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This season, Devil Rays break out fun, games

Interactive games and baseball-themed activities are among the new offerings that will be on display today at Tropicana Field. Play ball!

By MARY JANE PARK
Published April 10, 2006

	[Times photos: Bill Serne]
	Painter Tucker Hult works on one of the doors of the exhibit area inside Tropicana Field, which will feature memorabilia from Ted Williams and other legends.
	Chuck Ferguson, left, and Dave McCarthy prepare memorabilia Friday for the Hitters Hall debut.
	Marc Topkin's blog: The Heater At bat music Curtain-raiser Good vibes coming off .500 trip

Broadcast a baseball game, have a Louisville Slugger bat engraved with your name, and hang out with Raymond, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays mascot.

New interactive games and Major League Baseball-themed activities are among the enhancements to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, where the Rays play their first home game against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:15 tonight.

In Right Field Street, fans can feel pine tar and the texture of turf at the Trop, lift a rosin bag and examine mitts and cleats worn by the pros.

There are updated high-tech video pitching and batting cages and a new "Bats, Balls & Brushes" exhibit from the Arts Center, where children can paint and create arts and crafts that will be themed throughout the season. They may design personalized baseballs or bases, for example.

TOPPS will print personalized baseball cards, and a video room will include Xbox games.

"Raymond's Reef" will have a water-themed decor and will be the mascot's living area, housing a refrigerator, furniture and photos taken with his family and friends.

Children will be able to visit with Raymond when he is not performing in the stadium.

Great Explorations, the Children's Museum, will debut an exhibit teaching the science and physics of baseball by using items such as an electromagnetic baseball and a baseball launcher.

MOSI's new offering will put children in a broadcast booth with scripts, microphones and monitors and will include a karaoke system with baseball songs.

There is another room for adult fans, who can make their own TV and radio calls.

Weary parents can relax in an area with upscale furniture, tables and carpet.

On Centerfield Street, the Rays have opened a Major League Baseball Alumni office. Today, former MLB players will conduct autograph sessions.

The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of fame will debut its new exhibition space, featuring memorabilia from Williams and other legends including Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Sadaharu Oh.

Baseball trivia experts can try their expertise against the "Mayor of Tropicana Field," no slouch in the minutiae department.

Workers were still painting the concourse Friday, installing carpet and other new features.

"We really want to make the experience fun for anything and anybody," said Joe Ciaravino, the Rays' manager of corporate partnerships who oversees many of the interactive areas.

Tropicana Field opens at 4:15 p.m. today.

[Last modified April 10, 2006, 10:56:02]