Home Away From Home: Devil Rays in Orlando

Mickey dusted off home plate. Goofy sang the national anthem. Donald threw out the first pitch…and caught it too.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays swept the Texas Rangers in a series that was played at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. In a direct attempt to increase the Devil Ray’s dismal regional popularity, principal owner Stuart Sternberg made plans during the off-season for the three-game “home-away-from-home” set.

Thursday night’s series finale drew 9,635. The average turnout for the series of 8,972 was well above the 8,241 the teams averaged for six dates last season at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

However, the question remains: Did the Devil Rays front office succeed in their endeavor of exposing and making fans out of, central Florida, or more specifically Orlando, residents?

a. Yes

b. No

c. Too early to tell

d. The question circumvents the fundamental issue; making Tampa Bay residents Tampa Bay fans.

In declining to acknowledge the true problem, Devil Ray’s management has succeeded in their continual, unremitting pursuit of both trivializing the game locally and alienating fans. On the games at Disney, team president Matt Silverman said. "It was great exposure for the team. ... These games got the attention of the market." With its wealth of new fans, the front office is correct in expecting an exponential boost in team merchandise and memorabilia, especially with a plethora of star “attention grabbing” players and a storied history. I, for one, have already pre-ordered my leather-bound 5-year anniversary, commemorative “We Did Not Finish in Last Place” book, which chronicles the Devil Rays on their record setting, historic 2004 campaign.

The dream of realizing a successful baseball franchise in Tampa Bay is possible with a few significant changes: a payroll over 30 million, an outdoor stadium, and/or a winning team. The reason I tacked an “or” on to the last condition is that winning solves everything, and consequently, produces fans. For example, after years of atrocious football, Tampa residents were quick to embrace the Buccaneers, because they became winners.

Yankees fans outnumber Devil Ray fans 5:1 when they visit the Trop. And that is appalling. Do not blame it on Tampa’s population that is not largely homegrown. Blame it on the front office and their unwillingness to field a winning team. Would the story be different if the Devil Rays had finished first the last ten years and the Yankees last? You’d better believe it.

It is inequitable to blame all the teams’ problems, largely caused by poor performance since the inaugural season, on current management. It is fair to blame them for bypassing the large pool of local fans in preference for those who live three hours away. The man who lives down the street from the stadium doesn’t care about the Devil Rays, because they don’t care about him.