ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the Tampa Bay Rays get ready to play the Boston Red Sox in the postseason, it’s stirring playoff memories for many fans.

Longtime fan Jeff Atinella has fond memories of the 2008 American League Championship Series against Boston, which sent the Rays to their first World Series.

One of those memories is with him every day. 

“My brother and I made a friendly bet,” Atinella said. “If they ever made the World Series, we’d get Rays tattoos.”

Atinella says they decided on lip tattoos. And he still has his.

“I got the TB branded for life,” Atinella said. “It was supposed to be for 6 months. But it’s still there. I’m not mad about it. It’s a funny story and I keep Tampa with me.”

Atinella is a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers and he currently lives in Oregon. But as he says, he keeps Tampa with him.

In fact, with him in Oregon, he has a picture of him and his brother and a ticket from the inaugural game of the then-Devil Rays in 1998. He’s been a die-hard fan of the Rays and every Tampa Bay sports team since.

Now part of a professional sports team himself, he understands what goes into building a winning team and he says the Rays do just that.

“I hope everyone realizes how crazy it is what the Rays are doing,” Atinella said. “Especially in baseball, not spending money and winning as much as they do doesn’t make much sense.”

“It’s exciting," Atinella said. "The Trop is always exciting in the postseason.” 

Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox is set for Thursday at 8:07 at Tropicana Field.