As Tampa Bay Rays Face Dire Al East Setback, an Eccentric Entertainer Lights Up the Stands

In a surprising series of events, the Baltimore Orioles have climbed to the top of the AL East. The historically robust Tampa Bay Rays?have been bumped down to number two, with the O’s beating the Rays in game 3 of their match-up. At the same time, Tropicana Field was full of cheering fans, and one particular individual made for a peculiar sight in the stands.

Dressed up as a baseball player, the man was sporting a Rays hat in the left field. But what immediately attracted attention was that he was dressed in gold. Not just his clothes or hat, but full-on body paint too. A reporter later explained.

Tampa Bay Rays Ballpark Gets a Visit From Professional Stand Still Entertainer

All kinds of unimaginable jobs exist, but for Joe Abel, being an entertainer is his calling. Rays sideline reporter Tricia Whitaker caught up with the eccentric personality on camera, introducing him.?

“Welcome back to Tropicana Field. Well, this is just the type of investigative reporting that we do around here. Dewayne, you were wondering why this man out in left field is dressed like a statue. This is Joe Abel, and he’s dressed like a statue.”

She referenced Abel playing with Randy Arozarena earlier, as a man with a sign saying,?‘Hey Randy, let’s play catch’?sits by him.?“He played catch with Randy earlier. He’s dressed like a statue because this is actually his profession; he does standstill entertainment. He is the owner of his own company. He goes around to business openings or conferences and dresses up as a statue. I don’t know how he stands that still for this long, guys; I can’t ever stand that still.”

“But he dressed up like a statue, a character, a golfer; he has been a fisherman at times. So he loves dressing up like a statue. He decided to come to the Rays game today and dress up like a baseball player.”

READ MORE -?WATCH: Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena Gives Customized Bat as a Return Gift to Cardinals Fan in Heartwarming Exchange

Then Whitaker proceeds to reveal a surprising fact.?“He has been a Rays fan since 1998. He’s actually originally from Baltimore, but make no mistake, he is a Rays fan. And guys, this was probably the best quote of them all from him. He said, ‘I’m not a Fairweather fan; I’m stable, like a statue.’ Dewayne, there’s your answer.”

Fans couldn’t help but love the moment!

Baseball Fans Find a Moment of Hilarity

Although the Rays lost, some fans still found a moment of comic relief with Abel. Baseball games are often witness to strange characters, but Abel might just be the most bizarre.

https://twitter.com/FanTheMan44/status/1682876461995159553?s=20

One pointed out how he picked the wrong day to support his team, while one thought he moved too much for declaring himself a statue.

The guy holding the sign annoyed one fan.

https://twitter.com/howdareyou41/status/1682890450037006337?s=20

Rays fans may have left the game disappointed, but there was one bright spot of humor.

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