Fannie, Freddie Take Loan Files From Florida Law Firm

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have terminated their relationships with a top Florida foreclosure law firm and began taking possession of loan files on Monday afternoon from the firm, which processes evictions on behalf of the mortgage-finance giants.

Fannie and Freddie had previously suspended all foreclosures that had been referred to the law offices of David J. Stern in Plantation, Fla., a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.Freddie Mac took the rare step of removing loan files after an internal review raised "concerns about some of the practices at the Stern firm," a Freddie spokeswoman said.

"We have begun taking possessions of all files on Freddie Mac mortgages simply to protect our interest in those loans as well as those of the borrowers," the Freddie spokeswoman said. A Fannie spokeswoman declined to elaborate.

Fannie and Freddie said they will move those files to other law firms in the state but that they hadn't yet identified where they would be redistributed. The firms said they had notified Florida's attorney general about the decision to remove the files and that the Stern firm had cooperated with the action.A lawyer for Mr. Stern didn't immediately respond to inquiries.

The Stern law firm has been at the center of allegations by the Florida Attorney General's Office of improper foreclosure practices. The office has released depositions of former law-firm employees who have alleged that the firm forged notarized documents and that employees signed files without reviewing them in an effort to speed through foreclosure filings.

Fannie and Freddie both provide lists of approved law firms to mortgage servicers that handle defaulted loans on behalf of the companies. Fannie said last week it was in the process of adding as many nine law firms to its legal network in Florida, doubling the current number of approved firms.

Freddie has as many as 10,000 foreclosures being handled by the Stern firm, according to people familiar with the matter.

(source:wsj.com)

Fashion trends 2010

Fashion in 2010,2010 Fashion,

The 2010s in fashion is what is commonly in style for clothing and accessories in the 2010s decade. Some fashions are leftover from the mid to late 2000s, (even some trends that started in 2002 or 2003 still exist) while other fashion are considered out of style in the 2010s. With the late 2000s and early 2010s recession, designer clothing is consider not as popular along with a more uniform look. While the 2000s had emphasis on the anti-fashion of the 1990s, the 2010s is known more for the aesthetic value of fashion as it was before the 1990s. Casual clothing still exist but is in a sense of style and retro elements are still used, along with many original new trends.

The '10s have been called the "Teal Decade"  because of the popularity of teal in clothing, car and home design starting in 2010.

The 2010s has seen many elements of the 1950s and the 1980s. Fashions such as mini skirts with leggings and perms are common with women, along with buddy holly style glasses and plaid shirts. Crop-tops have also come back in style for younger women.

The raver is a common look in the 2000s. Although raver fashion was used exclusively for clubs, raver style fashion has hit the racks and is worn out the club. That is most likely the result of the popularity of dance and electronic music that is popular on the current pop charts such as Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, along with pure dance acts such as David Guetta. Bright and exotic colors, especially in neon colours, bright coloured sunglasses, graphic tees, beaded necklaces, and the like are common in rave fashion. Raver fashion has influenced other stereotypes such as the declining scene fad and hipster. Nu-rave style from the United Kingdom becomes popular in the United States and Canada. Even the gangsta subculture is influenced by the raver subculture, as the New Boyz starting the jerkin' movement.

Another trend in the 2010s is the return of elements from traditional American fashions from before the 1960s. Western and rural inspired fashions has been part of the preppy look for teenagers and young adults throughout the United States even in urban areas, which was a slight fad in the late 1970s and 1980s as well. This includes the comeback of plaid and lumberjack, cowboy boots, Daisy duke shorts, Levis and Wrangler jeans, and denim jackets. Even hip-hop and emo fashion began to see an increase in plaid shirts, which was not a general staple of the cultures fashion before. Teenage girls begin wearing dresses for casual wear in school, which was a fad that was not prominent since the 1960s.

The early 2010s

European teenage girl wearing skinny jeans and thin-strapped tank top, both popular fashions in 2008. Tank tops have got tighter fitting since 2009.

A woman in a tank top, during 2009. Lycra led to closer fitting tank tops in the late 2000s.

Funnel Neck tops and Polo neck jumpers are very popular during winter. Polo shirts are popular alone or as layered under long sleeved tee and layered t-shirts are popular.

Crop tops teamed with high waisted trousers, shorts or skirts are common for young women and teenagers. While exposing the midriff is not common, it is worn with a solid colour shirt underneath the crop top and is tied together. Playsuits and jumpsuits are in fashion once again, usually teamed with a denim jacket (also popular in late '90s and early 2000s). Brogues are worn by both women and men.

Skinny and wide belts of all colours and have been popular to wear with dresses and long tops since 2007 and still hold out as a popular fashion .

Also, layering is very popular during this period. Camis are worn under t-shirts and other shirts.. Layered tees, shirts, polos 3/4 length sleeved blouses, plaid short or falling sleeved or rolled buttoned sleeve shirts are popular for both men, women, and kids since 2007. Striped polo shirts seemed to die out around 2008 and where replaced by more solid polo shirts, but they are generally not as popular as they were in the 2000s.

Blazer jackets have became rather popular with men. Leather jackets remain popular. Military style bomber jackets seem to be becoming a common fashion as of 2010.

The classic "nerd" look has became more popular in the 2010s as opposed to the "geeky" gamer clothes in the 2000s. This includes suspenders, thick rimmed glasses, and pocket protectors.

Tunics and camisoles are very common in the 2010s with many styles. Ruffles and beads are very common in clothing in women.

Tank tops are also commonplace worn alone or as a layering piece with off the shoulder tops. The 2fer a short sleeeved t-shirt, polo shirt, etc. worn over a long sleeved shirt is common with women and men from kids to tweens, teens, college students and beyond in the 2010s.

Both shortalls and skirtalls became popular again in 2007.

Shorter lengths of skirts and dresses were in from 2007. Longer lengths are also mixing in now with the shorter lengths. Knee length skirts are common in fall 2010. Skirts with lace trimmedbike shorts underneath are also in.

Short skirts and short dresses are popular with opaque tights and leggings in many colors especially black and gray and with capri and knee length leggings in the summer. Some wear bike shorts with the short dresses.

Jeggings which are jeans with the comfy feel of leggings are popular with girls and women of all ages from kids, tweens, teens, college students and beyond.

Cropped (¾ length legged) and knee length women's trousers capris are in with all ages of girls and women from kids, tweens, teens, college students and beyond.

Plaid is popular with both men and women in the 2010s decade. Western shirts, flannel and lumberjack shirts are common. Layering a long sleeved tee under a plaid short sleeved shirt is popular. Plaid skirts and dresses are popular worn with lace trimmed bike shorts, leggings and opaque tights.

Camisoles are very popular with women as are Shorts of all kinds are popular. Styles in now include plaid short shorts and plaid Bermuda shorts, khaki short shorts, button tab shorts for females, cargo shorts, and short jean shorts. Nike Tempo shorts are worn a lot as well. Shorts are even worn in the winter with opaque tights or leggings in black especially. Some females, especially teens and college-age girls wear shorts with the tights or leggings and Uggs. Nike Tempo shorts became very popular in 2009 and 2010 with both sexes, especially girls, although they are worn by all ages from kids through teens and college students not only as shorts for athletic and exercise wear but also as shorts for everyday wear.

