Remembering What Fandom Feels Like
It’s been five years since I’ve had a favorite baseball team to support. It’s been seven years since I’ve had any reason — beyond intellectual curiosity — to get excited about a trade deadline.
It’s time to get excited again.
The Tampa Bay Rays, owners of one of the smallest revenue streams in baseball despite coming off an AL pennant last year and playing exciting, winning baseball this year, are reportedly in the running to acquire 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, plus some relief help as well.
I admit to having selfish, non-fan reasons to wish for a big Rays trade. But after doing well over 100 interviews (with a bunch more still to come) with many of the players, Rays management, community leaders in the Tampa Bay area, even Joe Maddon’s friends and extended family in Hazleton, PA, it’s impossible not to root for the guys in that clubhouse.
Cliff Lee would give the Rays a new ace, move everyone else in the rotation down a slot, lessen the wear and tear on the bullpen, and give the team a highly affordable top-flight starter who’s signed at a bargain price for next season too. Sure, it always hurts to part with top prospects, doubly so when you’re a team like the Rays that desperately needs pre-arbitration players to contribute if you’re to take down well-heeled rivals like the Yankees and Red Sox. Maybe triply so, given the Rays might be kicking themselves (at least a little, privately), for dealing away Edwin Jackson and watching him emerge as a top starter on a rival AL team.
But flags fly forever. Make this move, and a World Series becomes that much more likely — with the team’s great young core of talent remaining intact for the longer-term.
It might be unprofessional or unseemly for a supposedly neutral chronicler of events to stump for a trade. Whatever, the book will stand on its own merits.
Do the deal(s), Andrew.
UPDATE: Just a few hours after posting this, and generally feeling giddy about having a team to support, the Rays were the victim of A PERFECT FREAKING GAME. Now I remember – THAT’S what fandom feels like.
Stupid, confusing, awesome, crazy, heartbreaking baseball. Stop torturing me.
