club was formed and played during 1972–1976, when the majors were ready to try Seattle again. Since 1995, the Rainiers name has been used by the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate in nearby Tacoma. Seattle Pilots The AL expansion team in 1969 was named in reference to the prominence of marine activities in the Puget Sound area, primarily after ship pilots who guide large ships into the ports of Puget Sound. The caps even featured the "scrambled eggs" golden-leaf symbol of a ship's captain. The ambitious but underfunded club sank in a sea of red ink, and became the first major league club since the 1901 Milwaukee Brewers to switch cities after one year. Ironically, the Pilots moved to Milwaukee, and became the new Milwaukee Brewers. Seattle Mariners The AL again expanded to Seattle, in 1977, with the formation of the Seattle Mariners. The nickname again alluded to fishing and other marine activities. The Mariners have been in Seattle for over 40 years with no indications of leaving anytime soon. Tampa Bay Area Several minor league teams played in the Tampa Bay area prior to the introduction of the American League ball club in 1998. Named after the local cigar industry, the Tampa Smokers existed in several leagues from 1919 until 1954. Also bearing the Tampa city name were the Tampa Tarpons who existed from 1957 until 1988, and were named after the Atlantic-native fish. The St. Petersburg Saints, who were named as such because of their city name, played mostly in the Florida State League from 1920 until 1928 and again from 1947 until 2000. Other teams still exist in the area including a new iteration of the Tampa Tarpons and the Dunedin Blue Jays (named after their MLB affiliate), the Clearwater Threshers (after the thresher shark), the Bradenton Marauders (a nod to their MLB affiliate, the Pittsburgh Pirates), and the Lakeland Flying Tigers, who similarly named as a nod to their MLB affiliate, the Detroit Tigers. Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays The club was an expansion franchise in the American League in 1998. The team's logo included an illustration of a manta ray, also called a devilfish or devil ray. The team was also called the D-rays or the Rays for short. As of 2007, one version of their home uniforms said "Rays", and no version said "Devil Rays", although a patch illustrating a manta ray was used. On November