Canadians! Inexperience! Dynasty! Your Guide to ALCS Hyperbole

Yesterday we hit up the NLCS hyperbole, and to be certain Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre provide the Fox crew with ample opportunities. And yet, there's nothing that gets announcers worked up in a froth quite like the Boston Red Sox. Combine them with the feel-good Tampa Bay Rays and the TBS crew has a potential bonanza for hyperbole in this year's ALCS.

Potential hyperbole: This Rays team is so amazing! They were so bad forever and NO ONE ever expected this kind of turnaround from them!
The truth: Well, 97 wins is more than anyone really expected this year, but observant baseball fans have seen the Rays coming for a couple of years now. Baseball Prospectus predicted 88 wins for them this year. Just because the talking heads predicted far fewer wins for them this year doesn't mean that no one saw it coming.

Potential hyperbole: This Jason Bay is amazing! He's really raised his play since his trade to the Red Sox! How did this amazing player just fall in to their laps from nowhere?!?
The truth: Jason Bay is in fact a professional baseball player who's been playing very well for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2005. In fact, he hit .282/.375/.519 with the Pirates and .293/.370/.527 with the Red Sox. Which is to say that he hit almost exactly the same with the Red Sox as he did with the Pirates. People just paid more attention to him in Boston.

Potential hyperbole: If the Red Sox even get close to winning the series, there's a great chance that the word "dynasty" is going to start getting passed around the TBS booth. Three titles in five years tend to do that.
The truth: Come on, the Ming Dynasty lasted 300 years. Can't we call an extended run of success in sports something else? And even if they win the ALCS, they still have to win the World Series.

Potential hyperbole: The Rays are young! They're going to be overwhelmed by the bright lights of the ALCS! They have no chance!
The truth: Well, Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton both homered twice in the ALDS. And they've played the Red Sox 18 times this year. And they beat them ten of those times. They might be a little star struck by the pagentry and uch at first, but they're not "just happy to be here."

Potential hyperbole: Joe Maddon is so unconventional! But he learned from Mike Scioscia! He's unconventional AND conventional ! This is CRAZY!
The truth: Joe Maddon wears horn-rimmed glasses (special hyperbolic bonus to the first broadcaster that calls them "Tina Fey" glasses!) and uses big words and that confuses broadcasters.

I sincerely hope you enjoy a series of baseball so awesome that the apocalypse has no choice but to follow.

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