Tampa Bay Rays: Exorcising the Devil...or Not

There is a new mentality around the Tampa Bay baseball organization. Starting with the upcoming 2008 Major League Baseball season the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will now be referred to as the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Tampa Bay Devils Rays have been around since 1998, but in November 2007 management decided to go another direction, prompting principal owner Stuart Sternberg to say the team now represents “a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida.” 

Should I drop everything and move to Tampa Bay?  This seems too good to be true.  The devil has left town.  There is a radiating beacon stretching out to the city limits.  What’s not to love?

The mind set is pretty easy to figure out.  The devil is the supreme figure of evil and brings an aura of negativity to the team, which is an integral part of the local community. 

Also, Tampa Bay has never made the playoffs in the team’s history, which is 10 years, and they have never won more than 70 games in a season. 

Tampa Bay baseball has been synonymous with negativity since their inception.

In theory, this is a public relations wet dream to turn the team from evil to good.  In reality, this is laughable and ridiculous. 

Will all this positive energy turn into more victories on the field?  Will the ticket sales skyrocket?  Will everyone in the community walk around with a smile on their face now?  No, no, and no.

This is just another example in American culture of people going to extremes to be politically correct.  The PC police are now patrolling MLB.  I suggest the other 29 Major League Baseball teams keep their eyes peeled.   

If you want to play along at home put a quarter in a jar to punish yourself every time you say Devils Rays instead of Rays this season.  In the meantime, I will be checking flights to La La Land, FL.