1) The Kids Are Alright
Sure the Phillies have had more time off and aren't exactly an old team, but the Rays have a young team, and that should translate into fresher legs as the series goes on. Jamie Moyer is no spring chicken. Brad Lidge had a phenomenal season, but does he have enough left for this series? Pat Burrell seemed to wear down in August and September.

2) Battle Tested
I'm a firm believer that any time off before a big series hurts a team as opposed to helping. I don't buy into the "rested" team being fresher. While the Phillies blew out the Dodgers, the Rays won a hard fought series against the most talented team in baseball. Teams that experience a layoff often look flat in their return to competitive play. The Rays have the momentum, while the Phillies momentum has waned during their time off.

3) No Respect
How many analysts are looking at the Rays as the "Little Engine That Could"? That could not be further from the truth. This is a team that won 97 games playing in the AL East. That translates into a 105 win season had they played in the weaker NL. They dispatched the experienced White Sox and Red Sox on their way to the World Series. This is no longer a Cinderella team....this is a powerhouse team that has mowed down the competition playing in a tough division in a tougher league.

4) It's a Start
The Phillies have an ace in Cole Hammels. After him, the rest of the staff is hittable. Jamie Moyer had a great season, but he has been shelled in post season play, and the Rays have a good hitting team against pitchers who try to win with junk and precision. The Rays are familiar with Blanton....so much so, that Blanton's career ERA against the Rays is 6.05. He was erratic this season. Brett Myers has pitched well down the stretch, but can he shut down the Rays attack? Some of Chicago and Boston's best couldn't slow them down. The Rays have one of baseball's best rotations led by Shields, Kazmir, Sonnanstine, and Garza. Kazmir and Sonnanstine are southpaws that will be able to shut down the Phillies lefthanded hitting sluggers. Shields and Garza are pitching at a higher level that is reminiscent of Schilling and Clemens at their post season best.

5)Home Sweet Home
In this best of seven series, four games will be played in Tampa Bay. That's an automatic advantage.

6) No-Show
There's a line in the first "Rocky" movie when Apollo Creed's trainer tells him of Rocky during their first fight, "He doesn't know this is a show, he thinks it's a damn fight". The same can be said about the Rays. They aren't content to just be in the post season...they want it all. They didn't know they were supposed to lose to the all-star loaded White Sox. They didn't know that they were supposed to lose to the defending champion Boston Red Sox. They fought....and won.

7) Under Pressure
If the Phillies lose to the Rays, it will be a dissapointment to a team that was expected to make it to the Fall Classic last season. With big guns Howard, Utley, Rollins, and Burrell, they are expected to win. If the Rays were to lose, many would say that it was still a great feel-good story. The Rays don't have to win for 2008 to be remembered as a special season. They're already winners. That puts the pressure on the Phillies and not the Rays.

8) David Price
You don't think that Ryan Howard and Chase Utley watched Game 7 of the ALCS, watched David Price close out the series, and say aloud "oh oh"? Price will be difficult to hit for teams seeing him for the first time. Don't be surprised if Price wins the Series MVP award.

9) Stealer's Wheel
Who better to give the Rays hitters insight into Brad Lidge than Dan Wheeler...Lidge's former teammate in Houston? You know the two have shared philosophies while with Houston. Will Wheeler be able to help the Rays batters while facing Lidge?

10) Fact of Life
The Rays are the best team in baseball. That doesn't always translate into a World Series title, but it will this season.

Prediction: Rays in 6


Court Adjourned!