The Tampa Bay Rays haven't had a whole lot of serious problems this year. Sure, there were the injuries to Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria. Yeah, Scott Kazmir has been a little prone to the long ball lately. But overall, things have gone extremely well for them. They're in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, they're about to clinch the AL East, and they're prepared to make a run in the postseason.

Well, they're almost prepared. It seems that the Rays don't have the history that some other teams have. In the 2004, the Red Sox had legendary Carl Yastrzemski throw out the first pitch for them in the World Series. In the ALCS right before that, the Yankees sent out infamous Red Sox slayer Bucky Dent in one of the games.

As the Rays get ready for the playoffs, they're still searching for someone to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for them in their first playoff game in franchise history, which will likely be played at home against either the White Sox or Twins, whoever wins the AL Central.

Earlier in the season, they had Brian Griese. But it's the playoffs, and they'll need to do much better. They'll need someone with first pitch experience, and someone who has proven that they can not only represent the city of Tampa well, but can also get the ball over the plate. In the playoffs, there's no time to mess around with amateurs. The last thing you need is some loser screwing up the first pitch. A poor first pitch can set the tone for the whole series, and the Rays simply can't afford to end up with a disaster like...



Mariah Carey's atrocious first pitch at some Japanese game.



Or like the mayor of Cincinnati's infamous first pitch. Is it any wonder why the Reds have sucked for so long?



And you certainly don't want anyone doing something like this guy.


So who should the Rays turn to? There aren't a whole lot of options from team history. Wade Boggs? He was a Yankee, and spent even more of his career on the Red Sox. No way. Dick Vitale? He's a Rays fan, but I'm not sure if he would be able to actually be present for the game unless Mike Krzyzewski were to come as well, since Dickie V's lips are permanently attached to Coach K's butt.

The real answer: Go with someone who is tried and true. Chewbacca made an appearance at Fenway to throw out the first pitch, and showed that even a wookie can do better than most politicians, and probably not JUST at throwing ceremonial first pitches.

In 2002, the Rally Monkey helped inspire the Angels on the way to a World Series victory. The Rally Monkey has since been fired, but perhaps a talented primate is just what the Rays need. It might even be a good way to pay homage to the evolution that the franchise has experienced this season.

Maybe the monkey won't make it to the plate, but in this case, I'm sure an exception could be made. The monkey idea has worked in the past, there's no telling what it could do to this Rays team, who are the same type of underdogs that the Angels were in 2002.

Korean pop sensation Bada threw out the first pitch earlier this year in a game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins. Asian athletes are permeating Major League Baseball, and perhaps someone like Bada could start a similar trend for ceremonial first pitchers.

Jennie Finch seems like an obvious choice. She's been the face of USA softball for years, and is possibly one of the best female pitchers in the world, even though she's used to throwing underhand. She pitches professionally for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro FastPitch Softball League, and helped Team USA to a gold medal in Athens in 2004, and a silver medal in Beijing earlier this year.

The last option is someone who made a big splash when she threw out a first pitch for the Chicago Cubs on April 20th. Coincidentally, the Cubs went on to win their division, and have the best record in the National League. Is it because of supermodel Marisa Miller? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure. She certainly didn't hurt anything. Except for perhaps Zach Duke's ERA. He was the Pirates' starting pitcher that day against the Cubs, and he got roughed up for 5 earned runs in 4 innings in a 13-6 Cubs win.

Good form? Check. Do the players like her? Of course they do. And we've already established that Marisa Miller throwing out the first pitch = home team winning. She's arguably the most famous supermodel alive right now, and she's actually pretty athletic. She was originally discovered while surfing, placed 2nd in a celebrity surfing contest, was a volleyball player in high school, and says that if she weren't a model, she would be a sportscaster. It's hard to find a reason not to cast a vote for Marisa Miller. She might be exactly what the Rays need to kick off their postseason.

So what's the verdict?