PHILADELPHIA — Welcome to World Series, 2008. Let's meet our contestants.

From Philadelphia, the losingest team in pro sports history. From Tampa Bay, a club that on opening day could have made a strong case for worst expansion franchise ever.

Call it the Sad Sack Series, when one of these teams finally has to shed its tradition of futility and become the big winner.

The Rays started with 10 straight losing seasons.

But that's a blip compared to the 16 straight years of losing endured by the Phillies from 1933 to 1948. In fact, the Phillies have done worse than that twice. They were also under .500 for each season from 1918-31. From 1918-1948, a span of 31 seasons, the Phillies had one winning record — a 78-76 season in 1932.

At least the Phillies boast Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts as all-time greats. Heck, they had four Cy Young Award winners in the 1980s, and home run champ Ryan Howard (2006) and All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins (2007) have won the last two NL MVP awards.

Yet for all that talent, thrilling September pennant chases and a recent string of winning seasons, the Phillies have but one World Series title — and that was back in 1980.

Tampa Bay tried to rely on other team's fading stars to build a fan base.

Jose Canseco, Fred McGriff and Vinny Castilla were "Past-Their-Prime-Time Players" and all busts with Tampa Bay. Manager Lou Piniella dyed his hair blond after a three-game win streak in 2003, but couldn't win much else in a failed return to his hometown.

Tampa Bay's highlight reel before this season consisted of Wade Boggs' 3,000th hit in 1999 and Sammy Sosa's corked bat exploding against Devil Rays pitcher Geremi Gonzalez in 2003.

Philadelphia a city known more for heartache than delirious celebrations.

There was the collapse in 1964 when the Phillies held a 6Z\x-game lead with 12 to play only to blow the National League pennant by losing 10 straight.

They won the NL pennant, but lost the series to Baltimore in 1983. And in 1993, Mitch Williams surrendered the game-ending homer to Joe Carter that gave the Toronto Blue Jays their second consecutive World Series title.

"I never worried about it," Williams said. "I knew I gave everything I had that night."

Today's Phillies have much the same attitude. Focusing on Philly's history of failure, to them, is kind of like of worrying about who's going to spackle that crack in the Liberty Bell.

The Phillies have just two losing records this decade, but none since they went 80-81 in 2002 under Larry Bowa. Rollins, Pat Burrell and Brett Myers were on that team, promising prospects who would soon become stars for the back-to-back NL East title teams.

Down in Florida, shopping for winter coats has been more in style over the last decade than going to a Rays game. Tarps covered the upper deck seats of the domed Tropicana Field until Game 6 of the ALCS against Boston, and fans were slow to believe and support the Rays in the thick of the pennant race.

The warm — and fair — weather fans have seen the Rays of light.