Media found the Rays, lost the 'Bay'

When the Tampa Bay Rays proposed building a new stadium, some people worried that if the plan fell through the team might leave town.

Actually, it turns out they already did. They're not in St. Petersburg anymore. They're in Tampa now. Everybody says so.

On Monday, the Toronto Star reported that its battered Blue Jays are 14 games behind the first-place "Tampa Rays." Last week, MSNBC noted that the formerly downtrodden "Tampa Rays" have been tearing up the American League this season. Last month, a columnist for the Contra Costa Times in California said the team is doing so well that "the Tampa Rays think they're the new Red Sox."

Not everybody's a believer, though. In May, the New York Daily News questioned whether the "Tampa Rays" are really good enough to win 98 games this season.

So where did this hot Tampa ball club come from, and whatever happened to the one that used to play at Tropicana Field?

The former St. Petersburg City Council member has made a minor crusade out of reminding everyone where that team named the Rays actually plays. Just last week, Foster fired off a complaint to ESPN about the anchors of Sports Center and Baseball Tonight repeatedly referring to Tampa, not St. Petersburg, as the home field of Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford.

The polite e-mail response, Foster said, was, "We will inform the anchors of the location of the team." (An ESPN spokesman declined to comment.)

Since the first pitch of the first game in 1998, the "Tampa Bay" in the Rays' name has been frequently shortened to just "Tampa" by geographically challenged journalists, much to the annoyance of St. Petersburg residents. And now that the team is on top, notes team vice president Michael Kalt, "it's just that we're being talked about more."

To the fuming Foster, it's a lost opportunity to promote the city: "You've got nine players on the field with a billboard on their shirts. Their billboards should say, 'St. Petersburg,' and instead it says 'Tampa.'"

"Thank goodness the St. Pete Times Forum is in Tampa," he joked. "I can't tell you how many people think the Lightning play hockey in St. Pete."

Comments on this article

by Bubba	Jul 12, 2008 8:38 PM
The Rays ain't moving to Tampa. They ain't moving to Orlando. They ain't moving period. Steve Levy from ESPN is the biggest boob with the Tampa thing even saying the Trop is in Tampa.

by Ed	Jul 11, 2008 9:00 PM
Hey Rob, Green Bay IS the name of the city.... Tampa Bay, however, is not!

by John	Jul 9, 2008 3:47 PM
Jack Buck on FOX MLB game of the week was speaking of the Rays and how great things were going "down in Tampa"....

by Rob	Jul 9, 2008 3:33 PM
Would Packers fans be upset if they start calling them the Green Packers? I think yes!

by Robert	Jul 9, 2008 3:33 PM
It's great that Craig wrote this. Honestly, I think the nimrods at ESPN are doing it on purpose. They know the Rays play in St. Pete. They think St. Pete's a Tampa suburb. Most of them couldn't point to Tampa on a map either.

by JAE	Jul 9, 2008 11:49 AM
Next we'll have St.Paul complaining about Minneapolis. Or, we could do like SoCal, and have "The Tampa Bay Rays of St. Pete" But what about Pinellas County?

by Alex	Jul 9, 2008 10:39 AM
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but St. Pete doesn't have any beaches either. At least none people would prefer to visit, now if you are talking about St. Pete Beach or the rest of the Pinellas County then maybe. Fort De Soto is too rocky.

by Mel	Jul 9, 2008 10:37 AM
St. Pete has an inferiority complex to Tampa?

by Glenn	Jul 9, 2008 9:30 AM
I live in downtown St Pete and find crossing the bridge to Tampa to be torture. The traffic, congestion, never ending road construction. Have fun at your beaches Tampa, oh wait, you don't have any. Long live the trump towers...

by Lenore	Jul 9, 2008 9:30 AM
Some of you people act like the Rays are the only team that uses a name of a city that they don't play in. If the name of your team is the biggest worry you have then you should consider yourselves lucky.

by TC	Jul 9, 2008 9:30 AM
Hey JOE... the best part of your comment is "your beaches"... Don't come thorough St Pete then.. go to the Tampa beach..Oh wait NO Tampa beaches! hahaha

by Glenn	Jul 8, 2008 6:50 PM
Debbie below asks "can't we all just get along?" Well no, not as long as people like you make comments about Tampa being "screwed up."

by J	Jul 8, 2008 6:47 PM
I also think the team should be renamed the Florida Rays.

by Jay	Jul 8, 2008 5:46 PM
The Marlins will be renamed the Miami Marlins when their new stadium opens. I bet ownership will change the name to Florida Rays. This leaves it open for a move to Orlando!! Unless St.Pete builds the new stadium than they can change to the city name

by Old Man	Jul 8, 2008 5:46 PM
We don't need no young whippersnappers running around acting like fools trying to hit a little ball with a stick. Leave us be in St. Pete. I came here to die in peace.

