Marathon Pundit: Longoria leads Rays over White Sox in Game One of ALDS Series

Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria popped two home runs this afternoon as the Rays came out a winner in their first playoff game in the ten year history of the franchise.

The second homer, hit in the fifth inning, chased White Sox starting pitcher Javier Vazquez off of the mound. It was the fourth straight time Vazquez was the losing pitcher in a game he started. Each game was viewed as a "must win" at the time.

The Rays and the Sox meet again tomorrow evening in Tampa Bay. The South Siders' Mark Buehrle (15-12) faces Scott Kazmir (12-8) in what figures to be a pitchers' duel.

A note to ESPN: I watched much of your MLB playoff analysis today, and it is not a "shock" that the White Sox and the Rays are matched up in the playoffs. The White Sox are three years removed from a World Series championship, and the Rays--okay, they were a big surprise this year--were expected to be a little better this season. In nine of their ten seasons, the erstwhile Devil Rays finished in last. Once they finished next-to-last. This year Sports Illustrated picked the Rays to finish fourth in the AL East.

That's a long way from a division crown, but especially regarding the White Sox, ESPN is way off in their "analysis" of this series.

There are other baseball teams besides the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets.

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