New-name, new-look Rays are suddenly beasts of the AL East

BY ANTHONY McCARRON DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER It used to be that someone like Chris Rock might have played the long-standing futility of the Tampa Bay Rays for laughs when he performed in St. Petersburg. But instead of tweaking the Rays when the comedian did a show there recently, Rock visited their clubhouse, fist-bumping Scott Kazmir and Evan Longoria and congratulating the best team in baseball. "We stole some of his best material by playing so well," quipped Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive VP of baseball operations, who saw Rock's show along with several other team execs. No one is looking at Tampa's team the same way anymore, whether it's the Yankees, who for years used the Rays as a punching bag en route to another playoff appearance, or the fans in Tampa and St. Pete - attendance at Tropicana Field, no showplace,... [read full story]