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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Price excited to return to Turner Field

Posted Jun 15, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Jun 15, 2010 at 01:56 PM

ROGER MOONEY
Summer vacations were planned around David Price’s baseball scheduled and the home schedule of the Atlanta Braves.

When a tournament-free weekend and a Braves homestand crossed paths, Price’s parents would load the car, add a few of Price’s buddies and make the drive east from Nashville to Atlanta to see the Braves.

“That was my team growing up,” said Price, who takes the mound tonight when the Rays open a three-game series against the Braves in Atlanta.

His favorite Brave?

Easy.

Price reached into his locker inside the Rays clubhouse Sunday morning and pulled out a David Justice baseball card as well as a tiny David Justice statue that Price brings with him on every road trip.

Price will take his American League-leading nine wins and American League-leading 2.23 ERA to the mound tonight with the idea of keeping the Rays atop the American League East standings. They begin play tied with the Yankees for first place.

In the stands will be more than 200 family and friends, each wearing No. 14 T-shirts, courtesy of Piece’s dad, Bonnie.

For the 24-year-old Price, the chance to win 10 games faster than any pitcher in Rays history and keep his team in first place is matched by the excitement of pitching in the same city where he watched Justice and his favorite team play not too many years ago.

“It’s probably everybody’s goal in here to play in every stadium in the big leagues,” Price said. “It’s something my parents want to do, is go to every one, and now that I think about it, I’d like to play in all of them.”