Red Sox fans seduced by Rays' success

The Earth has flipped. Magnetic poles have reversed. What flowed North flows South. What was down is up.

They bray when they should boo, cheer at all the wrong times. It's involuntary, a virus. They can't face their baseball card collections, can't look Carl Yastrzemski in the eye.

Darrell Dodge has a Red Sox banner in his front yard. Bought it after last year's World Series. Never thought about the Rays. "The Rays did not matter." He grew up in Maine. Stuck a transistor radio to his ear. He's 53 now, has lived here 25 years, but New England will always be home. He was in Atlanta Monday night, watching the Rays/Red Sox score on the ESPN ticker tape. The Rays took a lead. "I cheered. I caught myself. I said, 'What am I doing?' " By game's end it was horribly worse. He heard himself say, "I hope the Rays sweep." All Darrell can think to do is buy a new pole — long enough for two banners.

Pat Best's son in Rhode Island called him a traitor on Monday night. Pat is 58. He lives near Tropicana Field. Pat gently explained the facts of life to his son: "It's like I've had two children. The Red Sox were my baby for 38 years. They've finally graduated. They've even earned their master's. Now I have a second child to care for, my baby Rays." Pat's son listened patiently. Then he said: "You're still a traitor."

Russ Buker sat behind the Red Sox dugout when he was 8. His grandmother took him. "All of a sudden there was buzz in the crowd. Grandma cried, 'It's Teddy. It's Teddy.' " Right in front of him, the immortal Ted Williams hit a double. Russ is 60 now. He reached Red Sox Nirvana during the 2004 playoffs when Boston fought back from 0-3 to at last vanquish the Damn Yankees. Russ' quest had ended. He got himself a Rays hat. Tampa Bay's famously arrogant Sox fans helped him through the transition. "They're so obnoxious. They act like — I'd get killed for saying this in Boston — Yankee fans."

Comments on this article

by Dave	Jul 4, 2008 1:26 PM
Sox fans...just keep bringing your dollars to the trop...watch your boyz get brought to their knees...

by Ray & Alice	Jul 4, 2008 12:42 PM
WE grew up in Chelmsford, Mass.& always rooted for the Sox but we have been here now for 25 yrs & we now root for our Rays. Root for the Sox when they play opther teams. I (Ray) spent my chilhood going to Fenway Park by train & taking the subway.R&A

by Russ	Jul 3, 2008 9:55 AM
250 characters could not begin to explain the story. So please try not to read too much into a fluff piece that should not have been on the front page anyway. What does it matter to any of you whom I root for? What's missing in your life? GO RAYS!!!!

by Brian	Jul 3, 2008 9:54 AM
This goes deeper. If you're a local red sox fan, please please please come out and support baseball at the Trop even if the sox are not at the Trop. You people need to look further than your team and be BASEBALL FANS!!! But either way, GO RAYS!

by Peter	Jul 3, 2008 9:54 AM
None of these people were actually Red Sox fans, they cheer for who ever plays closest to them. Why not interview people who are actually FANS of a team instead?

by Russ	Jul 3, 2008 9:54 AM
One more thing; who was the first black player for Boston.Long time Sox fans would know that without the aid of a search engine. Well?

by Kathy	Jul 3, 2008 9:54 AM
As a New England transplant I felt I had to switch to the Rays, but after the fans' awful behavior at all three games I am a Red Sox fan again. Boston guests were verbally abused. I'm done with the Trop.

by Steve	Jul 2, 2008 9:51 PM
puke puke puke, what a joke?

by Mark	Jul 2, 2008 9:49 PM
obviously these people were never true sox fans to begin with. I was born in Mass and haven't lived there for 20 years. Doesn't matter, it will always be Sox, Pats, Celts and Bruins. How anyone switches from their boyhood hometown teams is BS.

by Frank	Jul 2, 2008 6:23 PM
I grew up in New England, and now live in Philly, but I'm a die hard supporter of all my New England teams, these bandwagon jumpers can have their Rays, we don't ned them supporting our Sox in Red Sox Nation!! Have your sun, I'll stick with my Sox!!

by Pete	Jul 2, 2008 6:20 PM
Like Russ, I was a Sox fan from the time I moved to New England back in '72 until they won the World Series in '04. The next March I went down to St. Pete, bought myself a Devil Rays hat and have been rooting for the Rays as my A.L. team ever since.

by mike	Jul 2, 2008 6:20 PM
Typical Bandwagon Boston fans. Team starts loosing and let's search for a winner to jump on. Loud and obnoxious when winning non existent when loosing. Worst fans in the country.

by St Pete Lou	Jul 2, 2008 6:19 PM
By chance we were born in up north. By choice, I live here. If I'm gonna raise my kids, grow old, and die here, I'm going to support my community and that includes the home town teams. So.... Go Rays, Go Bucs, Go Bolts!

by Steve	Jul 2, 2008 6:17 PM
Good for the Rays. I hope they keep on winning for everyone's sake. This proves they can win nicely in the Trop. No New Waterfront Stadium.

by Mike	Jul 2, 2008 5:57 PM
That's the very definition of a fair weather fan! (which this area is full of)

by ed	Jul 2, 2008 5:54 PM
this just proves the point about "fair-weather fans" i.e.jumping on the bandwagon!! should the rays begin to lose, watch them head for the exits.

by Babe	Jul 2, 2008 5:47 PM
Unbelievable that a story on a bunch of band-wagon-jumpers would be a front page story. Even another mind-numbing article on gas prices has got to be better than this. Is there really nothing else to report on? Their "teams" dont miss these "fans".

by Dave	Jul 2, 2008 5:41 PM
I am a native and lifelong resident of Tampa Bay. My parents are originally from Boston area. I welcome the conversion of former Red Sox fans now living in Tampa Bay to our best-in-baseball Rays. GO RAYS GO!

by skp	Jul 2, 2008 5:39 PM
come on board, just leave that cringe-worthy arrogance behind, tampa bay sports fans are as gracious in the face of victory as they are resilient in the face of defeat...and at least try to soften that awful, awful accent, for your sake and ours

by Chris	Jul 2, 2008 5:36 PM
Tough challenge in my family too. The Sox are still family but they've graduated and their on there own. Go Rays!

by Murf	Jul 2, 2008 5:34 PM
Should transplants be called traitors for rooting for the hometown Rays or for moving from Boston or New York? If you live in Florida now, you are a Floridian and that makes it OK to root for the Rays. If Boston or NY is so great, just stay there.

by Dave	Jul 2, 2008 5:29 PM
I never EVER understand this kind of fan. You stick with the Sox through years of nothing (or did you just become a fan when they started winning?). Stick with them now, turn coats. What happens when the Rays start losing again? Then where do you go?

by Kim	Jul 2, 2008 4:41 PM
I grew up a yanks fan and last year durring the last Rays Yanks series I found myself cheering for the Rays even though the win would mean nothing to them. I have not told my dad or brother yet. At least we can still all hate the Sox!

by Alex	Jul 2, 2008 4:16 PM
BANDWAGONERS ALL

by Ben	Jul 2, 2008 4:08 PM
These fans are the definition of bandwagon, you cant appreciate two teams success at the same time

by Dana	Jul 2, 2008 11:58 AM
I thought I was alone. I moved here 15 years ago from Maine and have followed the Rays since and sometimes go to the games. I still root for the Redsox when they play other teams though. My wife and New England friends call me a traitor too.

by Steve	Jul 2, 2008 11:20 AM
I've lived my entire life in Florida. The Yankees and Red Sox fans are so obnoxious we're better off if they stick to their old teams lest some bad seeds spoil the harvest.