Between the Seams | Ray of hope appears in Tampa Bay

PHILADELPHIA — The Fourth of July fireworks were a little brighter for Tampa Bay baseball fans this year.

After more than a decade of losing and mostly last-place finishes, the Rays reached the unofficial threshold where contenders are separated from pretenders with the best record in the majors.

The Rays are rocking.

Their fans are fired up.

Chuck LaMar, the Philadelphia Phillies' director of pro scouting, always knew it could be like this.

"People laughed at me when I said one day there will be a championship-caliber organization in Tampa Bay and this place will never be the same," he said. "We're seeing it before our eyes now. This has been great for the fans and the community. They've waited a long time for a winning baseball team. Everything we wished would happen with that baseball team is now happening, and I wish I was a part of it."

LaMar is a part of it, and not just because he lives in the Tampa Bay area and checks the team's scores nightly.

He was the Rays' first general manager, from the organization's inception in 1995 through 2005. LaMar and his staff brought in a good chunk of the talent that has led the Rays to the top of the American League East. Other contributors arrived in trades involving players that LaMar and his staff had drafted and developed. And a look at the preseason prospect list in the Rays' farm system — rated No. 1 in the game by Baseball America — shows that seven of the organization's top 10 prospects were drafted by LaMar and his people.

"I'm proud of what we left behind, both players and staff," he said. "In the last 10 or 15 years, you can't think of a better scenario for a new owner and GM to take over. The team had only one way to go — up — and they inherited a group of young players capable of doing it."

LaMar was let go after the 2005 season, when there was a change in the controlling ownership. He was replaced by Andrew Friedman, who has made good moves during the Rays' ascension.

"There is nothing to be bitter about," LaMar said. "Did it take us too long to win? Yes, it did. I'm happy for everyone involved in what's happening now.

"I feel good for Vince Naimoli and the original ownership group. They brought major-league baseball to Tampa Bay, and sometimes through the losing seasons and the ups and downs that got lost.

"And in Andrew Friedman's case — he should be landslide winner of the executive of the year award. They are doing something historic because of the moves he and the new owners have made."

LaMar's influence on the roster is significant. Starting pitchers James Shields and Andy Sonnanstine were drafted when he was in charge, and he traded for lefty Scott Kazmir in a fleecing of the Mets. Right-hander Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett came last winter in a trade for Delmon Young, who was drafted by the LaMar regime.

Key position players B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford were also drafted by LaMar and his charges, as was outfielder Rocco Baldelli.

The Rays' season hit a high point last week when they swept the Red Sox for the second time this season.

Despite the team's tremendous start, some wonder if the young club can hang on for the entire season. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz implied as much when he told reporters, "These kids have been playing well, you can't take that away from them. But things happen. Sometimes experience shows up and takes over."