Boy the Tampa Bay Rays have done a complete 180 this season, not only in their record, but now in their coolness factor. You would never think of the Rays as being a team to attract the celebrities before this season, and that's probably still the case, but they did have a
celebrity in the owner's box on Thursday.
Comedian Chris Rock, who had a show at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Thursday, sat in the owner's box as a guest of the Rays.
"He was the first guy in line greeting us coming in," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You go, 'Hey Chris,' bang," Maddon added, illustrating a fist-bump, "and move to the next guy."
Cliff Floyd said having celebrities visit the clubhouse is a byproduct of winning.
"I mean, if we were losing, he'd have come into town and his show would have been half about us last night," Floyd said.
And he probably would have made the mistake of calling them the "Devil" Rays too. Instead, Rock stuck to picking on rap music,
Jude Law, and
Chris Simms. But seriously, if it ever gets to the point where the real bandwagon jumping celebrities like
Sylvester Stallone show up, then you'll know the Rays will have made it into the celebrity stratosphere.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-05-2008 @ 9:56AM
warren g said...
Remember the Washington Nationals 3 years ago? Just like them, the Devil Rays will come back to earth in the second half of the season. They will probably finish 3rd (a miracle in itself) behind the Red Sox and Yankees, which is still great progress. When they are out of contention, they'll be getting 5000 spectators like before. This is still a minor league town and doesn't deserve a major league franchise.
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7-05-2008 @ 5:17PM
rbgile said...
I'm a long time Red Soxs fan, and I'm not surprised to see the Rays up there. They have good young pitching and a young athletic defense with lots of speed. I'd not be surprised to see them finish ahead of the Yankees and behind the Red Soxs. And in the playoffs, pitching rules, so it will depend on who's hot in a short series.
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7-06-2008 @ 10:42AM
jan said...
I don't see how anyone can say that we don't deserve a major league team! It sounds like someone is jealous. We finally get a good team, and wow, guess what, people come to see them. And just for your information, this team is not just for the St Pete area, but the whole Tampa Bay area. Oh by the way Warren, they aren't called the Devil Rays anymore, just the Rays. And as a long suffering fan, who has gone to the games from the very beginning, I am just happy that people are coming out to the games and having fun. I don't understand people who want to bash us, and say we will slide back, I guess you want to be able to say "I told you so". Well, if that is what makes you happy, go for it. I hope you are wrong. I think we have a very good team, and just because we aren't a great big city, doesn't make us minor league!
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7-07-2008 @ 2:07PM
Steve said...
Hey how about a little credit to the Tampa Bay Rays. They are a great team, fun to watch and competitve. It just goes to show you, that MONEY DOESNT BUY EVERYTHING! A 43 million dollar payroll, second to least in all of baseball and they are winning. I think Warren should stop living in the past and concentrate on the present and the future. Don't call the team minor league. Can you play major league baseball? If you can than put on a uniform and play. If not, stop talking. The Rays are serious and here to play hard, don't like it? Get Over It!
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7-07-2008 @ 5:50PM
Rick said...
I agree, the Rays are for real. Every team has its break-out year, and now it's Tampa Bay's turn. They have good, young starting pitching, lights-out bullpen, and solid defense. They are 22 games OVER 500, and they haven't started hitting consistantly yet. But they will. Especially when they get Rocco back. Think about this - if all they do is play 500 ball the rest of the season, they will still win over 90 games. That's play-off material any day.
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7-08-2008 @ 10:26PM
John Mudri said...
Warren: Your comments show what an idiot you are about Tampa being a major league town. There are other cities you should pick on, like Milwaukee, Oakland etc- just law off of Tampa, it is a good town!-
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7-09-2008 @ 11:51AM
wilson said...
The rays are a good team only sometimes. They might get 3rd or 4th place this year which is a lot better than the past. If their players were more consistant they could wind up in 1st place. I think most of the players have to learn how to hit well with all pitchers, instead of only some.
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