October. For many of us nowadays, this signifies the return of the pumpkin spice lattes, the excitement of Halloween or simply just being one step closer to Thanksgiving.

To sports fans all across the country, October means playoff baseball. After an intriguing year in the majors, the playoffs should prove to be just as interesting. One of the best stories of the season was that of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs, often criticized for their lack of postseason success, are poised to make possibly one of their best run in years following their most successful regular seasons in years. So what is the secret behind this season of renaissance?

A man by the name of Joe Maddon. To many of you in the Tampa Bay area, this name should definitely sound familiar. Maddon managed the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006-2014, and transformed the franchise from a team lacking an identity to a perennial contender in the American League East (AL East). 2008 was his most memorable year as the head man in Tampa after leading the Rays to a World Series appearance.

Maddon's impact on the franchise was huge. While operating as a small market team, the Rays under Maddon began to focus on the defensive side of the ball heavily. Maddon became known around the MLB for his frequent use of defensive shifts to counteract the strength's of the batter at the plate and also turned the Rays into a pitching powerhouse, with his teams consistently having one of the best bullpens in baseball. Utilizing these tactics, Maddon slowly developed the Rays into a respectable franchise and popularity for the Rays was at an all-time high.

While Maddon's efforts brought about many changes in the baseball culture in Tampa, there was still a very large elephant in the room: the management of the Rays. While the Rays do a great job for a small market team, the location of the stadium has long been an issue for the team's attendance at the games. While this may sound a bit contradictory after stating the team's vast increase in popularity, the truth is while more and more residents of the city began to take a greater interest in the team, attendance at the games was not affected as greatly. With the team's stadium, Tropicana Field, being across the Howard Frankland Bridge, transportation has always proved to be an issue for the franchise. This issue of attendance consistency has affected all those considered a part of the Ray's "family", spanning from the fans all the way up to management.

Many fans have called for the stadium to be moved into the city of Tampa and have stated that this move would incline them to attend games more often.

I agree with this statement 100 percent.

Personally, I have never been an avid baseball fan, but as a fan of all sports, I appreciate the game and would love to take part in more of the team's contests. The feeling the players get when playing in a half-empty stadium on a regular basis must be extremely frustrating. Frankly, I believe the owners and management of the franchise seem to be moving moving far too lethargically in dealing with this matter.

After the 2014 season, Maddon chose to leave his position as coach of the Rays and chose to take the Chicago offers to coach their team. After the Cubs great success, this should serve as a huge warning sign for the franchise. I believe part of Maddon's reasons for leaving was due to the "lack of culture" this team still had even after years of success. Other than the magical World Series sun in 2008, each year was more of the same inconsistency in attendance and the lack of a sense urgency from the management in their efforts to make any changes to this situation.

After losing one of the best coaches in baseball, and the future of the franchise's standings in their current location still a hot topic, the Rays need to do some self-reflecting.

The city of Tampa has long been a proud city, but from a sports standpoint, the city has had to suffer with many more seasons of despair compared to seasons of success. The Bucs (Buccaneers) continue to be a rollercoaster of a team and the Rays for a few years proved to be the consistent performers that this city was longing for.

The position that the Cubs are in right now could have been the Rays as it had been in the past, but now Mr. Maddon has taken his talents to the mid-west. If some changes are made to this promising franchise, pretty soon we will be facing the same fate as the Jacksonville Jaguars are facing: relocation.

As a longtime resident of this city, I have great respect for the Rays and all the great press that has come to the bay area as a result of their success. No one wants to see our team end up in some random, undeserving city. We have suffered far too long with the inconsistency of the Bucs and whether we want to admit it our not, the Rays are one of the best things that has happened to this city. I just hope the Rays' owners/management realizes this before it's too late.