Hey, Ray, It's Been a Great Run

The Rays have fired Kelly Frank, who plays Raymond, for no apparent reason.

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Performer Kelly Frank, the woman who perfected Raymond’s trademark butt shimmy, said she does not know why she was fired Monday after five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’m just as confused as everyone else,” she said. “I really didn’t get an explanation.”

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Frank said she was praised as recently as three weeks ago, when her supervisors told her she out-enthused the Philadelphia Phillies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, during the World Series.

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Raymond was the best mascot in the league, and will be severely missed by any Rays fan who has seen her in person. Raymond will never be the same again.

In other Rays news, Rays color commentator Joe Magrane will be leaving his position in the Rays TV Booth for a job at MLB Network. Dewayne Staats and Magrane were one of the best teams in the league. It will be hard to split them up. Staats will likely remain. Brian Anderson is one candidate for the job. He filled in during the Olympics.

The loss of Frank will leave all Rays fans with a heavy heart for a few days. We all need to wonder: Why was she fired for interacting with the fans and doing the best job possible?

All of you who have been to a Rays game at the Trop and seen Kelly Frank in action like I have many times in the past five seasons, will know what I mean by how great a job she truly does. Nobody will be able to put on those big shoes and that furry blue head and be able to do the job the same as she did.

This article was originally posted on riseoftherays, a Tampa Bay Rays Blog founded by Devon Rogers. For more articles like this one, visit the site.