The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 31

F5) Mi) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER. 4 2001 THE TAMPA TRIBUNE TB0.com IF A Waechter Thrills INSIDE Rain Rules At U.S. Open PageS TONIGHT: Mariners at Rays 7:15, Tropicana Field; WXPX, Channel 66 (Scouting report, Page 9) ST. PETE NATIVE TOSSES SHUTOUT IN FIRST MAJOR-LEAGUE START Devil Rays 7, Mariners 0 MARTIN FENNELLY Columnist mfenneUytampatrib.com Waechterville Is A Beautiful Place For Rays of their own, a kid who sat in the upper deck the day Wilson Alvarez threw the first pitch in franchise history, a Northeast High football hero who set aside pigskin pursuits at USF to seek greater glory on the diamond. For Devil Rays fans, Waechter's first major-league start would have been memorable regardless of the outcome.

The diminu- See RAYS WIN, Page 9 Defense helps Waechter with stellar plays. By CARTER GADDIS igaddistampatrib.com ST. PETERSBURG The buzz began before Doug Waechter threw his first pitch Wednesday. Tropicana Field can seem oppressively cavernous in September, and there's usually not much a gathering of 8,696 hard-core baseball fans can do to enliven the atmosphere. This, though, was different This was one UF Counting On Defensive Depth Vs.

UM Page 7 T. PETERSBURG Wednesday was Nancy Waechter'sbirth- Tribune photo by MARK GUSS Doug Waechter receives congratulations from catcher Toby Hall. i day. Happy birthday, Nancy. She went to a Devil Rays game with her son.

Nancy sat in the upper deck at Tropicana Field. Her son stood on the pitcher's mound. Doug Waechter is 22. His mom said she is 29. "Amazing, isn'tit?" Nancy said.

Who didn't feel like a kid Wednesday night at the Trop? Who could keep from smiling after Nancy's right-hander finished his first Steve Spurrier received a rude introduction to the NFL last season. And he's not afraid to admit he did a lot wrong during Year 1 By JOEY JOHNSTON jjohnstontampatrib.com When placing the call for S.O.S. Same Old Spurrier? get ready for a surprise. After one combustible season with the Washington Redskins, much has changed. Steve Spurrier, self-assured and ultra-successful during a 12-season run at the University of Florida, has been humbled.

His original plan didn't work. His pass-happy system has not revolutionized the NFL, nor has it created sleepless nights for opposing defensive coordinators. Now there's a hint of different trouble. The quarterback who knows Spurrier's strategy better than anyone, for 2003 NFL OPENER: Jets at Redskins 9 tonight; WFTS, Ch.28 mer Heisman Trophy winnersecurity blanket Danny Wuerffel, was pushed out the door (against the ball coach's wishes) by Dan Snyder, the owner. Yes, it's good to be king.

'1 I 1 i I i Ni i 1 I i -1 Mr''' I Vv 1 1 major-league start? It was too good to dream. A complete-game shutout. Nine extraordinary innings, no runs, two hits and lots of lumps in throats after a 7-0 win against the Seattle Mariners. But the dream gets better. For there was Douglas Michael Waechter, St.

Petersburg native, the first ballplayer from Pinellas County to play for the Rays. He said a prayer before each inning. He looked up and saw an army people he's known all his life. There was a lot of love in the ballpark. It was the town of Waechterville.

It was a beautiful place. "I tell you what, it brought tears to my eyes," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. Was Here For The First Game The first Devil Rays game Doug Waechter attended was the first Devil Rays game in history. On March 31, 1998, he saw the team's inaugural contest. He pitched for Northeast High School.

He was drafted by the Rays in 1999. Who knew? He climbed the ladder in the minors. On Aug. 25, he was promoted to the Rays. He called Mom and Dad, Nancy and Richard (they're divorced) Nancy was at a cookout with friends.

