The Less Boring Rays

I've always liked Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden. The reason is, I find him to be interesting, funny and he doesn't manage "by the book." He seems like the kind of guy a player would like to play for.
But outside of Madden, the Rays have been a boring franchise. From their humble beginnings through their World Series appearance in 2008 and despite some really good players of late, the Rays have been really dull.
Perhaps it's because of the ballpark they play in. Maybe it's their lack of a lengthy history. Whatever the reason, the Rays are just a mundane franchise.
Well, with the recent signings of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, the Rays just got more interesting both on and off the field.
Ramirez, who hit just 9 home runs last season with the Dodgers and White Sox (remember his stint in Chicago? Neither does Manny!), had an injury filled season and at 38 is coming to the end of the line unless he has a resurgent season. Strange but Ramirez hasn't been the same since he was popped for using performance enhancing drugs.
Meanwhile, Damon, always a good clubhouse guy, is 37. He's still a serviceable player but probably not an everyday guy. He's 429 hits away from 3,000 and I'm guessing he will stick around until he gets there. Figure he's got at least three decent seasons in him to get those hits.
When these two were teammates with the Red Sox they were a hoot at times. Who can forget Manny, from left-field, cutting off a Damon throw from center-field at Fenway Park?
While Manny has become tiresome and Damon isn't the player he once was, they still should be good for a few headlines this year for the Rays.
In the past the Rays were always developing young players. Now they've gone the other way with a couple of oldsters.
When I was announcing minor league baseball and today, covering the Colorado Rockies, I have one wish every season and that is that the team is competitive and isn't boring. Boring is bad. The people in Tampa who cover the team are probably happy to have Man-Ram and Damon in the Rays clubhouse.