Mid-May and the Rays continue to set franchise standards with every game.

  First place. 

  Seven games over .500.

  A record homestand.

  Is it me, or is this franchise starting to look like the Buccaneers of 1997?

  Both were not-so-loveable record losers.  Fans complained long and hard about ownership.  Both looking to take the next step with a new stadium.

  Heck, both even turned things around after uniform changes.

  Remember when rumors of the Bucs moving to Baltimore or LA were louder than anything they did on the football field?

  These days Rays fans complain about Yankee and Red Sox fans trying to take over the Trop.  Bucs fans complained about Packers and Bears fans buying tickets galore at the old Tampa Stadium.  Finally, Buccaneer fans started buying those tickets themselves and Green Bay and Chicago stopped being factors here.

  Hopefully Rays fans can figure that out.

  I don't know if Rays pitching can hold up.  I don't know if Carlos Pena can do anything near what he did last year.  I don't know if the kids can make plays into September.

  Then again, back in '97 I didn't know if Warren Sapp was as good as his mouth.  I wasn't sure if Mike Alstott could find the endzone in December and January like he did in the heat of September. 

  Bottom line, we jumped aboard and enjoyed the ride.

  We can do the same with this baseball team.  But it all starts with making the Trop a true homefield advantage.  The Rays return home in a week for one of the biggest homestands of the season.  Baltimore, Texas and the White Sox are here.  The Rays can handle all three.  The Rays players are all-but begging fans to do their part.

  Now is there chance.

  Al Keck