Tankin' It

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays currently have a 21-27 record, which is good enough for last place in the AL East, a very familiar position for them. Since their inception in 1998, the Devil Rays have never finished above .500 and have been the last place team in the East every year but once- a historic 4th place finish in 2004, when 21 games under .500 was still three games better than the Toronto Blue Jays. But just because the DRays are mired in mediocrity (actually being mediocre would be an improvement), it doesn't mean there aren't changes on the horizon. Starting this July, there will be a new vibe at Tropicana Field, as filling those empty seats beyond the right centerfield wall will be.....a fish tank!!

According to MLB, sometime this July, Tropicana Field will install a 10,000 gallon tank in the stadium that will feature 20 cownose rays. Now when the team is down 6-0 at the end of two, those few fans who didn't come to the ballpark to root for the opposing team (especially during Red Sox or Yankees games) can now head over to the outfield where they will get an upclose look at their team's real life mascot. Once there, they'll quickly realize that all a ray really does is sink to the bottom and remain relatively motionless. Hey, just like the actual team! I guess it is a fitting mascot afterall.

Of course it's inevitable that since the aquarium is in the bleachers, some shirtless guy will get completely wasted and then dive into the tank to give the rays some garlic fries and maybe pour them a beer. I can't wait.

In other baseball news: Frank Robinson revealed today that he was actually crying because he was shaken up by a bad dream he had in the dugout during the game. Also, the Nationals have upgraded their catching by signing Michael Waltrip to replace Matt LeCroy.