"We passed the phone around and we all cried," Nancy said. "First thinghe asked was if I'd pray with him," Richard said. That's Doug, the Doug fans at the Trop all agreed. Just how many of the 8,696 in attendance didn't know Doug Waechter? They filled the house with their voices. You pictured Vince Naimoli scribbling furiously on a pad.

Note to self: Sign more WaechtersU! Kristin Kravitz, Doug's sweetheart since high school, was there. So were Doug's grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grade school and high school classmates, teammates, coaches, even Sister Kathleen and Sister Joan from St. Paul's Catholic School, who cheered as if they were in a revival tent. In the end, who didn't? Feeling The Electricity Nancy and the bulk of the gang didn't want to distract Doug, so they sat, at least 200 strong, in the upper deck behind home plate Actually, Nancy was in a constant state of standing and hugging. After one of Doug's seven strikeouts, she almost squeezed a snow-cone vendor.

"I heard everybody," Doug Waechter said. The chant "Let's Go Waech ter" rained down from the heart of Waechterville. The Rays, feeling the electricity, got big hits, played great defense and for a change felt that St. Petersburg loved them, too. So Doug Waechter, who made his first major-league appearance in Seattle just a week ago won that one, too, in relief now has two wins in two appearances.

Wednesday, he stood at his locker and held copies of the lineup card and box score. "A lot of prayers answered, 1 guess," he said. A silver-haired man, a I tall of I ame pitcher whose name Doug Waechter didn't recognize, stuck his hand out. "I'm Robin Roberts. Young man, I enjoyed that very much." Who didn't? If you didn't tear up like Lou, at least you stood with Nancy.

Wednesday, we were all natives of Waechterville. On one hand, Spurrier said he's reenergized and excited about the team's offseason acquisition of talent, such as potential Pro Bowl wide receiver Laveranues Coles, and his avowed commitment to second-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey. He's looking forward to the spotlight of tonight's season opener against the New York Jets. On the other hand, he's already telling people in Washington about a soft deadline at the end of 2004. If his methods haven't worked by then presumably, if the Redskins aren't back in the playoffs he says he'll walk away from the final two years of his $5 million-per-season contract.

The timetable assumes nothing about Snyder turning up the heat. "Criticism doesn't bother me," Spurrier said. "It's fair. We haven't done it yet. We haven't come close to doing it." See STEVE SPURRIER, Page 4 Still plenty to prove at NFL level RELATED STORY, SPORTS, Page Ex- USFQB Blackwell back with Jets.

The Associated ress Ex-Florida coach Steve Spurrier's first season in Washington resulted in a 7-9 record and plenty of criticism. Best McNabb Bent On Being The EAGLES QB MOTIVATED BY PLAYOFF DISAPPOINTMENT KIMS Bucs Put Up Their Guards Coscy Coleman will start on the left side, Jason Whittle on the right. Kerry Jenkins is a backup. DETAILS, Page 4 mi Whittle Jenkins Coleman By IRA KAIJTMAN PHILADELPHIA He can still see Ronde Barber wielding the pewter dagger, knifing in front of a quick slant and ending his team's season with a 92 -yard interception return. On the streets of Philadelphia on Wednesday, the hurt still hadn't subsided.

So Donovan McNabb retreated to his workout haven in Arizona, determined to sweat the disappointment offhis chiseled 245-pound frame. And then got hitched to the weight room. McNabb climbed more foothills than a Himalayan Sherpa. He watched more film than Scorsese. He threw more passes than Warren Beatty.

See DONOVAN McNABB, Page 4 Bucs have great respect for QB. when the Bucs see the Eagles' Pro Bowl quarterback Monday night, they may not recognize him. McNabb is a changed man since Jan. 19, when Tampa Bay hung a 27-10 defeat on the Eagles in the NI Championship Game. He married his college sweetheart in June, went on his honeymoon and Biiifn iriMill'n teHilHMWi TiiiilliTh'l kMWM Trihuiie photo by AM)N BI.II.N KI.N Donovan McNabb couldn't solve the Bucs' defense in the NFC title game..