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Announcer leaves Arrojo on benchBy TOM TOBIN, JOHN ROMANO, MARC TOPKIN, ROGER MILLS, BRUCE LOWITT, JOHN C. COTEY © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 "No Arrojo," the pitcher said in the duggout after a team employee asked why he wasn't soaking up applause with the rest of the team. Devil Rays officials tried to radio upstairs, but a smiling Arrojo waved them off, indicating it was too late to correct the mistake. Several minutes later, Devil Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli apologized as he rushed to the owner's box to make the first pitch. "I'm sorry," Naimoli said. "It was a mistake." "No problem," said Arrojo, who starts tonight. Later in the game, the team made a special announcement acknowledging the error. EARLY RISER: Manager Larry Rothschild got an early start on his first official day as manager. He arrived at Tropicana Field shortly after 6 a.m., went for his daily run, reviewed some notes and statistics, and filled out about 80 versions of the lineup cards so there would be plenty of souvenirs. FAMILY AFFAIR: Tuesday was special for GM Chuck LaMar in many ways. But perhaps none more so than in a family way. LaMar's guests included his mother, Sally, who came from Houston with his sister Cathy, and brother Danny, who arrived from Mexico. "It's the first time we've all been together in 15 years," he said. DON'T I KNOW YOU?: LaMar and managing general partner Vince Naimoli accompanied Rothschild to home plate to deliver the lineup card. When they arrived, they saw a familiar face. Instead of manager Buddy Bell, the Tigers sent bench coach Larry Parrish to the plate. Parrish was interviewed by LaMar and Naimoli for the Rays manager's job last fall. TICKET CENTRAL: Third baseman Wade Boggs is a pretty popular guy around the Tampa Bay area to begin with. As the Rays' inaugural game drew near, the 29-year Tampa resident found out just how popular. Boggs said he received 100-150 requests for tickets. "Guys I played Little League with have been coming out of the woodwork," Boggs said. " "Hi, remember me? I played on your Little League team.' " WRAPUP: AL President Gene Budig and MLB president and CEO Paul Beeston were guests at the game. ... Arrojo, originally signed to a minor-league contract, was officially added to the 40-man roster Monday. ... THANKS FOR EVERYTHING: Half an hour before the first pitch, Naimoli stood at the mound, with the families of the team's players and owners stretched around the infield from first base to third, and welcomed the fans in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He repeatedly called the birth of the Devil Rays "a monumental achievement" and said of Tropicana Field: "You built it; we're here." BIG BUCKS: Several hours before the start of Tuesday's game an unidentified fan stopped at a concession stand outside Tropicana Field and purchased $4,300 worth of caps, T-shirts, bats, balls, pennants, programs and other first game souvenirs. He paid for them with 43 $100 bills. "What this means," said Doug Drewes, regional manager of Volume Services, the Rays' concessionaire, "is that there is a great market for Devil Rays memorabilia. It's great. We don't expect anything quite like that again, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime situation. We'll take it." ANOTHER FIRST: Seven months ago, South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt experienced the school's first football game. Tuesday night, he watched the Rays take their turn, as a guest in WZTM-820's suite, then with a friend in the Beach section. "It's remarkable everything that's happened," Leavitt said. "If you love sports, you really can't be anywhere else and have it any better." As Leavitt talked with a reporter, a man wearing a USF football shirt walked by. Leavitt grabbed the man by the arm and said "Nice shirt. I like that shirt." The man stared blankly, managed a weak smile and kept walking. Leavitt burst out laughing. "I guess he doesn't know who I am. He probably just thinks I'm some crazy guy." LOCATION, LOCATION: The Weintraubs and the Ojedas, next-door neighbors in Tampa, wanted to get the perfect seats in the Batter's Eye, the centerfield restaurant in Tropicana Field, so they arrived at the stadium at 1:30 p.m. There were about 15 people ahead of them. When the doors to the restaurant opened, Annette and Bruce Weintraub and Joann and Jesus Ojeda and their children, Hannah and Jesse, sprinted to their spot and became the restaurant's first customers. The people ahead of them were mingling around, trying to pick the perfect spot, Jesus Ojeda said, and Bruce Weintraub added: "We knew exactly where we were going. We headed straight for the fourth seat from the right." Was it worth it? "It's a wonderful, incredible view," Joann Ojeda said. NIGHT SHIFT: Devil Rays equipment manager Carlos Ledesma, no relation to infielder Aaron Ledesma, attended the team's Monday night black-tie gala at Tropicana Field -- and never left. After the festivities he went back to the clubhouse and continued preparing for Tuesday's game. He didn't get to sleep until well after midnight and when he did, he did so on a clubhouse sofa. "I was just making sure that everything was in order. I was putting things together for one final touch," said Ledesma, who came to Tampa Bay from the Florida Marlins. "At that hour it was very relaxing. No one was here and I was in my own world, thinking about everything that was going to happen." HAPPY ENDING: Brad Welch's bad day ended well. Driving across the Howard Frankland bridge for the Devil Rays opener with sons Logan, 8, and Bradley, 10, Welch's 3-month-old Ford Expedition blew a tire. "I didn't think we were going to make it," Bradley said. But Dad wasn't about to let his sons miss the game. He changed the tire, got back on the road and made it by the third inning. "We were going to get there tire or no tire," Welch said.
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hen the Devil Rays were introduced before the game, the public address announcer omitted Rolando Arrojo, the former Cuban national team star and the Rays' highly touted $7-million ace.