Dark and light colours of jeans have continued popularity. Jeans with include rips and holes in them are still seen. Patches in jeans have become popular in 2010. Jeans are often cuffed or rolled at the legs in women. High-waisted jeans are commonplace for men and women.

College students wearing low cut tops has become less common, along with pull over hoodies. Hoodies with university logos have come out of style while newer clothing trends are found on college campuses. College logo t-shirts are still seen on many students. Bermuda shorts, cargo shorts, gym shorts, high-waist jeans, and layered tees and polos are commonplace for college men. Short shorts, Bermuda shorts, Nike Tempo shorts, 3/4 length and knee length capris, sweatpants, leggings or opaque tights with skirts, short dresses, short shorts, and long tops, lace trimmed bike shorts with skirts and short dresses, skinny and wide belts of all colours worn with dresses, layered tees and polos, shirts with a cami underneath and jeggings are popular with females. Skinny and relaxed fit and rolled or cuffed are popular styles of jeans Keds, Sperry's, Uggs, Converse All Stars, and ballet flats are popular shoes with college students. Headbands and bangles are in as are side ponytails and bangs.

Military style Oxford shirts become popular in men.

Opaque tights footed or footless and leggings are popular since 2008. Typically worn with skirts and dresses. Worn with ballet flats a lot. Also worn with short shorts and Uggs.

Keffiyehs have become popular with children and adults alike.

Preadolescent character ware including (Hello Kitty), (Buffy the vampire slayer), etc., have faded from popularity in 2010, while younger children see continued character ware (Thomas the tank engine) and (Dora the explorer) during 2010. Clothes lines from Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez and iCarly are popular with tweens and teens.

Graphic tees with advertisements and cartoon characters are common, along with vintage items since 2009. Animals such as tigers and monkeys are used in the design of the shirts. Clothing with brand name labels had been replaced by more funky designs starting around 2008 and continuing into 2010. Common cartoon characters on t shirts include Popeye, Winnie The Pooh, Mighty Mouse, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, Lizzie McGuire, Gummy, Tom and Jerry, Ninja Turtles, The Smurfs, Scooby Doo, Family Guy, and The Simpsons. Many of them are dated from the 1940s and 1950s, and the 1980s.

Cardigans, loose hoodies and v-neck sweaters are all worn by people of all ages.

In the business world, the business casual style of the early to mid 2000s had changed to a more modest, formal and sophisticated look, especially after the economic crash of 2008.

Overalls have seemingly made a comeback in 2010. Short-skirts similar to those worn in the 1990s comeback as well. Shirts tied in a knot above the belly button, exposing the midriff, become popular again for females.

1950s inspired clothes made a comeback for men in the summer of 2010. Letterman jackets, Hawaiian shirts and cuffed dark blue straight-leg jeans became popular. This trend was kickstarted by the successful rockabilly/pop group The Baseballs.,

Hats in the 2010s,

Baseball caps, are popular for casual wear among teenagers and college students. Once confined to the gangsta and redneck subculture, these caps are popular among many different groups and became more mainstream. They also are called "fitted caps" which are caps that don't bend and stay completely stiff.Many wearers kept the adhesive label on the peak to show others their hat was brand new. Some hats also have small reflective strips stitched on to the underside of the peak.

Children's Baseball caps, bucket hats and boonie hats are still in trend, but declining across the UK and girl's mob caps seem to be on the decline for most age groups other than babies.,

Jewelery and baggage in the 2010s,

Bracelets and Bangles are often used to accessorize a woman's or girl's outfit. They became more bulky in the UK as 2010 went on in the Handbags became bigger and heaver too, while sports holdalls became lighter and were even being made out of recycled plastic bottles in some cases across the UK, Ireland and USA.,

Glasses in the 2010s,

Generally speaking, both Ray-Ban aviators and Wayfarers have become very fashionable. Sunglasses among women have been common since 2006. Larger sunglasses on women are common in the 2010 while smaller sunglasses came back in style with men around 2010. Thick rimmed glasses are common in the 2010s, while cats eyed glasses are becoming popular again. Buddy Holly-styled glasses became popular with men as well. On the other hand, Rimless glasses seem to be dying out of contemporary fashion. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, shaded rim sunglasses are common. In the UK, men's glasses became smaller and rectangular during 2009, which became a major trend by 2010, as were the out sized sunglasses worn by women in the UK and Ireland.,

Hairstyles in the 2010s,

Many boys and men still seem to support the Beatles-inspired hairstyle. The now ubiquitous look of pop singer Justin Bieber does not appear popular for most men beyond their teen years, as many college-age students and upper high school students are reverting to shorter hair styles. This parallels an apparent rise in spiked hair styles. The fluffy hairdo of the 1980s is back in style for upper high school and college men. The 1990s, grunge-inspired hairdos in men seem to be making a comeback, replacing the emo style of the 2000s. The buzz cut is well in fashion as well. For women, long-straight hair has became less popular, instead with long curly hair replacing it. The Rachel haircut has made a comeback of sorts but is different from the original by having more apparent volume to it. The side braid and the side ponytail are common 2010 hairstyles with young women. Others have the bob haircut. Some, however, are starting to grow their hair back out due to the perceived decline. Bangs are another popular hair style. The thin slick straight hair of the 2000s has began to lose popularity with women, as hair with more volume becomes more popular.,

Shoes in the 2010‘s,

Ugg boots became popular in the mid 2000s amongst men and women alike in the UK, USA, and Ireland.

Also from the 2004 through to today Uggs became popular especially with males and females alike across the Western world, but began to decline during 2010. Usually worn with jeans tucked in boots or leggings tucked in boots with a skirt, pair of shorts or short dress over the leggings. Also seen worn with shorts. Today they come in a variety of colours, including black, pink, blue, chestnut, and fuchsia.They are available in both slip-on and lace-up varieties and their height can range from just above the ankle to above the knee. Uggs come in short and tall, but over the knee varieties, of variosue tan and brown colours in the UK.

Cowboy boots begin to be common in men and women in 2010 merged with non western attire.

In the UK Boat shoes and mixed rubber/plastic flip flops took off in 2008.

Sperry Top-Siders are popular in the US with younger generations. Everyone from elementary school kids through teens in middle school and high school, and college students. Students in American preparatory schools are also seen wearing them. Worn with everything from jeans, shorts, capris, dresses, and skirts.

In the United States TOMS are taking off due to the philanthropic nature of the company giving away a free pair with every purchase to a needy child.

Gladiator sandals are still a favoured choice of footwear for women in summer 2010.

Sandals with rhinestones are popular with women in 2010.

Keds black champions canvas, white champions canvas, and navy blue champions canvas are very popular styles now especially with kids and teens. And seen a lot around college campuses with students.

Ballet flats are poular with every age group from kids, tweens, teens, college students and beyond. Worn with everything from skinny jeans, skirts and dresses with opaque tights or leggings to shorts of all lengths and capris.

