| Revision as of 03:38, 19 January 2005 editMusiCitizen (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers63,294 edits →Current stars: - updated -← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:44, 23 January 2005 edit undoHabsfannova (talk | contribs)1,574 edits Added History before Tampa BayNext edit → | ||
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| :'''] championships won''' (0): ''none'' | :'''] championships won''' (0): ''none'' | ||
| == Before the Devil Rays == | |||
| The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area made many attempts to acquire a baseball team before recieving the Devil Rays in the 1998 expansion. The main obstacles were city infighting and the lack of a stadium. That changed with the building of the state-of-the-art ] in 1986. The dome was built without any notification of recieving a team (Major League Baseball reccomended highly against it), and was solely meant to attract an existing team. Soon, teams started to look in to moving to the area, the first being the ], who but for a last minute action by the Illinois Legislature were heading to St. Petersburg. The ] also looked at the area. | |||
| The 1993 expansion, the first in more then a decade, brought out intrest from the area. Too much, it turned out. St. Petersburg fielded a group, expecting to be a lock until a competing group from Tampa also showed up. Not helping matters was a bid by ] for a team in Miami. Not wanting two Florida teams, and a strong bid from ], the league bypassed the Bay Area and took Huizinga's bid. Adding salt to the wound, Huizinga named the Miami team the ]. | |||
| Another shot at baseball came when the ] were for sale, and a group wanted to move them to St. Pete. A press confrence was announced, uniforms were drawn up, and tickets were about to be printed. However, at the last minute, the team was sold to a local San Francisco group. Many were bitter, especially at Wayne Huizinga, who voted against the move. A local boycott on ] stores lasted for years. Angry at MLB about the Giants, group leader ] threatened a lawsuit. In fear, baseball decided to have another expansion, this time admitting Naimoli's group and a group from ]. | |||
| So, the Dome was finally occupied. But, to stay current, it needed more then $150 million US from the city in renovations. The Dome that had built 3 other teams new stadiums was now out of date. And, in a biting irony, the team that was supposed to put St. Petersburg on the map was named...Tampa Bay. Many never forgave the team. | |||
| == Franchise history == | == Franchise history == | ||
| From their inception in 1998, the Devil Rays played sub-standard baseball, finishing in last place in the Eastern division every year from 1998 to 2003. In 2003, the team signed manager ], a proven manager who helped the ] become competitive in the mid-]. Expectations were low for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball experts by compiling a 42-41 record (.506) in their first 83 games, staying within 5 games for the American League wild card, a remarkable feat considering the team was 18 games below .500 at one point. However, the team soon returned to its losing ways, finishing the 2003 season with a record of 70-91, the best in team history, and in 4th place in the American League East, also a team best. | From their inception in 1998, the Devil Rays played sub-standard baseball, finishing in last place in the Eastern division every year from 1998 to 2003. In 2003, the team signed manager ], a proven manager who helped the ] become competitive in the mid-]. Expectations were low for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball experts by compiling a 42-41 record (.506) in their first 83 games, staying within 5 games for the American League wild card, a remarkable feat considering the team was 18 games below .500 at one point. However, the team soon returned to its losing ways, finishing the 2003 season with a record of 70-91, the best in team history, and in 4th place in the American League East, also a team best. | ||
Revision as of 03:44, 23 January 2005
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League.
- Founded: 1998 (American League expansion)
- Home ballpark: Tropicana Field
- Uniform colors: Black, Forest Green, Purple, and White
- Logo design: The words "TAMPA BAY" superimposed on a devil ray (manta ray)
- Wild Card titles won (0): none
- Division titles won (0): none
- American League pennants won (0): none
- World Series championships won (0): none
Before the Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area made many attempts to acquire a baseball team before recieving the Devil Rays in the 1998 expansion. The main obstacles were city infighting and the lack of a stadium. That changed with the building of the state-of-the-art Suncoast Dome in 1986. The dome was built without any notification of recieving a team (Major League Baseball reccomended highly against it), and was solely meant to attract an existing team. Soon, teams started to look in to moving to the area, the first being the Chicago White Sox, who but for a last minute action by the Illinois Legislature were heading to St. Petersburg. The Seattle Mariners also looked at the area.
The 1993 expansion, the first in more then a decade, brought out intrest from the area. Too much, it turned out. St. Petersburg fielded a group, expecting to be a lock until a competing group from Tampa also showed up. Not helping matters was a bid by Wayne Huizinga for a team in Miami. Not wanting two Florida teams, and a strong bid from Denver, the league bypassed the Bay Area and took Huizinga's bid. Adding salt to the wound, Huizinga named the Miami team the Florida Marlins.
Another shot at baseball came when the San Fransisco Giants were for sale, and a group wanted to move them to St. Pete. A press confrence was announced, uniforms were drawn up, and tickets were about to be printed. However, at the last minute, the team was sold to a local San Francisco group. Many were bitter, especially at Wayne Huizinga, who voted against the move. A local boycott on Blockbuster Video stores lasted for years. Angry at MLB about the Giants, group leader Vince Naimoli threatened a lawsuit. In fear, baseball decided to have another expansion, this time admitting Naimoli's group and a group from Arizona.
So, the Dome was finally occupied. But, to stay current, it needed more then $150 million US from the city in renovations. The Dome that had built 3 other teams new stadiums was now out of date. And, in a biting irony, the team that was supposed to put St. Petersburg on the map was named...Tampa Bay. Many never forgave the team.
Franchise history
From their inception in 1998, the Devil Rays played sub-standard baseball, finishing in last place in the Eastern division every year from 1998 to 2003. In 2003, the team signed manager Lou Piniella, a proven manager who helped the Seattle Mariners become competitive in the mid-1990s. Expectations were low for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball experts by compiling a 42-41 record (.506) in their first 83 games, staying within 5 games for the American League wild card, a remarkable feat considering the team was 18 games below .500 at one point. However, the team soon returned to its losing ways, finishing the 2003 season with a record of 70-91, the best in team history, and in 4th place in the American League East, also a team best.
Players of note
Baseball Hall of Famers
Current stars
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Not to be forgotten
- Wilson Alvarez
- Jose Canseco
- Travis Lee
- Fred McGriff
- Jim Morris
- Tony Saunders
- Greg Vaughn
- Victor Zambrano
Retired numbers
- 12 Wade Boggs
- 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)
Minor league affiliates
- Durham Bulls (AAA, International League)
- Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Southern League)
- Visalia Oaks (High-A, California League)
- Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (A, Midwest League)
- Hudson Valley Renegades (Short-Season A, New York-Penn League)
- Princeton Devil Rays (Rookie, Appalachian League)
External link
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