A sure sign that the Rays are for real : Scalper sightings and counterfeit ticket warnings. An even surer sign that the Rays are really for real would be: Huge crowds when the inducement doesn’t include the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, a post-game concert or $5 gas cards.
Recent vintage line from Joe Magrane , the Rays’ color analyst, when referring euphemistically to talented but, uh, temperamental Kansas City outfielder Jose Guillen: “He comes with a warning label and an expiration date.”
Jonny Gomes . However popular, can the Rays continue to carry him?