Devil Rays To Pay For It!

According to Michael H. Samuels of TBO.com

The Florida Devil Rays will pay $2,500 for each ball that lands in the new touch tank:

... If you plan to watch the Tampa Bay Devil Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles tonight, there's a chance a home run ball will land in the new aquatic touch tank beyond the outfield.

Based on the number of home runs hit to the tank's location in the past, more than 400 feet from home plate and 13 feet above the right-centerfield playing surface, Rays officials expect about one ball a year will land in the tank, where fans can view and touch cownose rays.

The team will donate $2,500 to The Florida Aquarium for each water shot hit by a Rays player and the same amount to a charity selected by the batter. Rays players have hit 51 home runs at Tropicana Field this year. Include opponents' runs and you have 98 balls that soared over the fences. None this year has hit where the tank was installed last week, team spokesman Rick Vaughn said.

"I wouldn't look for lots of balls to be raining down in that pool," Vaughn said.
The 10,000-gallon touch tank, which is free to fans, contains 30 cownose rays.

"Obviously the health and well-being of the animals is our No. 1 priority," said Florida Aquarium spokesman Tom Wagner. "It would take a freak accident for one of the rays to get injured." ...

From the story by: Reporter Michael H. Samuels can be reached at (813)835-2109 or msamuels@tampatrib.com.

Click here for the full story: http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBWO081WPE.html

So here's hoping for lots of home runs for the rays (both kinds!)

Here's another story about the Touch Tank on MLB: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060721&content_id=1568074&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb