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Here in the land of the loss, we wait for our latest miracle. We are nowhere. We are irrelevant. We are the meek. We once inherited the earth, but we didn't hold on to it for very long. We are the sports followers of Tampa Bay, and we wait for a team — any team — to be special again. There for a while, we were somebody. We mattered. We were on the map, and we were on top of the leaderboard, and we were down at the trophy shop talking about engraving. There for a while, Tampa Bay was a place where the teams played for titles. Looking back, the success felt as if it was going to hang around for a bit longer, didn't it?
For 10 years, one Tampa Bay team after another visited the postseason. Oh, it usually wasn't the same team, and only once did two teams make it in the same season— in 2007, when the Bucs and Lightning made swift exits from the playoffs.
Still, for an area such as Tampa Bay, an area where the teams have all spent time wearing that worst-franchise-in-pro-sports label, it qualified as the golden days. From 1999 to 2008, the Bucs made the playoffs six times, winning the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. The Lightning made the playoffs four times, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. The Rays finally made the playoffs, and lost the World Series, in 2008.
Yeah, there for a while, we led the nation in confetti. Which leads to two questions:
What happened?
And, for crying out loud, which team will be the next to sell a playoff ticket?
Look around. The Bucs are 0-2, and no one seems sure when — or if — they will get around to winning a game. There are seats that are empty, and there are seats that are filled by fans wearing the opposing team's jersey.
The Rays? This season won't be remembered as the second-best in team history. It will be remembered as the most frustrating. For the first time, a Rays season had positive expectations, and the Rays fell far short. In the end, this season will be remembered for underachievement and botched opportunities. As for the Rays being officially eliminated from the playoffs this week, the news was late in coming. Most of us eliminated them weeks ago.
The Lightning? You know that bit of nastiness that most hockey teams desire? With the Lightning, it's all in the owners' box. And until stability is there, expecting it on the ice is hard. Not to say that Oren Koules and Len Barrie are a bad match, but you would have more communication if Takashi Okubo and Art Williams returned as co-owners. To be fair, the Lightning has made some interesting additions to its roster. That was true last season, too, until the owners started getting rid of players as if they were competing in a fantasy league.
Ask yourself: Can any of these teams make the playoffs this season?
Next season?
The season after?
It is an odd feeling, wondering where all the winning went. None of Tampa Bay's championships felt like a fluke. The Bucs still had their great defense, and the Lightning had its talented scorers, and the Rays had young, lively arms. They were all young enough, talented enough, to succeed again.
And, for a while, we were fooled into thinking we were in Trophy Bay. Even USF, the local college football team, surged to No. 2 in the nation. Boxers won titles.
Looking back, all of them look like one-hit wonders. The Bucs haven't won a playoff game since their title. The Lightning hasn't won a playoff series since its title. The Rays may bounce back next year, but for now they shouldn't be allowed to even say the word "playoff" out loud. Together, all of them can talk about their good old day.
And so, we wait.
Here's a clue. When the conversation about a team turns to money instead of moments, the credibility of a franchise is in trouble. And around here, it's happening as if the ghost of Hugh Culverhouse is in charge of the cash registers.
Take the Bucs. The Glazers are so far under the salary cap, they need a submarine to change a $20. How much of the unspent cash might have bought another victory or two along the way? We can only suspect.
Take the Rays. Owner Stuart Sternberg doesn't spend a lot, either. Of course, the attendance figures are one reason. Then again, not many owners in sports could afford to keep up with the Yankees (and their money) or the Red Sox (and their money). Too often, that means the Rays have to take fliers on flawed players (see Burrell, Pat).
Take the Lightning. The question isn't whether Koules or Barrie gets the better of their messy divorce. The question is who runs the franchise when the fighting is over, and whether he has enough money to run it right.
And so, we wait.
The shame of this is that few groups of fans have had to suffer for their success the way Tampa Bay fans have. If you are of a certain age, you remember the 12 straight years of double-digit losses by the Bucs, and the botched draft picks and the endless search for a passer and a pass-rusher. You remember the Lightning and four straight seasons of 50-plus losses (including overtime losses) and the owners who didn't know the difference between slap shots and slapstick. You remember the Rays and Vince and Chuck and the Hit Show.
Ask yourself this: Which days seem closer now? The great days? Or the garbage days?
Which team wins a title next? Hard to say. The Rays are still the best team in town, but they play in a sport where it is hardest to reach the postseason. The Lightning plays in the NHL, which allows eight of the 15 teams in each conference into the postseason, but it's coming off two dreadful seasons. The Bucs play in a league that helps a team out more than any (shared revenues, weighted schedules, salary cap), but their defense has a long way to go.
Who wins the next playoff game? I'm going to say the Lightning … in 2011.
Who wins the next trophy? I'll say the Rays … in 2014.
The good news? Between now and then, there is plenty of time to save for tickets.
Last postseason appearance:
2007 NFC wild card, lost to Giants 24-14
Last postseason appearance:
2008 World Series, lost to Phillies 4-1
Last postseason appearance:
2007 first round, lost to Devils 4-2
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