Fox welcomes Rays-Phillies

There's plenty of talk that this could be the least-watched World Series in years, maybe ever, mostly because the Rays are in it. Though Tampa Bay features young, exciting players who are the talk of Tampa Bay, those players aren't well-known outside of this market. And the Rays have no tradition, not like the Red Sox or Yankees or Cubs.

But Fox Sports president Ed Goren, whose network will televise the games, said it's not about which teams are playing, but how many games they play.

"I've said this year in and year out: It's not so much the matchups -- and I think this is a wonderful matchup -- as the number of games played in the series or volume,'' Goren said.

Goren pointed to the 1997 World Series between a small-market team (Cleveland) and one with no tradition (Florida). The TV ratings went through the roof as the series went to seven games. "That's what I mean by volume,'' Goren said. "These things build. It's watercooler talk. It becomes must-see TV.''

Meantime, maybe the rest of the country doesn't know the Rays, but it will be Fox's job to introduce them.

"These kids are the future of baseball,'' Goren said. "If we do our job and have exciting games, then we are going to do just fine. There are people who are Cubs fans, Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, Dodgers fans, but there are also a lot of people who are baseball fans. If you're a baseball fan, you have to watch the World Series. I don't care what the matchups are. If you call yourself a baseball fan, you have to be watching the World Series.''

More World Series stuff ...
Insurance of the day
TBS suffered an embarrassing gaffe when the first 19 minutes of Game 6 of the American League Championship Series were not seen because of a router problem. We were stuck watching what surely was the highest-rated Steve Harvey Show ever. In layman's terms, something broke at the station's headquarters in Atlanta, and there was no sufficient backup plan. It's virtually impossible for that to happen to Fox during the World Series, Fox Sports president Ed Goren said.

"We have a facility in Houston that, if anything happens in Los Angeles, which is our main transmission center, we can instantly switch to Houston and pick up the coverage within minutes,'' Goren said. "Yes, you worry about it. Yes, it is a nightmare. And five minutes can feel like a lifetime when you're down. It's happened to others before, and hopefully it doesn't happen to us.''

Fox's announcing team
Joe Buck (that's him on the left) and Tim McCarver will handle the World Series broadcast for Fox. Buck will call his 11th World Series; McCarver will call his 19th, more than any television announcer in the history of the World Series. Both are just fine with a new team such as the Rays playing in the World Series, especially if this is the beginning of several World Series appearances.

"From a national perspective, I can't think of a time when Tim and I had a chance to cover a team filled with as much young talent as what the Tampa Bay Rays have,'' Buck said. "This could be the beginning of a tremendous run by an organization that seems to have figured out how to compete through the draft, by adding key players and by not overpaying for free agents. We get a chance to put the spotlight on a group of kids that really enjoy playing this game.''

Best line
"A real Renaissance man ... one of the real innovative, contemporary managers of our time.''
— Fox's Tim McCarver on Rays manager Joe Maddon

Pregame and postgame shows
Once again, Bright House Sports Network and FSN Florida will have pre- and postgame World Series shows.

BHSN will air its pregame show from 6:30 to 7 p.m. each game night. Rock Riley and Tom Buehring will host live from the Trop with analysts Fred McGriff and Frank Viola. Immediately after the game, BHSN will air its postgame show with Buehring and Viola in the studio and Riley at the Trop.

FSN's pregame show will air each game night from 7-8 p.m. (with the exception of a possible Game 6, when it would move to 7:30 because of Barack Obama’s television appearance). Whit Watson will serve as host with the Rays announcing team of Dewayne Staats, Joe Magrane and Todd Kalas. Unlike the ALCS, FSN is making the smart move by sending Staats, Magrane and Kalas to Philadelphia for Games 3, 4 and, if needed, 5. FSN's postgame show will air immediately following the game.

Local connections
Both Fox announcers for the World Series have Tampa Bay connections. Joe Buck was born in St. Petersburg, but he was raised in St. Louis. He’s the son of legendary announcer Jack Buck, who used to call spring training games for the Cardinals at Al Lang Stadium. Color analyst Tim McCarver makes his home in Sarasota.

Other stuff ...
He wrote it
The New York Times' Richard Sandomir spent Sunday on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown set, and the most interesting part of his piece about it was a paragraph on host Chris Berman.

