Rich Eisen: Brewers-Rays is going to be great baseball (1:47)

J.J. Post Oct 22, 2026, 09:00 AM ET

If the broadcast cameras pan to the stands above the visitors' dugout during Game 3 of the World Series at Tropicana Field on Monday, there's a decent chance they'll catch the Tampa Bay Rays ' most vocal celebrity fan.

ESPN's Dick Vitale.

From a background standpoint, Vitale doesn't exactly cut the profile of your usual celebrity superfan. The New Jersey native -- born almost 60 years before the Rays played their inaugural season -- grew up a passionate fan of the local teams in the Tristate area and, as a baseball fanatic in particular, spent plenty of time at New York's assorted historic ballparks.

It makes for a remarkable list of all-time venues and players borne witness to: Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field. Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Willie Mays.

Vitale was partial to the Yankees and Mantle as a child.…