10. I know the Rangers banged two more homers and generally roped the ball around the park, but I think Josh Hamilton set the tenor with his back-to-back superb catches -- one diving -- in the second inning.
9. As expected, Tampa starter James Shields was, well, James Shields. In the third inning alone he hit a batter, threw behind a batter and allowed the speedy Matt Treanor to score when he fired an errant pick-off throw to first base. Crooked numbers, indeed.
8. In two games the Rays are eight for 64. Even by my very sketchy sportswriter math that comes out to a cool .125. Ouch.
7. I think the odds of coming back from 0-2 is like 13 percent or so (don't kill me, I'm guesstimating). But if Tampa can cling to anything positive it's that the Rays led all of baseball with 47 road wins. So ... good luck with all that.
6. With their second playoff victory in a series for the first time, is it safe to proclaim this -- yes, already -- the greatest season in the 39-year history of the Texas Rangers? Thought so.
5. Cow bells waggled by old folks who are dozing off and/or leaving early to nibble the LuAnn Platter are embarrassing. And harmless.
4. Not sure C.J. Wilson topped Cliff Lee, but he dang sure tied him. How about 6.1 innings with only two hits and no runs. That's right, no runs. Oh yeah, and only two walks. Muy bueno.
3. Aggregate totals: Runs -- Rangers 11, Rays 1. Hits -- Rangers 19, Rays 8. This, my friends, is a blowout.
2. The Rangers are clearly the better team through two games. Pitching. Hitting. Fielding. Everything. That said, they've also been luckier. Happened again today in the fifth inning, when Michael Young should've struck out but wound up jacking a three-run homer that put the game outta reach. Admit it, with two strikes Young tried to check his swing, but he didn't. He clearly broke his wrists, but umpire Jerry Meals somehow saw it otherwise. With a new life, Young got his first career playoff hit, a bomb to center off reliever Chad Qualles that totally pissed off the Rays and got Tampa manager Joe Maddon ejected.
1. Brooms, anyone? Remember, Rangers' Game 3 starter Colby Lewis flirted with 200 strikeouts with an ERA under 4.00 while the Rays' Matt Garza has a 5.96 ERA in 22 innings pitched in Arlington.