Sandomir wrote, "Berman is the same on and off the air. He is big and boisterous, sensitive to criticism that he is too riotous and that his on-air approach needs updating. He is irked that he is not appreciated by critics the way he feels he is by fans. He says he has no plans to change.''

Whatever happened to …
Remember former NFL coach Dennis Green? He has begun teaching a strategic management course at San Diego State's College of Business Administration. Think if a kid gets a C on a test, Green will yell, "You had an A, and you let it off the hook!''?

Taking the high road
If you're keeping score at home, ESPN.com columnist Jemele Hill made an Adolf Hitler reference in a column and was suspended. ESPN college football analyst Lou Holtz made a Hitler reference and was not suspended. How did Hill feel about that? She answered the question -- well, addressed it is more accurate -- on her Web site's blog.

The last couple days I've been inundated with calls and e-mails because of the Lou Holtz controversy. He made an inappropriate Hitler reference. I made an inappropriate Hitler reference. We both apologized, but only I was suspended.

"A lot has been written about this. Many have said that ESPN treated me unfairly. The 64,000 (dollar) question: How do I really feel?

"My initial answer is a story, or rather, a moment. A couple years ago, I was visiting the Poynter Institute, one of the foremost journalism think tanks in the country (Two Cents' note: and it owns the St. Petersburg Times), and I sat in on a session taught by one of my favorite columnists and people, the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins.

"“A student asked her if she ever got upset when other writers (were) rewarded -- particularly if she knew they weren't as good. And Sally said -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- that she always prided herself on keeping her eyes on her own career. That's my answer. That's how I feel.''

Hill won't say it, so I will. Holtz should've been suspended, too, and that he wasn't makes you question the double standard.

John Madden's road show won't include Tampa Bay

Wednesday's Shooting from the Lip ...

Raw deal of the day
You've probably heard by now that NBC's John Madden will not be calling Sunday night's game at Raymond James Stadium, marking the first time in 28 years (476 games) that Madden will take a day off from work. It would make two cross-country trips in as many weeks for the 72-year-old Madden and NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol suggested he take the week off.

"It's just a week to rest my best player,'' Ebersol told the Washington Post.

At first, it didn't seem to be a big deal, seeing as how the guy never has missed a game. But upon further review, it is a big deal. NBC's Sunday night broadcasts have become this generation's Monday Night Football. Madden is the reason why. He's a huge star and it's a rotten deal for Bucs fans that he is not coming to Tampa Bay and giving us all his take on the Bucs.

It's the reason that rubs me the wrong way. Madden told the Post, "I still enjoy the travel, but you'd like to be home once in a while. … It's a quality-of-life issue.''

If Madden were sick, it would be understandable. If he had a family function -- a special anniversary or a child's wedding or a grandchild's graduation from high school or something -- then you could give him a pass. But why isn't he coming? Essentially, the explanation is he just doesn't feel like it. Never mind that he isn't actually driving the bus from California that would bring him to the game, but the only reason he is taking the bus to begin with is because he won't get on a plane. Madden is afraid to fly.

No one is suggesting Madden's job is easy. He's good because he works hard. But still, the bulk of his job is calling a football game for three hours once a week for five months a year. And he needs a break from that? And the kicker: NBC isn't showing a game the Sunday after the Bucs game, so Madden will now have two weeks off. He won't call a game until Nov. 2.

Maybe there's more to the story. Maybe Madden is completely exhausted and his health is an issue. If that's the case, it's understandable that he takes care of himself. But if it's just because he doesn't want to make the trip, or doesn't feel like working, that's not good enough. Can you imagine Jon Gruden saying, "You know, I just don't feel like coaching this week. I'm going to take the week off?'' It really is no different.

Perhaps we're a bit sour because we love Madden's work so much and we're disappointed he's not coming here. Maybe if he were skipping some other team's game, we wouldn’t care. But Madden is not coming to Tampa Bay and, well, that stinks.

Best suggestion
NBC's Cris Collinsworth is replacing Madden as Al Michaels' partner in the booth Sunday night for the Bucs-Seahawks game. But Bright House Sports Network's Joe Girvan had a good line about who should replace Madden: "They should get (impersonator/comedian) Frank Caliendo.''’ Girvan is right. Caliendo sounds more like Madden than Madden.

Check it out:
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Madden's replacement
So with Cris Collinsworth set to fill in for John Madden on Sunday night, does that mean Collinsworth is Madden's heir apparent when the big guy steps down for good? Don't count on it. Collinsworth told the sports Web site, Deadspin, that he would prefer staying at home watching his children grow up as opposed to flying around the country calling games.

