Pitt game may be empty...

[jd77]

I have a ticket plan with the Rays so I was able to buy tickets to every playoff game.

If the Rays play on Oct. 2, I have already decided to sell my Rays tickets and go to the USF/Pitt game.

I will be at all the other Rays playoff games and there are only 6 home games for USF all year anyway.  So I have decided to be at the Bulls game that night.

To all the people bashing the Rays and the fans, you really should be ashamed of yourself.  And its pretty hyprocritical for USF fans and alumni to bash an expansion team for attendance.  Look at USF's attendance until last season. It certainly wasn't anything to write home about. And if USF had not beated Auburn, the WVU game would not have been sold out last year.

The Rays are a great embassador fro the Tampa Bay community.  They have put this area in the national spotlight on a nightly basis for almost 6 months now.  If you live here and still aren't on board with them, then you don't deserve to live here.  Move back to whatever town you feel is so far superior.  I am a transplant myself, and people with that attitude drive me insane. 

[jd77]

If its our 1st playoff game, that makes the decision a lot harder.  I didn't think of it that way.  Man, this is going to be tough.

I am on Raysbb.com as Tamparays01 BTW, Grothe4 Heisman.

[jd77]

Heres to the Sox running the table and the Rays slippin the rest of the way!!! Anybody with me???? Anyone???

Go kill yourself.

[Jamie]

DON'T FORGET THEY PLAY DAY GAMES IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!!

Sorry, looks like everyone missed that the first time I said it. There's no way that Fox would pass on a Red Sox-Angels or Cubs-whoever series to show the Rays and the Twins/White Sox in prime time. There's a good chance that if you have tickets to both, you'll be able to do both.

[jd77]

DON'T FORGET THEY PLAY DAY GAMES IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!!

Sorry, looks like everyone missed that the first time I said it. There's no way that Fox would pass on a Red Sox-Angels or Cubs-whoever series to show the Rays and the Twins/White Sox in prime time. There's a good chance that if you have tickets to both, you'll be able to do both.

The Red Sox/Angels game opens up in Anaheim. So that will be the late game I would bet. 10pm start.

[Guest]

DON'T FORGET THEY PLAY DAY GAMES IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!!

Sorry, looks like everyone missed that the first time I said it. There's no way that Fox would pass on a Red Sox-Angels or Cubs-whoever series to show the Rays and the Twins/White Sox in prime time. There's a good chance that if you have tickets to both, you'll be able to do both.

Except that the ALDS and NLDS are not on Fox...  They are on TBS.

There are three games slotted for 10/2... 3:00pm, 6:30pm, and 10:00pm... one AL and both NL games...

A 3:00pm game in St Pete would end around 6:15 or so... giving Rays/Bulls fans about 1 hour to commute through rush hour traffic as well as the traffic from two major events.

It might be possible to get from the bottom of the 9th to the kickoff... but just barely.

[Joe]

Jd,

I am going to rag them, because when the day coms that the Rays have a tough year again, they'll be jumping ship.

I'm a huge Rays fan, however, now that they're winning,. I'm not gonna front like I'm superfan whose been on the edge of my seat since 98.

I +")'4?lt be so pissed about this if we had over 20000 for a big game against the Twins lst tuesday, but we didn't.

People are now wanting to be a part of a sepecial team because now it seems important to them...

I could go on. However, it sickens me that people are throwing their Bulls fandom to the rear simply to be at the first Rays playoff game. Not because they wanna see the Rays win, but because it's he first game.

There are 6 home games, 6, a loss that night could mean the Big East, a loss to the Rays will mean they will have to bounce back Friday.

[jpark2211]

i can't believe you guys call yourselves bulls fans!! holy ****.... the rays paly 5 times a week and the bulls play once. How many of you jumped on the banwagon once they started winning?

[Mag Pie]

The Rays are a great embassador fro the Tampa Bay community.  They have put this area in the national spotlight on a nightly basis for almost 6 months now.  If you live here and still aren't on board with them, then you don't deserve to live here.  Move back to whatever town you feel is so far superior.  I am a transplant myself, and people with that attitude drive me insane. 

I don't see why people feel the need to tell others who to root for.  If you want to be a Rays fan, go ahead.  But just because people live here does not mean they have to give up being a true fan to support the home town team.  Tell me, if you move out of Tampa, will you stop supporting the Rays?

[jd77]

The Rays are a great embassador fro the Tampa Bay community.  They have put this area in the national spotlight on a nightly basis for almost 6 months now.  If you live here and still aren't on board with them, then you don't deserve to live here.  Move back to whatever town you feel is so far superior.  I am a transplant myself, and people with that attitude drive me insane. 

I don't see why people feel the need to tell others who to root for.  If you want to be a Rays fan, go ahead.  But just because people live here does not mean they have to give up being a true fan to support the home town team.  Tell me, if you move out of Tampa, will you stop supporting the Rays?

That's exactly the point.  I would NEVER leave Tampa.  I moved here by choice, why would I move?  For a job?  No thanks.  You could offer me 2x my salary and it would not be worth leaving for me.

Keith Primeau of the Flyers illustrated it perfectly during the Lightning/Flyers Eastern Conference Finals a few years back.  It was the afternoon before one of the games and people were already outside the Forum trying to get autographs, etc.  Primeau was out there signing for Bolts fans. Then this guy decked out in Flyers gear comes running up screaming "Lightning Suck!" and basically pushing his way to the front of the line.  Primeau called the guy out and was like have some respect man.  What part of the Philly area do you live in anyway? The guy was like I actually live here in Tampa, have for 10 years or so.  And Primeau jumped all over him.  He said that he needed to respect this team and the fans of this team and that the Lightning players are in this building busting their butts 41 nights a year for the people of this city.  He told him the Flyers have plenty of fans in Philadelphia thank you very much and refused to sign his stuff.   It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen and wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

If you live in Tampa and the Yankees or Red Sox win the World Series, what does that do for you? Nothing. The city the team plays in gets all the publicity, not the city you live in.  There is a parade there, not here.  It has nothing to do with you and benefits you in no way.  Its basically like watching a game show and getting excited because someone on TV just won $1 million.

If the local teams do well, it brings the community together. For a market like Tampa it gives us much needed national and world wide exposure.  The players are actually a part of the community and share their success with you.  They live here. They are your neighbors. Their kids go to school with your kids, etc.

You can root for who you want to, but just realize you look like an idiot with your Florida license plate and NY Yankees license cover.  You are an embarrassment to this community.  You basically are sticking your middle finger up to the entire Tampa Bay area and saying I am not a part of this community, I am better than you because 30 years ago I was born somewhere else.  Its assinine. Just ask the actual players on the teams how they feel about it.