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The Associated Press

Rays manager Joe Maddon said the ballpark has a prevailing breeze, almost a jet stream at times to right-center field.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2008

So far, the American League Division Series between the Rays and Chicago White Sox has been strictly men and boys. And now the White Sox are the ones asking, "Hey, can we go outside and play now?"

"We're going to go home to our park, get out of this dome, have some real baseball and see what happens," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said on his way out of Tropicana Field late Friday night.

Um, real baseball?

Anyway, it's off to Game 3, to Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, where the South Siders are planning another "blackout" (black-clad fans).

"Our ballpark in summer, it shrinks," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's very, very small. The balls are flying out there easy. I think right now the weather changed a little bit."

Rays manager Joe Maddon said the ballpark has a prevailing breeze, almost a jet stream at times to right-center field. He also feels the infield has "unique" features.

"They have a tremendous groundskeeper," Maddon said. "He really tailors the entire infield to his defenders. It will be a little wetter in one spot, a little drier in one spot. It may be a little wet because we can run. It may be a little wet in front of the plate because they hit more fly balls than ground balls. They've always been that way."

DOME-TEAM HISTORY

Baseball teams that play in domes are 11-27 all-time in outdoor postseason games (doesn't include teams with retractable-roof stadiums). Here's the breakdown:

MARINERS (KINGDOME)

1995 ALDS (0-2) At Yankees - Lost 9-6 in Game 1; Lost 7-5 in Game 2.

1995 ALCS (1-2) At Indians - Won 5-2 in Game 3; Lost 7-0 in Game 4; Lost 3-2 in Game 5.

1997 ALDS (1-1) At Orioles - Won 4-2 in Game 3; Lost 3-1 in Game 4.

Total Outdoor Postseason Record: 2-5

TWINS (METRODOME)

1987 ALCS (2-1) At Tigers - Lost 7-6 in Game 3, Won 5-3 in Game 4; Won 9-5 in Game 5.

1987 World Series (0-3) At Cardinals - Lost 3-1 in Game 3; Lost 7-2 in Game 4; Lost 4-2 in Game 5.

1991 World Series (0-3) At Braves - Lost 5-4 (12 innings) in Game 3; Lost 3-2 in Game 4; Lost 14-5 in Game 5.

2002 ALDS (2-1) At Athletics - Won 7-5 in Game 1; Lost 9-1 in Game 2; Won 5-4 in Game 5.

2002 ALCS (0-3) At Angels - Lost 2-1 in Game 3; Lost 7-1 in Game 4; Lost 13-5 in Game 5.

2003 ALDS (1-1) At Yankees - Won 3-1 in Game 1; Lost 4-1 in Game 2.

2004 ALDS (1-1) At Yankees - Won 2-0 in Game 1; Lost 7-6 in Game 2.

2006 ALDS (0-1) At Athletics - Lost 8-3 in Game 3.

Total Outdoor Postseason Record: 6-14

ASTROS (ASTRODOME)

1980 NLCS (1-1) At Phillies - Lost 3-1 in Game 1; Won 7-4 in Game 2.

1986 NLCS (1-2) At Mets - Lost 6-5 in Game 3; Won 3-1 in Game 4; Lost 2-1 in Game 5.

1997 NLDS (0-2) At Braves - Lost 2-1 in Game 1; Lost 13-3 in Game 2.

1998 NLDS (0-2) At Padres - Lost 2-1 in Game 3; Lost 6-1 in Game 4.

1999 NLDS (1-1) At Braves - Won 6-1 in Game 1; Lost 5-1 in Game 2.

Total Outdoor Postseason Record: 3-8

CONNECTIONS

Feeling a little out of touch with White Sox history? The franchise has more connections to the Tampa Bay area than you might realize:

•The White Sox held spring training in Tampa from 1954 to 1959, then moved to Sarasota (1960-97).

•Al Lopez, Tampa's first baseball legend, was White Sox manager from 1956 to 1965. In 1959, Lopez managed the "Go-Go Sox" to the franchise's first AL pennant in 40 years, but Chicago lost to the Dodgers 4-2 in the World Series.

•In 1988, the White Sox nearly became the "Florida White Sox" and moved to St. Petersburg, which was building the stadium now known as Tropicana Field. But Illinois legislators beat a midnight deadline - actually, politically savvy Gov. James Thompson unplugged the clock, allowing for more time - and approved a $60 million, state-financed stadium deal to keep the White Sox in Chicago.

•Another Tampa product, Tony La Russa, managed the White Sox from 1979 to 1986. Chicago won the AL West in 1983 by a then-record 20 games.

"The way things are going, White Sox fans soon will be able to fall back on their natural pastime: the intense enjoyment of watching the Cubs fall apart. That might seem perverse to outsiders, but outsiders don't know the depth of emotion involving the two teams in Chicago. And they might not know that the Sox couldn't get a hit these days if you spotted them a ball, a tee and a few blindfolded fielders. ... The Trop is loud, the way domed ballparks usually are, and the sound of thousands of cowbells ringing makes you feel like you're at a convention of bad '70s bands."

