(SUNRISE, FL) – Fox Sports Net Florida today announced a comprehensive 77-game cable telecast schedule for the 2003 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season, including an expanded 75-game regular season lineup and two exclusive Spring Training match-ups. (Complete Rays cable telecast schedule follows).
Fox Sports Net Florida's Emmy Award-winning coverage of Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball begins on Sunday, March 9 live from Progress Energy Park as the Rays host the New York Yankees (1:05pm). Fox Sports Net will also televise the Rays' Spring Training match-up on Tuesday, March 18 as the team hosts the Atlanta Braves (1:05pm).
Fox Sports Net's coverage of Rays baseball increases from 64 to 75 regular season cable telecasts in 2003 and gets underway Opening Day, Monday, March 31 at 7:15pm when Lou Piniella leads his new team against the Boston Red Sox. The complete schedule features 37 home and 38 away match-ups with highlights including 10 games against Derek Jeter and the AL East champion New York Yankees, 11 match-ups with Nomar Garciaparra and the Boston Red Sox, and two meetings with the 2002 World Series Champion Anaheim Angels. This season's interleague match-ups include road games against the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros and home games against Atlanta, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Calling the action for Rays games for the sixth consecutive season on Fox Sports Net is the broadcast team of Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane. With nearly 30 years of broadcasting experience, Staats provides play-by-play for all Rays television games. A 10-year veteran of Major League Baseball, Magrane returns for his sixth season providing color analysis combined with his trademark sense of humor. The duo will also share responsibilities this season as hosts of RAYS ON DECK, the pre-game show televised prior to each game on Fox Sports Net.
Fox Sports Net Florida will produce a total of 140 Rays games for cable and broadcast television in 2003. Producer/director Hastings returns for his sixth season with the team and 22nd season directing live professional sports events. Fox Sports Net Florida's Rays coverage team received a 2002 Emmy Award for outstanding achievement in coverage of a live sporting event.
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | |
| Mon. | March 31 | v. Boston | 7:15p |
| Thu. | April 3 | v. Boston | 2:15p |
| Fri. | April 4 | v. NY Yankees | 7:15p |
| Wed. | April 9 | v. Baltimore | 7:15p |
| Thu. | April 10 | v. Baltimore | 7:15p |
| Fri. | April 11 | @ NY Yankees | 7:05p |
| Sat. | April 12 | @ NY Yankees | 1:05p |
| Tue. | April 15 | @ Boston | 6:05p |
| Wed. | April 16 | @ Boston | 6:05p |
| Sat. | April 19 | @ Baltimore | 1:35p |
| Mon. | April 21 | @ Baltimore | 7:05p |
| Thu. | April 24 | v. Toronto | 7:15p |
| Sat. | April 26 | v. Baltimore | 6:15p |
| Sun. | April 27 | v. Baltimore | 1:15p |
| Fri. | May 2 | @ Detroit | 7:05p |
| Sat. | May 3 | @ Detroit | 1:05p |
| Tue. | May 6 | v. Minnesota | 7:15p |
| Fri. | May 9 | v. Detroit | 7:15p |
| Sun. | May 11 | v. Detroit | 1:15p |
| Tue. | May 13 | @ Toronto | 7:05p |
| Wed. | May 14 | @ Toronto | 7:05p |
| Fri. | May 16 | @ Baltimore | 7:05p |
| Sun. | May 18 | @ Baltimore | 1:35p |
| Tue. | May 20 | @ Texas | 8:05p |
| Thu. | May 22 | @ Texas | 2:05p |
| Fri. | May 30 | v. Anaheim | 7:15p |
| Wed. | June 4 | @ Chicago Cubs | 8:05p |
| Thu. | June 5 | @ Chicago Cubs | 2:20p |
| Sat. | June 7 | @ Houston | 8:05p |
| Sun. | June 8 | @ Houston | 2:05p |
| Tue. | June 10 | v. Cincinnati | 7:15p |
| Sat. | June 14 | v. Pittsburgh | 6:15p |
| Sun. | June 15 | v. Pittsburgh | 1:15p |
| Wed. | June 18 | @ NY Yankees | 7:05p |
| Thu. | June 19 | @ NY Yankees | 1:05p |
| Mon. | June 23 | v. NY Yankees | 7:15p |
| Thu. | June 26 | v. NY Yankees | 2:15p |
| Sat. | June 28 | v. Atlanta | 6:15p |
| Tue. | July 1 | v. Boston | 7:15p |
| Thu. | July 3 | v. Boston | 6:15p |
| Sat. | July 5 | v. Chicago W. Sox | 6:15p |
| Tue. | July 8 | @ Oakland | 10:05p |
| Thu. | July 10 | @ Oakland | 3:35p |
| Thu. | July 17 | v. Texas | 7:15p |
| Sat. | July 19 | v. Texas | 6:15p |
| Mon. | July 21 | v. Anaheim | 7:15p |
| Wed. | July 23 | @ Boston | 7:05p |
| Thu. | July 24 | @ Boston | 1:05p |
| Fri. | July 25 | @ Chicago W. Sox | 8:05p |
| Sun. | July 27 | @ Chicago W. Sox | 2:05p |
| Sun. | August 3 | @ Kansas City | 2:05p |
| Mon. | August 4 | v. Toronto | 7:15p |
| Thu. | August 7 | v. Kansas City | 7:15p |
| Sat. | August 9 | v. Kansas City | 6:15p |
| Mon. | August 11 | v. Baltimore | 7:15p |
| Wed. | August 13 | v. Baltimore | 2:15p |
| Sat. | August 16 | @ Cleveland | 7:05p |
| Mon. | August 18 | @ Cleveland | 7:05p |
| Tue. | August 19 | @ Baltimore | 7:05p |
| Wed. | August 20 | @ Baltimore | 7:05p |
| Sat. | August 23 | v. Cleveland | 6:15p |
| Fri. | August 29 | @ Oakland | 10:05p |
| Tue. | Sept. 2 | v. Seattle | 7:15p |
| Wed. | Sept. 3 | v. Seattle | 7:15p |
| Sat. | Sept. 6 | v. Oakland | 6:15p |
| Tue. | Sept. 9 | v. Toronto | 7:15p |
| Wed. | Sept. 10 | v. Toronto | 7:15p |
| Fri. | Sept. 12 | @ NY Yankees | 7:05p |
| Sun. | Sept. 14 | @ NY Yankees | 1:05p |
| Mon. | Sept. 15 | @ Boston | 7:05p |
| Tue. | Sept. 16 | @ Boston | 7:05p |
| Fri. | Sept. 19 | v. NY Yankees | 7:15p |
| Mon. | Sept. 22 | @ Toronto | 7:05p |
| Tue. | Sept. 23 | @ Toronto | 7:05p |
| Sat. | Sept. 27 | v. Boston | 6:15p |
*Schedule subject to change. All times are Eastern.
Fox Sports Net Florida reaches more than 4 million households in Florida. Fox Sports Net Florida's programming includes Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers, the University of Miami, and the University of South Florida, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, NASCAR, and 54321. Fox Sports Net Florida is managed by Rainbow Sports Networks.
Rainbow Sports Networks is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Fox Sports Net reaches more than 82 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., and Fox Entertainment Group. Rainbow Sports Networks incorporates Rainbow's 50% ownership in Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports National Advertising and the ownership and management of Fox Sports Net regional networks in five of the nation's largest markets: Chicago, San Francisco, New England, Ohio and Florida.