Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays’ are a professional baseball team located in St. Petersburg, Florida. They are a member of the Eastern Division of the American League. **Stadium**The Rays have played all their games at Tropicana Field.**Nickname**From their inception up until November 2007, the team was called the “Devil Rays” - a common nickname for the manta ray. They were also called “The D-Rays”. However, pressure from religious groups who did not like the word “devil” in the name, caused the ownership to cave and rename the team simply the “Rays”. Accordig to principal owner Stuart Sternberg, the name now represents, “A beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida.”**History**The Devil Rays are an expansion franchise, founded in St. Petersburg in 1998. They are one of four active teams never to have played in a World Series, along with the Texas Rangers, the Washington Nationals, and the Seattle Mariners. They are the only team to have never made it to the playoffs, having finished in last place in every season of their existence, with the exception of 2004, when they finished fourth in their division.**Record By Decade**‘1990-1999 Larry Rotschild coached the team in its first two years, when it posted numbers of 63-99 and 69-93

2000-2008 Rothschild continued to coach for the first two seasons of the 2000s. The team made no improvement in its record, and indeed lost 100 games in 2001. Hal McCrae trhen coached the team for a single season, 2002. Lou Piniella was unable to change the team’s fortunes in his three-year tenure. Joe Maddon took over in 2006, and the team lost 100 games in that season. However, in 2008 the Rays have had a surprising resurgence, not only being over .500 but being in contention for lead in the division.