In recognition of the Tampa Bay Rays’ trip to the World Series, there will be a Rally for the Rays party from 5:30 to 10 p.m. today on Old Main Street in downtown Bradenton.

The Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, in conjunction with the city, Bradenton Herald and Old Main Street Merchants Association, is sponsoring the event.

There will be music from the band Yesterdays, food and drinks, and family activities such as face painting and caricature art.

Alcohol will not be sold on the street, but local bars will maintain their regular hours of operation.

Old Main Street, between Manatee and Third avenues West, will close to traffic Friday afternoon.

Readers of The Onion, a popular fake-news Web site, are having a few laughs this week at the expense of the suddenly successful Rays.

An article published Thursday makes fun of the team’s first World Series bid. The premise is that Tropicana Field officials, with no expectation of hosting games in October, scheduled a ‘Spooktacular Spook Dome’ haunted house for the same nights as some of the World Series games, and the two events are going on simultaneously.

Here’s a sample from the spoof story, written in The Onion’s trademark deadpan style:

“Executives apologized for Game 1 being repeatedly interrupted by shrill, gut-wrenching screams emanating from the stadium’s sound system, the players’ inability to field ground balls around the Infield Maze of Gore, and haunted house actor/Rays third baseman Evan Longoria leaving every half-inning to grab his Leatherface mask and chainsaw.”

Tampa Bay area baseball fans are now being ridiculed for being too polite.

According to a story published in today’s Philadelphia Daily News, Rays fans sat on their hands Thursday during a 4-2 victory against the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series.

“Where are we … at the library?’’ Phillies fan Brian Fifield of Burlington County, N.J., said in the report. “It’s been great being down here, but it’s not the same as being in Philly.’‘

The series shifts to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where rain is forecast for Saturday night’s scheduled Game 3.

Philadelphia sports fans take pride in their reputation as fierce supporters. Before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers closed down Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium by upsetting the Eagles in the NFC Championship game during the 2002-03 season, the Vet was widely regarded as one of the least accommodating venues for visiting fans, who risked physical harm if they showed up in visiting colors.

The headline of today’s Daily News story is: “Tropicana rooters are awful friendly.’‘

Are you OK with that reputation, or is it important that Phillies fans be made to feel uncomfortable? 

Game 2 of the World Series was remarkably quieter and more civil than Game 1, according to statistics released this morning by the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Last night, only 25 people were ejected from Tropicana Field, compared with 41 the night before, said George Kajtsa, spokesman for the department.

And there was only one arrest, compared with more than 15 during the first game, Kajtsa said. The sole arrest was for disorderly conduct and trespassing. The night before, the charges ranged from brawling to selling counterfeit merchandise.

Also on Thursday night, police charged 10 people with trying to resell bona fide tickets on Tropicana Field property. The 10 were not arrested; rather, they were given notices to appear in court, Kajtsa said.

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