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Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Tampa Bay Rays the
Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area made many attempts to acquire a baseball team
before receiving the Rays in the 1998 expansion. the main obstacles were city
infighting and the lack of a stadium. That changed with the building of the
state-of-the-art Suncoast Dome in 1986. the dome was built without any
notification of receiving a team (Major League Baseball recommended highly
against it), and was solely meant to attract an existing team. Soon, teams
started to look in to moving to the area, the first being the Chicago White Sox,
who but for a last minute action by the Illinois Legislature were heading to St.
Petersburg. the Seattle Mariners also looked at the area. |
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Tampa Bay Rays Baseball |
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Tampa Bay Rays Tickets |
the 1993 expansion, the first in more than a decade, brought out interest from
the area. Too much, it turned out. St. Petersburg fielded a group, expecting to
be a lock until a competing group from Tampa also showed up. Not helping matters
was a bid by Wayne Huizenga for a team in Miami. Not wanting two Florida teams,
and faced with a strong bid from Denver, the league bypassed the Bay Area and
took Huizenga's bid. Adding salt to the wound, Huizenga named the Miami team the
Florida Marlins.
Another shot at baseball came when the San Francisco Giants were for sale, and a
group wanted to move them to St. Petersburg. A press conference was announced,
uniforms were drawn up, and tickets were about to be printed. However, at the
last minute, the team was sold to a local San Francisco group. Many were bitter,
especially at Huizenga, who voted against the move. A local boycott on
Blockbuster Video stores lasted for years. Angry at MLB about the Giants, group
leader Vince Naimoli threatened a lawsuit. In fear, baseball decided to have
another expansion, this time admitting Naimoli's group and a group from Arizona.
So, the Dome was finally occupied. But, to stay current, it needed more than $70
million US from the city in renovations. the Dome that had built 3 other teams'
new stadiums was now out of date. And, in a biting irony, the team that was
supposed to put St. Petersburg on the map was named...Tampa Bay. Many never
forgave the team.
Franchise history
From their inception in 1998, the Devil Rays have yet to be major contenders,
finishing in last place in the American League East every year from 1998 to
2003. In 2003, the team signed manager Lou Piniella, a proven manager who helped
the Seattle Mariners become competitive in the mid-1990s. Expectations were low
for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball
experts by compiling a 42-41 record (.506) in their first 83 games, staying
within 5 games for the American League wild card, a remarkable feat considering
the team was 18 games below .500 at one point. However, the team soon returned
to its losing ways, finishing the 2004 season with a record of 70-91, the best
in team history, and in 4th place in the American League East, also a team best.
One of their best players has been recent Hall of Fame inductee Wade Boggs, who
became the first MLB player to have his 3,000th hit be a home run while with the
Devil Rays.
After setbacks in the 2005 season that left them again last place in the
division, and tired of what he felt was a non commitment to winning now by the
ownership group, Lou Piniella agreed to a buy out of the last year of his
contract. However, there was some positives in the situation, as the team went
on a tear after the All-Star Break, leaving them above .500 for the remainder of
the season. they finished 67-95 overall, making them 39-34 since the All-Star
Break after a 28-61 start. the Rays continued to play spoilers in the second
half, with a winning record, and timely victories over contenders such as the
New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
the team may have also set the tone for future contention with the play of young
stars and up and coming playes such as outfielders Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes,
Infielder Jorge Cantu (who hit 28 home runs and drove in 117 runs) and pitcher
Scott Kazmir (who finished in the top 5 in the American League in strikeouts).
In 2006, the Rays also should have centerfielder Rocco Baldelli back, who missed
the 2005 season with injuries, along with super prospects Delmon Young and BJ
Upton. the next manager has tools to work with provided the new ownership group
and managing general partner Stuart Sternberg spends the money necessary for the
team to contend.
Immediately after the season ended, Stuart Sternberg, who led a consortium of
buyers to majority stake from Vince Naimoli's group, took over as
managing general partner of the team. He immediately fired General Manager Chuck
LaMar and most of the front office. Matt Silverman was named as team president,
and Andrew Friedman took the role of Executive Vice President of Baseball
Operations. Gerry Hunsicker, former General Manager of the Houston Astros, has
taken over as Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, and will advise
Friedman. Sternberg has decided not to have a de jure General Manager, calling
the position "outdated", and Friedman and Hunsicker will share that role at MLB
functions.
Among the finalists to replace Piniella as manager were Bobby Valentine, who
managed the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League to the 2005 Japan
Series championship. On November 15, the team introduced Joe Maddon as their
manager. Maddon was previously the bench coach for the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim.
Although Sternberg has committed to keeping the team in Tampa Bay, rumors have
begun to surface that he may change the name of the team in the near future.
Quick facts
Founded: 1998 (American League expansion)
Home ballpark: Tropicana Field
Uniform colors: Black, Forest Green, and White
Logo design: the letters "TB" superimposed on a devil ray (manta ray)
Playoff appearances (0): none
Current Owner: Stuart Sternberg, et al.
Current Manager: Joe Maddon
Current General Manager: Position Eliminated by Owner (the position is currently
filled at MLB functions by Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker)
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