Tropicana Field Fan Host puts his adventures in a book

Bruce Reynolds spent 16 consecutive seasons in Tropicana Field. As part of the Tampa Bay Rays’ corps of ubiquitous Fan Hosts, beacons in bright yellow and green, he knows every inch of the stadium – it’s his dome away from home – and over time became much more than a mere usher.

Reynolds has lovingly documented his up-and-down (stairs) career in a book recently published by St. Petersburg Press, There Is No Place Like Dome.

Will there be more adventures at the Trop? Of course, no one can say for sure whether the big game’s been called. More on this later.

There Is No Place Like Dome (subtitled A Fan Host’s Unofficial View from the Top of the Trop to the Stands with the Fans) is packed with first-person stories of life in the stands (for the last 14 seasons, Reynolds’ home turf was the first base side, just behind the dugout).

“There’s a lot that goes on, on the field, but there is probably an equal amount of humanity that goes on in the stands,” he explains. “Just a lot of heartwarming or humorous stories that have happened to me over the years with the fans.

“And a lot of people don’t know about that, just aren’t aware that it’s another dynamic to actually attending a game.”

Reynolds, an ordained preacher and lifelong baseball fan from Baltimore, also graduated from Mooseburger Clown Camp (class of ’05). He uses elements of all thee to talk with fans, help fans, work with, joke with fans and make them laugh.

“Sports,” Reynolds observes, “has become, truly, a major business in our world. And I get that. But it’s still a game and it’s still fun, particularly for the people that are in the stands. So why not have fun?

“There are people that only come one or two times the whole season – and it’s a long season, 81 home games. And it’s a big deal to them.”

His role, as he sees it, is to enhance their adventure as much as he can. “As Fan Hosts, we can’t have anything to do with what goes on, on the field, but we have a lot to do with what a person’s experience is. So regardless of the score at the end of the day, hopefully we’ve triggered a good feeling, a good memory – and somewhere or other that might entice them to come back.”

He’s a funny guy, but he’s not obnoxious about it. “You’ve got to be able to read people,” he says. “There are people and they come, and they’re just there for the game. They don’t want to chit-chat, they don’t want to socialize, they just want to watch the game – fantastic!

“But there are other people that enjoy a little chuckle, and a little fun.”

First and foremost, Reynolds is a fount of puns and “Dad” jokes. He’ll wear funny hats – a taco, a sub sandwich, cheeseburger or plate of nachos. When the Rays’ postgame concert series was a thing, he dressed like a member of ZZ Top (with long white beard and an inflatable guitar), a construction worker (for Disco Night) or a saloon bartender (for Country & Western Night).

Reynolds’ wife Jeanette once asked him: “You know what’s the best thing about your sense of humor?”

What, he said.

“You like it,” came the reply.

“Sometimes,” he chuckles, “I give what I think is a great line and it goes right over somebody’s head, and I feel like ‘I just wasted good material here.’”

There Is No Place Like Dome also includes heartwarming stories of helping little kids and their parents find better seats, reuniting families, settling disagreements and other interactions with fans. More than an usher, indeed.

“I have lot of stories, and I tried to find ones that either touched or tickled my heart,” says Reynolds. “I thought people might like to hear those.”

Reynolds admits he’s unique among Fan Hosts, but quickly points out there are others who also take the job (a paid position) one step further. “I know of a Fan Host who gives out baseball cards to kids, and tells them ‘Go look this player up and come back and tell me about it.’”

As for the future of the Trop, Reynolds was shocked and stunned when Hurricane Milton destroyed its vinyl roof last October. “It was a grieving process for me. It was a friend of mine for 25 years, including 16 I worked the games. I think I’m still trying to work through that.”

Down the road, he adds, “what happens, happens. I really don’t have any idea, any clue, but I’m grateful for what I’ve had. It’s been a great job, it’s been a great place to work, and so that’s pretty much how I’ve approached it. And like everybody else, we’ll see.”

The official Book Launch for There Is No Place Like Dome is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 27 at Green Bench Brewery, 1133 Baum Avenue N. in St. Petersburg.

The book is available through St. Petersburg Press, Amazon and fine booksellers everywhere.