Welcome to TBO.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Rays

TBO > Sports > Rays

Rays Announce 2009 Game Promotions

By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2009

Related Links

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have released their promotional schedule for 2009, with a heavy early emphasis on celebrating the team's 2008 American League pennant.

The team has dubbed the opening series of this year's home schedule "Championship Week", which will feature a banner-raising ceremony and related giveaways.

The team will raise its AL championship banner before the Apr. 13 home opener against the Yankees, then follow it up the next two evenings by giving replica AL championship rings to all fans at the Apr. 14 game and commemorative AL championship cowbells to all fans at the April 15 series finale against New York.

The celebration will continue into the weekend series against the White Sox, with replicas of the AL championship trophy to be given to all fans at the Saturday, Apr. 18 game and AL championship pennants going to the first 10,000 kids at the April 19 game against Chicago.

Other highlights of the promotional schedule include a pair of figurine giveaways -- Evan Longoria for the May 16 game against the Indians and a player to be determined by fan vote for the Sept. 19 game against the Blue Jays.

Four bobblehead doll giveaways, which will go to the first 10,000 kids at selected Sunday games, are also on tap: Dioner Navarro (June 14 vs. Washington), James Shields (June 28 vs. Florida), Carl Crawford (July 12 vs. Oakland) and Scott Kazmir (Aug. 2 vs. Kansas City).

Other kids-only giveaways include a Carlos Pena robot (Sept. 6 vs. Detroit), a Rays youth cap (May 31 vs. Minnesota), a B.J. Upton visor (Aug. 16 vs. Toronto), a Matt Garza jersey T-shirt (May 17 vs. Cleveland) and an Akinori Iwamura rattle drum (Sept. 20 vs. Toronto).

In addition, the Rays announced new game times for the home schedule. Monday through Thursday and Saturday home games generally will start at 7:08 p.m., while the first pitch for Friday games will be at 7:38 p.m. and Sunday games at 1:38 p.m. There will be exceptions based on television and other factors.

Finally, the Rays will bring back their popular Saturday night concert series with acts to be announced at a later date for Saturday home games from May 30-Sept. 5.

Individual game tickets are expected to go on sale the week of Feb. 23.