Greetings from a near-empty Tropicana Field. The players are not here yet and neither is most of the media (which explains why I didn't see anyone else on my 7 a.m. flight).

The Red Sox clubhouse is scheduled to open at 3 p.m. Terry Francona and Josh Beckett will give formal press conferences at 3:45 p.m.

Now for the two-edged headline in the St. Petersburg Times:

HEARTBREAKER
No Worries. Boston's victory will likely just delay the Rays' party.

In the story under the headline, columnist Gary Shelton proclaims optimism:

"The Rays lost a devastating game Thursday, 8-7. They didn't lose anything else. They did not lose their momentum, they did not lose their confidence, and they did not lose their grip on the ALCS.

"Saturday night, Sunday at the latest, they will close out this thing. Just you watch."

The thinking in this space is that the Rays better close it out Saturday. If it goes to Sunday - meaning the Red Sox beat James Shields again on Saturday - the Rays will indeed have lost their momentum.

Tampa Bay fans have another reason to hope for a Saturday win. If Game 7 is played Sunday night, it goes up against the Tampa Bay Bucs Sunday night home game against the Seahawks.

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