa Bay Rays baseball.



Hot Dog What a Season
-------------------------

Let me just say, it was another fantastic season of baseball. Over half the teams in baseball at one point were in contention halfway through, records were raised, records fell, many amazing players had been playing their last season and experienced a fine goodbye tour, small-market teams were competing with the usual batch and started gaining interest in cities and states that had been turned off from baseball for a good period of time, and lastly there was the minimal controversy and stupidity experienced in the other leagues (Floppers, replacement refs, lockouts, etc.).

Years ago, we could more or less figure out whom was going places and whom was falling. Now check out some of the playoff teams: Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds. Check out some of the teams that had a legit shot and just missed the mark: Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates----yes, those Pittsburgh Pirates. Even at one point the Mets, Blue Jays, and Indians had a strong running at one point.

The extra playoff spot was nothing short of brilliant, even though I was against it for quite some time. It raised the stakes, and made the final two months of the season extremely important as we had dozens of games down to the wire. The only way to perfect the baseball schedule now is including two teams and shortening the amount of games by a little. But with this extra spot, none of the big-market teams are safe, as momentum was driving all of the low-to-middle market teams, giving them extra layers of hope. This added to the attendance of baseball, which remains the ONLY league with increasing attendance in this tough economy.


Pre-Season Expectations
----------------------------------------






Last season was quite possibly the most improbable of the recent improbable years of the Tampa Bay Rays. What was supposed to be a re-building year after losing 12+ players turned into a dogfight in the toughest division in all of sports (I am deadly serious when I mention this)-----leading to us making it to the playoffs in the midnight hour in Game 162. This time the GM actually got mildly aggressive and got Luke Scott, Carlos Pena, and Jose Molina, while our young rotation was shaping up quite well to a point in which a former started became a bullpen buddy.

Nearly everyone else was coming back, giving the Rays hope that this time they might actually have a sure-fire shot at the World Series. If Scott, Pena, and Molina could trace back to their 2007-2009 numbers and produce the Kevin Garnett-drive to fight to the bare bones to win that elusive championship ring, then we would have some power hitting to balance the small-ball offense and ridiculous pitching. Well, we started the season sweeping the Yankees (always a delightful moment) and were on top of the division, on top of the league. I really felt like the World Series was not a ridiculous dream.


The Injury. The Downfall
----------------------------------------

Evan Longoria got hurt. And he got hurt pretty bad. We had no timetable, and at one point it seemed like we were going to lose him for the entire season---that’s what the rumors were saying. At first it didn’t dawn on the team how valuable he was, especially since the Rays had won with ridiculous odds for so long. But this felt different, something felt off. The defense dropped, the offense severely took a hit, and the Rays were losing their identity. We weren’t stealing as many bases, we were committing more errors, we weren’t scoring the runs, we weren’t supporting our pitchers that well, and we were looking quite lost in the batter’s box.

The Rays had dropped to fourth place at one point, even behind the Red Sox. We were barely fighting off the last-place Blue Jays. Whenever it seemed like we had things figured out, the offense goes into crazy streaks of nothingness. It was getting ugly.


The 2012 Tampa Bay Rays Failed Gamble
-------------------------------------



Part of what made the Rays successful over the years was the successful gambles that we had made towards under-the-radar players. Raphael Soriano, Ben Zobrist, Joel Peralta, Grant Balfour, Troy Percival, Fernando Rodney (2012’s greatest example)  among plenty of others were picked up by Tampa, and they improved under the wing of Joe Maddon and his staff.

But the 2012 Rays had a lot of gambles that just didn’t pay off. Luke Scott was batting horrifically---when he wasn’t injured. Made it worse because he was such a nice guy, and the same went with Carlos Pena. Pena’s best years were indeed with Tampa but age and all the injuries all the years were catching up to him significantly. Both men were batting around or below the Mendoza line. Molina was also not as effective as we had hoped, as the pitching staff was not as effective with him behind the bag as Kelly Shopach or John Jaso back in 2011. Worst of all was Hideki Matsui, who had a miserable outing with Tampa and led to him being cut extremely early in the season.

Sometimes, gambles don’t work. And Joe Maddon despite being amazing on his gambles, has a general manager that hadn’t been as lucky. We got several hitters that just couldn’t produce, and couldn’t get on base. They couldn’t draw walks to help with the small-ball, and it led to several games with little or no runs. Tampa had FIVE 1-0 losses, which is unheard of. It was the rest of the known staff slowly carrying the team barely past mediocrity and a third-place standing. The offense had always been bad, but never as obvious as it was in the 2012 season.  Offense had always been (and for as long as our market remains miniscule will always be) our biggest, most major flaw. We needed a wake-up call to wake-up those bats. Nobody was stepping up. Granted they tried, but nobody rose to the occasion. 



Then Longoria came back.


Evan Longoria: The MVP Nobody Discusses
-------------------------------------------------------



Evan Longoria is the most valuable player on any team in baseball, and nobody, not even Tampa Bay realized this until he came back in the second half.

Before August 6th:  56-52
After August 6th: 44-20
Overall: 90-72


Want to know what happened August 7th? That’s when Longoria came back. Want to know the winning percentage afterwards? A staggering .685 winning percentage. His numbers may not provide the evidence, but the team numbers will do the rest of the talking. Winning nearly 70% of the games means much more than coincidence, this is something special. The defense came back, the offense came back, the small ball play came back, and the confidence in a depleted ballclub virtually exploded. In August they were 7 games back, and were close to last place than the Wild Card. By the end of the season they were virtually a couple wins away from playing the Wild Card, while at the same time eliminating the White Sox, deflating the Red Sox, and were a couple tough games away from getting past the Orioles—the team that eventually took care of them. But it took 160 games to knock out the Rays. And with a .519 record in early August, that was darn impressive.