Station of the day
Tampa Bay's ESPN Radio made a major move Tuesday, switching from 1470-AM to 1040-AM. The new frequency more than triples the potential audience to more than 2-million people, according to its owners, Genesis Communications. The new ESPN 1040 will continue to simulcast on 1470-AM throughout the fall. Tampa Bay's ESPN Radio carries national shows such as Mike and Mike in the Morning and Colin Cowherd as well as local shows hosted by The Killer B’s and the afternoon drive-time show Brantley and the Babe, hosted by Scot Brantley and the Fabulous Sports Babe. While 620-AM continues to dominate the sports radio market with shows such as Ron and Ian, the Jim Rome Show and the afternoon drive show hosted by Steve “Big Dog’’ Duemig, ESPN’s move to 1040-AM is good one, if for nothing else than more people will be able to pick up the signal.

Hey, I like Brent Musberger

Shooting from the Lip
Looking back at a weekend of televised sports ...

Best announcing team of the weekend
I know a lot of people out there don't like ABC's Brent Musberger, but I wonder if that's just more of a cliche for sports fans. "Oh, I hate Musberger,'' they say without really listening to the job he does. He's really not that bad, especially when you compare him to a lot of the dead weight out there calling football games. He and partner Kirk Herbstreit (a commentator who is always good) had an outstanding day calling the rip-roaring game between Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday.

The two were at their best when Oklahoma got a raw deal on a late hit when it appeared Texas quarterback Colt McCoy simply fell into his own bench, causing an uproar on the Longhorns sideline.
"The best officials?'' Musberger asked. "The Texas assistant coaches!''

Later, after another questionable roughing-the-kicker call, Herbstreit cracked, "We're going to have to get rid of yellow flags and get yellow cards out here with all the acting we've seen from some of these players.''

Best sarcasm
I think Mike Greenberg, half of ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning, was taking a shot at Americans when he pointed out that more people in 24 out of 27 NFL markets were watching a football game instead of the vice presidential debate. "We understand where our priorities are,'' Greenberg said. "The election is important, but it ain't football.''

Best exchange
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 6-1, setting up this fun exchange on ESPN's coverage from the studio.
Rece Davis: "Minnesota is now bowl-eligible.''
Lou Holtz: "I picked them to be the team to show the most improvement. I knew this was coming.''
Mark May: "They were 1-11 last year. How could you know this?''
Holtz: "That's why I'm here. I got my crystal ball and it tells me, 'Minnesota will be better.'''

Most interesting point
ESPN football announcer Mike Patrick made a point no one has brought up before while calling Penn State's 48-7 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday night. Talking about Penn State's plain, but oh-so-cool uniforms, Patrick said he "swears'' the Nittany Lions used to make the numbers on their jerseys smaller so players would appear bigger. By the way, this team is 7-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. Anyone who thinks Penn State coach Joe Paterno should not be coaching anymore needs to sit down and shut up before embarrassing themselves any further.

Best national Rays reference
"They've won this kind of game in the second half time and time again and time after time and that muscle memory showed. … I think this baby goes the distance.''
-- Mike Lupica, New York Daily News columnist, on ESPN's Sports Reporters Sunday after the Rays' Game 2 victory in the ALCS.

Best reason to stay up
TBS's late-night, postgame baseball show -- Inside MLB -- has become must-see TV. All the highlights, live interviews, good analysis. The crew of host Ernie Johnson and analysts Harold Reynolds, Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley is getting stronger by the day and has settled into a comfortable repartee. The show is not quite as good as the original -- TNT's Inside the NBA -- but it's worth watching.
Of course, the show is a whole lot more fun to watch after your favorite team wins.

Strongest opinion
The Sunday NFL Countdown show on ESPN is good, but it suffers from having too many people at the desk. All do a good a job, it's just a numbers thing. Too many voices. But one voice stands out, and that's Tom Jackson, who requires you to listen to everything he says because he manages to be level-headed, opinionated and never overly emotional or outrageous just for the shock value. On Sunday, he delivered an absolutely riveting, cut-to-the-bone criticism of the troubled Adam "Pacman'' Jones of the Cowboys.

