To this point in franchise history, most of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' playoff aspirations have been the stuff of imagination. So I guess it makes sense that the team has landed Kevin Costner, who built a career out of suspension of disbelief and playing fake baseball players, to help launch its new uniforms, team colors and logos.
Costner -- AKA Crash Davis, AKA Ray Kinsella, AKA Billy Chapel -- will be on hand with his band, Modern West, when the Rays kick off their two-day unveiling celebration at St. Petersburg's Straub Park on November 8.
It all makes perfect sense to Costner, who claimed a special kinship with Rays manager Joe Maddon.
"[Maddon] didn't make it into the bigs as a player, and ... I kind of dig that," Costner said. "That's kind of who Crash Davis was."
The extravaganza will also include a fashion show, with Maddon, Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff modelling the Rays' new look uniforms. And if that doesn't scream "something I need to see before I die," I just don't know what would.