Longoria was on pace to nearly hit 40 home runs and drive in nearly 120 runs, while batting a cool .289 on a bad leg that never fully recovered the rest of the year. This fella was my hero; he saved us in 2011 with his home runs, and allowed us to make one hell of a run in September that was marred by the fact that the Orioles, Athletics, and Yankees were easily as hot.

One of the bigger What-Ifs I’ve ever seen in baseball is what would have happened if Longoria had remained healthy all season. Would the worthless bats of Pena, Scott, Molina, and Matsui waken up? Would the pitching staff have contributed even more to their historical 2012 run (They struck out more batters than ANY other rotation in the HISTORY of baseball)? Would we have seen the Rays wait and see who would win between the Rangers and Orioles as opposed to watch the game from home? The what-ifs are just as frustrating as having a disappointing year that fell short. 2009 was disappointing because we just missed the mark. This season was different; it featured an excellent team that lost their leader for 80 games, dropping them to mediocrity. This was similar to if the Yankees had lost Jeter for the season, if Hamilton had been lost to the Rangers for the season, if the Tigers had lost Justin Verlander. Surely its one player, but every team needs that one special player to keep the team going. Want a similar example?

San Francisco Giants 2010: 92-70
San Francisco Giants: 2011: 86-76
San Francisco Giants 2012: 94-68

Want to guess what happened in 2011? They lost Buster Posey for the season after a nasty collision. Just saying, sometimes it takes one baseball player. Longoria is that baseball player. Should he win MVP? Of course not, he missed 80+ games. But he remains the most valuable player towards his organization in alllllll of baseball.


We Were So Close. We’re Always So Close
------------------------------------------------------------

I made it a tradition to watch the final home game of every Rays season after what happened to 2011. I bought the ticket before we were eliminated, and decided to go through with the game regardless to congratulate the Rays on another wonderful season. The fact that I knew the game would not be sold out, nor the series would have any sort of attendance past 20,000 is sad, embarrassing, pathetic, and just adds to the frustration that is being a Rays fan. I poured my heart and soul into this season because I knew in my heart we had a World Series caliber team. But being last in attendance never, ever helps the chances. Low attendance means low support, which never adds to momentum, only subtracts.



The baseball game I witnessed was nonetheless special. Even though we were eliminated, I was able to see Longoria smash three home runs and further cement what could have been if he had not been hurt for so long. I witnessed Jeremy Hellickson pitch five innings of incredible 1-hit ball and finish off a decent sophomore year while having the third-lowest run support in ALLLLLLL of baseball. I witnessed Fernando Rodney quietly break an insane record for lowest ERA by a reliever with an unfathomable .060. I witnessed B.J. Upton’s final at-bat, and watched him cry his way back into the dugout after the surprisingly loud standing ovation he received by the 17,000 fans. Darn it, I will miss him.




It was a beautiful night, a beautiful way to end the season. And just like that, it was over. I even wanted to take one final picture of the empty ballpark and security got upset and essentially pushed me out.




We’re always so close.


*(@)$*$# it.


We’ve always been one extra hitter away from being a spectacular, unstoppable team. It has been this way for years. But, for as long as we don’t see the support, we will always be SO close, missing the necessary nucleus by [this ] much. If we don’t have the attendance, we don’t see the money generating. No fans = no money = no support = no extra revenue or incentive to spend more = more seasons of being so close yet so far which ultimately = young players like B.J. Upton leaving us before striking the prime. 

And this = me continuing to bitterly write about our pathetic stadium, pathetic fanbase, pathetic support, and once again, that ********* pathetic ballpark.

Where’s our new stadium?!?!?!?



Conclusion (Yes, There Is Going to be One)
-------------------------------------------------------------------


I am proud as hell for my team, I honestly am. The 2012 Tampa Bay Rays despite the circumstances (I didn’t even bring up the 10+ disabled list at one point in May) put up an amazing fight, an amazing August, and a nearly flawless September and came up just a bit short because the odds were not in our favor and because your division featured teams that also fought vigorously all season long (Derek Jeter deserves MVP votes, and the Orioles became the 2008 Rays).

I really put my soul and heart to this baseball season because I knew it was going to be something special—involving my Rays and involving the rest of the sport. We saw amazing games, amazing pitching performances, and some extremely touching moments. I don’t regret spending so much time devoted to a season that is missing a postseason.

But the truth is, history repeats itself. The Tampa Bay Rays reminds me a lot of the Brooklyn Dodgers---a very successful franchise that didn’t have the city’s support and before you know they traveled thousands of miles west towards a fanbase that is just as dedicated. And yes, I have pointed this out before.

The Rays consist of an incredible group of people, players, and coaches searching for a more consistent and more rabid fanbase. I promise you places like Vegas, Charlotte, Montreal, Portland, and Boston (Those Red Sox are going to be losers for a very long time) would love to be home to this young squad full of hungry go-getters. Tampa doesn’t appreciate winning 458 games in the past 5 seasons? I am sure someone else will. And I have a groing concern that the Rays will not be in Florida much longer.

But in the meantime I will watch the postseason with satisfaction for two reasons: one is because the playoff format is approaching perfection, and because my Rays despite not making it poured their hearts out to the very end.











Just like me.