Tampa Bay Rays: Former player Gabe Gross predicts title

Okay, so whether you're from Tampa Bay or Milwaukee, it's probably easy to figure out who to root for, right? But what if you played for both teams? Who then do you even root for? Well, FOX 13's Evan Axelbank asked Gabe Gross, who played for the Brewers and the Rays during his seven-year big league career. If there's one thing Gabe Gross wishes had gone differently about his big league career... It's ALCS. It's awesome. It's one of my treasured possessions. It just, yeah, it could be the World Series ring. It can be summed up with this piece of jewelry. Did you feel unfinished business in 08 when you didn't win the World Series? Did we? I'm not over it. The Alabama boy who went to Auburn to play and then later to coach was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2001. He played for the Brewers from 06 to 08 and was traded to the Rays in the middle of their magical run to their first World Series appearance in 08. He credits the genius of manager Joe Maddon. To be on a team that for 10 years had basically been in the cellar of the AL East and then to win the AL East, take down the Red Sox. 15 years after he retired from baseball as one of 112 to play for both teams, he counts among his great memories that he had three walk-off hits for the 08 Rays, including one off Mariano Rivera. He loved living on the waterfront in St. Pete Beach. to all of a sudden go from maybe 7,000 or 8,000 people at the game from time to time to having that stadium sold out to nobody really knowing who you were as a Rays player to walking in a restaurant, everybody recognizing you and who you are, no matter where you were. He also loved Tampa Bay's legendary steakhouses, and indeed, the Trop itself. It got really loud. It became a really, really good home environment and I thought gave us a big advantage. Obviously, the dome encapsulates the noise really well. But he doesn't sell his time in Milwaukee short. He got to live a bit of a country life and didn't have to be pushed hard to love bratwurst. Plus, for 226 games, he got to wear the same uniform as Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, and Hank Aaron. It was a lot of hardworking people, a lot of people who didn't like fluff. They wanted toughness. They wanted people to love their sports teams and all be together and pull very hard for them. So which team is he rooting for? Though he wouldn't mind if Milwaukee gets their first title, take a look at the cap he wore for our interview. He's a longtime friend of Kevin Cash. I'm going to say these two teams are very evenly matched. I'm going to say it's going to go to seven games, and the Rays are going to win it in seven. As someone who played on baseball's biggest stage and who stole two bases in World Series games, He had advice for those fighting for their region's first World Series championship. When they try to think, oh man, I'm going to do X, Y, or Z, or I'm going to hit this many home runs, or I'm going to carry the team, and they try to do more. The player you've been the whole year has been good enough, and the player you've been the whole year will be good enough. Just be him. His advice for the fans? Enjoy it. Enjoy every moment. You never know if you'll get back. Evan Axelbank, Fox 13 News.