The Rays play ALCS Game 3 in Cleveland at 1 p.m. today, moved up because of bad weather, and Rick and Steve open with the series, the NLCS, and a Dodgers "conspiracy theory." With the Brewers up 4-2 in the eighth inning of NLCS Game 3 as they recorded and on the verge of a 3-0 series lead (and Dave Roberts leaving Blake Snell in too long, which lets Kevin Cash off the hook), the guys picture a small-market World Series, with a stop to remember that the movie Major League was filmed in Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Packers used to play a game each year and the Bucs visited. Back in the ALCS, Griffin Jacks gets the ball in Game 3 with Nick Martinez available in relief and likely to start Game 4 on Friday, and Rasmussen on Saturday. They also congratulate Chandler Simpson and Taylor Walls, both Gold Glove finalists (Walls is up against Bobby Witt Jr.), Junior Caminero as a finalist for the Players Choice AL Outstanding Player award, and Shane McClanahan as a Comeback Player of the Year nominee. The Rays need at least one win in Cleveland, and the hosts discuss how the Guardians struggled at home this year, why an early lead matters, and how a sloppy fielding moment helped Tampa Bay in Game 2.
Then Rick takes on the question that comes up every time the Rays host a postseason game: is Tampa Bay a bad sports market? After the upper deck was opened for the first time since 2016 and crowds were in the low-to-mid 30,000s for Game 2, New York radio hosts were quick to pile on. Rick explains why he disagrees: mid-range seats at $150 each, parking, and food turn a game into a $500 night for two and $1,000 for a family of four, in a service and tourism economy with a transient population and plenty of fans who root for the teams they grew up with. He talks about how pro sports have priced out the average fan (Packers, Steelers, and Canadiens fans filling the seats Tampa Bay season ticket holders sell), why people shouldn't tell others how to spend their money, and the pull of an 85-inch TV at home. Steve adds that winning cures most of it, noting that Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and the Braves once struggled too, and the guys end with the greed of professional sports and a nod to the Lightning's marketing.
The final stretch turns to the Bucs. Baker Mayfield wasn't at practice, Todd Bowles said he was scheduled to throw Wednesday afternoon, and Jalen Daniels handled the starting quarterback's press conference. Rick wouldn't be surprised if Baker returns to practice on Friday and is listed as questionable, explains Baker's "50 percent of me is better than 100 percent of somebody else" mindset, and weighs the argument for waiting until the Carolina division game against the argument for playing him now. They break down why the Steelers game is so important in a division where nobody has more than two wins, how a Deron Bland drop saved Daniels from a costly throw in Dallas, a tougher Pittsburgh defense with T.J. Watt, Aaron Rodgers' history in Tampa, and Bucky Irving firing up his offensive line before the Cowboys game because he was "so tired of losing." The Lightning host the Kraken at 7 p.m. looking to bounce back from the loss at the Rangers.
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