The new owner of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays has decided that the Devil must go.
As of 2007, the Tampa Bay team will most likely have a new nickname without the hellish influence.
“When [new owner] Stu Sternberg came in, he said there was a need for dramatic change. One way for dramatic change is to change the name,” [team president] Silverman said.
After talking with fans in focus groups, the team learned there was a “negative association” with the terms, “Devil Rays,” and “devil,” Silverman said.
“When they liked something we did, they would refer to us as the Rays. If they were discussing a complaint or gripe, we were the Devil Rays,” Silverman said.
Let’s get real here. These fans in these focus groups probably found a bigger “negative association” with the term “ineffective pitching”.
Maybe they should concentrate on signing some decent free agent arms instead of trying to appease a few unhappy patrons.