In 2009, British men’s shoes got longer, more pointed, square tipped toes, in invitation of a pare that David Beckham wore that year. They became a trend with all males, except for the elderly and children. they, along with both moccasin style loafers and Trainers (A.K.A.- 'sneakers' in the USA and 'trekkis' in South Africa) were still in vogue to, as were climbing boots for every day street ware. Court shoes and Oxford shoes declined as Karrimor hiking trainers and conventional trainers took an even stronger hold in the UK during 2010.

British kid's velcro-lock strap Plimsoll shoes were the new vogue for children's shoes in 2009 and continued in to 2010.

Converse All Stars are still popular amongst kids, tweens, teens, college students and beyond. All shapes and sizes are worn no matter what time of season in many different colors. Black, different shades of blue, and pink are a few of the top colors seen. The low cut variety are allowed in some schools that have uniforms.

Desert boots have made a big comeback for men in 2010.

Recycling

With the rise of environmentally friendly clothes came trainers and flip flops made of old car tyres, and rain coats and sports holdalls made of old plastic bottles occurred regularly in the UK and Ireland.

Gallery

A woman wearing a shrug. They were popular in the mid 1980‘s and after 2009.	A typical 2010 style vest top/sleeveless t-shirt.	Modern leggings came into fashion in the late 2000s	Japanese teenagers on the Harajuku Bridge "Flat Bill Hats" became very popular towards the mid to late 2000s, mainly due to the rising hip hop culture.
Slim-fit tweed jackets have gained in popularity since early 2008.	Example of a decliningEmo Style	Brazil’s TV celeb Amanda Françozo in a still fasionable short skirt, during 2004	A girl in still popular 1990s style leggings in 2009. Some were still in use in 2010.
German Football kit in 2009. It was used in the UK for boath football andrugby (sport) kit in the UK throughout the 2000s.	A capped Oxford shoe with brogued cap seam.	Tasseled loafers.	A Karrimor hiking trainer.
A variety of colourful flip flops.	Woman wearing sun glasses in Porto, Portugal.	A young woman wearingoutsized sunglasses while visiting Zoo Vienna,Austria.	Group of people walking along the levee top eatingsno-balls at Algiers River Fest in New Orleans. Licra pants were still holding out in 2010.
The black trousers and blue tunic top’s sleeves are both cropped. They areNorwegian women, but cropped cloths are a now a growing western phenomena.

(source:wikipedia)

Foot Mercato,

Founded in 2004, the site is published by Foot Mercato Adakim society. It is dedicated entirely to news and rumors of transfers in football.

Originally devoted exclusively to the footballing public reporting, the site eventually developed a forum for discussion (since closed) and a database devoted to clubs, players, coaches and football accessible to visitors.

Foot Mercato experiencing record audiences in May 2008 (beginning of the period of the transfers in football), recording more than 450,000 visits in three days.

(source:wikipedia)

Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball,

is a 2000 American romantic drama film, written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. This film stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. It is the story of two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, California who grew up loving basketball and, eventually, each other.

Plot

Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) have wanted to be professional basketball stars since they were kids. However, Monica has to work hard to establish herself, while Quincy was born with natural star potential. As the two struggle to reach their goals of playing professionally, they must also deal with their emotions for each other.

The film spans roughly thirteen years of friendship between childhood sweethearts Monica Wright and Quincy McCall. Monica and her family moved to Los Angeles in 1981 from Atlanta, Georgia, and quickly became acquainted with their new neighbors the McCalls, a wealthy family due to the success of Quincy's father Zeke, the star shooting guard for the San Diego Clippers. Quincy and Monica are drawn to each other instantly, sharing a love of the game basketball. Quincy is shocked that a girl could ever love basketball as much as he did, and he is even more shocked when Monica plays so well. Although their first interaction results in Quincy angrily knocking her down during game point and accidentally scarring her face, they share their first kiss on the first day of school and end the "first quarter" of the story fighting in the grass.

The second quarter of the story begins in 1988, when both Monica and Quincy are the respective leaders of their high school teams. Scouts have taken clear notice of Quincy, who many see as one of the top prospects in the country. His popularity was not just evident on the court as he is extremely popular with the other students and could have any girl in school that he wanted, but he is still good friends and neighbors with Monica.

Monica, on the other hand struggles with her fiery emotions on the court, which often resulted in technical fouls at critical moments of games, getting benched, and eventually pushing away many potential scouting opportunities due to her lack of control. Aside from her emotions on the court, she also struggles with the emotions she secretly still harbors for Quincy and struggles to express them as he is always surrounded by other girls. Through soul searching throughout the season, Monica learns to control her emotions and leads her team to the state championship game, but could not lead them to a victory.

She begins to recover from the loss with the help of her older sister Lena, who gives her a makeover and even finds a college friend to take her to her spring dance. With nothing more than a new hair style and a dress, Monica shows up to the spring dance looking as beautiful as ever. Despite having a date of his own, Quincy notices her and immediately walks over to her to compliment her new appearance but doesn't hesitate to comment on her date. They both show jealousy towards each others' dates and part ways. Later that night, they both speak outside her window and reveal to each other how their dates didn't meet their needs. She also lets him know that she has a letter from USC and insists on him to open it. After the letter reveals that she has been accepted, he finally vocalized that USC was also his choice. As they move in to congratulate each other with a hug, Monica mistakes the gesture as a kiss and that leads to them finally acting on their feelings for one another by making love to each other.

The third quarter of the story follows Quincy and Monica to their freshman year at USC, where they are managing themselves as athletes, students, and a couple. Again, the same problems seem to present themselves, this time on a bigger stage. While Quincy finds instant success on the court, as well as more and more female admirers, Monica struggles for playing time. Her relationship with Quincy becomes more and more strained as Quincy struggles to deal with the media attention surrounding his father and a paternity suit against him from a former lover. Quincy feels betrayed by his father for lying to him and threatens to leave school for the NBA early. When Monica finally earns the starting point guard spot at the end of the season, Quincy can't be happy for her because he blames her for not being there for him when he was having problems with his father. Monica is hurt deeply by Quincy, and the two go their separate ways.

The fourth quarter of the story follows the characters through the early 1990s, a few years before the establishment of the WNBA, Monica's prospects for professional basketball lie exclusively in the IWBA, the International Women's Basketball Association, while Quincy steps into the pros at home. Monica settles into her new life in Barcelona, where she struggles to cope with the everyday grind of playing overseas away from family and friends. She misses home, but can't imagine a life that didn't include basketball. She tries to adapt to her surroundings as a local sports celebrity and the focal point of the team's offense. She leads her team to a dominant victory in the championship game at the end of the season. Despite all her personal success, she starts to realize her love for basketball isn't the same as it was before.

The story then flashes forward a few years. Having left USC after his freshman season, Quincy is now in his fifth year in the pros, trying to find a role with his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The moment he finally finds some playing time, he injures himself landing awkwardly after a slam-dunk, and tearing his ACL. His family rushes to the hospital to be with him, but his now divorced parents become embroiled in an argument when they see each other. Monica hears about Quincy's injury, and flies home to see him.

