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Scenes From A Celebration: Rays, Fans Party

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2008

THE MORNING AFTER

Somebody has to clean up the mess. In baseball, those duties fall to the ultimate worker bees, the clubhouse attendants. As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, a series of fans were blowing the carpet dry in the clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field – and that was after an initial cleanup process that kept the clubbies there until about 1:30 a.m., some six hours after the final out.

"It's a mess, but it's the end of my season, so I can deal with it," said White Sox visitors' clubhouse manager Gabe Morell.

Advancements in celebration preparation have sped the process a bit, as wrapping the entire clubhouse in plastic helps prevent some damage. But there's never any mistaking what happened in the room the night after someone has secured a title.

"[The Rays] did it up right," said Morell. "I was very happy for them – the team in general and the organization. They're nothing but a bunch of class-act kids, the players, and Joe Maddon is one of the all-time best."

TIMING IS KEY

The nightmare scenario for the men in charge of the logistics of a clubhouse soaking is a sudden turn of events that causes the team on the brink to lose. Because of that, the clubhouse attendants wait until the last possible moment to put the final preparations in place.

After consulting with the Rays, White Sox attendants actually installed the plastic sheeting that would cover the lockers Saturday night. It was hung from the ceiling, then rolled up and tied so it was out of the way but could be dropped quickly in the event it was needed. Chicago's win Sunday night kept the plastic in place, and it wasn't until there was one out in the bottom of the ninth Monday, with the Rays holding a 6-2 lead, that workers began unfurling the plastic.

At the same time, another group of workers rolled in coolers of champagne the Rays had brought with them for the occasion. They didn't travel with their own champagne the final week of the regular season; they had some brought in locally first in Baltimore, where it wasn't needed, and a separate batch in Detroit, where it was.

The Mums that was used Monday was iced down beginning in the seventh inning, with the boxes saved in case the Rays lost and had to take it back home for Game 5. By the time there were two outs in the ninth, everything was in place and all that was missing were the celebrants.

WHAT'S WITH THE GOGGLES?

Abhorred by some celebration purists, swim goggles (or, in the case of Andy Sonnanstine and Jonny Gomes, scuba masks) have become a mandatory accessory for clinching celebrations in baseball clubhouses. First popularized by David Ortiz during Boston's historic run to the 2004 World Series title, aquatic eye protection is all the rage these days. Champagne stings, after all. Joe Maddon had a reminder of that Monday night when he got drenched, sans goggles or his trademark glasses, and had to grope for a towel to save his rapidly reddening eyes.

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

Sometimes it's Mums champagne, sometimes it's Lindauer – and when it comes to the beer you can bet on copious amounts of Bud Light. Either way, far more liquid gets sprayed than swallowed in typical postgame revelry.

The Rays, for instance, had 206 bottles of champagne on hand in Chicago.

"Out of that 206," estimated clubhouse manager Gabe Morell, "only six of them got drank and 200 of them ended up in my carpet."

FOLLOW THE LEADER

When it comes to leading the troops in a maniacal display of alcohol spraying and showering, no one is as skilled as Jonny Gomes. A cross between Otter and Bluto in the Rays' animal house, Gomes always makes sure everyone gets some love in a postgame bash.

THEY DID WHAT?

Among the strangest sights seen in the midst of the mayhem was Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria coming together for a moment of merengue dancing while surrounded by a circle of teammates in Detroit. It was brief, but certainly heartfelt.

RUNNING THEM DOWN

The Rays' three postgame parties this year, ranked in order of intensity:

1. Rays clinch AL East, Sept. 26-27

The Rays had lost a game hours earlier, but almost the entire team reconvened in the visitors' clubhouse in Detroit after midnight to whoop it up after Boston's loss to the Yankees gave them the division title. This was a no-holds-barred throwdown, complete with dancing and knee-rattling shots of Patron tequila, that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

2. Rays clinch playoff spot, Sept. 20

The first champagne-and-beer soiree was the widest-ranging, with numerous staff members and players' wives and children getting in on the fun at Tropicana Field after a win over the Twins. The Rays demonstrated they didn't need much practice to put on a party like Tropicana Field had never seen.

3. Rays advance to ALCS, Oct. 6

Even Joe Maddon admitted the latest celebration was somewhat "subdued" compared to its predecessors, attributing it to the fact that the Rays knew they had to get on a plane and head home immediately afterward. Nonetheless, there were no champagne bottles spared and the visitors' clubhouse in Chicago got a thorough soaking.

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