LETTER FROM THE EDITOR, Joan Krauter x jkrauter@bradenton.com
-------------------
The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the seventh-inning stretch and a toast to all things possible.
Ah, the sounds of summer.
All things are possible if you've believed in baseball your entire life, if you've known that roller-coaster loyalty for your team through the years. I grew up in St. Louis, learning how to be a fan from the best fans in the world. The Cardinals dominated our springs, summers and at least a few autumns in the '60s. If we weren't at a game, we had our transistor radios tuned to KMOX - wherever our bicycles, skates or dads took us.
I think that love affair of baseball helped ready me for the ups and downs of life. It's not that quick rush of one smashup football game on the weekend, or the unending drill up and down a basketball court. Baseball demands patience, loyalty and faith - a trifecta that can be difficult to remember nowadays.
So when the Rays started winning this season, I watched with hope as fans started to catch the fever. Sure, it's a long season, and we're only halfway. But guess what? We're hooked. At least I hope so, because we deserve some good news amid the economic and political turmoil that has hogged the headlines for so long.
Our staff is having a blast covering the Rays, especially our longtime baseball writer Roger Mooney and his sidekick this year, John Lembo. As Roger wrote last Sunday, the Rays ended the first half of the season with the best record in baseball, not to mention the best record in team history after 81 games. And, as he well knows, this is a team that finished with baseball's worst record just last year.
And then the Boston Red Sox came to town last week. More records were immediately shattered - Monday's game was the most-viewed telecast in Rays' history, with 271,000 households tuned in as the Rays held on for a 5-4 win despite the Sox ninth-inning rally. That paved the way for more sellout crowds who saw the Rays sweep the Sox - the second time this season.
Real live baseball!
Sure, it was painful for Red Sox fans, of which there are plenty - including our Business Editor Jennifer Rich. She endured two of the games at the Trop, even interviewing some Rays fans for our coverage:
Some Rays fans believe the change in color and logo have become a lucky talisman for their team.
"They got the devil out of the name and they've been winning ever since," said Steve Finsted, of Sarasota, as he waited to enter the stadium for the game against the Red Sox. He was sporting the new light blue T-shirt and cap. "The Bucs did it and won the Super Bowl."
Larry Raym and his girlfriend Linda Durfee, from San Antonio, in Pasco County were sporting new dark blue and white Rays shirts, and happy about the marketing changes. "Hello, they are winning," he said. "You can't argue with that."
Well, Jennifer would have loved to argue, but she's a pro. She waited until she was well-anchored in the stands for that. Three games later, she came to work to find a broom gracing her terminal. But she'll be back, it's that simple. She loves baseball.
Email Story
Printer Friendly 
Quick Job Search
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@