Tampa Bay Rays

It’s not very often that you get to see a World Series game in person.  So when ‘my connection’ called me up with a ticket to spare, I decided to make the two-hour trek to the Trop for Game One.  Although Tampa Bay had just beaten my Boston Red Sox, this was an opportunity I could not pass up.  Far be it from me to look a gift cowbell in the mouth.

Continue reading "The Scene From Game One: Mohawks ..."

So this is what our forefathers had to go through, huddled around the radio, begging for a visual, tuned in only to the audio portion of the broadcast.  Thank goodness for XM radio and the ever-portable jack and coke.  I stepped outside to listen to the car radio until the network could regain coverage.  Never before had I yearned for the voice of Chip Caray.

Continue reading "Ted Turner - The Rays' Tenth Man"

The Green Monster in historic Fenway Park not only features the manually changed scoreboard on its façade, it also shows the regular season standings.  Tampa Bay 97-65.  Boston 95-67.  Two games back.  This season, the Rays won their first American League East title in franchise history.  It shows, for the last two games in Fenway are ones that Red Sox nation would rather forget.

Continue reading "Rays Write Red Sox Eulogy"

In my current quest to work as little as possible while also attending premier sporting events throughout Florida, I decided to withdraw a small portion of my dwindling bank account and scalp a ticket to the Monday night Red Sox-Rays game.  Despite having lived in Tampa, I had never been to Tropicana Field.  But let’s be honest, prior to this season, there was never really a good reason to go.  Since their inception, the Rays have never finished in anything other than last place in their division.

Continue reading "Rays Fans Are Baby Taunters!"

The American League East has been a two horse race for as long as I can remember but I think this year it becomes three-team battle.  The Toronto Blue Jays are as talented as most teams in the league and if they can stay healthy they can definitely contend.  The Rays and Orioles will again bring up the rear of this division but the top should be a fun and wild ride all year long, beginning with the Yankees-Blue Jays to open the season next week.

Continue reading "Part VI: AL East"