The Tampa Bay Rays, defending American League champions, are no longer the late-night-comedian-punch-line piñatas of Major League Baseball. This was underscored again this past weekend when the Rays’ Saturday afternoon game against the Boston Red Sox was covered nationally by Fox Sports and the following Sunday night game against the Bosox was televised by ESPN.
Fox’s color analyst Tim McCarver was notably complimentary to the Rays as one of MLB’s “elites” and referenced burgeoning star Evan Longoria as “Hall of Fame” material.
Alas, McCarver’s normal play-by-play colleague, Joe Buck, wasn’t there. His place in the broadcast booth was taken by the versatile journeyman Dick Stockton. He didn’t wait long to remind viewers that he’s no Joe Buck.
No, he didn’t reference Joe Maddon’s charges as the “Devil Rays.” But worse, especially if you’re Rick Baker and the understandably sensitive fans of St. Petersburg. Stockton called them the “Tampa Rays.”
Wonder if he ever refers to the “Green Packers?”