The Boston Red Sox choked away the American League wild card last season, which made for a joyous celebration in Tampa, Florida. But the Tampa Bay Rays weren’t the only team celebrating that final night of the season. The Baltimore Orioles were doing their part by taking out the Red Sox on the final night and celebrating when the Rays came back to beat the New York Yankees.
Former Oriole Luke Scott was injured for the last game, but he took much pleasure in the Red Sox not making the playoffs. Scott became a Rays fan for those last few hours of the 2011 season.
“I’d already had [right-shoulder] surgery, so I was in the clubhouse during the game,” Scott said. “The guys were battling. I was sitting in the clubhouse watching the game with some of my teammates, guys that weren’t playing. We were following back and forth.
“We were pulling for Tampa Bay. They were down, 7-0, and we were like, ‘Dang-it, we’ve got to beat Boston, so we can force this playoff.’ And then the next thing you know the score [in St. Petersburg is] 7-6. Then it’s 7-7. And we’re going into the ninth against one of the best closers in the game.”
Scott isn’t one to hold his tongue though and had some parting shots for Red Sox fans. I’ll say this, he doesn’t like them very much.
“Just their arrogance,” Scott said. “The fans come in and they take over the city. They’re ruthless. They’re vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like [the last game of last season] happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis — classiest fans in the game. You do well, there’s no vulgarity. You know what? You don’t wish them bad.”
“The clubhouse afterward was like we’d just won the World Series — a lot of celebrating, a lot of high emotions,” Scott said.
“Everybody’s giving high-fives, then all of a sudden [Longoria] homers,” Scott said. “Everybody’s in the clubhouse and it’s like, Bam! And we’re like, ‘Go home Boston! Pack your bags. See you next year.”
I guess a last place team does have some kind of emotion, even though I don’t think Buck Showalter had the Orioles packing it in. Scott fired more shots at the Sox fans.
“I got to see a priceless thing driving back to my apartment,” Scott said. “I see all the Boston fans walking around, and I mean they were crying crocodile tears. People were like this, walking side by side.”
Scott wrapped his arm around a reporter’s waist and began to wail to demonstrate.
“It was like someone shot their dog. I rolled down the window and I’m like, ‘Ah, hah, sucks doesn’t it, when someone laughs or makes fun of you when things aren’t going your way.'”
I can hear him saying that in a Boston accent. Scott isn’t one of the best players in the game, but I’m sure he’ll get showered with boos and more when the Rays visit Boston. It should make for interesting theater this season.
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