As if the end of the 2011 regular season for the Rays with their unbelievable comeback to move into the postseason wasn't enough to establish Tampa Bay as a great sports city, Monday night gave more great national spotlight as well as setting some milestones. The Rays had their first 2011 postseason home game after "the greatest night in baseball history" and the Tampa Buccaneers had their first Monday Night Football game since 2003. For the diehard fans, this was a busy night as the Rays game started at 5:07pm and the Bucs started at 8:30pm. To top it all off, both the Rays and the Bucs were playing in front of sell-out crowds!
The Tampa Bay Rays are tied in the first postseason series with the Texas Rangers with one game each. They started with a 1 run lead before giving up 4 runs in the 7th inning. Scoring 1 run in both the 7th and 8th inning they brought the game within 1 run at 4-3 going into the 9th inning. Unable to have a comeback like they did to finish the season, they fell short and lost 4-3. The next game is 10/4 with another must win in order to continue their season.
For those who chose to tailgate at the Tampa Buccaneers game, many set up TVs so they could watch the Rays game. It was a good sight to see the Direct TV blimp flying above the stadium and the fireworks that came before the game to celebrate Monday Night Football. The Bucs were able to come back and pull off a win against the Indianapolis Colts for a final of 24-17. The only lead they had was when they scored the final touchdown with 3:15 remaining in the 4th quarter. This is a great win for the Bucs as they are a young team and this is the first time many of the players have had this national exposure.
With all this national exposure, it is proving Tampa Bay to be a fantastic sports city. The Tampa Bay Lightning also have their 2011-2012 season launch party within 24 hours of these games. The win for the Bucs gives them a 3-1 record and hopefully we can continue to see this season progress while also seeing the Rays be able to advance to the World Series. This Monday night showed the nation that Tampa Bay is a mecca for professional sports.
