What happens when you take "Devil" out of the "Devil Rays"

The Tampa Bay Rays are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies 1-1 in the 2008 MLB World Series. Last year they were dead last in the AL East and had one of the worst records in the Majors. For 10 years they have been a team of futility and a benchmark for awfulness. Then after deciding to change their nickname from the "Devil Rays" to just "Rays" this youthful exuberant bunch are on the verge of something great-going from worst to literally first. I'm not saying that by taking "Devil" out of their name is the sole reason and that God has looked down and them and justified them by the removal of the name. I think it is an interesting story that just plays along with the great season this team, led by Manager Joe Maddon with his Buddy-Holly (Rivers Cuomo esc) glasses has led the Rays to within 3 games of winning the World Series.

"Until this season, the Rays hadn't even had a winning season..."You take the 'Devil' out of the Devil Rays," said Boston shortstop Alex Cora, pointing to the sky, "and Jesus helps them out."... The thornier religious question behind Tampa's nickname is this: Does God care about the name or the fate of a team?... Christopher Evans, a professor of church history at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y., said most sports fans mistake superstition for religion..."The rational part of our brain sort of recognizes that a lot of the curse stuff is silly," said Evans, co-author of "The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion and American Culture."... "The reason that Tampa Bay has done well is that they have a great team. They have a great manager."

And with the 2008 US Presidential Election only 10 days away here is something to think about when choosing which Candidate to choose for: "“The moral history of your country is the story of your people's efforts to widen the circle of inclusion in society, so that all Americans might enjoy the protection of law, participate in the responsibilities of citizenship, and have the opportunity to make a contribution to the common good. Whenever a certain category of people—the unborn or the sick and old—are excluded from that protection, a deadly anarchy subverts the original understanding of justice. The credibility of the United States will depend more and more on its promotion of a genuine culture of life, and on a renewed commitment to building a world in which the weakest and most vulnerable are welcomed and protected.” Pope John Paul II