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.
Tom Jones doesn't sing "It's Not Unusual'' or shake his hips (well, unless you're willing to pay cash), but he does have plenty to say about sports. If it's funny, crazy, weird, irreverent or worth arguing, Tom has his opinions. So pull up a chair and get his two cents -- and give him your two cents, as well.
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OMG!!!.... are you guys gonna run this into the ground or what?
Posted by: Scott | October 01, 2008 at 03:57 PM
You have correctly noted that nobody outside of St. Petersburg knows or cares about where the team plays. The same geographic area of the Tampa Bay area would be considered one city just about everywhere else, it's just the small minded local provincialism of the area that demands every suburb have it's own unique city name. Clearly, you should be very upset about this.
Posted by: dave | October 01, 2008 at 04:09 PM
We really do have a complex here.
Dallas plays its games in Irving TX, and Detroit football was played in Pontiac, MI.
Heck the New York football teams play in New Jersey.
I don't think anyone there was complaining.
Posted by: Mike | October 01, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Get over it SP times , you guys are the only ones that care. I don't hear you complain when they do it with the Bucs or Lightning. Heck you URL is Tampabay.com so most outsiders think that your website is from Tampa anyway.
Posted by: Sal | October 01, 2008 at 05:47 PM
The SP Times is correct. The team plays in St Pete! Not Tampa!
I agree that the national media needs to indicate "TAMPA BAY" instead. That's one reason the new waterfront stadium would be such an enhancement to St Pete. It would showcase the beauty of St Pete to the world and send a clear message that the team does not play in Tampa.
Posted by: St Pete Tim | October 01, 2008 at 07:44 PM
If you guys keep running this story over and over again, I'm going to cancel my subscription to the Tampa Times.
Posted by: Brett | October 02, 2008 at 05:40 AM
There are a couple more ways to solve this "problem". 1) Move the team to Tampa. 2) Group therapy sessions for St. Pete sportswriters.
Posted by: Eric | October 02, 2008 at 09:11 AM
Why didn't I ever hear about this problem when the team was losing - the national media made the same association then? Or was it that the local media just wasn't paying any attention to the bottom feeding Devil Rays? Kind of funny what a winning season will bring out of people. Maybe I'll stop driving myself from Tampa to support the Rays - it seems as though the St. Petersburg community has been able to fill the stadium without me and my family anyway!
Posted by: DJC | October 02, 2008 at 09:26 AM
Maybe the press needs a map of St. Petersburg, Why are we always the stepchild of Tampa. Should we change the Rays name to St. Pete Rays??? Go Rays
Posted by: liz loreth | October 02, 2008 at 10:39 AM
"Why are we always the stepchild of Tampa. Should we change the Rays name to St. Pete Rays???"
Because you are the stepchild of Tampa. Change the name if it will keep you insecure little babies from whining.
You'll still demand attention whenever the Bucs and Lightning win, however.
Posted by: | October 02, 2008 at 01:53 PM
I could understand if they did play in some tampa suburb like the bucs no one would care. but st. pete is a completly different city.( as in oakland and san fransisco) if some one ever referred to the a's as the san fransisco a's their would be a xxxx storm. and st. pete is as big, if not bigger in skyline and population.
Posted by: smash | October 02, 2008 at 11:56 PM