OUTRANKED COLONELS: The Rays on Friday became the first team to get back to .500 from at least 18 under since the 1899 Louisville Colonels.
So who were these Louisville Colonels?
They were original members of the six-team American Association in 1882 as the Eclipse of Louisville, became in the Colonels in 1885, made it to the World Series in 1890 (tying the Brooklyn Bridegrooms), then moved to the National League in 1892, finishing at or near the bottom every year.
In 1899, with future Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Fred "Cap" Clarke (the player-manager) in the lineup along with Dummy Hoy and Chief Zimmer (no relation to Don), they started 16-38, got back to .500 at 72-72, and finished 75-77.
The Rays, though, don't want history to repeat itself. After the season, the Louisville franchise was folded (contracted?) and the players absorbed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
STREAKING: The Rays' 12-game winning streak is over, but it won't be forgotten. How big a deal was it?
No team had ever won 12 straight after getting this deep into a season with as poor a record as the Rays had - 21-34, a .382 winning percentage. The last team to win 12 straight with a lower winning percentage at any point in the season was the 1982 Cards, who were 1-3, .250. The last, and only, AL team to do so was the 1942 Indians, also 1-3, .250.
The streak matched the third longest for a team coming off a last-place finish - the 1916 Giants won 26, the 1991 Twins won 15, the 2001 Cubs won 12.
No team had ever won 12 straight coming off a 99-loss season.
While the Rays longest winning streak had been six games, they had losing streaks of 10 games in 2000, 11 in 1998, and 15 in 2002.
Over the past 10 years, there have been only five longer streaks, topped by Oakland's AL-record 20 in 2000.
RACCOON FEVER: Loyal reader and local freelancer Pete Williams suggests that since the Rays' hot streak started with reports of Vince Naimoli's raccoon problem at his Tampa home, the Rays adopt the raccoon as a secondary mascot.
"Imagine the increased merchandise sales generated by raccoon T-shirts, hats and stuffed raccoons (some from Avila, perhaps?). Imagine fans wearing Davey Crockett coonskin caps to the ballpark," Williams said. "Given the momentum generated by the Rally Monkey, the Rally Karaoke Guy, the octopus in Detroit, could the "Rally Raccoon' be far behind?"
A SERIES OF COINCIDENTAL EVENTS
While there doesn't appear to be any one event that triggered the Rays' turnaround, there are some interesting possibilities:
W-L W-L then Event since*
9-23 5/13 Stu Sternberg introduced as general partner 27-12
10-27 5/19 Rays say they'll bring back Fred McGriff 26-8
10-28 5/19 Postgame, Piniella questions player character 26-7
10-28 5/20 Geoff Blum throws out Japan Series T-shirts 26-7
16-29 5/28 McGriff rejoins Rays for first first since '01 20-6
19-32 6/3 Jesus Colome called up to bolster bullpen 17-3
21-33 6/7 Lightning wins Stanley Cup with Rays watching 15-2
21-33 6/8 Report of Naimoli's raccoon problem surfaces 15-2
21-34 6/9 Commissioner Bud Selig visits Trop for 1st time 15-1
YOU DON'T SAY
"Are we as good as 24-7? No. But stranger things have happened." - LOU PINIELLA, manager, before Friday's game.
