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Archive for July 2nd, 2010

Bay Open

Tampa Bay Rays Tickets – Catch the Excitement Live!

Tampa Bay Ray tickets are always in huge demand owing to the team’s popularity and consistent performance over the years. Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida and a member of the East Division of Major League’s Baseball’s American League. The Tampa Bay Ray team is one of the baseball’s youngest franchises and is one of the four teams to have never played in the World Series. The other teams who have not played the World Series yet, include the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners.

The Origin Of Tampa Bay Ray

Ever since its inception, the team has been known as “Devil Rays” and also had Manta Ray as their nickname. The franchise of the team was awarded in the year 1995 and Chuck LaMar was appointed as the team’s senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager. The team acquired 35 players in the Expansion Draft on November 18, 1997 with Tony Saunders from the Florida Marlins as the first player. Before the 1998 season, other star players like Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff and Wilson Alvarez were acquired, who enjoyed great fan following, thus pushing up the Tampa Bay Ray tickets sale.

Ups And Downs Of The Tampa Bay Ray

The first game played by the Rays was on March 31, 1998, against the Detroit Tigers at the Tropicana field. In spite of a good beginning, the team lost, falling below .500. Since then, the team finished last in the American League East from 1998 – 2003. Though the team acquired sluggers Vinny Castilla and Greg Vaughn and outfielder Ben Grieve, the team didn’t get over their struggle as the players inducted were well past their prime. In 2002, the team decided to take in younger players like Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall and Carl Crawford who emerged as key players. When the team entered the 2004 season, the expectations from the team were low. However, the team surprised everybody by finishing with the best record in its own history – 70-91. It was the first time that the Rays won 70 games in a season and also finished at the fourth place in the American League East.

In 2005, Stuart Sternberg who bought the ownership of the team in 2004 fired Chuck LaMar. During this period, the team focussed on its younger players like outfielders Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes, infielder Jorge Cantu and pitcher Scott Kazmir. The Rays’ fans had great expectations in the 2006 season and official attendance at Tropicana Field was 40,199, which was the highest turnout ever since the Inaugural Season home opener in the year 1998 – with a huge sale of Tampa Bay Ray tickets. Unfortunately, the team finished the season with a 61-101 record, the worst in the major leagues’ history.

With star pitchers like James Shields and Scott Kazmirthe, comeback player of the year, Carlos Peña and others like BJ Upton, All-Star Carl Crawford, rookies Delmon Young and Akinori Iwamura, the Devil Rays were one of baseball's best six-inning teams.

The Colors, Logo And Mascot Of The Tampa Bay Ray

The team’s mascot was a six-foot, six-inch (152 mm) seadog named "Raymond". The new team colors are white, navy blue, columbia blue and a touch of gold. The team’s new logo features a bright yellow sunburst that represents the Sunshine State of Florida.

Authorized Tampa Bay Ray Tickets

The highs of the game can be enjoyed without any effort, if one books Tampa Bay Ray tickets right from one’s home just with the click of a mouse from an authorized ticket broker. Such brokers charge a nominal fee and give you the comfort of having the Tampa Bay Ray tickets delivered right at your doorstep. So, if you want to enjoy the game and do not wish to be left out without tickets, book your Tampa Bay Ray tickets online today and enjoy the access to the teams’ roster with just one click!

About the Author

Al is a webmaster for a sports entertainment site that has information for all sports plus Tampa Bay Rays Tickets resources. For more articles about any sports team and ways to get Tampa Bay Rays tickets for great seats to any game stop by his website.

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