Raheem Morris is looking for a little of that Tampa Bay Rays magic. Quite literally.
The Buccaneers coach took his team to Tropicana Field for an indoor workout, a normal activity to stay out of the Florida heat. While there, Morris went on the hunt for the mojo the Rays oozed during the comeback win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday that propelled them into the MLB postseason.
"Little Trop magic today," Morris told the St. Petersburg Times on Thursday. "Went over there and sat in (Rays manager Joe Maddon's) seat. I hung on that rail he hung on all (Wednesday) night and I just rubbed all over that rail, man. Take some of that thunder he's got going."
If you know anything about Tropicana Field, "magic"Â is not the word that springs to mind. It's the biggest dump in baseball, but there's no denying the resilient team that plays in the building can serve as an example for the Bucs. Morris' Rays talk isn't "Us local teams support each other!" lip service either, the man is a fan and good friend of Maddon.
"It was like (Josh) Freeman throwing a touchdown pass when (Evan Longoria) hit that home run," he said.
Unfortunately for Morris, his day job will interfere with his Rays fandom during the team's playoff series. The Bucs will host the Colts on Monday night -- the same time the Rays host their first home game against the Texas Rangers. Is Morris going to find a way to watch?
"I'd like to," he said. "I've got plans."
