I couldn’t sleep. Could you?
I still cannot process what just happened. The chain of events between 7-0 in the bottom of the 8th (I’ll admit it, I started to channel surf, I couldn’t watch our boys end like that) to the Wild Card (I was following Baltimore-Boston through text messages from my dad) is too jarring. 
The natural instinct of professional writers everywhere will be to breakdown how it happened. Or, they will breakdown what it means. That is what the media does and, in the era of 24 hour news, we expect instant history. But, if you came here this morning looking for my take on the historical significance of the 2011 Wild Card race, you are going to be disappointed. I don’t think we will fully understand September 28-29, 2011 for a very long time. It is a singular event. It simply cannot be canned and shipped in just a few hours.
Maybe the only people that know what we are feeling at the moment are fans of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951.
Rather than analyzing the Rays return from the dead (I need to go back and count how many lives these cats have, but I think it is many more than 9) lets just enjoy the fact that it occurred. We have our entire lives to argue about context (in this scenario “argue about context” can be interpreted to mean “taunt Boston fans”).
In the meantime, we need to do four things:
1) We need a name for the Wild Card race we just witnessed;
2) We need a name for the 8th/9th inning rally we just witnessed;
3) We need a name for Johnson’s tying bomb; and
4) We need a name for Longo’s walkoff bomb.
Discuss.
Longo’s walk-off bomb to left field could be only named as a “historical bomb” which followed the Orioles winning by what strength they had left in their team.
as a lifelong new englander, having witnessed the Red Sox become everything that was once despised in the yankess, i have found myself sincerely rooting for the Rays over the last 5 years or so.
Goosebumps was the only way to describe the climax of the historic ending last night. For me this ranks up with watching kirk gibson’s home run for LA, kirby puckett and co and the homer hankies in Minn, and yes, the red sox coming back from 3-0 to the yankees.
a special moment in time
1) There are no words for this. Its just not possible yet.
2)Holy Shit! No Way!
3)Dan Johnson Hates the Red Sox, Part II
4) The Moment 1 Million Bandwagon Fans in Pink Hats Cried
Don’t know if you can post this but, great line in the Sptimes today, “But did you know the reason Longoria’s shot had a chance to leave the park was because the Rays lowered the wall in the leftfield corner from nine feet to five feet in 2007?
They did it to give Crawford a chance to make home run-robbing catches. ”
Another classic story line. Unbelievable night of baseball.
The Trop was absolute mayhem last night. So many folks left early (can you blame them?). I saw a lady nearly collapse breaking down in tears when the Orioles tied it, TIED it. Pockets of the stadium found out the O’s won before the rest and watching the mini celebrations domino around the stands as word was passed, before the whole crowd exploded when they posted the final on the scoreboard, was truly something else…is this what they call destiny?
1) something to do with the equinox or harvest time… “Rays don’t fear the reaper?” (cowbell and all)
2) got nothing
3) “Pumpkin Explosion”
4) “Evan’s Ascent”
Three and Four might be the best. Love Pumpkin Explosion.
Stu’s “wonderfully improbable tour” is also good for #1
Let’s make this Joe’s Wonderful Mystery Tour.
Come to think of it, Maddon has kind of a Willy Wonka vibe, right? Gene Wilder Wonka, not Johnny Depp Wonka.
1)A Giant’s Fall
2)GTFO!?! Where’s My Remote?
3)Dan Slam Part II
4)The Moment After Midnight
The Moment After Midnight
1) Not so much a name as a sentiment, the most significant night of baseball since the return after 9/11/01
2) There will never be words capable of describing what I witnessed. I literally felt the hopes of an entire community rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
3) The bearded bomb.
4) The AL Eastqualizer
The Eastqualizer is awesome.
I’m glad you liked it, I was pleased with it as well. I don’t think the reality has sunk it yet that last night really happened, and we are going to play in the ALDS.
I think we should name the inevitable movie “162″…
I love this. LOVE it.
This great finish for the rays makes up for two other memories in sports that still haunt me.
1 The Indians collapse during the series against the Marlins
2-The Browns collapse against Elway and the Broncos with the drive in the playoffs
Welcome to all healing Indians fans. There is plenty of room for you in our house!
(nodding sadly)
1- Money for Nothing
2- THIS IS TAMPAAAAA!!!
3- The Return Of The Jedi
4- The Buckner Bomb
Don’t think I have seen this anywhere yet but since last night I have been calling 1-4 the Curse of Crawford. Here’s to hoping Boston loses for another 100 years.
That has the added advantage of being shortened to “CC.” Maybe we can call it the Triple-C?
I know number 2 is going for the Sparta reference, but it made me think back to the old Busch Gardens tv commercials. Anyone remember those? “Tam-PAH, and no place else.”
1) “162″ gets my vote;
2) “#Believe” – hashtag and everything.
3) “Miracle to right”
4) “Miracle to left”
(Neither bomb has quite the same significance if the other one didn’t happen)
There will NEVER be a 7-hour span of my life more completely exhausting than when I went through last night/this morning. From pre-game buzzing, to nearly suicidal anxiety as we paced the park looking for something to spark some luck our way, to finding our way behind the Rays bullpen right before “The Miracle to Right”, then the buzz among the fans hugging and tearing up and I’m literally shaking and feeling like I could pass out from all the yelling and jumping when Baltimore tied, then won…then nearly DID pass out when Evan hit the “Miracle to Left”.
And of course, being sprayed by Price, Hellickson, Shoppach, Hickey, Fuld, Jennings, Howell…I’ve never so much as been within 6 feet of most of them but I was high-fiving them, sharing the moment with them, BEING THERE. There are not words to describe last night, except that I am SO GLAD I have never left a game early and tonight reminded me why when the 8-9k people left and I got to experience the miracle from front and center and be part of it.
I will NEVER forget this, nobody who was at the Trop will ever forget this. It was beyond anything.
R – RIDICOLUS – A – AMAZING – Y – YAHOO -S – SENSATIONAL
Awesome! I Like it!
Your stupid, don’t ever post in a forum again..ever.
Ummm. That’s pretty harsh. I thought about just deleting this but, perhaps it is worse punishment to allow it to stay. Jim, I liked it. Please continue to post here.
nice. definitely leave it up. i love when someone calls somebody else stupid on a blog forum, but does it grammatically incorrect. there is a difference between “your” and “you’re”, and the aptly named “america” doesn’t know it all the time.
Simply unbelievable! as to all four. I have watched baseball religiously for over 50 years and have never seen and will never see again anything comparable to last night. Go RAYS!
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = The Perfect Storm
DJ’s homerun should be called “The Nutcracker”
For one unlucky fan, the home run drilled him in the pills.
I saw that on you tube. Hilarious!
Also, I don’t think you can nickname just one of the three homeruns….I think you have to collectively nickname them. Seems like homeruns that are named after war events (i.e. “Shot heard around the world”) are the best….How about “The Carpet Bombs”
We have to win now, I had my wife shave the sides of my head before the game today. I have a Rayhawk AND a playoff beard. I just have to talk my coworkers into it now…..
When you think about dramatic home runs, you think of Bobby Thompson, Bill Mazerowski, Joe Carter and Kirk Gibson. I’m adding Dan Johnson and Even Longoria to the list. In fact, I have Johnson’s HR at #3 and Longoria’s at #4. Can’t wait til tomorrow night!!
If the Trop’s a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’!