How I Became a Rays Fan

I moved around a decent amount as a kid. I went to at least one baseball game everywhere I lived- I've been to the Rangers' old stadium, Candlestick, and Turner Field. But those were merely things I did, events I attended that were no different than a theme park, carnival, or other event to or from which you drove more than 15 minutes. I played baseball as a kid, but wasn't really a baseball fan.

Thanks to my parent being hired at Tropicana, we moved to Tampa right around when the Devil Rays started up. We got to attend some games free, though I was usually more interested in free hot dogs and snacks than the game (it didn't help that we usually got to see the Twins or Angels only- I saw a LOT of Mo Vaughn). It was something of an attachment, but not much. The Trop was awful then, with none of the genuine attempts at a welcoming atmosphere that we now see.

It grew into a pity fandom as I finished high school and entered college. Every so often, I would pull up the baseball standings and count the teams with worse records than the Devil Rays, and be overjoyed whenever the number required counting with a second hand. I wasn't following closely though, so I had no idea that the franchise's fortunes were in any way taking a promising turn.

Strangely, it wasn't until I moved to a different state for grad school that I really latched onto the team. This was 2008, so while it makes me look like a bandwagoner, the timing was merely coincidental. I was homesick within a couple months of leaving Florida, and the Devil Rays were a great way of having a sense of attachment and identity, to whatever extent sports can do that. I was thrilled to see them best the Red Sox to go to the World Series, but was so busy with school I didn't get to sit back and bask in the incredibly story of such a sad-sack franchise becoming the AL champions. It's something I'll never get to truly appreciate, and while that causes some sadness, it is what it is.

After that, I began following the team much more zealously, with DRaysBay playing no small part. My parents were taken aback with how basebally I became. I rarely got to see the Rays due to out-of-stateness, but I got to see Garza's no-hitter on TV. Thanks to living near the stadium a few years later, I not only got to see Game 162, I was there, seated in right field, not too far from The Great Pumpkin's game-tying shot.

I'm no sabermetrician, nor am I all that great with statistics in general. But I still get a familiar, buoying feeling watching the Rays, and hope others find that feeling as well. Go Rasy, and let's go to da ship again sometime soon, please.