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Rays Enjoy Sweet Smell Of Success
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Published: September 28, 2008
DETROIT - By midafternoon Saturday, no hard evidence remained from what had transpired in the visitors' clubhouse at Comerica Park some 12 hours earlier.
The plastic sheeting that had covered the lockers had been removed, and a couple hundred corks had been scooped up off the floor. The carpet seemed a little damp, a sign of a recent cleaning, but showed no signs of trauma.
No, the only hint of the party the Rays had thrown after the Yankees' win at Boston gave Tampa Bay the American League East title was in the air. Faint but noticeable, remnants of the victory cigars smoked in the early morning hours lingered in the clubhouse.
"It smells like success," Rays pitcher Jason Hammel said, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction.
The day after the Rays officially wrapped up a worst-to-first turnaround that must rank among the most stunning in baseball history, the victors relaxed. A skeleton lineup took the field against the Tigers as most of the regulars rested up for the playoffs and many tried to shake off the effects of the Rays' second raucous clubhouse party in a week.
As the Rays had trickled out of the clubhouse following their 6-4 loss to the Tigers on Friday night, no one was sure exactly how the celebration might unfold. They liked their chances of clinching the division, as the Yankees held a commanding lead on the Red Sox, but the second rain delay of the evening at Fenway Park called into question whether the game could even be completed.
Around 11 p.m., two buses left Comerica Park. One was headed back to the team's hotel in suburban Dearborn, the other to the MGM Grand Casino in downtown Detroit, where arrangements had been made for a private party. Some of the Rays, including most of the bullpen and Manager Joe Maddon, chose to wait out the rain delay in the clubhouse, just kicking back and keeping an eye on the television.
Once play resumed at Fenway Park and the game began to wind toward its inevitable conclusion, phone calls and text messages started flying.
"All the guys said, 'Hey, come back, we're going to celebrate,'" said James Shields, who was among the group at the casino. He hopped in a cab with Fernando Perez, David Price and John Jaso, and they were back at the ballpark within minutes.
The players kept coming back in small groups as the final out neared, some of them already out of various layers of clothing they didn't want to ruin in the festivities. Clubhouse attendants rolled coolers full of champagne and beer down a hallway and into the locker area as the players, coaches and staff donned officially licensed AL East champions gear and waited.
"It was like a party before the party," Hammel said. "Everybody came back in high-fiving, and then you get to do it again with champagne 20 minutes later."
Finally, at 12:52 a.m., the moment they had anticipated all season came to fruition and insanity ruled. From champagne to beer, tequila to cigars, they attempted to exceed the standard they had established after clinching a playoff spot at Tropicana Field the previous Saturday. By most accounts, they succeeded - chanting, dancing and generally making very happy fools of themselves.
The only problem was, not everyone was there to partake. With nothing organized because of the less-than-ideal circumstances, word that the party would be held back in the clubhouse failed to reach some of the players who had taken the bus back to the hotel.
Eric Hinske had returned there to meet up with his wife and child, and he didn't realize what had happened until he saw a soaked Matt Garza, in goggles, being interviewed on ESPN. That's how it went for Ben Zobrist, too.
"I was in bed watching 'Baseball Tonight' when I found out," Zobrist said. "I didn't even know they were still playing. Then I hear all the stories today and I'm like, 'Oh, great - I missed it all.'"
Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett also missed out, along with Willy Aybar, Juan Salas and Michel Hernandez.
But the fact that so many made their way back after most had resigned themselves to missing out on a proper celebration seemed to be a point of pride for the group. And those who were there certainly made their presence felt.
"We heard that we blew the Angels and the White Sox out of the water with our party," Hammel said. "The clubhouse guys said we blew them out of the water."
Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.
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