Upstart Rays aim to keep surprises coming in playoffs

Third baseman Evan Longoria, at the All-Star Game in July, is a rookie of the year candidate and team leader for the Rays, longtime losers who won the AL East. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Stu Sternberg paused to watch yet another improbable celebration by his Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. "I didn't know what to make of it," said the principal owner of the low-budget upstarts who went from worst to first in the American League East and will take on the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox beginning Friday night (TBS, 8:37 ET) in the American League Championship Series. "The players were ecstatic. … Then I think, 'Now, what do we have to do to win again?' " Becoming the second team to reach the World Series the season after having the worst record in the major leagues is the immediate challenge. To survive on the field and as... [read full story]