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Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Rocket Appearance

Monday
June 23, 2003

The sound of my cell phone ringing came from Bubba's office as I put some papers through the paper shredder at 98 Rock tonight. It was past 6 PM; moments before, Big Dick had told me to go home, noting that it was late. But I was busy wrapping up some things on a new affiliate situation for the show. Anyway, I answered the phone (right before it would've clicked over to voice mail). On the other end of the line was my friend Scott Massey.

Scott asked if I wanted to go to the Yankees/Devil Rays baseball game at Tropicana Field. Roger Clemens was on the mound for New York, possibly in his last-ever game in Tampa. At first I declined, citing that it was late in the day and that I had things I needed to do. But then I reconsidered and decided, why not. I'd never seen Clemens play in person before, and thought I'd be mad later if I passed on seeing the future Hall of Famer in action.

Clemens vs. Piazza
Don't mess with Rocket Roger...

I made my way across the Gandy Bridge into Pinellas County and over to Scott & Carrie's condo (not to be confused with an apartment). From there, Scott and I headed to Tropicana Field.

Unfortunately, the trip to the stadium was easier said than done, as a wrong turn and a one way only street landed us on the edge of a shady neighborhood. It was amusing (at least in hindsight) to see many of the locals staring at us with those "what are you doing here?" looks. Finally we turned around and made our way back toward the stadium. We joked about it (and how it would've been a very inopportune time for his car to break down), but there was definitely an edge of uneasiness for it.

Tropicana Field
A look at Tropicana Field at night.
I've complained before about how watching a baseball game at Tropicana Field is perhaps as antiseptic and stale as it gets. It's surreal to see major league superstars playing in that environment...

But I'll give the D-Rays credit; perhaps they're finally coming around in building a fan following. Granted, there were plenty of good seats still available for last night's game, if you know what I mean. But the Rays fans were actually vocal and shouted down the Yankees fans in attendance when they started cheering on New York. I've mentioned in the past that the Yankees are actually the most popular MLB team in Tampa Bay (they do their spring training in Tampa down on Dale Mabry -- where the Devil Rays should have their stadium). But perhaps the tide is turning. If Lou Piniella can motivate the Rays into putting a winning product on the field, maybe you'll see a Buccaneers level turnaround on the fan interest tip.

On the inside, Tropicana Field looked as nice as I've ever seen it. The outfield wall was designed with a very tropical look (in contrast to the plain blue outfield wall from years past), and in a stroke of genius the catwalk was covered in orange (to go with the whole Tropicana thing). It might sound awkward and/or early 1980s Houston Astros-esque, but in actuality it looked really, really good.

Alfonso Soriano
Soriano is halfway to joining the 40/40 club.
As for the game itself, the Rays managed to get to Clemens. Rays third baseman Damian Rolls hit a pair of home runs off Clemens, including a three run shot, leading the Rays to a 4-2 victory. One consolation for the Yankees was standout second baseman Alfonso Soriano hitting his 20th homer of the year, pushing him to the 20/20 mark (20 homers and 20 stolen bases).

After the game, there were some interesting arguments in the parking lot between Yankees fans and Devil Rays supporters. This was uncharted territory for me, as I'd never heard any Devil Rays fans talk any smack, ever. I found it all very amusing.

Overall, the Devil Rays are still nowhere close to being a first tier team, and the Yankees are still the elite. But if tonight's game is any indication, the tide may be slowly turning...


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