The Devil Rays played their inaugural MLB regular
season game yesterday at Tropicana Field, losing to the
Tigers 11-6. In Tampa, Moncada & Shaw report that D'Rays
Managing Partner Vince Naimoli "was the man of the hour
Tuesday afternoon." Naimoli addressed the crowd before the
game: "We built it and you came. ... We want to love you as
much as you love us." But Moncada & Shaw add that "some
glitches arose" at Tropicana Field yesterday, and that "at
least one escalator broke down" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/1). AL
President Gene Budig, on Tropicana Field: "It is well done.
It's fan friendly. I think people will enjoy it for many
years to come" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/1). In St. Petersburg,
Stephen Nohlgren writes under the header, "Glitches Aside,
Opener Is A Hit With Crowds." Nohlgren: "The festive throng
that packed Tropicana Field on Tuesday finally put St.
Petersburg's 8-year-old domed stadium to its intended use
and came away fulfilled" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 4/1). In
Orlando, Larry Guest writes that the mood "was upbeat and
giddy" yesterday, so much so that even Naimoli, "a heavy-
handed [George] Steinbrenner clone, was given an
appreciative round of applause. Insiders suggest his
honeymoon will be the shortest on the team" (ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 4/1). But in Toronto, Richard Griffin is not sold
on the team's success: "Stay tuned. It will be interesting
to see how closely the first-year baseball boom in Tampa Bay
parallels that of south Florida, where the love affair with
the Marlins faded in the third year" (TORONTO STAR, 4/1).
IT ISN'T JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE: Naimoli and other
leaders toasted the opening not with a glass of champagne,
but with Tropicana Orange Juice (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/1).
PANNED IN OPENER: In FL, the crowd at Pro Player
Stadium for the Marlins' home opener largely "booed" when
Owner Wayne Huizenga's name was announced. Marlins
President Don Smiley: "If it wasn't for Wayne Huizenga, we
wouldn't have baseball in South Florida and we wouldn't have
had the World Series" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 4/1).
