Rays to Host World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays improbable run to the World Series commences tonight, and their success should be a huge boon for Southern baseball. With the Braves’ NL East dominance over and the Texas teams struggling, Tampa Bay’s club of youngsters provides a blueprint for other teams to follow. While the Marlins’ championship teams tended to be a group of free agents signed for the short term, Joe Maddon’s bunch has been home grown. The Rays have assembled a group of talent that fans should be able to form a relationship with for an extended period of time. While the Rays still need a stadium deal for long term success, this World Series run is a great start to improving the state of professional baseball in Florida.

We always like to spotlight players from our Swampland footprint, and this World Series will have plenty of influence from those who played in the South. The Rays roster includes Scott Kazmir (prepped in Texas), J.P.Howell (University of Texas), Ben Zobrist (Dallas Baptist), David Price (Vanderbilt), Jason Bartlett (University of Oklahoma), and B.J. Upton (prepped in Virginia). The Phillies boast Pat Burrell (University of Miami), Joe Blanton (University of Kentucky), Clay Condrey (McNeese State), Brett Myers (prepped in Florida), and Greg Dobbs (University of Oklahoma), as well as manager Charlie Manuel who grew up in Virginia (and is about as Southern as they come).

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