It’s October, and something isn’t right.
There are four teams left in the playoffs, but one sticks out more than Jay-Z at Techno Saturdays.
It’s the team that lost 96 games last year. It’s the team whose payroll is about what you’d find under the couch. It’s those Rays from Tampa Bay who just won’t lose.
You see, this is becoming a problem.
The playoffs are supposed to be when big money pays off, when the Yankees can smother everybody else with their star-studded lineup. But this October, it’s the team of nobodies that has turned the postseason into its own Florida fiesta.
Make no mistake about it, the Rays were never supposed to have made it this far. It’s like a bunch of poodles winning the Iditarod or Kimbo Slice winning a real fight.
The Rays are baseball’s freaks.
They play in the AL East where cash rules everything around them. The Yankees spend almost $210 million on their players. The Red Sox? $133 million. And coming in second to last in payroll in the majors? The Rays, who dropped about $44 million total this season.
In MLB, you’re supposed to get what you pay for. The Yankees pay for their A-Rods and Giambis, Jeters and Abreus, and it’s supposed to give them championships.
Not so fast.
For the first time in 13 years, there are no pinstripes in the postseason. That’s what happens when you finish eight games back of the Rays who ended with the best home record in the majors. (Who would’ve thought Tropicana Field was so intimidating?)
So while the division-rival Yankees overpay anybody they can get their hands on, the Rays pay guys with names like Kazmir, Shields and Sonnanstine. Their pitching rotation sounds more like a law firm than anything else.
This isn’t like the Rockies of 2007 who tore up the last month of the season to grab a postseason spot. The Rays have been a surprise since day one.
Last season, the Rays lost the AL East by 31 games. They were the worst team in baseball, a roster filled with young guys brought up to the bigs too early. Just a bunch of kids sitting at the adult table at Thanksgiving.
Now, all of a sudden, they’re about to face off with the Red Sox for the American League pennant.
It’s one of the most remarkable turnarounds in baseball history. They’ve gone from national joke to title contenders in one offseason, during which they made practically no major roster moves.
It’s all combined to add about a pound and a half of intrigue to the postseason. The 11-year old franchise, which never had a winning season until this year, squaring off against the history-rich Red Sox machine.
You can expect a Disney movie in three to five years.
But before then, watch out Dodger fans, because every cent of that $44 million is about to pay off.
E-mail Feder at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you think this is the start of a dynasty.