| Brian Sladek. 19th February, 2009 - 11:41 am
 The confines of Tropicana Field buzzed with optimism this past Saturday as fans flocked to Tampa Bay's 2009 Fan Fest to help usher in the new season.
Those in attendance participated in the festivities set up in the outfield and the surrounding concourse. Older fans reminisced over memorabilia from the Ted Williams Museum, while younger fans stood in line to meet their favorite players and have their picture taken with the AL Championship trophy.
The new hardware served as a reminder that 2009, unlike past seasons, comes with lofty expectations.
Rays Nation, as the faithful refer to themselves, has grown by leaps and bounds having watched their team surprise nearly everyone in the baseball community last year with their first playoff appearance and subsequent trip to the World Series.
Once known as Fenway South to Boston Red Sox fans, the indoor stadium consistently drew more fans of the visiting team than the home team. However, Tropicana Field was unkind to the opposition during the 2008 season. The Rays posted a league-leading 57-24 home record and St. Petersburg slowly became a baseball town.
However, this small-market team has their work cut out for themselves this year.
The AL East again boasts the two of the highest payrolls in baseball. New York dwarfs the rest of the league with a bill of $205 million, while Boston is on the line for approximately $135 million this year. Both teams spent the better part of the offseason putting all available money to work on high-priced talent. In comparison, Tampa Bay's payroll is approximately $60 million heading into spring training.
Although the Rays had a relatively quiet winter, they managed to fill two noticeable gaps. Former Phillies stalwart Pat Burrell inked a two-year, $16 million dollar contract. Burrell, who batted .071 (1 for 15) in the World Series against the Rays, will provide much needed power in the designated hitter slot. They moved the talented, but erratic, pitching prodigy Edwin Jackson to Detroit in exchange for outfielder Matt Joyce, who will get the chance to occupy right field.
Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has enjoyed the success that comes with locking up homegrown prospects with long term contracts. Case in point: future AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria signed a nine-year, $44 million contract prior to his first big league season last year. Thanks to this change in corporate culture, many of Longoria's teammates will be returning in 2009 and beyond.
The Tampa Bay faithful know there is no guarantee that the Rays will retain the AL East crown this season, let alone return to the World Series. But with the core of the last year's team intact, the Rays hope to visit the Promised Land again and bring home the World Series trophy for next year's photo opportunity. |
