AUG 1: IT'S OFFICIAL: YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE RAYS

Boy oh boy, it has been very difficult. There have been so many times when I have been talking sports with people, talking about the American League pennant race and I would start to say something like... "The Yankees and Red Sox are trying to catch.." And then I would stop myself, halting the letters from escaping my mouth because I knew that it was not yet August 1st. I even had trouble with my fantasy team because I had two players who played for the unspeakable team and every time I looked at my roster I would have to pretend they were not there. It is not August yet I would remind myself, I cannot speak of these people, this team.

I woke up this morning like a kid on Christmas, or Hanukah, or perhaps for a select few, Arbor Day. I watched as the day went from 11:59 to 12:00 AM announcing the arrival of August 1st. And now it is here and I am ready to spend the entire day calling into to Mike and the Mad Dog, getting through once, and then calling again, and then calling again, every time changing my voice, using British accents, or maybe one of those disguise voices that 007 uses. I would dedicate the day to calling Mike and Chris and finally letting it all out. I was psyched and then I looked at the WFAN schedule.

Mike and Chris are off. Convient? Conspiracy? No, it's another word beginning in C. COWARDS. Yes, i am calling Mike Francesca a coward. You sat on your throne, and utttered the same five words over and over again when asked about the Tampa Bay Rays.

TALK TO ME IN AUGUST.

And now it's August and Mike is nowhere to be found. Well, that's probably not true. We all know he is riding a horse in the fields of Saratoga with the wind whistling through his air while listening to All Out of Love by Air Supply on his ipod. I know that.. but this is what i want from this coward. I want a live show today from Saratoga. I don't care if Mike does the whole show while riding a horse or eating a horse or singing I Got A Horse Right Here from Guys and Dolls. I want Mike Francesca taking phone calls and only phone calls. I want the show to start with a phone call that asks Mike what day it is today and I want Mike to say August first and then I want the caller to go on a 17 minute monologue where he recaps the RAYS season along with playing calls by their announcers. I want phone calls where people just say TAMPA BAY RAYS and hang up. At the end of the show, I want Mike to begin to weep. I want him to stand up like that scene in NETWORK. I want there to be huge tears and I want him to yell...

I WAS WRONG!