The demand for press credentials for the ALCS far surpassed anything the Rays organization has ever seen, so much so that an auxilary press box was created in the seating area at Tropicana Field know as “The Beach,” just outside the left field foul pole in an area roughly between the second and third decks.

Lest anyone think that only smaller news organizations are relegated to The Beach, reporters from the New York Times and USA Today have been assigned there, as well as ESPN reporters Tim Kurkjan and Peter Gammons (also of the Boston Globe).

Dick Vitale, here strictly as a fan, is wearing a blue shirt with the Rays “TB” logo. He’s in the front row, in the President’s Box behind home plate.

Vitale, a Rays season ticket holder since the franchise began in 1998, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.