Monica goes to the hospital to visit Quincy, and is stunned to hear of Quincy's engagement and to meet his fiancée (Tyra Banks). After her meeting with Quincy, Monica soon realizes that her feelings for him still exist. Over the next few months, Quincy undergoes rehabilitation while the day of his wedding draws closer. By this time, Monica has decided to give up basketball, when questioned by Quincy she states that it was no longer fun for her, Quincy does not understand, stating he never knew anyone who loved basketball as much as she did. He and Monica meet up once again, this time as friends, and reminisce over their shared past. At this point, Quincy has recovered from his injury, and Monica finally steps up with an ultimatum. She challenges him to one final game on the court- but this time the stakes are higher: if he loses, he calls off the wedding and chooses Monica; if not, he marries his fiancée. Her reasoning is that the if he loses it would be because he let her win which would mean that deep down he really doesn't want to get married because he still loves her. Quincy agrees and beats her in the game, but can no longer be apart from Monica and chooses her. The phrase "double or nothing" brings a whole new meaning to the game.

The film fast-forwards 2–3 years later in 1998. Monica has finally gone pro in the WNBA, which was created by the NBA in 1996. The movie ends with Quincy helping their baby daughter cheer on Monica during her game where the back of her jersey is seen with the name "Wright-McCall", showing that Monica and Quincy have married.

Cast

Sanaa Lathan — Monica Wright–McCall

Omar Epps — Quincy McCall

Dennis Haysbert — Zeke McCall

Harry J. Lennix — Nathan Wright

Debbi Morgan — Nona McCall

Alfre Woodard — Camille Wright

Regina Hall — Lena Wright

Tyra Banks — Kyra Kessler

Monica Calhoun — Kerry

Glenndon Chatman — Young Quincy

Christine Dunford — Coach Davis

Al Foster — Coach Hiserman

Kyla Pratt — Young Monica

Shar Jackson — Felicia

Boris Kodjoe — Jason

Charles O'Bannon — Reggie

Erika Ringor — Sidra O'Neal

Gabrielle Union — Shawnee Easton

Chris Warren, Jr. — Kelvin

Jess Willard — Jamal

Reception

Film reviews

Love & Basketball received mixed, but generally favorable reviews for its direction, cast, and storyline. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 81% approval rating. On Metacritic, the film scored a 70 metascore—based on 28 reviews.Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, says "The film is not as taut as it could have been, but I prefer its emotional perception to the pumped-up sports clichés I was sort of expecting. It's about the pressures of being a star athlete; the whole life, not the game highlights. I'm not sure I quite believe the final shot, though. I think the girl suits up for the sequel." Ebert gave the film three out of four stars.

Film critic Desson Howe, of The Washington Post's Entertainment Guide, writes " 'Love and Basketball' had moments of such tenderness and sophistication, complimented [sic] by such romantic dreaminess between lead performers Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. First-time filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood's film joins such films as 'The Best Man' and 'The Wood', which look for the class, not the crass, in African American life." Howe gave the film 9.5 stars.

Box office

Love & Basketball was produced on an estimated $15 million budget. In the opening weekend of its release, it was shown on 1,237 screens, and took in $8,139,180, opening at #2 in the North American box office, behind U-571. It would eventually take in a total of $27,459,615 at the box office.

DVD release

Love & Basketball was released on DVD in Region 1 on October 10, 2000 and in Region 2 on July 2, 2002; it was distributed by New Line Home Video.

Awards and nominations

2001 NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture — Sanaa Lathan (Won)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture — Alfre Woodard (Won)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture — Omar Epps (Won)

Outstanding Motion Picture (Won)

2001 Black Reel Awards

Best Actress (Theatrical) — Sanaa Lathan (Won)

Best Director (Theatrical) — Gina Prince-Bythewood (Won)

Best Actor (Theatrical) — Omar Epps (Nominated)

Best Screenplay (Theatrical) — Gina Prince-Bythewood (Won)

2001 Independent Spirit Awards

Best First Screenplay — Gina Prince-Bythewood (Won)

Best Female Lead — Sanaa Lathan (Won)

2001 BET Awards

Best Actress — Sanaa Lathan (Won)

Best Actor- Omar Epps (Won)

S(source:wikipedia)

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays,

 are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in 1998, the club has played at Tropicana Field and has finished out of last place only three times. Their first season with a winning record was 2008, when they won their first division title and proceeded to win the pennant.

In November 2007, majority owner Stuart Sternberg made significant changes to his franchise's image, changing the club's name from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the "Tampa Bay Rays", which he described as "a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida."  The teams' primary colors, formerly black, green, and blue, were changed to navy blue, Columbia blue, and gold, and the team's symbol was changed from a manta ray to a ray of sunlight.

Professional baseball in Tampa Bay

See also: Baseball in Tampa Bay

Civic leader and St. Petersburg Times publisher, Jack Lake, first suggested St. Petersburg pursue a Major League baseball team. The notable influences Lake held in the sport are what led to the serious discussions that changed St. Petersburg from a spring training location to a major league city. He spoke to anyone who would listen about his desire to see the city of St. Petersburg have a Major league baseball team. His colorful direction dominated the mindset in both sports and business circles dating back to 1966. He was said to have the foresight and prominence to make it happen.

Local leaders made many unsuccessful attempts to acquire a major league baseball team in the 1980s and 1990s. The Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners all considered moving to either Tampa or St. Petersburg before deciding to remain in their current locations. The Florida Suncoast Dome (now named Tropicana Field) was built in St. Petersburg in 1990 with the purpose of luring a major league team. When MLB announced that it would add two expansion teams for the 1993 season, it was widely assumed that one of the teams would be placed in St. Petersburg. However, the teams were awarded to Denver (Colorado Rockies) and Miami (Florida Marlins) instead.

In 1992, San Francisco Giants owner Bob Lurie agreed in principle to sell his team to a Tampa Bay based group of investors led by Vince Naimoli, who would then move the team to St. Petersburg. However, at the 11th hour, MLB owners nixed the move under pressure from San Francisco officials and the Giants were sold to a group that kept them in San Francisco.

Finally, on March 9, 1995, new expansion franchises were awarded to Naimoli's Tampa Bay group and a group from Phoenix (the Arizona Diamondbacks). The new franchises were scheduled to begin play in 1998.

The Tampa Bay area finally had a team, but the stadium in St. Petersburg was already in need of an upgrade. In 1993, the stadium was renamed the Thunderdome and became the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the Tampa Bay Storm Arena Football League team. After the birth of the Rays, the naming rights were sold to Tropicana Products and $70 million was spent on renovations.

Franchise history

This section's tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (October 2008)

Before 1998

The Devil Rays began to build their organization shortly after the franchise was awarded in 1995 by naming former Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Chuck LaMar the senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager. The franchise's first minor league games took place in the 1996 season. On November 7, 1997, Larry Rothschild was named the team's first manager. The team acquired 35 players in the Expansion Draft on November 18, 1997. Tony Saunders from the Florida Marlins was the first player drafted by the Devil Rays. The team also drafted future star Bobby Abreu but traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kevin Stocker, who had very little success for the Rays. Before the 1998 season, veteran stars Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, and Wilson Alvarez were acquired.