"I'm going to ask you a question,'' Jackson said to his partners. "We all grew up in a neighborhood. I don't care who you are, you grew up in a neighborhood. Guy gets arrested six times, has 12 altercations with the police over a period of a couple of years, is guarded 24 hours a day like … some guy in prison, what would you say that guy was? It's a rhetorical question. I don't want to get anybody in trouble. What would you say that guy was''

How many analysts out there would have the guts to say something like that? Compare that to CBS's Boomer Esiason, who seemed perfectly content to sweep Pacman's latest troubles under the carpet during the NFL Today pregame show.

Three things that popped into my head
1. Because of Fernando Perez's speed it probably wouldn't have mattered, but could J.D. Drew have made a worse throw from shallow rightfield on the Rays' winning run in Game 2? The thing bounced twice and wasn't even close to home even though Drew was only 140 feet or so away. Boston catcher Kevin Cash probably didn't know whether to catch it or shoot it to put it out of its misery.
2. The Lightning is just going to have to wait until the Rays are done before Tampa Bay fans really pay attention. Judging by how the Bolts are playing at the moment, that might be a good thing.
3. Anyone else getting sick of NASCAR drivers fighting each other?

Rays outshine Lightning

Wednesday's Two Cents ...

Bad luck of the day
The poor Lightning. It gets new owners, a new coach, a bunch of new players. It opens the season in Europe and hardly anyone is paying attention because of the Rays' magical playoff run. Then it gets worse. The Lightning opens its home schedule Saturday night at 7:30 -- just 37 minutes before the scheduled first pitch of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Rays and Red Sox.

The Lightning did call Saturday's opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, to ask about changing Saturday's game time to avoid the Rays-Red Sox game, but the Hurricanes said no. Carolina plays Friday night at home against the Panthers and the travel and turnaround would be too quick for a day game.  Besides, league rules prohibit a team playing a day game after a night game. The earliest the league would permit a starting time Saturday would be 5 p.m. That's the starting time the Lightning wanted, but the Hurricanes still said no.

The Lightning wasn't upset and said it understood Carolina’s position, but, quite frankly, I don’t. With a short flight from Raleigh after Friday night's game, the Hurricanes would be in their Tampa hotel across the street from the St. Pete Times Forum by 1 a.m. -- some 16 hours before the puck would drop Saturday. That's plenty of time to rest up for a game, especially one so early in the season. And, honestly, two-and-a-half hours is going to be that much of a difference for the Canes?

In the end, it really is in Carolina's best interest, too, to change Saturday's game time. The NHL needs all the fanfare and attention it can get. Going up against the Rays is bad for the Lightning, which is, in turn, bad for the entire NHL -- an NHL that includes the Carolina Hurricanes.

TBS announces announcers
TBS has announced its announcing team for the American League Championship Series, which starts Friday at the Trop. Chip Carey will handle the play-by-play with Ron Darling and Buck Martinez as analysts. Craig Sager, he of the funky sports jackets, will be the on-field reporter. Harold Reynolds, who worked as an analyst on the Rays-White Sox series, will go into the studio to join Inside MLB host Ernie Johnson and analysts Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley. It would've been nice if Reynolds, who was excellent in the first round, could've stayed in the booth for the next series. That also would've allowed Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson to stay with the studio team for the ALCS. Granderson was the strongest of the studio analysts.

Thoughts on Inside MLB
TBS's pre- and postgame show, Inside MLB, has been consistently inconsistent. It has gotten a tad better as the playoffs have gone on, but it's still filled with too many awkward and unsteady moments.
Ernie Johnson does a solid job as host, just as he does as host on TNT's Inside the NBA. The problem is when he looks down the desk on the baseball show, the highly-entertaining Charles Barkley isn’t sitting there. With all due respect to Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley, neither brings the energy or humor that Barkley does. To be fair, if Barkley were to leave the basketball show, there probably wouldn't be anyone to replace him there either.

Without someone like Barkley, Johnson, it seems, is having a difficult time pitching ideas and topics for Ripken and Eckersley to run with because neither seems willing to run. Perhaps in the ALCS, Harold Reynolds will bring a little more life to a show that needs a lot more life to be entertaining.

All in the all, Inside MLB delivers all the information and insight, but in a way that's still a little too boring.

Ratings down
Through Sunday, TBS was averaging about 4.3-million viewers for the 13 playoffs games it has shown. That is a big drop from the 5.4-million average viewers TBS garnered for the same time period in 2007.
A few reasons for that. One, there were no New York teams in the postseason for the first time in 13 years. The other was the network took a big hit when one of its glamor games -- the Cubs vs. the Dodgers -- was aired at the same time as the vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, which drew about 70-million viewers and was one of the most-watched debates in political history. The final thought is none of the first-round series was really that competitive. All four started with a team taking a 2-0 lead and none went the full five games.

