Give the Tampa Bay Rays credit where credit is due. They apparently do not care what anyone thinks of them.
Evidence of that will be presented this weekend when the Rays debut their new mascot, DJ Kitty. It's a cat in a Rays uniform with a backward hat wearing a cowbell around its neck. Seriously.
Yahoo's Big League Stew blog has done some digging on the new mascot and discovered that DJ Kitty will make its debut this weekend at Rays Fan Fest. DJ Kitty will also make a few appearances throughout the season and serve as a secondary mascot of sorts. The Rays' primary mascot, Raymond, will hang around as well. As he should, too, considering his ongoing battle with NESN analyst Jerry Remy.
The DJ Kitty moniker, of course, is inspired by the videos played at Tropicana Field that feature a cat spinning records. Again, seriously. Check out DJ Kitty in action below.
DJ Kitty pumps up Rays fans: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com
And of course, here's photographic evidence that a mascot-sized DJ Kitty does truly exist, with the photo coming from the @RaysDJKitty Twitter account.
If consistent seasons with good, young and overachieving talent bolstered by the AL East's best pitching staff and one of the game's best managers don't fill Tropicana Field, then DJ Kitty certainly will.