Lay Off the Rays. (For Now, at Least).

It would be hard not to notice that the Rays' season ended on Tuesday, if you live in the Bay area. The regular season came to such an unexpected and thrilling close, for one thing, and the Rays' playoff experience this year went by in such a blur, it's hard to believe it's over already, and people are putting final comments on the past six months of baseball.

We barely had a chance to display those "Believe: 2011 Playoffs" posters they
passed out at the Trop Monday night.

The comments aren't just coming from local fans and sports pundits in the area,
though: Rays owner Stu Sternberg picked this time, of all times, to issue some
chilling statements about the team's future. The story -- and some attendant
commentary -- can be accessed here: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7061072/tampa-bay-rays-owner-says-curr....

It's hard to dispute any of what Sternberg says here. The national media has immediately picked up on it, too -- it was even discussed on a segment of ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. Although, the way the Rays are discussed outside
of the area, one might believe us fans (and there are more of us than they
think) are not even aware there is a team in the region.

But that's old news. For us in the Carrollwood/Northdale area, "buried" this far
north of the stadium, we are acquainted in our own ways of the inherent
difficulties in reaching the Trop for any game, and the attendance woes, etc.
It's really beside the point of this particular post, too. What troubles me is
the timing.

The fans who packed the Trop for the sold-out Monday night ALDS, despite the
demoralizing loss, showed a verve and an energy that was spectacular. It
reminded me in some ways of the football games I used to attend at Florida
State.

To instantly degrade that experience is to essentially deflate any
lingering enthusiasm for and pride in what we witnessed in the last two weeks.
I'd hoped that the media and our owner could've at least waited until the end
of the Major League season before they began piling on (again).

The Rays -- and the Trop, more directly -- have been a punching bag of the national sports media almost since the team's inception. Rays fans are used to that. We don't need to hear the same dismal comments over and over. It'd be nice if  they at least let the people who walk around the neighborhoods wearing Rays caps and shirts, or adorn their cars with Rays stickers and plates, enjoy this season's accomplishments for a little while.

The harsher realities -- the stadium issue, the tension with the city of
St.Petersburg, the threats on the horizon -- will still be there in November,
December, and into 2012.