Tampa Bay Rays Come Out for Obama

[Nambe]

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Barack Obama will be joined at an event today by several members of the World Series-bound Tampa Bay Rays at an event marking the first day of early voting in the Sunshine State.

Pitcher David Price will introduce Obama, according to his campaign. Outfielder Fernando Perez, and teammates Carl Crawford, Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes, B.J. Upton, Edwin Jackson, and Jason Bartlett will also appear on stage.

Getting the effective endorsement of the same guys who earned Tampa its first-ever trip to the World Series can’t help but give an oomph to Obama’s popularity in central Florida, where the Rays have won a large following during a miraculous season. Last year, the Rays were the worst team in baseball. Yesterday, they downed last year’s world champs, the Boston Red Sox, to clear their way to the fall classic.

According to his prepared remarks, Obama kicks off his speech by congratulation the baseball team. The Illinois senator is campaigning in Florida until Tuesday. It remains to be seen if Obama is courting any endorsements from the Philadelphia Phillies, who the Rays will face in the series and who likewise represent a key battleground state. ...

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/20/tampa-bay-rays-come-out-for-obama/

[BamaLefty]

1. Meh.

Good idea... but as a Red Sox fan, this pains me.

[Cheap_Trick]

7. At least the Sox were contenders

Try being a Royals fan.....

[zbdent]

11. heh ... my wife is a native Clevelander ...

(Browns fan, somewhat Indians fan, follows Cavs ...)

I'm from the Burgh ... :evilgrin:

[PittPoliSci]

19. i'm a long suffering Pirates fan.

at least the penguins are sick. hope you guys aren't still pissed about that whole you-almost-had-our-team-then-we-finally-ponied-up-the-dough-for-a-stadium thing.

[DS1]

12. Better than Schilling stumping for Bush

That was painful to watch

[VWolf]

15. You'll always have Game 5

And 2007
And 2004

[VeraAgnes]

23. Remember, this is about winning an election

not a baseball game....that's another chapter my friend...... Focus on the prize! we need Florida to turn BLUE!

[GinaMaria]

2. I don't recall a sports team endorsing a prez candidate before

Has this happened before and I'm such the opposite of a sports nut that I've always missed it? or Is this new?

I do love how he inspires and spreads enthusiasm.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Maybe the owner is an Obama supporter...like the owner of the

Philly Flyers is a McSame fan and had the barracuda drop that first puck

[GinaMaria]

28. The fans didn't seem to agree :-) n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Red Sox fan here too - and I am thrilled - no embarrassing Schilling grovelling to McCain!

[MaineDem]

4. Go Rays!!!

This warms my heart. I wanted Boston to beat them but I'm glad the Rays' great year has paid off for them.

And now this! Awesome.

[tblue]

5. W-O-W! I wasn't looking forward to the World Series

because I had no one to root for (since my beloved Red Sox lost). I thought, "Oh, Tampa Bay-Phillies. Woopdedoo (yawn)." I wasn't even gonna watch. But NOW I have a dog in the fight?! Oh boy! Yeeeehaw! :woohoo: :bounce: :toast: :woohoo::woohoo: :bounce: :toast: :woohoo: :woohoo: :bounce: :toast: :woohoo:

David Price made me so mad (in an admiring way) last night because he kicked my guys' butt.

Wonderful news! Thank you for posting!!!

[fascisthunter]

6. Red Sox Fan... Congrats Rays and Good on Ya!!!

great series

[LynneSin]

8. I'm glad that the Rays are supporting Obama but I gotta go with the Phillies

it's a hometown thing. Perhaps Biden can join the Phillies since he lives in the Philly metro area!

[StevieM]

21. I suspect that Biden and Hillary are both rooting for the Phillies. Biden is from Delaware

which is in the Philly media market, so presumably there are a lot of Phillies fans there. And Hillary has long ties to eastern PA.....her grandparents were probably Phillies fans (unless they were Athletics fans).

I think it's great that the Rays are going to a World Series, after all the struggles they have had since day one. But if they win and they still can't get good attendence and TV ratings next year....then that does not bode well for the team's future in St. Pete.

Steve

[KayLaw]

9. Wait till my husband finds out.

He's a big Rays fan and will be beside himself.

[Doctor_J]

10. Impressive. Most Major League athletes are wingers

The lowest paid MLB athlete will take a hit on his taxes under O's plan. The top guys will get clobbered. Good that they can see past that. Go Rays!

[GDAEx2]

13. This Browns fan was appalled

when Brady Quinn introduced McLame a couple of weeks ago.

:mad:

[MessiahRp]

14. Wow... this is cool

Although read the comments on that blog. Totally disgusting trash.

Anyway good for the Rays. They're a very young team so that may also play a part. Most younger people seem to be trending for Obama and recognize this as our Bobby Kennedy.

Rp

[MagicKenny]

16. I Cheer For The Rays. I'm Still Crying About The Dodgers...

...even still - I love the symbolism of this. Obama/Rays - fresh, new, exciting, hard working, a break from the old guard.

[Kalifornia.Kid]

17. Sure beats Wayne Huizenga and his loser Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins Owner To Sell Team If Obama Wins Presidency.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7525708

[nyy1998]

20. Hey, if things go the way they should

with the AL superior and the Phillies having too much time off, This group could be meeting again in DC on Pennsylvania Avenue in a certain white mansion(knock wood).

[KamaAina]

22. They've already sucked all enjoyment of the Series from me.

Must they do this to Obama, too? :eyes:

Then again, it is a key swing state, as we all know, where every vote counts (or is supposed to, anyway)... but how many fans do they actually have? Until this month, they were drawing 12,000 a game!

[RantinRavin]

27. Well damn, guess I can't be a fan anymore

Since I watch them on TV instead of going to the game.

[Neecy]

24. This is really nice

As mentioned above, a lot of baseball players - even though they belong to one of the strongest unions in the country - are either social conservatives or they want to keep their tax cuts. Not all, but players who are vocal about their choice pf Party tend to be wingnutty.



I'm a huge Jonny Gomes fan - he's from the Bay Area - and Carl Crawford is another big favorite of mine. I'm so excited to see a group of baseball players stand up in support of Democrats.

[Ishoutandscream2]

25. Gotta dig the Rays

Love those guys!

[Danmel]

26. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg gave $2000 to Obama for America!

http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Stuart_Sternberg.php


A nice Jewish boy from Canarsie, Brooklyn

Go Rays!

[newscott]

29. Sox management stumped for Kerry

This is an interesting trend. Is it possible there are more millionaires out there who actually care about the little guy?

[newscott]

30. Sox management stumped for Kerry

This is an interesting trend. Is it possible there are more millionaires out there who actually care about the little guy?