Would it make a sound?

SHELTON E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 8, 2001

Suppose it had been us.

You imagine the fans, milling around Tropicana Field, trying to figure out what happened to a franchise that just arrived. Sadly, you don't imagine there would be enough of them.

You imagine the discussions over lunch at the neighborhood bars, of the voices trying to sort out what happened and why. Sadly, you do not imagine the volume to be out of hand.

You imagine the protests and the pleading, the pain and the passion. Sadly, you question whether it would run deeply enough.

Suppose baseball had contracted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Would anyone be surprised?

Would enough of them care?

Oh, you can imagine the politicians and their speeches. There would be a lot of breath spent talking about baseball, betrayal and a sport going foul. They would talk of a team that has spent its existence in last place, of a history that included only bad management making bad choices involving bad players. They would talk of how Tampa Bay never had a chance to prove itself as a baseball market. And, yes, they would have a point.

And you can imagine the lawyers and their paperwork. There would be lawsuits stacked on lawsuits. They would sue over 26 years remaining on a lease, over vendors and television contracts, over inflated expansion fees. They would sue over improvements made to the Trop at the insistence of baseball. They, too, would have a point.

But would we have enough of the raw, wounded outrage from fans who felt a sense of loss? Would there be anger? Would there be tears? Sure, there would be a core of fans who are upset, but would it make enough of a difference to enough of the population?

This is the crux of the problem, the reason the Rays were considered in contraction conversation, the reason they might be again as soon as the subject comes up again. Whether it was never here to begin with, or whether the Rays have drained it from us, this is a community that seemed to lose its passion for the game shortly after it obtained it.

You get the idea the Rays only were protected by the length of their contracts, by the strength of their politicians, by the validity of their courtroom position.

Suppose it had been us.

Do you think America would care? Across the country, writers are lamenting the apparent sacrifice of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have won the World Series twice. They had great players. And when they were decent, they drew fans. They were the first team in American League history to draw 3-million. It is impossible not to feel the grief of a Twins fan as the team prepares to shut its doors.

The view on Tampa Bay is different. Across the country, there are those who would sacrifice the Rays to save the Twins. What has this franchise ever done? What memories are linked to it? Agony and apathy, but what else?

Consider what John Heyman, the baseball columnist for Newsday, wrote for Wednesday's editions: "If any eliminating is to be done, Tampa Bay has earned the honors. The Twins drew more than the D-Rays. The Twins play in a better city, and a better ballpark. The Twins have a better front office. The Twins have four good players for every one on Tampa. The Twins have two World Series titles in the last 15 years. If the D-Rays ever had a winning record, nobody would care.

"The other reason Tampa's not on the chopping block is that owner Vince Naimoli will never concede he's running the game's second-worst franchise. And baseball's powers don't want to convince him because it would mean having to talk to him."

Consider what Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free-Press wrote: "The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays each paid $130-million to get into the sport. Now a team can take $250-million to go away. It's too bad the Devil Rays aren't being contracted. Then they could make $120-million just for four years of stinking."

Consider what Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "The announcement Tuesday that baseball would drop two teams before next season -- probably Montreal and Minnesota -- was lacking in only one aspect. They should have dumped two more. How on earth can baseball chase out its lousy franchises and still leave Tampa Bay and Florida in the dugout? Owners never realized that the spring training fans of Florida were not going to spend $40 on a ticket that three days earlier cost them $5."

Consider what Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "I say, contract away! Bud Selig says two major-league teams have to go for economic reasons, and I say why stop at two? Actually, the commissioner added at the baseball owners meeting Tuesday, the majority of the bosses wanted to get rid of four clubs by next spring. Only four? Heck, Budster, I'll give you five to red-line right now: the Twins, Devil Rays, Blue Jays, Angels and Rangers. Wouldn't miss them a speck."

Does such talk make your blood boil? Are you ready to fire off e-mails defending your team? Do you feel that something you love has been personally attacked?

I didn't think so.

It is important today to realize what baseball is, and where the Rays figure in it. It used to be Montreal on the bottom rung. Now, it figures to be us. Perhaps we should practice our French, just to be safe.

Suppose it had been us.

Would you stop griping about the Bucs long enough to care?

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