The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are for real!
New York. It’s the city that never sleeps. As Frank Sinatra said, and I can vouch for him, “if you can make it there you’ll make it anywhere.” New York’s baseball club, is the 26 time world champion New York Yankees. They are considered the most famous franchise in the history of professional sports. The Yankees pinstripe uniforms are not only stylish, but also recognized everywhere. New York plays their home games in "The House That Ruth Built", Yankee Stadium. Frequent stadium guests include Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, and Yogi Berra.
St. Petersburg. It’s the little city across the bay from Tampa Florida. Their baseball club- the Tampa Bay Rays. They are the result of Major League Baseball’s 1998 expansion. In the last ten years the Rays have never once had a winning season. Formerly known as the Devil Rays, they have been the worst franchise in all of baseball before this season. They play their home games in Tropicana Field. It’s a building that should have been condemned long before the Rays moved in ten years ago. Frequent Tropicana guests include former WWE wrestlers Brian Nasty Boy Knobs, and Greg The Hammer Valentine.
On May 13, 2008, while working an event in Orlando Florida, I rented a car and drove 100 miles southwest to St Petersburg and Tropicana Field to watch the Yankees and Rays battle in the second game of a four game set. The Yankees were already beat up, under achieveing and playing .500 ball two months into the young season. The Rays on the other hand, were the toast of the American League. Everyone was expecting the Rays to be a good club in 2008, but no one was expecting them to be near the top of the Division after two months of play.
The Yankees were having a hard time hitting during the road trip in Tampa, a theme that would remain constant throughout the season. But on this night I was confident they would find a way to win, with ace pitcher Chin Ming Wang on the mound for New York.
The game quickly developed into a pitchers duel between Tampa’s Edwin Jackson, and the Yankees Wang. The more I watched of the duel the more frustrated I got as a Yankee fan. The Rays lead 1-0 in the top of the 9th when Yankee Hediki Matsui launched a solo homerun off Tampa closer Troy Percivil just inside the right field foul pole. I remember thinking that the Yankees were lucky to be on the scoreboard. I also remember thinking that they would still lose the game either in the bottom of the 9th, or in extra innings.
In the bottom of the eleventh, with the greatest closer of all time on the mound, Mariano Rivera faced pitch hitter Gabe Gross with a runner on. Gross lined a base hit up the middle, and Johnny Gomes came around to score. It was a very dramatic walk off victory for the Rays. Tropicana field was buzzed with fans beginning to believe in their team. Rays manager Joe Maddon was walking the field with flair of confidence as he congratulated his players. Maddon’s walk was similar to the one I often saw former Yankee manager Joe Torre take after victories.
As a Yankee fan, I was very dismissive of all the celebrating surrounding me. Shortly after the game ended, word got around that the Red Sox had also lost. The result of the Sox loss combined with the Rays win was a first place status for Tampa in the American League East.
I remember thinking, “how cute.”
“The Rays are in first place. Enjoy it while it lasts guys. Cause in the Al East, this will never hold up!”
How could it possibly last?
A team with a 44 million dollar payroll ( fifth to last in all of baseball). An organization that has a ten-year tradition of mediocrity. A team that plays in the same division as the powerhouse Yankees and Red Sox. Besides it was only May 13th. There was almost five months of baseball left to play. I just laughed off the Rays victory and continued to laugh the rest of the summer.
But now it’s August 20, and the laughing has stopped.
The Rays have the best record in baseball. They are up by 10 games over the Yankees, and just took two out of three games from the second best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels. (Tampa almost swept Los Angeles.)
The Rays are for real.
And soon Tampa will begin to concern themselves with things like magic numbers, post season ticket deposits, and game one starters. The tides have turned. Although New York might be the better city, have a greater stadium, and a far superior baseball franchise, the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are better in the only way that matters, the standings.
