How a Week of Rays Baseball with My Grandpa Changed Everything
By Zach Daab
South Carolina
I grew up overseas for much of my formative years. There was about a seven-hour time difference between where I lived and the United States. This had many side effects, but the two most relevant to this story are:
I was already not into watching baseball, and with the time difference, I only ever watched the World Series, if at all.
I had limited time to spend with extended family.
The first side effect was partially remedied when I came back over to the States for college. At that time, I still had no baseball rooting interest and continued to focus on football. That changed after my first year in school, and I had the chance to address the second of the two side effects by spending a week with my grandpa in Tampa.
It was a great week; one I will always remember. I enjoyed hearing stories from him all day as we did house or yardwork, and then around 6:30 p.m. or so, we’d sit down, and he’d turn on the Rays game.
This was 2017 mind you, and the games went about as you remember. By the seventh inning, he was calling everyone in a Rays jersey a “bum” and heading off to bed. I thought that was that, but then I was introduced to the magic of baseball. We were right back there the next night at the same time to do it all again, with the same result. I lived and died on Saturdays and Sundays growing up, so the idea of coming back day after day no matter what fascinated me, and by the end of the week, I got tickets for us to go to the Trop to experience it in person. I had never seen baseball in a dome before, and the stadium was rather empty for an MLB game, but none of that mattered.
What mattered was the joy of watching baseball live sitting next to my grandpa. This was an experience I had missed out on living overseas, and I drank in every second. The game itself was unmemorable: Alex Cobb went seven or so innings and gave up four runs, and the offense scattered a couple of hits with no runs to show for it.
But I was dazzled watching KK in the outfield, Danny Farquar’s breaking ball, and curious about all the other players whose names I did not know. From that moment on, I have lived and breathed Rays baseball. The 2017 team has a special place in my heart. I became a massive fan of Chris Archer; loved watching Morrison, Dickerson, and Souza Jr. try (and occasionally succeed!) to muster some offense; and was glued to every ball hit in KK’s ZIP code.
I owe it all to my grandpa, who’d probably call everyone who was a part of the 2024 season a “bum,” but will still be there on opening day of 2025 to watch the next year unfold.
About Zach Daab
Just a Rays diehard who yearns for a championship. I talk ball with my buds on the RBLR Sports network. You can find me there on the RBLR Rays show if you want positive but honest thoughts on the best org in all of baseball. My cats are occasional guests.