Hey, didn’t you use to be the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? Didn’t you used to lose in the dingy Tropicana Dome, with its ugly green carpet, in front of a smattering of fans, many of them wearing Red Sox caps?
In your first decade of existence, didn’t you become the first team in American League history to have 10 consecutive seasons with 90 or more losses?
Now you’re telling us that you’ve dropped the Devil from your name, exorcised your past demons and won the vaunted American League East title? You’re telling us that you have five relatively unknown pitchers who each won at least 11 games? You insist you went 97-65 without a 15-game winner or a .300 hitter?
And Thursday afternoon at the sold-out “Trop,” you’re the hosts in the American League Divisional Series? Now, you swear, you love your much-maligned park, a place where you went 16-2 this season against the Angels, Red Sox and Cubs?
Who do you think you are, the Colorado Rockies? What do you think this is, Rocktober with palm trees?
“Believe it or not, I kept on saying last year we had something special,” slugging first baseman Carlos Peña told reporters in a champagne-soaked clubhouse the night the Rays clinched their first-ever playoff spot. “Even though we were in last place and had a record that we weren’t really happy with, I could just see in this clubhouse something special. I kept saying it, and I’m sure people thought I was just saying that. But look at this.”
If that sentiment sounds familiar to Rockies fans, it should. Similar words were spoken at Coors Field about this same time last year.
“I think we proved we belonged and that we have a lot of young talent to build on,” Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs said. “I think we surprised a lot of people, but we didn’t surprise ourselves.”
There is, however, one enormous difference between the 2007 Rockies and the 2008 Rays: The Rays didn’t need a miracle finish to earn a postseason bid. They spent 109 days in first place. A lot of baseball’s pundits predicted a collapse, figuring the Rays, with their pint-sized, $44 million payroll, couldn’t possibly compete with the much-bigger-bankrolled Red Sox and Yankees. But they did.
As the late, great Paul Newman asked in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Who are those guys?”
It starts with the white-haired manager, Joe Maddon, who spent 31 years in the Angels organization before he came to Tampa Bay in 2006, taking over for Lou Piniella. One of Maddon’s first acts was to place a sign in the clubhouse, printed in four languages (English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean): “Attitude is a decision.”
Like the Rockies, the Rays built from within. Their September roster included 12 first-round picks, including third baseman Evan Longoria, the likely American League rookie of the year after belting 26 home runs and driving in 83 runs.
Tampa also signed or traded for key players. One of their best moves in the offseason was trading outfielder Delmon Young to the Twins for right-handed pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett, who solidified a shaky infield.
Like the Rockies last season, the Rays emphasize defense and pitching. They fielded at a .985 clip, fifth best in the AL and were second in ERA (3.82) behind only Toronto (3.49).
While the 2008 Rockies crashed and burned, some observers view the Rays as a force to be reckoned with for seasons to come. Veteran Braves pitcher John Smoltz, working as an analyst for TBS during the postseason, certainly does.
“Personally, I think they mirror the 1991 Braves in that they are doing this with solid, young pitching that is really talented,” Smoltz said.
“People in baseball who have played the game could see this coming,” he added. “You never know when it’s going to come, or when it’s going to click. But the Rays don’t feel like a last-to-first team.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