1998–2003: Early years as the Devil Rays

The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field before a crowd of 45,369. Wilson Alvarez threw the first pitch and Wade Boggs hit the first home run in team history that day. Despite losing their opening game 11–6, the team actually got off to a respectable start and were 11–8 after 19 before losing six straight and falling below .500. They would go on to lose 99 games that year. One of the first memorable moments in franchise history occurred on August 7, 1999 when Wade Boggs tallied his 3000th career hit on a home run, the only player to ever do so. Boggs retired after the season and is the only Ray with his number retired. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Devil Rays acquired sluggers Vinny Castilla, Jose Canseco and Greg Vaughn along with incumbent Fred McGriff this quartet was dubbed the "Hit Show." However, all of these players were past their prime and unable to sustain their previous successes. The Rays continued to struggle in 1999 and 2000. Prior to the 2001 season, the Rays modified their team colors and uniforms and also acquired highly-touted outfielder Ben Grieve from Oakland. Early in the 2001 season, Larry Rothschild was fired as manager and was replaced by Hal McRae and McGriff was dealt to the Chicago Cubs. By the 2002 season, the Devil Rays decided to build with younger players and drastically reduced the team payroll. Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, and Carl Crawford began to emerge as key players. However, the 2002 season would prove to be the worst in franchise history to date. McRae was moved to a front office position after the season.

Before the 2003 season, the team traded Randy Winn to the Seattle Mariners for the right to negotiate with manager Lou Piniella, a Tampa native, who managed winning teams at every stop in his managerial career, including the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds (whom he led to a World Championship in 1990), and the Mariners. Piniella was attracted to the Tampa Bay job because of the proximity to his family and the chance to build a losing franchise into a winner as he had done in Seattle. Piniella's first team still finished last, but was seven games better than the 2002 team. A highlight of the 2003 season was the emergence of Rocco Baldelli, a native of Rhode Island, as one of the top rookies in the major leagues.

2004: Rise of Crawford, Baldelli and Kazmir

2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season

Entering the 2004 season expectations for the Rays were low, but the team won 70 games for the first time and finished in 4th place in the American League East, out of last place for the first time. Entering May, the team was 10–28 before going on to win 30 of 40 games, including a team-record 12 game winning streak. The Rays peaked at 42–41 but the team was unable to sustain that success and finished 21 games below .500.

[edit]2005: End of Piniella era

Main article: 2005 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season

Following a 28–61 record at the All-Star Break in 2005, the Devil Rays went 39–34 for a final record of 67–95. Carl Crawford and newcomers Jorge Cantu and Jonny Gomes led a productive offense that finished third in the American League in team batting average. However, the pitching staff had the second worst ERA in the American League. Despite the promising finish, Lou Piniella became frustrated with what he perceived as an insufficient commitment to winning by the ownership group, and he reached a settlement with the team to release him from the last year of his contract and Angels coach Joe Maddon was named manager, the fourth in team history.

Shortly after the season ended, new owner Stuart Sternberg, immediately fired Chuck LaMar along with most of the front office. Matthew Silverman was named the team president, and Andrew Friedman took the role of Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. Sternberg decided not to have a de jure General Manager, calling the position "outdated."[4]

[edit]2006: Rebuilding year

Main article: 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season

With the change of ownership and the strong finish to the 2005 season, Tampa Bay fans were optimistic about the 2006 season, the official attendance for the Rays' home opener was 40,199, the highest turnout since the 1998 inaugural season home opener. At the All-Star break, Tampa Bay was only eleven games under the .500 mark (39–50). However, the front office became convinced that the Devil Rays would not contend in 2006 and they traded several veteran players and the Devil Rays struggled in the second half particularly on the road, and finished with a league worst 61–101 record.

The Devil Rays were involved in two unusual triple plays in 2006; one they hit into, the other they executed themselves. On June 11 against Kansas City, they hit into the third triple play in major league history, and first since 1937, that involved an appeal. Russell Branyan flew out to center, Rocco Baldelli tried to advance to second base and was thrown out, and then Aubrey Huff was called out when the umpires ruled that he left third base early when he tagged up. Then, on September 2 against Seattle, the Rays executed a 2–6–2 triple play where the ball never touched the bat, something that had never been done before. The triple play involved a strikeout and two baserunners caught off base. Tampa pitcher J.P. Howell struck out Raúl Ibáñez. Catcher Dioner Navarro fired the ball to shortstop Ben Zobrist, who tagged out Adrián Beltré trying to steal second base. During that throw, José Lopez tried to go home from third, but Zobrist returned the ball to Navarro in time to put Lopez out at the plate, completing the first 2-6-2 triple play in MLB history. The Devil Rays finished with a winning record at home (41–40) for the first time ever and home attendance increased by 20% from 2005.

In the off-season the Rays won the rights to Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura. and signed him to a three-year contract.

In an effort to court the Orlando, Florida, market, the Devil Rays played a series at The Ballpark (now called Champion Stadium) at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in the 2007 season. The series selected was the May 15–17 series versus the Texas Rangers. The Devil Rays swept the Rangers in that series.

[edit]2007: Peña and young stars lead the way

Main article: 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season

The Devil Rays had the youngest starting line-up since the 1983 Minnesota Twins. The Rays had several bright spots on the year as they were led by pitchers James Shields and Scott Kazmir but with a poor bullpen the Rays compiled the worst record in baseball (66–96), finishing last in the American League East for the ninth time in their 10-season existence.

Original logo of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1998-2000

Tampa Bay Devil Rays logo, 2001-2007

Tampa Bay Rays secondary, 2008-present

2008 offseason: New name, uniforms & outlook
 2008 Tampa Bay Rays season

Prior to the 2008 season the team unveiled new uniforms along with a name change, and the team was now officially called the "Tampa Bay Rays." The new team colors were "navy, Columbia blue and a touch of gold"[9] and a new team logo featured a bright yellow sunburst symbolizing the Sunshine State of Florida. Following a front office promise to increase the team's payroll, it was raised to $43 million

The Rays lineup remained largely intact from 2007, several key trades and free agent signings improved the team, additions included Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and veteran relief pitcher and closer Troy Percival. Top third-base prospect Evan Longoria was expected to be the starter at the hot corner while the Rays also signed the #1 pick in the draft last year, pitcher David Price, who was widely recognized as one of the top players in college baseball. Longoria was called up at the end of April.

The Rays and Red Sox brawl at Fenway Park on June 5, 2008.

The Rays finished spring training with a club record 18 wins and tied for highest winning percentage in the Grapefruit League. They began the season with a win in Baltimore and snapped a 7-game losing streak in road openers.

As they did during the 2007 season, the Rays played a regular season home series at Champion Stadium in Walt Disney World for the April 22–24 series against the Toronto Blue Jays. As in the Orlando series in the previous season, the Rays won all three games and followed with their first-ever sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Tropicana Field.

