[John F]

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are poised announce a name change by May of 2007 -- that is, if Stuart Sternberg and company have come to a final decision on a new team name.

The "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" moniker -- while unique -- has often been chastied and criticized in pro sports circles along with local fans. While the loyalist to the team will not mash the franchise name, others have had problems with the team moniker since the team was incepted in 1995. A Devil Ray is not found in the Gulf of Mexico or in Tampa Bay waters (meaning a non-native animal). The name is bulky and of course there is that religious-wacko contingent that finds the DEVIL in the name to be bad too. I look at the name and find it minor league at best... which doesn't reflect well on the region (especially because the team has played minor league at best during it's existence in MLB).

Flash forward to today where things could get better or could get worse. While there is wide speculation the Rays will just formally drop the DEVIL from the team name, there is also talk that the franchise will be totally renamed. While I'd love to see the team renamed the Tampa Bay Thunder -- an intimidating name IMHO -- there has been talk of the team being named for an old Minor League franchise from Tampa: The Tarpons.

The Tampa Bay Tarpons? If that were to happen, there would be a field day of late night hosts giving monologues about how we've become home to feminine hygiene as the name similarities between Tarpons and Tampons is obvious, childish and just too horrid to pass up in comedy.

So what's the thought on this? Just drop the Devil and call the team the Rays? "Devil Rays" would continue to haunt the franchise for a while to come yet. Rename the team entirely and hope that further states the case that new ownership is serious about re-staking the identity of the franchise? I'm for that but if they went with Tarpons or another fish, or another docile animal such as a pelican or flamingo, I'd cringe.