Five-year-old tips his hat to the Devil Rays

By RODNEY PAGE

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Alex Hall couldn't wait to show his father, Tom, his Devil Rays baseball hat. After more than a year of collecting autographs, 5-year-old Alex finally got the last signature he needed when shortstop Felix Martinez signed his hat before the July 14 game against Montreal.

He burst through the door ahead of his mother, Mary, and yelled for his dad. But when Alex reached to find his hat, it wasn't there. He checked everywhere, but somewhere between Tropicana Field and home he lost his hat.

"He was so upset," Mary Hall said. "He'd worked so hard getting all those autographs."

The Halls share two season tickets with friends, and when it's their turn to go to the game, Mary is the one who usually goes with Alex. Tom is more of a football fan, and he has taken Alex to a few Buccaneers games.

Mary and Alex always arrive for batting practice and hang around the Devil Rays dugout. They get a few autographs each game. Alex's favorite player is outfielder Bubba Trammell.

"Whoever autographs his hat that day, we tell him about that player and what he does on the team," Mary Hall said. "That's how he learns about baseball."

The Halls immediately took action when the hat was lost. They called the Devil Rays and even posted a message on the Rays' Web site. There were several responses, but nobody found the hat.

"Alex checked every day, hoping somebody found it," Mary Hall said.

After a few days, the Devil Rays front office decided to do something. The staff got a new hat, had all of the current players and coaches sign it, and then mailed it to the Halls. It arrived Thursday.

"Alex was so excited," Mary Hall said. "We didn't tell him about it, so he was surprised. He likes it better than his old hat. That was a great thing for the Devil Rays to do."

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