Columns

Imagine a world with Rays in the penthouse

Think 'Days of our Rays,' not dog days

By GARY SHELTON
Published February 22, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - What if they mattered?

What if they were good?

The Devil Rays open their 10th spring training camp today, and shockingly, the public schools have not closed for the holiday. If you judge by the fans who showed up for Wednesday's workouts - they flooded in by the half-dozens - it is fair to say that the public at large is managing its excitement just fine.

But what if things were different?

What if they were contenders?

Here at the factory that produces last place, there is a dreary familiarity to the Rays. Another year, another cellar, that sort of thing. It doesn't matter how many of these you have been to, the taste is always the same. It tastes like "64 victories."

But what if the Rays paid well enough?

What if they played well enough?

Around here, you can only imagine. What if Tampa Bay was a legit team on the verge of a legit season? What if this community was buzzing over its ballclub? What if this spring promised as much to Rays fans as it does to Yankees fans or Red Sox fans or Cardinals fans?

Think of the way the Ray Naimoli Complex would feel. Think of the traffic jam. Think of the fans crowding the fences to talk about old favorites and new possibilities and potential trades. Think of a busy ticket office and scrambling to find tickets for the Blue Jays opener or the Dodgers series in June or those late showdowns with the Red Sox and Yankees in September.

Think of the crowd around the team's new free-agent acquisition. Trot Nixon, maybe. Maybe Moises Alou. For a contending team, those contracts weren't bad. Maybe the team could have ponied up for Daisuke Matsuzaka. Who knows? Maybe even Barry Zito.

Zito would have been fun, wouldn't he, especially since he seems to have learned his new windup from girlfriend Hilary Duff. Maybe he could have fixed up Scott Kazmir with Jessica Simpson. Maybe he could have introduced another new teammate to Jennifer Lopez: Jae Seo, meet J-Lo.

Think of the minicontroversies that come with training camp. This year, the gossip pages are filled with the news of fun couple Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston of pinstripes.

If this team mattered, maybe the local media would question whether there was a rift between Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist and new acquisition Akinori Iwamura. Some days, after all, it seems as if the two don't even speak the same language.

"Our issues are in the past," Zobrist said Wednesday, his tongue in his cheek.

If this team mattered, maybe there would be more conversation about locking up Kazmir. He is, after all, a 20-game winner. So what if it has taken him the last two seasons to do so? Around here, he's still unchallenged as the team's ace. If this team mattered, perhaps Seo would have won more than one game before he was ensconced as the team's No. 2 pitcher.

If this franchise was vital, perhaps you would worry more about star players opting out of their contracts. J.D. Drew did that last year with the Dodgers, and A-Rod has talked about the possibility of doing the same next year. Around here, the Rays invented the opt-out clause. They opted out of Julio Lugo's contract last year, and out of Aubrey Huff's, etc. Here, they refer to it as "trading for prospects."

If this division was winnable, perhaps you would worry about freak injuries. Did you hear that Ken Griffey broke his hand while wrestling with his kids while on board the family yacht? That doesn't happen here. With this team's payroll, who can afford a yacht?

If the playoffs were possible, everything would be turned up. People would debate whether Joe Maddon could win the big one (an interesting debate, since the Rays have never had a "big one"). They would argue about the bullpen (for the record, I'm in favor of one). They would bid on eBay for Jonny Gomes' old hair. No one would argue about the upcoming games in Orlando; if this team was good, there wouldn't be any need for them.

Voices would get loud. Tickets would be sold. Readers might even blog. Fun would escalate to the point of "glee."

What if the Rays were something to see?

Just imagine. Around here, what other choice is there?

Gary Shelton can be reached at (727) 893-8805.

[Last modified February 22, 2007, 06:54:01]