It happened again. One minute I’m scraping ice off my windshield and praying for the arrival of spring…and baseball. The next thing I know, the corn is high in the fields, kids are going back to school and a crisp breeze is kicking up every evening. Another summer in the books before I even realized it had started. That also means the so-called marathon has become a sprint and the pennant races are heating up. What better time for a trip to The Trop?

As Red mentioned, the dismissal of Kazmir combined with last night’s disaster was probably the end of the season for the Rays. The “Ring of Fire” dye-job had no impact on Joe Maddon’s ability to prevent his team from booting the ball around the field like a bunch of little-leaguers. Tonight’s game will seal their fate if Beckett looks at the calendar and realizes it’s go time. In his career, the Commander is 19-9 with a 2.77 ERA in September/October: the best month(s) in his splits.

Does anybody doubt he will pitch 7+ shutout innings?