by Jason	Jul 8, 2008 5:42 PM
The term Tampa Bay come from the land that is surrounded by the water mass called Tampa Bay and Old Tampa Bay. All the cities that are located in this area is part of One Team called the TB Rays, TB Bucs, and TB Lightnign. (We are one team.)

by joe	Jul 8, 2008 5:42 PM
TC, three words for ya. ST. PETE RIOTS. And if it wasnt for Tampa, There would be no one at your beaches.

by Vincent	Jul 8, 2008 5:42 PM
I agree with this article. St. Pete taxpayers pay for the stadium, bringing the team here. I would love for them to rename it st. petersburg rays

by Al	Jul 8, 2008 5:39 PM
St. Pete has always had an inferiority complex. It is not the City of Tampa's fault that everyone outside the state of Florida recognizes Tampa well before St. Petersburg or other Bay area cities. Get over it.

by Jay	Jul 8, 2008 5:39 PM
The Marlins will be renamed the Miami Marlins when their new stadium opens. I bet ownership will change the name to Florida Rays. This leaves it open for a move to Orlando!! Unless St.Pete builds the new stadium than they can change to the city name

by Frank	Jul 8, 2008 5:36 PM
Hey Reality...there's an oxymoron....Afford what??? a trailer??? hahahahhahaha Go fly your confederate flag you redneck!!!

by Nick	Jul 8, 2008 5:34 PM
Hey Nick, all that information is readily available on the web if you have a couple of minutes to research it. I'm a 33 year old St. Petersburg native that shouldn't have to explain to why her brand new Rays t-shirt says 1998 on it.

by Jack	Jul 8, 2008 5:32 PM
Rick - I hear ya'. Right after the NJ Giants play the Metairie Saints, who have a stadium in New Orleans, but facilities and corporate hq in Metairie, LA...next door to the "New Orleans" Zephyrs (AAA baseball team). People need to get a life!

by Scott	Jul 8, 2008 5:32 PM
You folks fighting over the name will be the death of this club yet. Baseballs knows they need BOTH cities to support this team, and if we fail to do that, we will lose this team, simple as that.

by Garbanzo	Jul 8, 2008 5:30 PM
You will all notice that all of the area's growth, institutions, business, sports teams, shopping, entertainment, culture, cruise ships, history, night life, etc. are ALL located in Tampa. We drive right through St. Pete to go to the beach.

by Edward	Jul 8, 2008 5:24 PM
Most people outside this area believe the name of the city I live in is Tampa Bay. I think that's because of the Bucs? But no matter... the rest of the country believes there is one city here... "Tampa Bay" and "Tampa" refer to the same town.

by gary	Jul 8, 2008 5:23 PM
A year ago nobody would care if we called the team the Countryside Clearwater Devil Rays (or Rays)or whatever. Have your fun now because water always reaches its own level Sox take AL East, done did!

by Richard	Jul 8, 2008 5:18 PM
You may want to Fax Craig Pittman's article of July 8 to all those geographically challenged journalists; it's a winner!!! Mr.Foster should be reminded that Tampa Bay is merely a body of water around which are the Buccaneers, Lightning. and Rays.

by JAE	Jul 8, 2008 5:17 PM
Just to stop the incessant whining of the St. Petersburgers, why don't they change hte name to "Gulf Coast Rays"? Sure, its dumb, but at least it doesnt have "Tampa" in it. Face it, the team name is never going to have St. Pete in it, either.

by JAE	Jul 8, 2008 5:16 PM
On second thought, it would be a better idea to try to change the name of the bay instead. With Charlie as Gov., this would be a good time to try. Then the "regional" name could be the "St. Petersburg Bay Rays". Much better, eh?.

by Pat	Jul 8, 2008 4:49 PM
Oh my God, is this all people have to worry about. Come on people! Life is too short! Who cares - we have a winning team, and that's what it's all about! GO RAYS!! ! ! ! ! !

by J	Jul 8, 2008 4:46 PM
Tampa is definitely the "Oakland" of the bay area.

by Raymond	Jul 8, 2008 4:44 PM
One thing I've noticed is that people down here don't have any association with the community. It's Fox 13, Sports Animal - no one seems to have any pride in Tampa. The bay is a body of water - not a community. Drop the Bay.

by Irish Mike	Jul 8, 2008 1:20 PM
Dang- I think I may have to move to "Green." (There is a city called "Green" by the Bay, right?)

by Nick	Jul 8, 2008 1:12 PM
Nick, do you work for the bucs, lightning and rays and have those numbers in your back pocket. Tampa and st pete should switch. Move the Rays to tampa and the Yankees training complex to st. Pete. Im sure your 80 years old