Editor's note: This is the fourth part in a series written by Will while on his vacation to his hometown of Tampa. He booked the trip more than a month ago to coincide with the possibility that the Rays would make it to the World Series. The Beehive does not officially endorse any professional sports team.

Just got back from Game 1 of the World Series, and I'm too exhausted to write about that right now. So, I figure this is a good time to introduce you to my cousin Ryan, the Phillies fan. (That's him wearing the Phillies shirt in the photo.)

Ryan lives in L.A., and this photo was taken Saturday morning before he took me to the LAX shuttle in Westwood (he lets me have free parking whenever I fly out of Los Angeles). Now, this is the shirt he often wears -- it's not like he threw it on in case I wanted to take a photo. He's that much of a fan.

My question: Why?

When you hear about the area called "Tampa Bay," it's not a reference to an actual city. It's like the Bay Area for San Francisco/Oakland/etc. and even the central San Joaquin Valley for the cities around Fresno. Tampa is the biggest of three cities that surround a little bay (which leads into the Gulf of Mexico) on the central-west coast of Florida. The other two cities are St. Petersburg (where the Rays play their games) and Clearwater (where Ryan grew up, and where his parents still live).

Clearwater, like most cities up and down Florida, is home to a major league baseball team for one month each year during spring training. Clearwater is where the Phillies have been based for, like, 50 years. They also have a minor-league franchise that plays there.

Since the Rays have only been around for 11 years, it makes sense that Ryan (who's 27, btw) started rooting for the Phillies long before his home area would get a team of its own.

And that's his argument. Plus he went to the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania (he's also a big-fat smarty pants; he's now a doctor at UCLA's program). So that would have only solidified his fan affiliation.

Here's my argument: I'm from Tampa, where the Yankees have spring training and a minor league team. But I'm not a stinkin' Yankees fan.

I'll go one further: My brother is from Tampa, and he went to college on Long Island. But he's not a stinkin' Yankee's fan either.

Stinkin' Yankees. (Sorry, just had to get that out, Candice.)

But it makes sense because the Rays and the Yankees are not only in the same league, they're in the same division. I can't root for both. It's a lot easier for Ryan to root for both the Rays and the Phillies at the same time, right? I mean, what are the odds they are ever going to play each other?

Oh.

So, I'm having breakfast with my cousin Ryan and his girlfriend on Saturday morning, and he's defending himself because he's gonna root for the Phillies -- and actively root against the Rays in the World Series.

I'm razzing him for not supporting the Rays (despite the fact that he's awesome and doing me a favor) because like the song says, "Root, root for the home team."

Ryan says the Phillies are his home team. To which I say, "Well, that explains why there are very few Tampa Bay Rays fans -- because every little town in the state already has their allegiances sewn up."

Maybe I'm just bitter because I lived through most of the Tampa Bay Bucs history before they won the Super Bowl, and I thought it was gonna take even longer for the Rays to get to Final Two. I have no problems with the bandwagoners in the Tampa Bay area rooting for the Rays -- they're a great story.

I just worry that if even when the Rays make it to the World Series, it won't be enough for some to switch over to their home team (however young the organization may be).

The truth is probably closer to the realization that if the Phillies win three more games, I'm gonna owe Ryan a championship shirt -- and I'm gonna have the reminder of it every day until my hair color grows back in.