Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dewayne Staats, the iconic voice of the Tampa Bay Rays. Broadcasting major league baseball for over 30 years and calling games for the Rays since their inception, Dewayne will call his 5,000th major league ball game tonight when the Rays play the San Diego Padres at St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. In fact, I think they just got started this evening. Baseball fans all across Tampa Bay and Florida have watched and listened to games called by Dewayne as the Rays have grown from an expansion team to American League champions and one of the best teams in major league baseball. I think the best. Prior to joining the Rays, Dewayne spent years calling play-by-play for ESPN in a variety of sports, including major league baseball and NCAA baseball, basketball and football, as well as for several other major league teams, including the Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Yankees. Dewayne began his career as a sports reporter while a student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and at the time became the youngest active broadcaster when he began calling major league games in 1976. Remarkably, he has called six no-hitters, Wade Boggs' 3,000th base hit, and the game in which Pete Rose tied Ty Cobb's major league hits record. Among many accomplishments of an outstanding broadcast career, Dewayne Staats has been honored as one of baseball's all-time top 101 broadcasters by author Curt Smith.…”