ST. PETERSBURG - The locker is empty, except for the story it holds.
The story of a player - doesn't matter which - who did not understand how this place had changed. How expectations had risen and excuses had vanished.
The story of Lou Piniella's distaste for losing and his intolerance for its company.
"It's his demeanor. His attitude," catcher Toby Hall said. "A player doesn't do what he's supposed to do and, the next thing you know, you don't see them around here anymore."
This is not about picking on the fallen. About blaming the overpaid and the unproductive. This is about changing perceptions. Maybe recognizing responsibilities.
This is how, in six weeks, the Devil Rays have slowed a six-year slump.
It has happened more quickly than you ever would have guessed. Maybe not a reversal of fortune, but at least a change in direction.
No longer are the Rays the team without hope. Without a sense of purpose. They are not yet moving past others, but they are moving beyond.
This is it. This is as hot a team as we have known.
It is 22-18, which is as good a 40-game stretch as it gets around here.
A stretch, by the way, that began the night after Piniella lambasted Ben Grieve in the dugout for appearing so serene after another tough loss.
"What Lou has done is made losing unacceptable," DH Al Martin said. "It surprised some people who had been around here a while. He'd be upset after we'd lose a close one and there'd be people who'd say, "What's he so mad about? We played pretty well.'
"He made it pretty clear that was not going to be acceptable. You would come in the next day and certain guys would be gone. Players pay attention to that. Believe me, they pay attention."
The roster has been folded, crumbled and in some places ripped. The Rays have used 47 players and currently are carrying six rookies.
And, yes, there is talent here. Do not think otherwise. Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Hall and Aubrey Huff may all be future All-Stars. Travis Lee and Marlon Anderson have been two of Chuck LaMar's better finds.
But the addition of talent is only part of the equation. The infusion of expectation is equally important.
Terry Shumpert and Damion Easley had statistics that were nearly identical and mostly anemic. Easley was relaxed and easy going. Shumpert has an edge and a passion. Easley was released. Shumpert is still around.
"Winning teams have a certain pep to their step," third baseman Damian Rolls said. "It's not any of that rah-rah college stuff. It's a look of belief in their eyes. The idea that you can win - you expect to win."
The idea seems basic, but it was left behind after the many missteps along the way.
Losing, in Tampa Bay's clubhouse, had become familiar. Maybe not comfortable, but not nearly as aggravating as you might expect.
The Rays had every excuse to lose and the players seemed content to trot out one explanation after another. The payroll was too small. The veterans had failed to produce. The farm system still was developing. And, after all, wasn't everyone expecting last place anyway?
"When the media tells you that you're not supposed to win, it's easy to fall into a comfort zone with losing," Martin said. "It's like, "We're the Devil Rays, it's okay to lose.' "
There is a culture that surrounds chronic losing. A way of behaving as if the problem is more systematic than personal. Accountability runs low because everyone, it seems, is at fault.
Surely, you recall the look of a losing team. It is the face of Wilson Alvarez. Hangdog and helpless. It is the gait of Grieve. Casual and in no great hurry. Losing players show up late and leave quickly. They invest little emotion, which makes it easier to walk away from the night.
These Rays have little in common with many of those who came before them.
These Rays leap for joy, such as Crawford after Monday night's victory. These Rays pump their fist in the air, such as Rob Bell after a spectacular Marlon Anderson play Tuesday night.
These Rays have learned to win.
After losing 10 straight one-run games from May 29 to June 26, Tampa Bay has gone 11-2 in one-run games. They are 19-19 for the season, which already is more than they won in 2002.
"If you lose a game the right way, you learn something. I've always said you have to learn to lose the right way before you start winning," Piniella said.
"If you play enough good games where you get beat, invariably you're going to start winning some. And then the confidence gets higher."
Who knows how long this will last. The Rays finish the season with a more difficult lineup of opponents, and they likely will lose more than they win.
But the impact already has been made. In a sense, the Rays have learned something that cannot be taught. They have experienced success and they have recognized expectations. The rest is details.
They say it is best to lead by example.
In this case, Piniella chose the right moments. And he chose the right players.