RICK MORRISSEY

Chicago Tribune

"A leaky eighth inning, baserunners who can be timed with sundials and the clutch hit still basking in the glory of winning the American League Central, apparently unaware that the postseason is now two games in. It could only mean one thing. 'It's White Sox baseball,' Manager Ozzie Guillen snapped without hesitation. And White Sox baseball has been downgraded from stable to critical condition after a second day of getting completely outplayed by a team full of guys who still are figuring out how to shave. ... Grab the shovels, boys. It's not going to be easy to dig yourselves out."

JOE COWLEY

Chicago Sun-Times

"J.P. Howell, a skinny 25-year-old one-time starter, has some nasty, irredeemably wicked Stuff. With a capital S. A two-seam fastball that has a nice little run to it. A change-up, when he needs it (which isn't often). And a curveball that makes knees buckle and front feet bail out, a curve that sends seasoned hitters jumping away from the plate only to watch the ball fall in for a strike. It's one of those curves that looks as if it defies the very laws of physics, a buxom beauty that's a sheer joy to watch. Which is what a lot of White Sox hitters were doing with it Friday night.

JOHN DONOVAN

Sports Illustrated

"There's no shame or surprise in being down a pair in this series after what the Sox endured the last few weeks, and though they've played two pretty solid games, they came into this series as mammoth underdogs and have lived up to the advance billing. They're simply a step slow in the field and on the bases, and ... unable to make the big pitch or get the big hit, while facing a team that's basically unbeatable at home."

BARRY ROZNER

Arlington (Ill.) Daily Herald

"Ozzie Guillen had to leave this place with the sound of cowbells bouncing around his brain. Yes, they love their cowbells at the Trop. Every time the Rays rallied ... cowbells. Every time a Rays pitcher got to two strikes ... cowbells. That's what you get when you stage three separate giveaways over the past two seasons totaling 30,000 cowbells. The Rays should get in touch with Chris Walken's people - pronto - and get him down here to reprise his 'Saturday Night Live' cameo as a music producer."

MIKE BERARDINO

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"We learned a lot about the Rays during a 97-win regular season. Their lineup is filled with dynamic athletes. Their rotation is loaded with blossoming talents. But Friday came the national unveiling of that most prized October asset: a great bullpen."

ROGER RUBIN

New York Daily News

Some memorable moments from the White Sox's stadium, which opened in 1991:

April 18, 1991 - New Comiskey Park opens before sellout crowd of 42,191 as White Sox beat Detroit 16-0.

April 22, 1991 - Frank Thomas hits the stadium's first White Sox home run.

April 9, 1993 - Bo Jackson homers on the first swing in the club's home opener as he becomes the first major-leaguer in history to play with an artificial hip.

June 22, 1993 - Carlton Fisk catches his 2,226th game, breaking Bob Boone's record.

Sept. 27, 1993 - Jackson hits a three-run homer as the White Sox beat Seattle 4-2 to clinch their first AL West title in 10 seasons.

Sept. 14, 1997 - Fisk's No. 72 jersey is retired.

Jan. 31, 2003 - U.S. Cellular and the White Sox sign a 23-year, $68-million naming rights agreement. The revenue is used for structural renovations to the ballpark.

July 15, 2003 - The White Sox host the 74th All-Star Game. Esteban Loaiza becomes the first White Sox pitcher to start an All-Star Game since 1959 (Early Wynn).

Sept. 13, 2004 - Due to Hurricane Ivan, U.S. Cellular Field becomes the site of two games in the National League's Marlins-Expos series. The Marlins win both before crowds of 4,003 and 5,457.

Oct. 22, 2005 - U.S. Cellular Field becomes site of the first World Series game in Chicago since 1959. The White Sox defeat the Astros 5-3.

April 2, 2006 - The White Sox unveil their World Series championship banner on opening night vs. Cleveland.

April 18, 2007 - Mark Buehrle throws the 16th no-hitter in club history, a 6-0 win against the Rangers in which he faces the minimum 27 batters (walk, then a pick-off).

Sept. 16, 2007 - Jim Thome hits his 500th career homer, a game-ending shot that beats the Angels 9-7.

Some notable statistics after two games of the Rays-White Sox ALDS:

Number of players in the live-ball era (since 1920) who started his team's postseason opener after failing to get an at-bat in September. That would be Rays OF Carl Crawford, out since Aug. 9 with injury.

Number of expansion teams to win their first two postseason games (2008 Rays and 1985 Toronto Blue Jays).

Japanese-born players who have hit postseason homers (Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura joins Hideki Matsui, So Taguchi, Kazuo Matsui and Tadahito Iguchi).

Number of comeback victories staged this season by the Rays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the White Sox 6-2 in Friday night's Game 2.

Preseason Las Vegas odds of the Rays winning the World Series. Only the Royals, Pirates and Nationals (200-to-1) had greater odds.

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