Rays return to .500, the legend of Sam Fuld

The 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox last night improved the Tampa Bay Ray's record to 9-9, good enough for second place in the American League East. Being .500 is a major improvement compared to the 1-8 start the Rays had. The biggest difference has been their improved hitting and the legend of Sam Fuld began. 

Sam Fuld makes a catch

Fuld was acquired in a deal that sent the Ray's ace Matt Garza to the Chicago Cubs. Fuld has been great for the Rays. His average is .344 and have been stellar in left field. Fuld has been so good that he is making Rays fans forget about their former all-star left fielder Carl Crawford. Crawford left the Rays to go for a better payday with division rivals the Boston Red Sox. Crawford has not been an all-star with the Sox. He has a .149 average which is not the value the Red Sox expected for seven years, $142 million. The Sam Fuld legacy began April 9th against the White Sox. Fuld made an amazing catch to rob Juan Pierre of an extra base hit. Fuld then had an amazing performance against the Red Sox. Fuld went 5 for 10 in the series. In mid-April Fuld became a starter in left field. St. Petersburg Times writer Marc Topkin has compiled a list of Fuld jokes, from Twitter, ala Chuck Norris style. Here are a few of the best:
USF is changing it's name to Univ. of Sam Fuld.
He gets Chick-Fil-A on Sundays.
They will rename the movie to Fuld of Dreams.
Some other funny ones were:
Sam Fuld was once intentionally walked while in the on deck circle.
The Red Sox check under their bed for Sam Fuld.
Fuld was also asked once by reporters why he couldn't stop the rain.
"It's just me washing my planet," he joked.
With Manny Ramirez retiring and the Rays already planned a Ramirez bobblehead give away, the Rays needed to find something else to give to their loyal fans. What better than a Super Sam cape to all kids 14 and under on May 29th.
The legend of Sam Fuld will continue to grow as long as he keeps playing relatively well. If he does then that should mean success for the Rays and more Fuld "facts" to the list.