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Fans Getting Caught Up In Rays' Cinderella Year

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By TED JACKOVICS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2008

TAMPA - Onetime Washington Senators fans Randy and Elizabeth Sullivan moved to Temple Terrace two years ago and began to follow the Tampa Bay Rays.

They've driven to games in St. Petersburg more than 80 times since 2007, but until Friday they had never been to downtown Tampa.

Their destination? The team store on North Tampa Street to buy the merchandise they could not find at the malls. After spending more than $300 on Rays paraphernalia, the Sullivans decided to explore downtown for the first time and find a place for lunch.

Rays mania has boosted merchandise sales 100 percent this year, and clinching their playoff berth has contributed another 25 to 30 percent, team officials said. More than 400,000 additional fans have filled the stands this year than last, swelling attendance to nearly 1.9 million.

Then there's the buzz, a noticeable hum at water coolers that may be contributing to the sort of regional cohesiveness the Buccaneers, Lightning and USF Bulls have built in the best of times.

"The Rays' impact reflects the unity and pride we have always preached in our economic development goals," said Chris Steinocher, chief operating officer for the Tampa Bay Partnership, the economic development agency serving seven Tampa Bay counties.

Steinocher was among more than a dozen shoppers in the Rays store at noon Friday. He purchased more than $100 worth of Rays merchandise Friday to wear on a business trip, adding to his collection of Rays gear at home.

"Interest in the Rays is important for internal marketing, helping people in the region forge bonds, which is what the Partnership has always espoused," Steinocher said. "Of course it helps us in recruiting when people nationwide increasingly see the Rays on TV and see them win."

Friday was baseball day at the Tampa law office of Ruden McClosky, the perfect excuse for legal assistant Julie Renfroe to use her lunch break to buy an official white, home-game Rays jersey for $90.

"I've been a fan forever," the Dunedin resident said. "I can't afford season tickets but we have $114 outfield tickets for the playoffs."

The Rays opened their Tampa store in August 2007 to sell tickets and merchandise, and to gain a foothold in Hillsborough County. What's become important is that after years of relying predominantly on Pinellas County fans, the Rays this year have drawn half the game-day ticket sales from Hillsborough County, senior vice president/chief sales officer Mark Fernandez said.

"To succeed, we have to succeed throughout the region," said Fernandez, a Tampa native who enjoyed a World Series victory as an executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

In turn, the Rays benefit numerous local endeavors, including United Way of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Partnership.

The next goal for the Rays is to increase season ticket sales from Hillsborough and from the business community overall, Fernandez said.

Although team officials won't divulge details, other sources following baseball have speculated the team' success this year could translate into as much as a 50 percent gain in season ticket sales in 2009. Some estimate the Rays sold fewer than 10,000 season tickets this year.

For many people, it's not company revenue that counts, it's that personal connection that keeps them coming back

"I got hit in the head with a baseball off the bat of Rocky Colavito a former Cleveland Indians star at Griffith Stadium in Washington as a youngster," Randy Kennedy said. "I didn't get hurt and I got the baseball, so maybe that accounts for why I still love the game today.

"So Saturday, if the Rays clinch the division championship, we will be coming back downtown to buy more new championship gear."

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 and tjackovics@tampatrib.com

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