Despite having just four wins in their first 16 contests, the Tampa Bay Rays have something that not every team can offer its fans.
It’s easy to look at the 2018 Tampa Bay Rays, albeit just three weeks into the season, and say that there’s not much to be excited about. However, if you are a baseball fan — and not just the kind of fan that shows up when they are good or when they are winning — there is something significant that this small-market team provides you with.
Consistency
Certainly the starting rotation and bullpen are anything but consistent. And, the most consistent thing the starting lineup can do is spend time on the disabled list. See Kevin Kiermaier (thumb), Brad Miller (groin), and now perhaps Matt Duffy (hamstring).
Matt Duffy left with hamstring tightness, day-to-day and will be reevaluated tomorrow. #Rays
â Kris Dunn (@KRSDunn) April 17, 2018
But the one thing that this team does better than any other team in Major League Baseball — play baseball.
You’ll never have to worry about this team getting rained out at home.
Or, in the case of the Chicago Cubs — snowed out.
And, in some very rare and equally bizarre cases, the team will never miss a day because ice broke through the Tropicana Field roof. Because yes, that’s a thing this year.
Here’s what the Rogers Centre in Toronto looked like on Monday afternoon.
Rogers Centre roof damage caused by ice falling off the CN Tower today. Source: #Jays still hope to have repairs made in time to play tonightâÂÂs game pic.twitter.com/liquhwjRsH
â Brendan Dunlop (@Brendan_Dunlop) April 16, 2018
Six MLB games were postponed on Sunday afternoon because of weather related issues – that’s almost half of the league. To take it a step further, the Minnesota Twins have had to reschedule three consecutive games. Oddly enough they were all against the White Sox. The South-Siders have rescheduled 25% of their games this season. Yes, you read that right. Four of Chicago’s first sixteen scheduled games (the same number of games the Rays have won in 2018) were impacted by cold weather/snow. That’s a problem that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred may soon need to address. Perhaps scheduled double-headers will be a bit more of a regular occurrence.
As for the Rays, you may not like the decisions made by the front office, you may still question what to do with your Evan Longoria jersey, and you may even spend your Friday night’s reminiscing about the time the Rays went to the World Series — which was 10 years ago, move on — but the fact remains that there is consistent baseball being played all summer long.
If you’re the fan that is complaining about the team now, remember this: when you go to support your local baseball team, you get to do so without fear of frostbite. After all, in Canada they use frost-bitten toes as a cocktail garnish.
