America, Meet the Rays. You'll be seeing more of them in October.

There are very few certainties in life, but here are some sure things we can always count on:

There will never be a shortage of reality television.
Stars will always receive preferential treatment.
Larry King will be wearing suspenders, whether we like it or not.
Hugh Hefner will always get the hottest girls, whether we like it or not.
You'll never see Paris Hilton reading Shakespeare.
You'll never see a Martin Scorcese film starring Pauly Shore.
Bill O'Reilly will always be labeling people with the term "pinhead".
Tampa Bay will always finish last in the American League East.

These are the facts of life. What? The Rays are in first place? Are you kidding me? What's next, the apocalypse?

You better believe it, America. Those Tampa Bay Rays, the team we subconsciously associate with athletic futility, the franchise so desperate they abbreviated their name from Devil Rays to Rays, simply because nothing else seemed to work. Yes, those very same Tampa Bay Rays are in first place halfway through the 2008 season, and they show no signs of slowing down. Sure, they may have just been swept in a two-game series in the Bronx, but Tampa still has the best record in baseball, and they will continue to thrive in the dog days of summer. In other words, Tampa will no longer have to watch the postseason from the comforts of their own home. Mark my words: The Rays will make the playoffs.

Call me crazy, but unlike many sports columnists and fans across the nation, I am a believer in this team. Much will be made about how the Rays are not legitimate contenders because they just lost two in a row to the Yankees. This, my friends, is ridiculous. Those two games meant far more to the Yankees than they did to Tampa. This was a make or break series for the Bronx Bombers. Had they lost their season would have been all but over. The Rays, on the other hand, have already proven themselves by sweeping both the Cubs and Red Sox. Tampa has a tremendous young team, led by Evan Longoria, Dioner Navarro, Cliff Floyd, Eric Hinske, B.J. Upton, and ace pitchers Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, and James Shields. Skipper Joe Maddon, frontrunner for Manager of the Year, has this team believing. The Rays are determined to prove their skeptics wrong.

Will this team win the division? Doubtful. The Red Sox are still the team to beat in the AL East because of their championship experience. But Tampa will grab the Wild Card. Minnesota will give them a run for their money, but the Rays will put an end to their decade-long failure. World Series title? No. Playoff birth? You betcha.

The only question now is whether the fans will show.