Rays advantage at Tropicana Field

Blyleven, nbc.com: "There is a definite home-field advantage for the Rays, who know opponents struggle with the lighting at Tropicana Field. They are not used to having to try and track fly balls

• against the background of a fiberglass roof where you can’t take your eyes off the ball. In an open-air stadium when the ball is hit in the gap an outfielder can take a look at where he is going and then look up and lock in on the flight of the ball.

But that’s not the case at Tropicana Field where over the years the baggy roof has become

• almost the same color as the baseball and so an outfielder can’t take his eyes off the ball.

The Rays’ outfielders have an advantage since they are much more familiar than are their opposing counterparts with dealing with this element as they play 81 games in the dome each season. It’s not easy on them either but it’s tougher on their opponents." (10/15/08)

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