The Year of the Rays | Tampa Sports

As many people have already chipped in about the Tampa Bay Rays this year, I am going to add my name to the list, but hopefully I come at it from a different angle than most.

Being a Rays since their inception has been a difficult and sometimes boring endeavor. Its never fun to lose in anything, much less to watch your hometown team not even put an average team on the field for 10 years. Talk about trying your patience!!! Even with Vince Namoli and Chuck Lamar's valiant effort to put together the "Hit Show" with Fred McGriff, Vinny Castilla, Greg Vaughn and Jose Canseco, the team looked more and more like the "**** Show" then anything resembling a Major League Baseball Team. As a matter of fact, the most exciting hitting that took place in that period of time was when the Red Sox Pedro Martinez hit Gerald Williams and incited a "Slug Fest" of sorts. Unfortunately all of those hits came with fists and not the bats as the Devil Rays went on to go hitless until John Flaherty's 9th inning flair that got rid of the goose egg in the hit column.

Enduring through all the bumps and bruises, and what seems like terrorists attacks (throwing money at guys in hopes that they would be successful only to watch them blow up in smoke) on this lowly organization has only made this moment that much sweeter though. Watching the guys genuinely smile, and cry and party like animals (Johnny Gomes) has been unbelievable. There aren't many organizations that will ever feel the way that I feel right now. The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 years, so what? They have had winning seasons, and superstars, and trips to the playoffs. We had never even sniffed the playoffs. So the Phillies are the only team with in Professional Sports with 10,000 losses and the city hadn't won a World Series in ages? They have had winning seasons, and a plethora of superstars and trips to the playoffs. The Rays didn't even know what 71 wins felt like, much less playing into October. This unbelievable feat has been matched by only Amazin' Mets and many people deemed them a fluke at best. If paper means anything, which by the way it actually did this year for the Rays, this Rays team will not be a fluke but more likely the beginning of what could be a Braves like legacy. The Rays have the deepest pitching in baseball and more than enough talent in the field to repeat again and again and again. This team is built just like the 90's Braves, STRONG pitching, GREAT Defense, and just enough Fire POWER to win.

People discounted the Rays this year, just because they were the Rays! Only true Rays fans had any sense of hope for this year. I was at opening day with a group of my PIKE Fraternity Brothers and one of my buddies bet me that the Rays would not finish better than 10 games under .500 (less than 72 wins). I didn't even stutter, "DEAL". People around me told me that I was crazy and better put the money away because there was no way I was going to win. If I would have put that money down in Vegas I would have about $17000 right now.

So for now just like Joe Maddon's theory, I will take my 30 minutes to sulk in the World Series defeat, and then I will look forward to the next game.

Believe me when I say, "This will not be the last you see of the Rays"!!!!!!!!!!!!!