Commissioner, please don't drop ball at Trop
By JEFF WEBB, Editor of Editorials
Published June 28, 2007
When he was first invited, Jeff Stabins turned them down.
"I had planned to fly out that day to visit my Dad for his 80th birthday, " he explained. "But then a few people said I was crazy to say no, so I changed my flight."
Such are the tough decisions one faces when one is an elected official and must place public responsibilities above personal plans. In this case, Stabins is duty-bound to make a pitch, literally, for Hernando County.
On July 14, Stabins, chairman of the County Commission, will throw out the first pitch at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays take on the New York Yankees. Also on that day, members of the Sheriff's Office will present the colors for the national anthem, and mermaids from Weeki Wachee Springs will be in attendance, as the Devil Rays and the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce team up to host "Hernando County Community Night."
According to a press release from the Devil Rays, "The Rays are celebrating 10 years of major league baseball in Tampa Bay and wish to salute Hernando County and its fans for their continued support ... in helping to build a long-lasting tradition of baseball in Tampa Bay."
Stabins, who said Wednesday he has not played baseball since the T-leagues of his youth, is taking his debut in the majors seriously.
"I've got a bucket of baseballs in my car. I've been throwing with Walt Cermak, " a friend who is the former coach of the girls softball team at Hernando High School. "I don't want to screw this up.
"I've been waking up every morning in a cold sweat, " thinking about everything that could go wrong, he said.
Still, Stabins said the positives outweigh the negatives. He grew up a "huge New York Mets fan, " and this game may be an opportunity to meet Don Zimmer, the Rays' senior baseball adviser, who was on the Mets' 1962 inaugural team.
Stabins doesn't consider himself a real Devil Rays fan, but "I will be that night because they are playing the Yankees." As a Mets fan, that is a special incentive, he said, and also "because my dad and my nieces and nephews are big Yankees fans. They want me to get some Yankees' autographs."
Stabins confessed he has been to only one Devil Rays game, and that was nine years ago. So, I began to wonder if he could pull off being even a casual fan. Knowing that he was a teacher long before he became a politician, I found certain satisfaction in springing a pop quiz to test his knowledge of Tampa Bay's favorite underdog.
What is the name of the Devil Rays' mascot?
Stabins' answer: Manta Ray
Correct answer: Raymond.
What league and division are the Devils Rays in?
Stabins' answer: American League East
Correct answer: American League East
What year did the Devil Rays play their first game?
Stabins' answer: 1995
Correct answer: 1998
What were the two names of the ballpark where the Devil Rays play, before it became Tropicana Field?
Stabins' answer: The Florida Suncoast Dome and Devil Rays Stadium
Correct answer: The Florida Suncoast Dome and the ThunderDome.
Who threw out the first pitch at the Devil Rays' first game in 1998?
Stabins' answer: Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.
Correct answer: Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Al Lopez and Monte Irvin simultaneously threw out the first pitches.
The Devil Rays have had four managers. Name as many as you can.
Stabins' answer: Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella.
Correct answer: Maddon, Piniella, Hal McRae and Larry Rothschild.
Who is the only Devil Ray to have his number retired?
Stabins' answer: Wade Boggs
Correct answer: Wade Boggs
Who owns the Devil Rays now, and who was the first owner?
Stabins' answer: No answer.
Correct answer: Stu Sternberg and Vince Namoli, respectively.
What is the distance between home plate and the rubber on the pitcher's mound?
Stabins' answer: 60 feet, 6 inches
Correct answer: 60 feet, 6 inches
Who is Elijah Dukes?
Stabins' answer: He's one of their players who had some trouble off the field. They sent him down to the minors.
Correct answer: Uncouth creep.
By my count, Stabins batted .500 on this pop quiz. Probably not enough to pass muster as a true Rays' fan, but not so bad that he couldn't achieve his goal with a little extra work.
So, commissioner, before you step onto Tropicana Field and assume your place as the temporary titular head of Hernando County, do your homework and make us proud.
And don't worry if you one-hop it to the catcher; you won't be the first.
Jeff Webb can be reached at webb@sptimes.com and (352) 754-6123.