Cautious or bold, Rays revel in 'a fabulous experience'

Even the culinarily conservative find plenty of adventure, reserving special praise for the fans, atmosphere.

TOKYO - They ate some unusual food, saw some unusual sights and slept some unusual hours. But the Devil Rays said they couldn't have had a better time during their five-day stay in Japan.

"It's been," general manager Chuck LaMar said, "a fabulous experience."

Stories have flown around the clubhouse for days about what the Rays ate, what they saw and what they spent.

For some, it was a chance to get adventurous.

Damian Rolls had an entire red snapper, from head to tail. Jose Cruz had a live shrimp cooked right in front of him. Rocco Baldelli had every kind of sushi he could find plus 10 Kobe beef steaks in the five days.

Managing general partner Vince Naimoli had something he still can't describe.

"I'm not really sure what it was," Naimoli said. "And in thinking about it, I really don't even want to think about it."

Others were not quite as daring.

The Starbucks down the street from the hotel was so crowded there could have been daily team meetings. Robert Fick went to McDonald's every day. Paul Abbott said that aside from a Kobe beef steak, "the best meal I had was at Wendy's."

Lance Carter said he stuck with what he could recognize.

"I've never eaten so many potatoes," Carter said. "Tater tots, french fries, potato squares. I was just real leery. I didn't know what some of the other stuff was."

Players picked up plenty of traditional souvenirs, such as robes and trinkets, plus a few special things. One picked up a samurai sword, a few bought pearls for their wives. Jeremi Gonzalez is bringing home a 4-foot-long remote-control boat he plans to use off Clearwater Beach.

"The best thing for me was seeing the guys' faces as they saw some different things," Eduardo Perez said. "A lot of guys were impressed with the toilets."

Manager Lou Piniella said he couldn't have been treated better. He particularly enjoyed a visit to a nearby shrine. "It was very interesting," he said. "Very peaceful, very serene."

Piniella said his one regret was not having time to ride the Thunder Dolphin roller-coaster at the amusement park adjacent to the Tokyo Dome. His son, Derek, went twice and raved about the 260-foot drop.

"Best I've ever been on," he said.

From an organizational standpoint, Rays officials were thrilled with the exposure they received and the experience their young players got dealing with what was similar to a postseason atmosphere.

"I don't think any of us could have envisioned the impact this trip had on us and hopefully will in the future," LaMar said.

"This type of setting, this type of crowd, this type of pressure make a young team, a relatively inexperienced team, into a championship-ready type of club. We all use the term once-in-a-lifetime and unique, but I don't think those do this justice. It's something we'll all never forget."

Overall, Rays officials said the hospitality was great, the people polite, the scenery beautiful and the trip a good one.

"It's been phenomenal," Naimoli said. "It's been wonderful from the recognition standpoint for the team, for the players, for the Tampa Bay area and for the city of St. Petersburg. All around it's been a great success."