My Final Plea.

When I saw the score during work, I was pissed.



Then I was livid.



Then I was disappointed.



Now flat-out depressed.



This is not the Tampa Bay Rays team that won the division. This is nothing like the Tampa Bay Rays that nearly won it all back in 2008. This is a Tampa Bay team that looks like they are flat-out quitting. Their heart just isn’t in it anymore. Their energy isn’t there. They know it. We know it. The fans noticed it. Everyone is noticing it. Game 2 was not a loss, but a pure embarrassment. Once again James Shields let us down, once again Crawford and Longoria couldn’t hit, and once again nobody stepped up to the plate and delivered the much-needed kick to boost Tampa into a competitor. Texas was all over them, they were ready for a win. The Rays however, I’m not sure what is going on. But I might have a clue.

Something happened between July and now that has totally killed the energy and flair of Tampa Bay. Kind of like what happened to LeBron James in the Conference Series against the Celtics (leading up to his move to the Heat), there’s more to the story than just what you are witnessing. And my theory stands: the lack of fans and lack of care in the community has affected them mentally and emotionally. The team back in April and May is nothing like the team we see today.

The Rays found out that next season has major financial cutbacks, that they still have some of the lowest attendance amongst any winning team in any American sport, they are definitely going to lose part of their core of talent no matter what happens at the end of this year, Bud Selig may have told management in Tampa Bay to not make investments in the area until attendance improves, and that despite all the improvements, their franchise just isn’t going to have the outcry of fan support like the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Twins, and even the Royals. I am currently watching the Giants-Braves game, and they are clearly eight times as loud as Tampa fans.

Can you imagine showing up to Boston and New York and seeing twice as many fans as you’ll ever see in Tropicana Field? Can you imagine seeing ESPN constantly mentioning how the Tampa Bay area just doesn’t seem to care? I am positive that it would affect the spirit of a ballclub. Remember how they kept losing at home during the beginning of the season? Remember their infamous loss against the Twins because of the stadium? Remember the potential division-clinching game drawing a pathetic 12,000 fans? Now I am not saying that this is the only reason that they are losing, but it’s a major contribution.

Now, picture playing game 3 in Texas. Is the attendance there going to still be less than full despite it being a playoff game? Hell and no. And I know they are going to feel it. Why else would Crawford be certain to leave Tampa? Why else would Pena, a pathetic ballplayer that still gets support from the Rays, search elsewhere? Why else would Soriano, a player whose career was totally revived by Tampa, leave as well? Because playing for the Rays will increase your skills, but you won’t get the big league feeling. As long as you are in Tampa, you will never see the passion that is experienced by other baseball teams.

Bottom Line: I have spit this time and time again, this team needs to move, and it so desperately needs to get out of there. What I am seeing is a baseball club that is watching and reading the negative press, and is suddenly living it. The Rays when they are at their happiest is easily, hands-down, one of the best teams in all of baseball. They will find a way to freakin’ score, and yet the first two games its not happening. Nothing is happening. Bud Selig knows this, and I am positive that within the next few years, there will be threats to move the team. Orlando is waiting.



So now I am ending this article with a plea, a beg: please Rays, please. Don’t let Game 3 be the last game of this magical season. Yes, I know that the fanbase isn’t there and will never ever be there, but please, win it for the fans that do exist, for the fans that are out there watching the games and driven nearly to mental anguish over the disappointment. If you are going to go down, go down fighting. Score runs, give them a massive push, give it what you got. Do it for the few fans out there that do care.



P.S. Maddon, you are still an absolute idiot for giving Shields the ball for Game 2. Where the heck is Hellickson?

P.P.S. Please, please....don't let this season end so quickly.