Of Rays and Yankees
by Brandon IsleibSeptember 25, 2008
Confounding the experts, the ignominy
Over Tampa Bay’s franchise has cleared;
Never once did my pundit-slash-poet head think that they’d
Get to the playoffs this year.
Rankings back in April of 2008
Aptly put them at fourth, maybe third.
The Yankees and Sox would both play through the fall;
Saying anything else was absurd.
Then a funny thing happened as the season wore on;
On top of the Yankees’ demise,
The Rays were succeeding at-bat, in the field,
Hoarding bushels of wins by surprise.
Every year heretofore had been saddled with woe,
Reeling from expansion-team blues.
Andrew’s boys this year were a diligent squad,
Yannigans and stars paying their dues.
September rolled in and the team had no quit;
As experts expected collapse,
No one could withstand the incredible run
Dished out from the men in T-B caps.
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Hallowed grounds were the focus of New Yorkers’ brains,
As there wasn’t much else to root for.
Octoberfest had been the Yankees’ by rite;
Now it looks like it’s not anymore.
Tis true with young pitching that youneverknow,
Hughes and Kennedy as exemplars.
Even offensive woes were abounding this year,
Young and old sabotaging the cause.*
And so the despiséd (to this Boston fan)
Never had much of a fighting chance.
Knowing that Tampa Bay’s season goes on
Even when New York’s ends makes me dance.
Every year, some teams frustrate and others delight,
So a “great year” to Rays—and to Yanks a good night.
References and Resources
* Must be read in a New York accent to rhyme.
Brandon Isleib possesses more baseball-related spreadsheets than he does law firm clients, but he's been building up the former for a lot longer and has reason to believe he's better with them anyway. He can be reached via the electronic mails.