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I can not express enough my glee over the Rays’ sweep of the Boston Red Sox this weekend. I really can’t. See, things used to be different for me. Until recently, my only true hated enemy in baseball was the Yankees. In fact, I took great joy in seeing the Red Sox come back from three down to win the ALCS in 2004. It was one of the greater and more memorable sports moments ever in my mind. But this weekend sealed the deal with Red Sox fan. Seriously.

My friend and I decided to head down to the Trop to take in Saturday’s game. Granted, in hindsight, we might have checked on ticket availability prior to making the drive across the bay. But, in all reality, though these games tend to bring in more fans than usual, there’s rarely a sellout. In fact, I went to a Red Sox game two years ago and had no trouble finding a seat. In fact, there were empty seats all around us at that game. But, no…..on this day, there was not a seat left to be sold. “Ticket resellers” on the street were few and far between. And Red Sox jerseys and hats seemed to be the fashion trend of the evening.

Mind you, I get it. I understand that these people can fly down here fairly inexpensively, get moderately priced accomodations and take in an entire series (something they might have a hard time doing at Fenway). But it’s absolutely ridiculous that, as a Rays fan (yes, we exist), I wasn’t able to get a ticket. I was even willing to play “Premier Game” pricing for the event.

But there’s more to it than that. These people waltz in here like they own the place. I used to think I hated Philly fan. Philly fan has been a non-factor basically since the Lightning beat the Flyers for the NHL Eastern Conference Final the cup year. And, honestly, even the fans at the Eagles game two years ago were few relative to capacity.

No, Red Sox fan absolutely infuriated me Saturday. I can only hope they enjoyed paying the money to watch the Rays absolutely shut down their threatening lineup. Seriously. Manny who? Big who? That’s right Red Sox fan. Your arrogance is catching up. And how about that bullpen of yours? That’s an awesome disaster to watch…..for us…..and for anyone else who gets to face it. The worst part was after giving up on tickets, we decided to take in the game at Fergs (Sports Bar up the street from the Trop). We get there before first pitch and there are still Sox fans milling about. At game time, the place emptied out and we were left to ourselves with a couple of scattered Rays fans in the room with us. A while later, two young couples walk in…..three Rays fans and a Red Sox fan (of course, my only feeling is to disown the Rays fans for even being seen with this clown). Here’s where the arrogance of Red Sox fan really starts to boil my blood. The guy looks around at everyone in the room wearing Rays gear and says in a voice to be heard throughout the room: “Wow. I don’t get any Boston love in here, do I?” Hey, genius…..did you expect to? What part of St. Petersburg sounds like Boston?

It really puts a freakin’ downer in my day, these people. They move down here and take my jobs, ruin my traffic and continue expressing their undying love for Boston and New England. My question is, if the place is so great and you love your teams so much, why did you leave? Go back. Seriously. I mean, I’m willing to give you a grace period if it helps you adjust, but if you want to be a Floridian, get with the program. And don’t worry….you’re not the only ones. This goes out to my folks from New York, New Jersey and anywhere else that’s so great their residents feel the need to move down here.

But I’ll digress a bit. Or maybe this is more in spreading the blame. For those of you out there who consider yourselves Rays fans…..native Floridians and those who have gotten with the program….what’s your excuse? The only reason it’s so easy for these people to get tickets is because you’re not creating much demand. I myself haven’t been the greatest supporter in this respect, but this season I’m trying to give up some love. This would have been my third game in four weeks. Not a die-hard by any stretch of the imagination, but, in my own defense, getting off of work at six o’clock and trying to make a seven o’clock start time during the week is a bit much. I’m doing my part. Based on the crowds I’ve seen, I’m doing more than most.

And please don’t tell me you can’t afford it. The last game I went to cost me a whopping $15. For that $15, I got a seat in Left Field, a hot dog, a soda and cracker jacks. That’s two beers at Raymond James or the Forum. For two beers, I got the works. There’s just not an excuse. These guys are competing and deserve to have some support from the fan base.

We went through this with the Bucs. We went through this with the Lightning. And we’re going through it with the Rays. I get that. When they put a winning product on the field, there will be converts and others who are more willing to support the team. Great. But I don’t want converts who are jumping the next great bandwagon. I still run into “Bucs fans” who wouldn’t know Jimmie Giles from John McKay. Fans who don’t know the story behind Ricky Bell. Fans who only know of Culverhouse through rare mentions that still happen. Fans that don’t remember Doug Williams being rewarded for his efforts by essentially being escorted out of town by that same Culverhouse. But I won’t let this become a hate-fest for Culverhouse….I’ve done that enough over the years.

All I want to know, is this your town? Or are you just here for an extended visit? The sunshine is great, but are you willing to be a part of the culture?

I am a native. I remember a Tampa that was a tight-knit community of local folks. Even those who relocated here, back in that time, became locals fairly quickly. They embraced our culture and became a true part of our community. These days, I go to work and face criticism for wearing a piece of gear that represents my local team. Completely ridiculous.

So for all of you Red Sox fans out there. Thanks for our piece of first place in the AL East. Perhaps it doesn’t last, but watching your bats go cold in our house in front of all of you was a thing of beauty.