Gosh Doggit!

The attendance trackers at St. Petersburg counted 28, 927 at last night's Rays, White Sox game. Supposedly. During Tampa Bay's three game home opening series against the Yankees, just over 99,000 tickets were sold. Yankee fans make up a large demographic of the St. Pete's area. Tropicana Field holds 36,973. You figure the rest out. Any qualified baseball fan knows that Tampa Bay isn't a baseball mecca. It's actually more of a retirement community that happens to have a Major League club playing there. Why else would they decide to build a dome in the middle of one of the nation's warmest states? Apparently those over 60 cannot handle humidity too well. Isn't the motto of St. Petersburg: Always in Season? It's no secret that a great contingent of baseball fans in Florida are transplants from cities that are home to some of baseballs more storied franchises. So... Please! For the sake of REAL baseball fans and the Rays ball players, relocate the Devil Rays. And while you're at it, rename them. In the meantime, take those damn cowbells away from Aunt Lois and Uncle Henry. Just because they can't hear them doesn't mean the rest of us have to. It just isn't pure. It's not baseball.

Now, on to why I am really upset. In spite of timely hitting and some good base running, the Sox took a 6-5 knock out punch from the Devil Rays. Even though Bartolo Colon's numbers didn't show it; five runs and six hits in 5 2/3, he struck out four Ray batters and only walked one in the no decision. Matt Thorton came in after Colon loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with two outs. Thorton proceeded to give up a grand slam to pinch hitter Ben Zobrist, which put the Devil Rays ahead for good. "He knows I have to come after him and throw strikes. I can't afford to walk guys there," Thornton said. "The situation right there, they're fun to come into. But they're the toughest ones you're going to face." Both Carlos Quentin (5) and Jermain Dye (4) homered in the top of the inning to give the Sox a 5-2 lead. The Sox appeared to threaten in the top of the ninth, but Troy Percivol came in to register the save.

Loose Sox: Mike MacDougal continues to struggle. MacDougal walked the only batter he faced on Friday. Ozzie's Mac experiement may quite possibly be drawing to an end. Soon.