The Rays became the first team in modern Major League history (since 1900) to hold the best record in the league through Memorial Day, after having the worst record in the league the year before. This marked the best start in franchise history and the first time ever that the team was 11 games over .500. In June, incidents over the course of two consecutive games led to a bench clearing brawl against the Boston Red Sox.

Within the first week of July the Rays stretched their division lead to 5½ games, but then lost seven consecutive games heading into the All-Star Break. Trailing the Red Sox for the division lead by ½ game, they still led the Wild Card. Scott Kazmir and Dioner Navarro were selected to play in the All-Star Game. Evan Longoria was voted into the roster by the fans in the Final Vote giving the Rays a team record for All-Stars. In another franchise first, Longoria participated in the Home Run Derby.

Despite injuries to several key players in early August including Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and Troy Percival, the Rays finished August on a 5-game winning streak, compiling a record of 21–7 for the month, the best single month in franchise history. With an 84–51 overall record, the best in the league, their lead in the division grew to 5½ games going into the final month of the season.

On September 20, the Rays, with the best home record in Major League Baseball, clinched their first-ever postseason berth in franchise history and clinched the AL East Pennant shortly thereafeter.

In the American League Division Series the Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox in 4 games of the (ALDS), clinching their first playoff series victory and advance to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) where they defeated the Boston Red Sox in 7 games, to go to the World Series for the first time. Despite having home-field advantage in the series, the Rays lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, four games to one, in the World Series.

The Rays' turnaround was mostly credited to much improved defense and pitching. The Rays also stole 142 bases, more than any other team in the AL. They also had five pitchers throw over 150 innings, more than any other team in baseball: Shields, Kazmir, Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and Edwin Jackson. While the 2007 bullpen and defense were historically bad, stats for 2008 were among the best in the majors, and the best in franchise history.

2009 season
 2009 Tampa Bay Rays season

With the Rays' new payroll total above $60 million principal owner Stuart Sternberg announced that unlike previous seasons the Rays had no more flexibility to make additions during the upcoming season. In the 2008 season, despite the Rays being contenders the entire season, attendance was still among the lowest in the league. Sternberg stated in the only team that did not have an average attendance higher than the league average in the season following a World Series appearance was the Florida Marlins, who did so twice after each of their championship seasons. He accepted that the Rays might become the third occurrence, saying about the 2008 season, "it wasn't the best year to win," because of the current state of the economy.

Following a lackluster start the Rays finished May with an overall record of 25–28 and just half a game out of last place but pulled within 4 games of the AL East and 1½ back in the wild card toward the All-Star break. Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist, and Evan Longoria were named as All-Stars for the American League in the All-Star Game with Longoria earning the start at third base but was unable to play due to injury. Carlos Peña was added as an injury replacement and participated in the 2009 Home Run Derby. In the All-Star Game Carl Crawford won MVP honors by making a leaping catch at the wall to take away Brad Hawpe's home run.

In August Iwamura returned from injuries sustained in May and the Rays traded Scott Kazmir to the Angels for two minor league prospects and a player to be named later. Kazmir left the team as the all-time leader in wins and strikeouts.

The Rays stumbled in September, losing 11 games in a row at one point, and lost Carlos Peña for the remainder of the season to a broken finger from a hit by pitch. At the time Peña was leading the American League in home runs. The Rays clinched a winning season but the team did not make the post-season finishing with an 84–78 record, good enough for 3rd place. On October 2 B.J. Upton became the first Tampa Bay player to hit for the cycle.

After the 2009 season second baseman Akinori Iwamura was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for relief pitcher Jesse Chavez who was than traded to the Atlanta Braves for closer Rafael Soriano.

2010 season

 2010 Tampa Bay Rays season

In spring training the Rays finished with the best record in the Grapefruit League and set a franchise record for wins in spring training. Second baseman Sean Rodriguez, who had been acquired in the Scott Kazmir trade with the Angels, was considered a breakout player during the spring, on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Although the Rays had the league best record at the time, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics threw a perfect game against the Rays in May. It was the league's second perfect game in a row thrown against Tampa Bay, the last being in 2009 by Mark Buerhle, and at the time was the shortest amount of time between perfect games in Major League Baseball. The Rays were once again victims of a no-hitter on June 25 at Tropicana Field, thrown by former Ray, Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jackson threw 149 pitches against his old team, and although 10 batters reached base, none were the result of a base hit.

David Price, Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and Rafael Soriano were named to the American League team in the 2010 All-Star game. Price was named the starting pitcher for the AL.

On July 26, 2010, Matt Garza threw a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers, becoming the fifth pitcher to throw a no-hitter that season. It was the first no-hitter ever thrown by a Tampa Bay pitcher in the franchise's history.

Rays Ballpark

In 2007, the Rays announced a plan for a new ballpark on the waterfront of St. Petersburg, Florida. However in 2009, the Rays stated they had abandoned all plans for a ballpark on the St. Petersburg waterfront, preferring a location nearer the center of Pinellas County.

Season records

List of Tampa Bay Rays seasons

The records of the Rays' last five seasons in Major League Baseball

American League Champions

Division Champions

MLB

season Team

season League Division Regular season Post-season Awards

Finish[a] Wins[b] Losses Win% GB[c]

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

2005 2005 AL East 5th 67 95 .414 28

2006 2006 AL East 5th 61 101 .377 36

2007 2007 AL East 5th 66 96 .407 30 Carlos Peña (CPOY)[f]

Tampa Bay Rays

2008 2008 AL East 1st 97 65 .599 — Won ALDS[d] vs. Chicago White Sox, 3-1

Won ALCS[e] vs. Boston Red Sox 4-3

Lost World Series vs. Philadelphia Phillies 4-1[24] Evan Longoria (ROY)

Joe Maddon (MOY)

2009 2009 AL East 3rd 84 78 .519 19

2010 2010 AL East 2nd 64 38 .627 1.0

These statistics are current as of July 28, 2010. Bold denotes a playoff season, pennant or championship; italics denotes the active season.

Baseball Hall of Famers

Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Famers

Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Wade Boggs

Names in bold inducted as Devil Rays or Rays

Retired numbers

The Tampa Bay Rays have retired two numbers. These numbers are displayed to the left of the center field scoreboard and "K Counter" on a small wall.

Wade

Boggs

3B: 1998-99

Retired 2001

Jackie

Robinson

Retired by

MLB

Retired 1997

Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired by all of Major League Baseball.

Award winners and league leaders

Rookie of the Year

Evan Longoria (2008)

Gold Glove Award

Carlos Pena (2008)

Evan Longoria (2009)

Silver Slugger Award

Carlos Pena (2007)

Evan Longoria (2009)

Player of the Year

Carlos Pena (2007)

Manager of the Year

Joe Maddon (2008)

DHL Hometown Heroes (2006)

Wade Boggs — voted by MLB fans as the most outstanding player in the history of the franchise, based on on-field performance, leadership quality, and character value.

