Posted by David Pevear, Sun Staff

Because of geography, you are bound to root for the Red Sox.
And given that the local baseball laundry has won two World Series titles in the past four seasons, and is back in the ALCS for the fourth time in six seasons, this is not such a bad place to be.
But deep down in your Big Papi hearts, you have to love the Rays.
For the time being, Tampa is the adorable low-budget engine that could that you sort of wish the Red Sox could occasionally be. You also know this is never possible given the enormous pressures to ALWAYS win in Boston while knocking heads with the overly exorbitant Yankees. The Red Sox cannot afford to finish in last place nine out of 10 seasons — as the Rays did during the first 10 seasons in their existence — to put themselves in position to be adorable.
So starting Friday night, you will root with all your might for Godzilla, forgetting what it was like before 2004 when you bitterly chalked up every Yankee accomplishment to payroll.
The Rays’ 2008 payroll of $44 million is the lowest in the American League and second-lowest in the majors. In the Wild-Card Era, the Rays are the first team to make the playoffs with a payroll less than half the major-league average.
The Red Sox’s payroll of $133 million is three times larger than Tampa’s, and yet the Red Sox finished two games behind the AL East champion Rays, who finished eight games ahead of the $209 million Yankees.
The intention here is not to diminish the Red Sox, whose player-development (i.e. doing it the right way) under Theo Epstein has been praiseworthy and who, big budget or not, play the game the right way under manager Terry Francona.
But still, you have to love the Rays, who are in the ALCS a year after owning the worst record in baseball.
Geography, I suppose, must win out.