In recent times, there have been a number of crazy sporting results (Spain winning the European Championships, Portsmouth winning the FA Cup, West Tigers winning the NRL), but the craziest of them all would have to be the rise of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays were the worst team in baseball, if not all of American professional sports – although the Clippers, Raiders, Lions and Grizzles would have something to say about that.
No one cared about them, their players or their season – they were all irrelevant.
Their games didn’t matter and the opposition already penciled in their games against them as a win.
But then they just clicked.
They were playing as a team and kept on doing all the things that good teams do to get over the line. They won when they weren’t playing well. When the other team scored 6, they scored 7, and when they scored 2 they kept their opponents to 1.
Played over 162 games, baseball has the longest regular season of any sport. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
At the end of April, the first month of the season, they were 14-12, which was the first time they had a winning record for April. Pundits thought it was a fluke, that they would quickly fade and go away.
But by the end of May, they had the best record in the American League.
Now people were taking notice, and more importantly, their games meant something as opposed to the dead rubbers they had always been. But by remaining a competitive force and now winning through to the World Series they have the one thing they never had – respect.
And as in life, nothing has a higher currency in sport than respect.
Regardless of what happens in the World Series, the onus is on them to perform next year to prove this wasn’t a fluke. And they will have to do it all without the element of surprise or being taken lightly, like they were this year.
What does this year mean for the Rays? Can they be a force to reckon with for years to come or will they be like the Penrith of 2003, who quickly resumed normal service?
When it comes to assessing a team, I have what I call the ‘Three-Year Rule’.
There is nothing harder to change than one’s reputation, but if a team is consistently good or bad over three consecutive years, it is no longer a fluke. They have changed their reputation for better or for worst.
Take the Swans as an example.
In 1996, they were in a similar situation to the Rays and people felt their success was a one-off. But over time, they have changed their image as one of a basketcase to being one of the more stable sides in the competition.
Contrast this to Carlton, who have gone the other way.
In recent times you can look to the Chelsea, Patriots, Sydney Kings RIP, and Melbourne Storm as teams who went from dormant to dominant while the 49ers, Leeds United, West Indian cricket team, and the Knicks have all gone South.
Winning is also the best form of marketing possible. They couldn’t have given Rays seats away before, but now they are the hottest ticket in town.
When you find success on field, the off field success will follow.
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