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Rays' defeat can't dampen winning spiritBy MARC TOPKIN © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 But here's the catch. They play again today. And Thursday. And 159 more times this season. Tampa Bay has its own major-league team now. And the real story wasn't that the Devil Rays lost, but that they played. For 22 years, Tampa Bay has been waiting, trying, fighting to get in the game. So what if they lost? Tomorrow truly is another day. "We have 161 more games to go," managing general partner Vince Naimoli said. "And that's part of the fun and drama of baseball. We're going to show up again tomorrow and we're going to play again tomorrow." The day didn't turn out like the Devil Rays, and the 45,369 fans who packed Tropicana Field, had hoped. But can you expect a storybook ending when the tale has already taken this many turns? "It would have been nice to have a victory," Naimoli said, "but it was a great day, a day of celebration. I think we showed the whole product is great. The field, the team and everything else." Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad that the Twins never moved to Tampa. That the White Sox got a new stadium in Chicago. That Wayne Huizenga bought the first Florida expansion team. That the deal to buy the Giants was not approved. "It worked out well for everyone concerned," American League president Gene Budig said. "I'm especially pleased for the people of this community. They waited a long time for this moment and they are the ones who deserve the recognition. "It's an extraordinary day for the American League. It's everything we hoped it would be. The Devil Rays have done a superb job in putting this franchise online. It's certainly going to be a successful one, and I predict early success here. It's great to be here." Everybody seemed to feel that way. Sure there were a few complaints about the stadium. And yes, the fans seemed a little quiet, and a bit quick to leave. But overall, the day was a success. The area around the stadium was bustling with activity throughout the day. Thousands of fans gathered outside the rotunda entrance and watched as Naimoli, general manager Chuck LaMar and Tropicana executive Mark Gutsche toasted to the opening of the stadium. With orange juice, of course. "I want to thank all of you, because without the fans we couldn't be here today," Naimoli said. "We want to love you as much as you want to love us." Fans barged through the doors for the first time at 2:44 p.m. and were welcomed in touching fashion -- handshakes and high-fives from the players, coaches and manager Larry Rothschild. The celebration continued into the night, complete with fireworks (yes, indoors), music, ceremony and, best of all, baseball. "It's been such a long trail and there have been so many people involved with it, that there is both elation and relief at the same time," St. Petersburg Mayor David Fischer said. "As we've watched the days count down, there's just been a life in this city. We did it, and it didn't always look like we were going to do it. Now it looks like it's going to be great." Civic leader Jack Critchfield, who danced with his wife at home plate the night the deal to buy the Giants was announced in 1992, had spent many a day in the stadium. But Tuesday was different. "When I walked in here and saw it for the first time from behind home plate, it made my heart jump a little," Critchfield said. The only disappointment was the final score. And even in that the Rays found solace. They were down 11-0 after five innings and cut the gap to 11-6 and loaded the bases in the ninth inning. "Did we perform like we wanted to tonight? Absolutely not," LaMar said. "There has been so much buildup for one night and one game that the fans of Tampa Bay will now settle in with us to go through a 162-game schedule, a schedule that is going to have ups and downs. Tonight we wanted a huge up and we got a huge down." Manager Larry Rothschild, a rookie himself, said that once Wilson Alvarez threw the first pitch at 5:08 (a ball to Brian Hunter, low and inside), the game seemed relatively normal. And given all the anticipation, and potential aggravation, that may have been the best compliment of all. "I thought once the game started it was an Opening Day baseball game," Rothschild said. "There were a lot of people here and that was great to see. I thought the fans were great tonight. "I couldn't find anything but positives out there, other than the way we played and got beat. I thought everything else was done extremely well." There was pomp and there was circumstance. There were ceremonies and testimonials. There were purchases and promises. Best of all, there was baseball. "Today," Naimoli said, "is the greatest day in the history of Tampa Bay.
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T. PETERSBURG -- The day was memorable. The stadium resplendent. The fans euphoric. As for the Devil Rays? Well, they didn't fare as well. Their first-ever game turned out to be their first-ever defeat, an 11-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