Bad idea of the day
So the word out there is actor Kevin Costner has met with movie writer-director Ron Shelton about making a sequel to the 1988 classic Bull Durham. In addition, the New York Post is reporting that actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon would be interested in reprising their roles. Can I just go on record right now and say this is a bad idea? Sports sequels do not work. Think about it.

Slap Shot is my pick for the greatest sports movie ever made, but Slap Shot 2 might have been the worst movie ever made. Well, actually Caddyshack II might be the worst movie ever made -- more evidence that sports sequels are a bad idea. Major League was good, but Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors were awful. The first Bad News Bears was great, but both sequels were a mistake. The Mighty Ducks was kind of cute, but the sequels were kind of annoying. Same with Karate Kid. The only sports sequels that worked were a couple of the Rocky sequels. But as Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin astutely points out, Rocky is more like a superhero and superhero sequels (Batman, Spider-Man, etc.) usually do work.

Bull Durham ranks No. 2 on my all-time sports movies. I don't know why, but I'm almost positive Bull Durham 2 will not be in my top 50. Don’t do it!

Three things that popped into my head
1. Doesn't it seem like all the baseball playoff teams are going a little too crazy with the champagne and all after winning their first-round playoff series?
2. He might not be the NFL's best running back, but the Saints' Reggie Bush in the most exciting. When you see him take the field, it's like seeing Barry Bonds or Reggie Jackson come to bat. You have to watch just to see what he might do.
3. Don't you just get the sick feeling that Jason Bay, who was the subject of trade rumors to Tampa Bay but ended up in Boston, is going to do something to hurt the Rays in the ALCS?

Sports Reporters has winning formula

Shooting from the Lip
Looking back at a weekend of televised sports ...

Best show
The format is simple. Get a knowledgeable, likeable host. Surround the host with three sports writers with strong opinions. Bring up current sports events. Discuss. That's all ESPN's Sports Reporters is, and that format has worked brilliantly for 20 years. The show celebrated its 20th anniversary Sunday, and it continues to be one of the most watchable 30 minutes of television.

"We've always thought -- 20 years ago and still today -- it's the most intelligent conversation of its kind on television,'' said New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, a regular panelist. "Viewers don't feel we're talking down to them, and they certainly don't feel we're shouting at them. The viewer feels part of the conversation. That's the key.''

Lupica is right. There's no yelling (like on, say, ESPN's Around the Horn). There's no talking down to anyone (like on, say, Around the Horn). And viewers do feel a part of the show (unlike on, say, Around the Horn).  Here's hoping for, and expecting, another 20 years of Sports Reporters.

Worst nightmare
CBS's worst nightmare came true Saturday night when the signature star of its mixed martial arts EliteXC, Kimbo Slice was knocked out 14 seconds into his fight with some guy who couldn't even cut it in the UFC. Unknown Seth Petruzelli  filled in for Slice's scheduled opponent, Ken Shamrock, who was injured before the fight, and he stunned Slice, evidence that the EliteXC is miles behind some of other MMA circuits. The good news for us is maybe the EliteXC will run out of steam without Kimbo and CBS will stop airing it on Saturday night.

However, the result did produce a good line from announcer Gus Johnson, who screamed, "Rocky is here!'' after Petruzelli knocked out the heavily favored Slice.

Best debate
ESPN's Outside the Lines ran a thought-provoking piece on whether Major League Baseball should retire No. 21, worn by former Pirates star and humanitarian Roberto Clemente. As of now, only Jackie Robinson's No. 42 is retired across baseball.

"The combination of the man, the ballplayer and the soul of the man makes a very, very strong case that his number should be retired,'' Fox analyst Tim McCarver said. "If baseball decided to retire Roberto Clemente's No. 21, who would object to it?''

Actually, quite a number of people would. Some believe it would take away from the impact of retiring Robinson's number. Others worry it would open a Pandora's box of requests to retire other players' numbers. Personally, I think Clemente's number should be retired because of Clemente's off-field work and the impact he has had on the Latin community in baseball.

