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Rays Release The Woman Inside The Raymond Suit

Tribune file photo by JASON BEHNKEN

For five years, Kelly Frank, 27, of St. Petersburg was the person behind Raymond's antics.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 18, 2008

For years, Raymond, the mascot for the Tampa Bay Rays, has entertained fans at Tropicana Field by vexing visiting players, doing a wiggly hip shake on dugout roofs and posing for photos with fans.

The mascot was never really defined like the San Diego Chicken or Captain Fear, the Buccaneer. Raymond was more cartoon character, a fluffy entity.

But he did entertain. This year, Raymond cavorted all the way into October and made his first appearance in a World Series game, where he fought for attention with one of the more famous mascots, the Philly Phanatic.

On Monday, the Rays canned Raymond. Well, not exactly Raymond, but the woman inside the suit.

For five years, Kelly Frank, 27, of St. Petersburg donned the Raymond garb at home games.

She thought she did pretty well, and got high marks for her postseason performance.

But now she's out.

And it hurts.

She doesn't really want to talk about it because "my severance package is kind of up in the air.

"It's all kind of confusing," Frank said today. "They seemed happy.

"I didn't see it coming."

Frank does have something to fall back on, though.

"I have my own company, designing and making mascot costumes," she said.

And she consults with the University of Florida to teach mascots there how to behave, if that's possible, at Gator games.

She's not sure she will ever get back into a mascot's costume. Once you've entertained tens of thousands of fans, it's hard to hop around for giggling kids at a birthday party.

And the job market for pro sports mascots is limited.

"There are only 77 mascot jobs in professional sports," Frank said. "There is nothing really in baseball. This may be the last one I ever do."

Rays spokesman Rick Vaughn declined direct comment on Frank.

"We don't comment on matters such as this relating to our employees," Vaughn said, "but be assured Raymond will live on."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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