ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale, the Rays' most vocal celebrity fan, is expected to be spotted in the stands above the visitors' dugout during Game 3 of the World Series at Tropicana Field on Monday. The New Jersey native grew up a passionate fan of New York's historic ballparks, cheering for the Yankees and Mickey Mantle as a child, but he settled in Florida as his coaching and broadcasting career evolved.
When Major League Baseball awarded Tampa an expansion team in the 1990s, Vitale was all-in. He quickly bought season tickets ahead of the Rays' inaugural 1998 season and has remained with the club ever since. "When I moved here, when I really moved here, I believed in being loyal with the Rays, the Bucs and the Lightning," Vitale told ESPN. "Loyalty is something that's important to me."
His devotion goes beyond season tickets. He gushes about players like Evan Longoria and Junior Caminero, and he can recite Caminero's home run stats from the last two seasons from memory. His social media activity is another sign of his commitment. Vitale has posted about the Rays 32 times since the team's playoff run began, including six posts after Monday's American League pennant-clinching win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Asked for a World Series prediction against the Milwaukee Brewers, Vitale declined to pick against his adopted home team. "I'm reading the Brewers [are] totally favorites; I'm going Rays in seven, baby. And I will be there, all the home games, I will be at all of them."
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing