Thursday, Oct. 02, 2008

START IT UP: Rays ready to rock in first playoff game

ST. PETERSBURG

Joe Maddon named his starter for Game 1 - Mick Jagger.

Jagger and the rest of The Rolling Stones will lead off Maddon's musical selection this morning when the Tampa Bay Rays manager hops in his silver-gray Dodge Ram 1500 and points the truck in the direction of Tropicana Field.

"The Stones always get the first game of a big series," Maddon said.

And it's always "Start Me Up."

"You can start me up

You can start me up

I'll never stop."

The Rays start up their first postseason series this afternoon against the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, and they hope they never stop, at least not until they finish the month with a World Series championship.

"If I was speaking about this team, I would go out on a limb every time," Rays designated hitter Cliff Floyd said. "Limb is winning the World Series. I think this team will."

So there you have it. The Rays aren't happy just to have reached the postseason for the first time in their 11-year history. They want to win the first round, the second round and the third round, too.

"We want the brass ring," pitcher Trever Miller said.

"I know there's no substitute for experience in the postseason," rookie third baseman Evan Longoria said. "But I think we might just be young enough and dumb enough as a club to win the whole thing."

It's surreal to think that today is the second day of October and the Rays are playing baseball.

"It's weird, man," pitcher J.P. Howell said. "I'd usually be home right now. It's exciting to be here, it really is. It's a trip."

Maddon drove his truck to the Trop on Wednesday for the Rays' final workout before the bright lights of the postseason shines down on the dome today, pierces the roof and reaches the players on the field.

"Seeing the Trop with all the bats on the outside and (I was) just thinking to myself the building's got to be pretty happy right now," Maddon said. "It's going to be utilized at this time of year with a lot of folks inside of it for some very special moments. Walking in the clubhouse is fun. It's absolutely fun."

The Rays needed one of the biggest turnarounds in major league history to win the American League East title this season, going from a team that finished with the worst record in baseball last season to one that won 97 games this summer and has the best home record in the majors.

Only one other team in major league history went from worst to first, and that was the 1991 Atlanta Braves, who reached the World Series.

In some respects, the Rays could be considered America's Team.

They are not the New York Yankees or another big-payroll team with rent-a-players. They have the second-lowest payroll in baseball.

They're not a familiar postseason team. In fact, if you include the Washington Nationals' days as the Montreal Expos, they are the last of the 30 big league clubs to reach the postseason.

They don't have an MVP or a Cy Young Award candidate. They don't have a .300 hitter or a 15-game winner.