We should all be over the initial shock of seeing the Tampa Bay Rays with the best record in baseball, but each day they continue their stellar play only compounds our surprise. With wins in the first two games of a series against the Boston Red Sox, the Rays have taken a 2.5-game lead in the AL East with 79 games left on their schedule.

Nobody saw that coming, not even optimists with the highest expectations for a young, unproven team so accustomed to losing. From manager Joe Maddon to the starting rotation anchored by James Shields and Scott Kazmir to the bullpen to the offense, everyone has done their jobs nearly to perfection.

Maddon has done a superb job setting a confident, almost brash attitude in the Rays’ clubhouse, and his young roster has taken the cue. Long gone are the days of being baseball’s doormat, and in are the days of going nose-to-nose with the Red Sox and Yankees and contending for a playoff berth. With Maddon at the helm, Tampa Bay has always felt like it belonged on the same field as the perennial American League powers. Read more »

We should all be over the initial shock of seeing the Tampa Bay Rays with the best record in baseball, but each day they continue their stellar play only compounds our surprise. With wins in the first two games of a series against the Boston Red Sox, the Rays have taken a 2.5-game lead in the AL East with 79 games left on their schedule.

Nobody saw that coming, not even optimists with the highest expectations for a young, unproven team so accustomed to losing. From manager Joe Maddon to the starting rotation anchored by James Shields and Scott Kazmir to the bullpen to the offense, everyone has done their jobs nearly to perfection.

Maddon has done a superb job setting a confident, almost brash attitude in the Rays’ clubhouse, and his young roster has taken the cue. Long gone are the days of being baseball’s doormat, and in are the days of going nose-to-nose with the Red Sox and Yankees and contending for a playoff berth. With Maddon at the helm, Tampa Bay has always felt like it belonged on the same field as the perennial American League powers. Read more »