The New Tampa Bay Rays Uniforms

[Update 11.9.07: CLICK HERE for “live” images of the new uniforms on players]

We haven’t really had a chance to digest them yet, and will need to see the live versions to make a true assessment. We just hope that the new Unis are not jinxed by the use of the #5. Click on the images for larger and more clear views.

And in case you missed it. We have started a campaign to convince the team to include stirrups with the new uniforms. HERE is the link.

[Update: I have added some thoughts in the comment section]

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Tampa Bay Devil Rays New Name And Colors Have Been Confirmed

Paul Lukas of the highly recommended Uniwatch reported today that he has seen Tampa Bay Devil Rays new uniforms and has confirmed what many people suspected.

The franchise will drop “Devil” and will be known as the Rays and the new team colors will be Navy, Yellow and Light Blue. While he is unable to show us the uniforms or give any further details, he describes them as a step-down from the current unis.

I have seen the new Devil Rays uniforms. Can’t show them to you, but I can confirm what’s been reported (the team is now just the Rays) and what’s been rumored (the new colors are navy, yellow, and light blue). As for the design, it’s a total snooze — not wonderful, not awful, just booooooring. I already miss the current design, which I think has been badly underrated (esp. the home set).

We are looking forward to the new design , but we have to agree with Mr. Lukas. We have always loved the Rays’ grey jerseys as well as the white uniforms. But we have never been able to stomach the green jerseys.

The new uniforms will be officially unveiled on November 11.

Consistently Inconsistent [Uniwatch]
Rays hoping pen upgrade trickles down [tampabay.com]

More Evidence That The St. Pete Times Is The Rays Unofficial PR Firm

Yesterday we ran a post that questioned the integrity of the St. Pete Times (and to a lesser extent, the Tampa Tribune) when it comes to reporting on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. We are concerned about the new relationship with the Times being named “The Official Newspaper” of the Rays and the official presenter of the team’s website. One consequence that we foresaw was that the team would provide the Times with information that is unavailable to other media outlets.

You may have noticed a week or two ago that the St. Pete Times ran a story about the Rays changing their name following the 2007 season. The change is likely to also be accompanied by a change in the team colors. President Matt Silverman stated that the team would have a slight modification of the name, and the “speculation” was that the Devil Rays would just drop the “Devil” portion of the name and officially become the Tampa Bay Rays. We are not really sure why this all of the sudden garnered a lot of attention. Nothing official was presented in the article and proposed change is old news amongst anybody that even remotely follows the team. While the story may have been newsworthy in New York or Boston or nationally, it was a waste of space in the St. Pete Times. For all intents and purposes, the team has been the Tampa Bay Rays for a while. It say “Rays” across the front of the home uniform and despite the name of the team’s website, you will not see the word “Devil” anywhere.

Another move that was made at about the same time as the St. Pete Times article was the recent face-lift given to the team’s official website. The team’s trademark green color now has a minimal presence with two shades of blue becoming the dominant colors of the site. While blue is currently an official accent color of the team, the move was taken by many to mean the team will be switching to blue as the dominant color in 2008. Silverman has stated that the team is still deciding from among several new color schemes and that the changes to the website are not an indication that any official decision has been made.

Did the Times see the sites new colors and decide to run an article speculating on the new team name or was the timing purely coincidental? Considering the new relationship between the Rays and the St. Pete Times, it is hard to believe that the concurrence of the two events was a coincidence. More likely, the article and color changes occurred at the same time as part of a campaign to introduce the 2008 changes without making any official announcements, in case there was a backlash from the fans. The team may not have officially decided on a new name or a new set of colors, but the team will most likely drop “Devil” from the name and the new blue hues are most likely the Rays new colors (we have heard that yellow would be the accent color). The team is using the website much the same way they are using the St. Pete Times, as a way of gauging fan interest.

While these specific events may not have a negative effect on Rays fans, it does hint at behind-the-scenes manipulation of the media by the Rays front office. In the long run this type of relationship will not be good for the fans. We should be able to count on our local media to provide us with the news, whether it is good, bad or indifferent, and without influence or bias.

As for us? We have always liked the team’s (recent) uniforms (we like to pretend that the Rainbow Warriors uniforms never existed). But, the blue looks a lot better on everything else, like t-shirts, websites, tattoos, lingerie, etc. But in the end, it is not our opinion that matters, nor that of the St. Pete Times, or the fans in general. The only opinion that truly matters is that of Paul Lukas.

Name Change Suggestion?

It is looking more and more like the Baseball team in Tampa that we call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays… or Rays… or D-Rays is preparing for a name change. It would be the first major league baseball team to change their name without moving since the Houston Colt 45s in 1965 became the Astros. Of course, that is, if you don’t count the name change by the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Which brings us to our point. What will the new name be? Some suggestions have included dropping the “Devil” and simply calling the team the Rays. Others have suggested a completely new identity to go along with the new outlook and new ownership of the team, including the Tarpons, which was the name of the longtime minor league team in Tampa. Personally, we are fond of the Tiger Sharks or T-Sharks. However, one of the other points of contention is the “Tampa Bay” part of the name. The Tampa Bay sports franchises are named for a body of water and of the few in the four major sports to NOT be named directly for a city or a state. The others are the Golden State Warriors, who are named indirectly for the state of California, The New England Patriots, and the schitzophrenic Angels, who are named for two cities. The options include changing the name to Tampa, which is unlikely as long as the team plays in St. Pete. Changing the name to St. Pete is also unlikely as St. Pete is not as recognizable as Tampa on the national scene. Also the Buccaneers are now a successful NFL franchise and it is in the best interest for the Rays ,or whatever their name will be, to continue to associate with that success by maintaining the moniker Tampa Bay.

There is one other option. The oranization could follow the lead of the Angels and most politicians and try to make everyone happy. It would also could be fun to honor the team’s most famous season ticket holder, Dick Vitale….We present THE TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS OF ST. PETERSBURG NEAR TAMPA, BABY!….Alas, this name, like most politicians while trying to make everyone happy, will succeed only in pissing everyone off.

Devil Rays may play name change [St. Pete Times]