Team award

2008 – William Harridge Trophy (American League champion)

2008 – Baseball America Organization of the Year

Team records (single-season, all-time)

Main article: Tampa Bay Rays team records

Current roster

Tampa Bay Rays roster view • talk • edit

Active roster Inactive roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Starting rotation

40 Wade Davis

22 Matt Garza

34 Jeff Niemann

14 David Price

33 James Shields

Bullpen

53 Joaquín Benoit

36 Randy Choate

31 Lance Cormier

55 Chad Qualls

21 Andy Sonnanstine

35 Dan Wheeler

Closer

29 Rafael Soriano

Catchers

28 John Jaso

10 Kelly Shoppach

Infielders

8 Jason Bartlett

15 Reid Brignac

3 Evan Longoria

23 Carlos Peña

1 Sean Rodriguez

Outfielders

13 Carl Crawford

19 Gabe Kapler

2 B. J. Upton

18 Ben Zobrist

Designated hitters

16 Willy Aybar

20 Matt Joyce

Pitchers

50 Grant Balfour †

54 Mike Ekstrom

58 Jeremy Hellickson

39 J. P. Howell †

57 Jake McGee

59 Dale Thayer

56 Alexander Torres

Catchers

41 José Lobatón

30 Dioner Navarro

Infielders

-- José Ruiz

Outfielders

-- Leslie Anderson

27 Desmond Jennings

38 Fernando Perez

11 Justin Ruggiano

Manager

70 Joe Maddon

Coaches

46 Stan Boroski (coach)

6 Tom Foley (third base)

25 George Hendrick (first base)

48 Jim Hickey (pitching)

4 Dave Martinez (bench)

7 Bobby Ramos (bullpen)

17 Derek Shelton (hitting)

62 Don Zimmer (coach)

60-day disabled list

None

† 15-day disabled list

* Suspended list

# Bereavement list

Roster updated July 31, 2010

Transactions • Depth Chart

→ More rosters

Rivals

Tampa Bay's primary rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees[29][30] The Red Sox/Rays rivalry dates back to the 2000 season, when Devil Ray Gerald Williams took exception to being hit by a pitch thrown by Boston pitcher Pedro Martínez and charged the mound, resulting in a game full of retaliations and ejections on both sides There have been several other incidents between the teams during the ensuing years, including one in 2005 which resulted in two bench-clearing fights during the game and a war of words between then-Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella and then-Boston pitcher Curt Schilling through the media in the following days.The rivalry reached its highest level to date during the 2008 season, which included a brawl during a June meeting in Fenway Park  and a 7-game American League Championship Series between the teams that ended in the Rays' first ever pennant win.

As a fellow member of the AL East Division, the Yankees and Rays play many times each season. There has always been some feeling of a rivalry between the teams due to the fact that the Yankees make Tampa their spring training home and fan loyalty in the Tampa Bay area has historically been divided, especially among transplants from the northeastern US. The rivalry became more heated in spring training of 2008, when a home plate collision between Rays outfielder Elliot Johnson and Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli was followed the next day by spikes-high slide by Yankees outfielder Shelley Duncan into Rays' second baseman Akinori Iwamura, prompting Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes to charge in from his position in right field and knock Duncan to the ground.
Quick facts

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (April 2009)

Founded: 1998 (American League expansion)

Home ballpark: Tropicana Field

Uniform colors: Navy Blue, Columbia Blue, Gold

Logo design: The word "Rays" in a baseball diamond

Mascot: A six-foot, six-inch (198 cm) seadog named "Raymond"

Playoff appearances: 1

Owner: Stuart Sternberg, et al.

President: Matthew Silverman

Executive VP of Baseball Operations (de facto General Manager): Andrew Friedman

Manager: Joe Maddon

Local Television: Fox Sports Florida, Sun Sports

Public Address Announcer: Greg Kalil

Spring Training Facility: Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, Florida

Radio, television and movies

As of 2009, the Rays' flagship radio station is WDAE 620 AM. The play-by-play announcers are Dave Wills and Andy Freed, and Rich Herrera is the pregame and postgame host. This team replaced Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes as of the 2005 season. Slowes went to the Washington Nationals, while Olden pursued a photography career. Rays games have been aired on WFLA 970 AM (1998–2004) and WHNZ 1250 AM (2005–2008) in the past.

Sun Sports broadcasts the Rays' games on television. Through the 2008 season, many games also aired on Ion Television affiliate broadcast stations throughout the state of Florida, with WXPX in Tampa as the flagship. However, after the 2008 season, Sun Sports signed an agreement to become the exclusive local broadcaster of the Rays, and will air 155 games per year through 2016. Dewayne Staats (play-by-play) and Joe Magrane (color commentary) had been the TV team from the Rays' inception until the end of the 2008 season. Todd Kalas, the son of Philadelphia announcing legend Harry Kalas, serves as the pregame and postgame host as well as a field reporter during games. Todd also hosts magazine shows and specials on Sun Sports throughout the season. Dick Crippen and Whit Watson have both filled in for Todd Kalas in the past.

Joe Magrane left the Rays television network in November 2008 to take a position at the MLB Network. On February 16, 2009, it was announced that Kevin Kennedy would replace Magrane, but split the duty with Brian Anderson and Todd Kalas. Anderson and Kalas had been in the booth for a few games with Staats while Magrane was in China for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Staats, Magrane, Kalas, Wills, Olden and Slowes were all nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award, the broadcasters' path to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 2008.

Fox Sports Florida began broadcasting a portion of the schedule in HD beginning in 2007, after Tropicana Field's broadcast equipment was upgraded for in-house HD production. About 44 games were carried in HD in 2007, and 58 games were carried in HD in 2008 (not including nationally-televised games).

Most households in the Greater Orlando area could not see Rays games aired on Fox Sports Florida in the past because its primary cable provider, Bright House Networks, refused to carry the network. However, Bright House in Orlando finally placed FS Florida on the air for digital cable subscribers on January 1, 2009.

The Rookie

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were featured in the movie, The Rookie, a 2002 drama, directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief but famous Major League Baseball career.

Morris (at the age of 35) had the ability to repeatedly throw the baseball at 98 miles per hour (158 km/h), a feat that fewer than ten professional baseball players at the time could accomplish. This ability affords him the opportunity to play professional baseball and he signs on with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. He is initially assigned to the minor league Class AA Orlando Rays (now the Montgomery Biscuits) but quickly moved up to the AAA Durham Bulls, later to be called up to the "bigs" during the September roster expansions.

Jim Morris spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as a relief pitcher. He pitched 15 innings in 21 games, with an earned run average of 4.80.

Team Salaries

Opening Day payrolls for 25-man roster (since 2000)

2010 : $72,847,133

2009 : $63,313,034

2008 : $43,745,597

2007 : $24,123,500

2006 : $35,417,967

2005 : $29,679,067

2004 : $29,556,667

2003 : $19,630,000

2002 : $34,380,000

2001 : $56,980,000

2000 : $64,400,000

Rays fandom

Although widespread support has been slow to build with the lack of success in its first ten seasons, it has taken some cues from the powerhouses of the American League East. Whereas Red Sox fans are referred to as Red Sox Nation, and Yankee fans are referred to as Yankees Universe (and the team itself being called the "Evil Empire"), the Rays have adopted the term Rays Republic for their fan base. Their slogan is "X = 10th Man. X = Rays Republic." The team has also had its fair share of notable fans and outrageous fan traditions over the years.