Strongest analysis
It's impossible not to be riveted by HBO's consistently excellent Boxing After Dark broadcasts. The team of Jim Lampley, Lennox Lewis and Max Keller­man is a master at covering a fight card, and in each broadcast, the announcers do something that puts them above and beyond other teams in other sports. What you have to respect is how strong their analysis is even when it makes the sport look bad.
Example: Saturday night they criticized the judge and the corner of light middleweight Andrey Tsurkan,  who was getting pummeled round after round by Alfredo Angulo.
Lewis said, "There's a saying: Live to fight another day.''
Lampley followed: "That's the key word: live.''
Lampley then brought up the possibility that they could be witnessing a boxer being literally killed in the ring. "What does it take to stop this fight!'' Lampley screamed. Finally, Tsurkan's corner waved the white towel midway through the 10th, and final, round.

Funniest line
"Let's go rent The Longest Yard.''
NFL Network's Warren Sapp, talking about the movie with the prison football game, in previewing the Cowboys-Bengals matchup

Best point
Notre Dame football is improved, and its schedule is weak. And yet that might not matter. The Fighting Irish will head to a bowl game, but unlike 10 or so years ago, they won't even sniff the national championship picture, or the BCS picture, for that matter. CBS football host Tim Brando put it best: "It could be true. Notre Dame could win nine and still be irrelevant.''

Best Long point
You have to feel badly about the way the Oakland Raiders treated recently fired coach Lane Kiffin, but come on, is anyone surprised owner Al Davis wigged out again? That was the on-the-money point made by former Raiders lineman and current Fox analyst Howie Long on Sunday.

"It has been 15 years since I've been part of the organization, so I can't speak to the day-to-day operations,'' Long said. "But if you're Lane Kiffin, you should know what you are getting into. He has access to a guy like Jon Gruden, who coached there. Don't be surprised when the owner who coached in the league and built three world championships gives input on a day-in, day-out basis on the goings-on of the football team. Don't be shocked by that.''

Best local shout-out from a local announcer
"(The Lightning's Steven Stamkos) can shoot the puck as well as anyone in the league.''
-- Sun Sports Lightning broadcaster Bobby "Chief'' Taylor, during Saturday's Lightning-Rangers broadcast.

Best local shout-out from a national announcer
"Evan Longoria is the next great thing at third base.''
-- Boston Globe's Bob Ryan, on Sunday's Sports Reporters

It's Tampa BAY, not Tampa!

Ugh, it happened again Tuesday night. Did you hear it? Moments after the White Sox had defeated the Twins to win the American League Central Division and earn a date against the Tampa Bay Rays in the playoffs, White Sox star Jim Thome mentioned his team's next opponent.

"We know they have a great team down there in Tampa,'' the slugger said.

TBS reporter Marc Fein ended the interview by telling Thome, "See you in Tampa.''

Unless the two have dinner plans at Bern's or something, the two will not be seeing each other in Tampa. They will be seeing each other in St. Petersburg. After all, that IS where the Rays play.

But get used to the rest of the country being geographically challenged for as long as the Rays are in the playoffs. ESPN, TBS, Fox, Web sites, bloggers, newspapers and talk-radio hosts will all join the parade of misinformation by referring to the team as the "Tampa Rays'' and will insist the games are being played in "Tampa.''

Fox's baseball pregame host Jeanne Zelasko was the worst offender. All season long she referred to the Rays as "Tampa,'' dropping the "Bay'' and never once uttering the words, "St. Petersburg.'' After being the constant target of columns in the St. Petersburg Times and being flooded with angry e-mails from Rays fans, she actually sent the fans an open letter in an e-mail to the Times apologizing for her mistake.

But Zelasko has hardly been alone. After the While Sox victory Tuesday night, a headline on the ESPN.com baseball page blared, "On to Tampa.'' Tribune Media Services syndicated a crossword puzzle -- which ran in our Baylink section -- with the five-letter clue, "Home of the Rays.'' Turns out, the only answer that fit was T-A-M-P-A.

Some do get it right. Jeopardy, proving once again why it is the best game show in the history of television, correctly named "St. Petersburg'' as the Rays' home. For every ESPN announcer that gets it wrong, one usually gets it right. Same with TBS and the newspapers and bloggers. For the next week or two or four, the team will constantly shift from Tampa to Tampa Bay to St. Petersburg back to Tampa.

Maybe there is only one way to solve this whole mess. The Rays can win the World Series and then announce it's victory parade route -- in downtown St. Petersburg.