SB Nation User Blog: ReasonableDoubt

Beckett Suspended 6 Games (1 Start) For Headhunting

ReasonableDoubt — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:44:34 -0000

Beckett Suspended 6 Games (1 Start) For Headhunting

In a related story....hahahahahahahahahahahaahahaha

If anyone wants Opening Day tickets, the Rays started releasing the seats they were saving for...

ReasonableDoubt — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:38:34 -0000

If anyone wants Opening Day tickets, the Rays started releasing the seats they were saving for opening day packages today. I just snagged a seat out in left field.

Dumb Luck

At least they have the next Bob Gibson.

ReasonableDoubt — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:51:13 -0000

At least they have the next Bob Gibson.

D-Train goes to the DL with "anxiety disorder". We know it isn't stage fright--he can pee in public no problem.

Games with odd start times

ReasonableDoubt — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:01:55 -0000

I went down to the Trop to get my first set of tickets this year (Screw you Ticketmaster, and your 7 dollars a ticket surcharge), and as I looked through the schedule, I noticed there are some odd start times this year. I remember last year with its random 12:40 PM "School Day" start times and everything, but some of these are just awkward.

For example, there are four games this year (4/15 v. Yankees, 5/5 v. O's, 5/21 v. A's, and 6/4 v. Royals) with start times at 4:08 PM. These are weekday home games. If all we're going to hear this year is attendance, attendance, and attendance, why are these games being scheduled for such awkward times?

There are two additional games (7/9 v. Blue Jays and 8/2 v. Royals) that have 12:08 starts, but I'll assume those are the "Back to School Days" start times.

I know there were a number of 1:00 starts last year, usually on a Wednesday or Thursday to round out a homestand, but who benefits from a 4:00 start?

Rays 2009 Promotions Announced

ReasonableDoubt — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:23:51 -0000

Rays 2009 Promotions Announced

If the "Aki Imawura Rattle Drum" becomes the new fad, I'm quitting sports. I will not sit in the Trop while 30,000+ people act like it's the final scene of Karate Kid II.

Memo to the Rays: You're reverting back to your roots. Stop it.

ReasonableDoubt — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:51:51 -0000

No, this isn't a post about the team's performance. It's about something else that made me leave the Trop disgusted.

I've been a fan of the Rays since Day 1. I was there for the first game against Detroit. I was listening on the radio when Wade Boggs cranked hit 3 grand. I sat and watched Vinny Cash-steala and Greg Vaughn suck so hard I could mistake them for an Asian chick walking down Nebraska Ave. I still own, sadly, a Ben Grieve jersey.

All that culminated in a game last summer where James Shields had 10+Ks against the Indians, left with a nice lead...and Brian Stokes went Brian Stokes.

Even though the game was a gutpunch, I realized something. The ushers, who under Namoli were pricks that not only would chide you for having fun, but would have you ejected for moving up in a section that was nearly empty. I'm not one of the douchebags who brings signs or airhorns, but I'm not of the opinion that you should deny the people the right to cheer how they like.

With the new ownership, and the 30 or so games I've gone to this year, that all changed. You were encouraged to let loose your inner douche without the ushers getting on your back. I bought Party Deck tickets and sat in the baseline boxes all year. I could heckle the opposing bullpen. I could be the prick that I actually am.

But last night, I was sitting in left field near the foul pole. I personally saw an usher chide a group of jackasses in front of me. For what, you may ask? Did they have a huge sign that was blocking a view? Were they abrasively drunk? No. They were standing up and cheering with Upton up, one man on, and down by 1 in the 4th inning. And after this crochety old man scolding these guys, one of the other guys they were with walked up to the guy, astoundingly calmly, and asked why they had to sit down. There was no row behind them (They were at the entrance). The host said, and I quote, as I was sitting maybe 10 feet from the exchange, "I was talking to them. If I was talking to you, maybe it'd be your business. You'll know when I'm talking to you because I'll look at you. Sit back down or you're out of here."

