Jenkins: 3-Dot Lounge: Cashing in early

Some primo cherry-nose picking outta the drippin’ 3-Snot Lounge.

Perhaps you can forgive Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon for taking his foot off the accelerator Thursday night. He’s never been in the position of cruising to an American League championship during an apparent rout at Fenway Park. For one thing, and this is a longtime 3-Dot peeve, he removed a starting pitcher, Scott Kazmir, when he was absolutely cruising to victory: six innings, two hits, only 111 pitches (if you think that’s a lot, take this fresh pair of eyeglasses, a dandy new pen and a slide rule, on me).

...And yet another, that same inning: B.J. Upton, always a bit too casual in everything he does (except hit), not hauling down Mark Kotsay’s key double to left-center

...We still like the Rays, and in that poor excuse of a baseball town, they need to close it out. If they become the team that choked away the ALCS, they’re right back to dreadful attendance, a shameful ballpark and realistic talk of a move elsewhere.