It's official: I can start paying attention to baseball again
You all know how me and my family are big fans of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, er, Rays, right?
Well, I looked at the MLB standings in the back of The Bee's sports page one morning last week, and I about spit out my vanilla-caramel-cream-flavored coffee. For the first time, my team was in first place of the AL East in the month of May. Now I know what you're saying: "Big whoop. There's, like, three-quarters of a very long season left."
Well, yes. I know. But maybe someone should tell that to the artists at Sports Illustrated:
Now, ain't that a beautiful thing? And the Yankees are in last place. I love this. Ironically, the Tampa Bay is getting it done with base hits, stolen bases and solid pitching -- not necessarily the bulging, steroid (allegedly)-assisted muscles depicted here. But that's OK. I guess that's how to works in comics. (I wouldn't know. I'm not a geek.)
My little Rays are literally the poster children of a new day in baseball. I never thought this day would come. Two years ago, I was in the chorus singing contraction songs about crappy teams such as Tampa Bay to get out of baseball. Now, I'm checking TV listings to see if this success will translate to national coverage.
Then again, there's always the Sports Illustrated cover curse.
Comments:
Here's another mystery ... Why are the Devil Dogs Rays wearing their home unis and the Yankees wearing their grays -- at the Stadium? Another mystery: Where did the left-field pillars come from? They were taken out, like, 35 years ago. Maybe that's why Superman is holding his head in disbelief. Inquiring minds want to know ...
But let's face it: If you're gonna do some artwork with baseball involved, would you rather use the Cathedral of Baseball or some generic (this year's corporate sponsor name here) dome in St. Pete?
Posted by: fran fried at May 22, 2008 4:29 PM
im no fan of corporate names on stadiums ... but it has been tropicana since the beginning. as for artwork, wow, who knew the nugget about when the yankees pillars were taken out? you should go on a game show. i think the idea is the rays are going into the yankees' house and kicking butt.
Posted by: will at May 22, 2008 4:51 PM
One thing I hate, people who like crap teams and all of a sudden, when they get good once every twenty years, rub it in ur face. Like like you braggin when UCF finally had a decnet year. Grow up Will.
Posted by: D. Low at May 22, 2008 5:50 PM
The Rays look like they have a bright future ahead. I think their farm team ranks #1, one spot ahead of my A's.
http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080313&content_id=2423721&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
actually they are, here's the link. Look D. Low, your team is number 5.
Posted by: mdub420 at May 23, 2008 12:04 AM
...it seems to be a trend of late for the Yanks to start out kind of in the basement, and always wind up somewhere in the playoffs... (I can't remember when we've had a 'strong season' right out of the gate and held it all the way through to money...
-(last night Yanks beat the Orioles.)
I think it's great when a team that has been not seen winning in a while really steps up and plays good ball. If such is the case with the Rays? Excellent...
A contest is a contest because of equals in skill duking it out...
If it were not this pact that the Yankess have made with Satan, we'd loose more, --and not be as hated.
But hey, take the bad with the good...
(My biggest complaint?
'Gratuitous Jeter Shots...'
-has nothing to do with the plot, does not enhance the film whatsoever, and then '...oh look Jeter's Eyes, oh look, Jeter's arms, oh look Jeter's (whatever.)'
I mean, I know there's a lot of ladies (and men too, I guess,) who just swoon over this guy... but c'mon... I want to see baseball played (which is slow and boring enough sometimes as it is,) without the one man equivallent of 'BayWatch,' always on the screen...'
Posted by: wet towel at May 23, 2008 3:36 AM
uh, i went to uSf ... and if we cant brag for a few weeks every 20 years, then whats the point? i know bad teams dont have a reason to exist, but if they do, how can you blame the fan?
the least i can do is blab on the beehive for a minute about how my crap team might not be crap this year (they still might, btw).
and how could i not be happy in a year when my nfl team makes the playoffs, my alma mater gets a bowl game and my mlb team doesnt stink (yet)?
it's 2008. don't hate.
Posted by: will at May 23, 2008 9:21 AM
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