Maybe this usher was having a bad night. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But guess what, Old Man Winter? It's a playoff game. If I hadn't had my Dippin' Dots, I'd probably have been standing up with them. Grouchy Old Fan Hosts scolding people for cheering is not how a fanbase grows. It's how it shrinks.

I was so astounding by this (I hadn't seen this since the Namooli days) I actually went ot Guest Services to say something. I was heard out by someone that may or may not have been of legal voting age, and I was probably ignored.

I know this is a long rant, and I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but when you start chiding people in the outfield for standing up and cheering during an at-bat, you take the fun out of the game. If those folks were anything like me, they paid a lot of good money for those seats. Chill out and let them have fun. Doing otherwise just turns off the people who want to sit and relax. I was so frustrated by the end of the night, I was tempted to wind down my window in the parking lot and sell my seat for tonight.

So I go on Craigslist, and someone is selling upper deck seats for 150 each. I e-mail them,...

ReasonableDoubt — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:14:13 -0000

So I go on Craigslist, and someone is selling upper deck seats for 150 each.

I e-mail them, explaining they've posted the same ad multiple times, and since they're obviously not finding a buyer, I'll pay 75 a seat, payable cash, and I would meet them today.

The response? "your a jew"

You stay classy, Tampa Bay fans!

One ticket, left field, face value. E-mail the address in my profile. My boss canceled on me last...

ReasonableDoubt — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:56:09 -0000

One ticket, left field, face value. E-mail the address in my profile. My boss canceled on me last minute. If you want it, you've got it.

Fun fact about tonight's game: If we win, it negates the need for a playoff if the Red Sox finish...

ReasonableDoubt — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:11:43 -0000

Fun fact about tonight's game: If we win, it negates the need for a playoff if the Red Sox finish with the same record as the Rays. The first tiebreaker is the season series, and right now, the Rays lead 9-8.

Nobody reads Fanshots

Why is the attendance so low for a Tuesday game? Simple.

ReasonableDoubt — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:10:49 -0000

Because some people have to actually work in an office for a living.

I'm heading out tonight to the game. That will require that I have to lock my office by 4:30 to be at Will Call by 7:15, and I still won't get to my seats before the second inning. I work in New Tampa, like a lot of other people. When I worked in downtown Tampa, it was worse. I had to be out the door by 4:15 just to get to the parking lot by the first pitch. Keep in mind, I'm single. If I had a family, I'd be driving home, picking them up, and THEN driving down to the dome.

The traffic stinks, the location of the stadium is worse, and people who work business hours can't afford to plunk down 27 bucks a person (plus Ticketmaster charges) to go sit in the upper deck for a three game series. Heaven forbid you bring your family, because then you're dropping 36 bucks just for tickets to one game, where you sit next to some creepy old guy staring at your 12-year old and behind some overly angry man screaming Left and Right, shaking so hard with rage you begin to wonder when his hairpiece will topple.

Add in parking (thanks for getting rid of that free parking this year, by the way), plus food, and keeping in mind that you had to leave work early to get there, so that cuts down your pay at the end of the week.

I'm a huge fan of the team, and tonight makes it 15 or 16 games I've gone to this year. I'm lucky enough to make enough in a month that I can afford to skip out early every now and again. The median income in the bay area right now is $37,406. The top half of that median are people that are old as dirt, sitting in their condo on Gulf Blvd., and never venturing out into the sunlight. The bottom half of that median is too busy working their second job to keep the lights working to care whether or not you think there are enough people at the game.

Before the few of you who are lucky enough to either:

A.) Not have a job that requires you to work steady hours

B.) Not have a family to consider when spending your money

C.) Live and/or work west of Dale Mabry and south of 60

D.) Have enough spare change around that you can afford to plunk down that kind of money regularly

all get together and wring your hands about attendance, maybe you should count your blessings that one of the above is true, and you can go to the games regularly. In the meantime, until you're willing to pay my rent/electric/insurance/car/phone/gas/etc. payments so I can leave at 4 o' clock 81 times a year just for the privilege of spending more money, please feel free to shut up and enjoy the game. I'll be watching at home on HD, when Brighthouse decides to make it available.