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Rays No Longer Laughingstocks For Comedians

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By KRISTA KLAUS

News Channel 8

Published: October 24, 2008

Late-night talk shows have had a lot of fun at the expense of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the past nine years, David Letterman skewered the team 12 times in his Top Ten lists. Most recently, in 2005, the team appeared on Letterman's Top Ten Signs You Have Too Many Kids. Listed at No. 7: "Family wiffle ball game has larger attendance than Devil Rays games."

In one short year, the Rays have gone from national laughingstock to dream team. The change comes under the leadership of the organization's front office, a group of young executives who arrived three years ago promising to change the team and its image.
Stuart Sternberg purchased the Devil Rays from Vince Naimoli's group in October 2005, taking over one of the worst teams in baseball. Public perception of the franchise was at an all-time low. The Devil Rays finished last in nine of their first 10 seasons, never coming close to breaking even.

Sternberg promised an overhaul, adding "Under Construction" to the club's logo.

In spite of great strides in attendance, the Rays see rough times ahead. Players are commanding bigger salaries, and compared with the competition, attendance is lackluster. Team president Matt Silverman said that in the months ahead, the organization will work to shore up private support and boost ticket sales.

"For this franchise to be stable, we do need to increase our season ticket base. We need to increase corporate support," Silverman said. The Rays still haven't given up on their dream of building a new 34,000-seat stadium.

"We're not in the stadium-building business. We're in the baseball business," he said. "But if it's right for the community, we're going to figure out a way with this coalition to get a stadium built and assure our permanence here."

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