Rays GAIN a game on the Red Sox!!

[Bruce Blingstein]

he is going to see dr andrews who is the lead doctor for the tommy john

anytime you hear that a player is going to see dr andrews its never a good sign.

he went for precautionary reasons.  same reason joba went...both will be pitching soon.

[TB Bulls]

I know we went off the original topic a bit, but the Rays just gained another game on the sox and yanks.  Magic number for the AL east is down to 22 and 19 for the playoffs.

[jd77]

If the Rays wanted attendance to sky rocket they would hire a better marketing team... "feel... the heat" is the worst marketing I have ever heard. Nobody in Tampa wants to watch the St. Petersburg Rays play. Move them to Tampa and then we'll attend.

During the week you may be right unless its a big series.  But, on the weekend's the Tampa support is tremendous.  Hence the reason the weekend crowds have been huge all year.  Saturday vs the O's there were 34K+ and Sunday 32K+.

I live in Wesley Chapel and have a 20 game plan every year.  If someone lives in Tampa and is refusing to support the team because the stadium is located on the other side of the bridge, I really have to question their civic pride.  That is ridiculous. 

Do Giants/Jets fans not go to games because they are in New Jersey?  Do Redskin fans in DC and VA not go because the games are in MD?

That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard.

This is OUR TEAM.  They represent the entire Bay Area.  If they played in Sarasota, Lakeland, Dunedin, Spring Hill, etc. I would still support them. 

[Bruce Blingstein]

JD77, i agree with a lot you say, but the Skins, Jets and Giants are once a week and the hometown fans only get 8 home games a year.  so the demand to go to a football game is way higher than a baseball game.

but just because they play over the bridge is not a good enough excuse to get 14 K crowds for a 1st place team trying to hold their playoff spot.

[Apis Bull]

JD77, i agree with a lot you say, but the Skins, Jets and Giants are once a week and the hometown fans only get 8 home games a year.  so the demand to go to a football game is way higher than a baseball game.

but just because they play over the bridge is not a good enough excuse to get 14 K crowds for a 1st place team trying to hold their playoff spot.

Not only are they only once a week.  That are almost always played on weekends.  That makes a huge difference.

[Matt]

if you compare weekend crowd numbers to weekday crowd numbers you will see about a 20K difference.