Allen: Embrace the Rays rivalry

It still doesn't feel quite right does it?

The Red Sox are playing the Tampa Rays in the ALCS. The Rays. Not the Yankees. Not the Indians, not even the A's or Angels. Yes, the erstwhile Devil Rays, who have had a scrappy, volatile relationship with the Red Sox almost from their beginning.

Managed first by Larry Rothschild and then Hal McRae, the then-Devil Rays trotted out a cast of characters in those early years that included Fred McGriff, Vinny Castilla, Wade Boggs, Greg Vaughn and the immortal Gerald Wiliams, who might be best known for charging the mound on Pedro Martinez during the first inning of a wild game on August 29th, 2000. The game seems to define the tempestuous relationship between the two clubs, which has continued off and on right down to this season.

After things settled down in that 2000 game, Martinez went on to carry a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Williams and manager Rothschild were tossed after the incident with Pedro, and three different Tampa Bay pitchers were thrown out of the game for throwing at Red Sox hitters. With Rothschild ejected, Bill Russell slid into the manager's seat, and was ejected later in game. Jose Cardenal took over, and soon after HE was ejected as well. Lou Merloni spent the night in the hospital after being kneed in the head during the first inning brawl, and Brian Daubach needed X-rays on his left elbow. Daubach had angered the Rays, who claimed he had taken cheap shots during the melee. Thereafter Daubach was a target of Tampa pitchers, seemingly getting thrown at in every series the teams played thereafter.

The teams have continued their contentious relationship right down to this season, as Coco Crisp will fully attest to. James Shields, Jonny Gomes, Carl Crawford and Dioner Navarro took turns pounding on the Sox outfielder after he charged the mound in a game in June of this year. The brawl seemed to be the Rays sending a message that they weren't backing down this season. The Rays stayed atop the division almost all the way through the season, and won the division for the first time ever.

It's a new Rays team, but there are still plenty of old, hard feelings between these two clubs. The stakes are higher now that they have ever been for the Rays, but they've shown remarkable poise and fortitude in first holding off the Red Sox for the AL East and then beating the White Sox in the first round of the playoffs. Should we expect any fireworks between the two clubs? I imagine there will be a few moments of tension, for sure, but it would be a major surprise to see any bench clearing events.

However if there happens to be a blowup, Don Zimmer is a senior advisor with the Rays, and just to be on the safe side, he should probably stay off the field during the series. We wouldn't want to see him get tossed to the ground by a Red Sox pitcher in the middle of an altercation.

Bruce Allen is the creator of Boston Sports Media Watch, which has recently been recognized by SI.com as one of the best non-corporate sports web site's on the Internet.