The Happy Heckler

"The Happy Heckler" is a fan by the name of Robert Szasz, a Clearwater real estate developer. He has season tickets near home plate, and is known for his rather boisterous heckling. He is so loud that he is clearly audible on both TV and radio broadcasts. He is also known as an "ethical" heckler, heckling opposing players only based on their play and never throwing personal insults. Despite this, he has drawn the ire of some opposing players. He is especially known for heckling Bret Boone so viciously once that Boone confronted him after a strikeout.

More Cowbell

The Rays' Cowbell was originally a promotional idea thought up by principal owner Stuart Sternberg, who got the idea from the Saturday Night Live sketch. Since then, it has become a standard feature of home games, something akin to the Sacramento Kings of the NBA and the bells their fans ring during games. Road teams have often considered the cowbell a nuisance. Once a year the Rays hold an annual "cowbell night" and give away free cowbells. Cowbells are available for purchase throughout the year as well. The most famous proponent of the cowbell is Cary Strukel, who is known as "The Cowbell Kid." Strukel can be seen at most home games sitting in right field and wearing some kind of costume, typically topped with a neon colored wig or Viking horns. The cowbells are rung most prominently when the opposing batter has two strikes, when the opposing fans try to chant, and when the Rays make a good play.

Professional wrestlers

Rays games are frequently visited by professional wrestlers, as there are a large number of wrestlers living in the Tampa Bay Area. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags), Brutus Beefcake, and Hulk Hogan all appear on a semi-regular basis at Rays games. John Cena appears on occasion.

The Rays held a "Legends of Wrestling Night" on May 18, 2007, featuring several wrestling matches after the game, an 8–4 loss to the Florida Marlins. Outfielder and wrestling fan Jonny Gomes ran interference for the Nasty Boys during the main event.

A second "Wrestling Night" was held on April 19, 2008, after a 5–0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Gomes participated again, this time making a post-match save for the Nasty Boys.

Team slogans

9=8 (spoken as "nine equals eight") was the mantra used by the Rays during the 2008 season. The phrase was originally created by manager Joe Maddon while riding his bike after the 2007 season. The meaning of the phrase was that if nine players play nine innings of hard baseball everyday, that team would become one of the eight teams who qualify for the playoffs. Prior to 2008 season, the Rays had never had a winning season in franchise history, much less a playoff appearance.

After a slow start to the 2008 season, the Rays began to pick up speed and found themselves among the best teams in the league that year. Maddon had blue t-shirts made with the phrase on the back in yellow, representing the team's new colors, and gave them to the players during the season. His idea to put the slogan on the back of the shirt, rather than the front, was that a person who was walking behind someone wearing the shirt would see it.

Rays right fielder Gabe Gross, who was acquired by the team through a trade early into the 2008 campaign, said it was so much 9=8 as it was more along the lines of 13=8, because the Rays had many players contributing to the team's success that season.

The Rays played well enough throughout the year that they surpassed their previous team record for wins in a single season by more than 20 wins and ultimately clinched a spot in the 2008 MLB Playoffs for their first postseason appearance in franchise history. As the phrase 9=8 had come to fruition, Maddon stated that the phrase also meant that theory and reality had come together.

With each level the Rays reached, the equation was changed. After they clinched their playoff spot, it became 9=4, to represent the teams advancing to the LCS. When they won the ALDS, it became 9=2, for the teams advancing to the World Series. When they won the ALCS, it became 9=1, representing the possible World Series Championship. In the end, they did not win the World Series, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one.

A week before Spring Training for the 2009 season, Maddon introduced a new slogan, '09 > '08. The meaning of his new idea was that he doesn't like to use the words "great" or "greater," but would rather the phrase be spoken as "better than." His only problem was that there is no symbol for "better than." Originally thinking about creating a new symbol to mean "better than," he admitted that he didn't want to get "too nuts," so the symbol for greater than would have to do. Re-emphasizing that 9 would always equal 8 in the Rays' math, the upcoming season would be greater than the previous. He wanted the players to understand that "in order to build this new road we have to be better than we were last year." Unfortunately for the Rays, 2009 was not better than 2008. Though they finished the season in 3rd place with an 84–78 record, making it the second best season in franchise history, they failed to reach the playoffs.

For the 2010 season, another slogan was created. Unlike the previous two seasons, this slogan did not involve any sort of math. The slogan was WIN, an acronym that stood for What's Important Now?, with the message being "stay in the moment." In his explanation of the slogan, Maddon credited Ken Ravizza, the performance consultant of the Rays and a sports psychologist, as the creator. Maddon stated, "It's always about staying in the present tense and having a higher state of awareness." GTMI became another notable slogan during the year, standing for Get The Man In (though it is reported a player has used a "more colorful" term to take place of the word "man"), referring to an in-game situation in which the Rays had runners in scoring position. Historically, the team had a habit of stranding runners on third base with less than two outs. In practices during the 2010 season, the Rays would run the "get-the-man-in drill" to improve situational hitting. Derek Shelton, who came into the season as the team's new hitting coach, taught that batters should not look for a pitch they could hit for a home run, but one that they could hit well enough to score runners.

Minor league affiliations

Level Team League Location

AAA Durham Bulls International League Durham, NC

AA Montgomery Biscuits Southern League Montgomery, AL

Advanced A Charlotte Stone Crabs Florida State League Port Charlotte, FL

A Bowling Green Hot Rods Midwest League Bowling Green, KY

Short Season A Hudson Valley Renegades New York-Penn League Wappingers Falls, NY

Rookie Princeton Rays Appalachian League Princeton, WV

GCL Rays Gulf Coast League Port Charlotte, FL

Franchise records

Tampa Bay Rays team records

Season records

Highest Batting Average: .320, Jason Bartlett (2009)

Most Games: 162, Aubrey Huff (2003) and Delmon Young (2007)

Most Hits: 198, Aubrey Huff (2003)

Highest Slugging %: .627, Carlos Pena (2007)

Most Doubles: 47, Aubrey Huff (2003)

Most Triples: 19, Carl Crawford (2004)

Most Home Runs: 46, Carlos Pena (2007)

Most RBIs: 121, Carlos Pena (2007)

Most Stolen Bases: 60, Carl Crawford (2009)

Most Wins: 14, Rolando Arrojo (1998) and James Shields, Edwin Jackson (2008)

Lowest ERA: 3.48, Scott Kazmir (2007)

Strikeouts: 239, Scott Kazmir (2005)

Complete Games: 5, Joe Kennedy (2002)

Saves: 43, Roberto Hernandez (1999)

Footnotes

a The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.

b The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only at the bottom of the list.

c The GB column lists "Games Back" from the team that finished in first place that season. It is determined by finding the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.

d ALDS stands for American League Division Series.

e ALCS stands for American League Championship Series.

f CPOY stands for Comeback Player of the Year

h MOY stands for Manager of the Year.

j ROY stands for American League Rookie of the Year.

Source:Tampa Bay Rays