I was going to make this a poll, but I figured we'd get better responses if I just asked everyone. The Devil Rays are changing their name....what would you call them?

Manta Rays. The only problem is the "Devil" part (fuck you bible thumpers!), so keep Ray and insert another fish name. Manta Ray, Sting Ray, Stevie Ray... you name it.

Interesting. I kinda like one of their ideas floating around now, which is Sun Rays. It's catchy.

Sun Rays? Eh... not too bad. No worse than Manta Ray (which was my high school's team name. The Lemon Bay Manta Rays).

At least you weren't the Scots.

I think I read that they were just changing it to the Rays to make it more simple.

I read that and the Sun Rays were under consideration. Personally, the name "Rays" makes me think of a team mascot who's basically a fat Italian construction worker, so if that's what they're going for....

Choate got me thinking... how about the Tampa Bay Tony Danzas. :D

How bout the Tampa Bay baseball team. You know, because no one in Tampa even knows they exist.

Oh snap!

Are they sreiously changing it because of the word "Devil"? That's kind of unbelievable. Also, the Marlins are moving, maybe to Charlotte. What's up with Florida baseball teams?

Not enough fan interest, to put it bluntly. Florida's mostly old people, and Scrooge can't balance that out by himself....unless it's in terms of weight.

It would die a slow death in Charlotte too. We're spreading ourselves thin with the Panthers and Bobcats.

You're probably right. Personally, I think they ought to pack up the Marlins and move them to Vegas. It makes sense in so many ways.

Come on, I'm not Yokozuna here. And the Devil Rays rule, I tells ya! (waves Carl Crawford banner)

Crawford's my dawg. He dragged me to my fantasy league's championship last year.

You'll never see a franchise in Vegas................EVER.

Maybe not baseball, but I see a basketball franchise going there someday. Stern's been looking that direction for years.

Didn't the XFL have a Vegas team? It really wasn't that bad for football... it was just everyone shitting on McMahon. :D

I wouldn't be surprised to see any pro sports franchise there in the next 10 years. With live crowds lagging for everything except the NFL, the leagues will follow the money. In Vegas, they have a built in audience.

I fully understand all that, but any league that puts a team in Vegas is going to open itself up to MAJOR scrutiny. Especially with all of the gambling alligations going on with the NHL right now.

No doubt about that, and the fact that there would probably be betting windows at the stadium wouldn't help, but in the end I think they'll just embrace it.

It really hasn't be said one way or the other. I think right now they're just trying to get rid of everything that had ties to the old team.

You're probably right.............it's just gonna be a long time.

In the short-lived CFL "Americanization" experiment of the mid 90's, they had the Las Vegas Posse for about two years. Vegas has also had the Triple-A Stars/51's for quite awhile. But the keyword is "MAJOR" sports teams....they haven't had a real one, yet.

Since supervillain Black Manta has been re-named "Devil Ray" in DC's animated cartoons, I think it's only fair they return the favor and go by "Black Mantas".

Not sure, but I think there was a mild controversy when "Devil Rays" was picked. Supposedly, there's no actual animal called a "Devil ray". I'm guessing they'll just settle on Rays. When Lou Pinella came onboard in 2003, they re-designed their logo and uniforms a bit to emphasize the word "Rays".

Although "Barnacles" would be a much more appropriate moniker.--- stinky little things that just kinda' hang around and serve no real purpose.

Don't matter where the Rays are located, or what they change their name to, they'll always wind up in the AL East cellar every year.

Right along with the Baltimore Orioles. :D

We'll see the Yankees there when Steinbrenner finally dies and is reunited with Satan, his gay lover.



Not that I am bitter.

:lol:

The Yanks will never be that bad again. NEVER! [maniacal laughter]

Don't bet too much on that, bucky.

Oh yeah? Well I'll see you in hell.

Hey, I'm no Yankees fan.

But you're a Cardinals fan. You sold your soul out to Mark Mcgwire in 1998.... Roid monkey fan. With that in mind, I'll see you in the better part of hell while I get my eyes ripped out by faggots from Bawston.

To be fair....I don't like McGwire. At all. I never liked him. I'm the kinda guy who likes the Delino DeShields and So Taguchis of the Cardinals: the fun guy. But I do love Pujols.

... Fuck. You win this round Choate. (goes back to pulling boulders)

Ha! Sissy....phus.