St. Petersburg, Fla. and Boston are separated by 1,199 miles.

But on the Boston Red Sox’s recent road trip, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg had almost as many Red Sox fans as it did Tampa Bay Devil Rays fans for a Sunday afternoon game won by the Rays 5-4.

As one Red Sox fan described it, “This is Fenway South.”

Devil Rays fans tried to match the passion of the Red Sox fans but how could they?

Mission Impossible.

The Boston Red Sox became a franchise in 1901 and ended an 86-year drought by winning the 2004 World Series.

There was a period of time when there were actually two major league teams in Boston: the National League Braves as well as the American League Red Sox.

The Braves played in Boston from 1876-1952.

Tampa Bay made its debut in 1998.

The Devil Rays have never made the playoffs. They have never won more than 70 games.

Red Sox fans are a different breed.

Even when the Red Sox were non-contenders, finishing below .500 for eight consecutive years until ending the famine with the Impossible Dream (American League pennant) in 1967, we still took our transistor radios to the beach or on family outings so we could follow them.

We knew they stunk. We didn’t care.

We tolerated light-hitting shortstop Eddie Bressoud and second baseman Chuck Schilling and a myriad of inept pitchers.

They still had stars like two-time AL batting champ Pete Runnels and intimidating reliever Dick Radatz during those bleak years. They also had characters like Earl Wilson, a pitcher who was better known for his power hitting than his pitching.

Besides, the witty Narragansett beer commercials provided enjoyable entertainment between innings.

The Red Sox are a culture, not just a team. They attract fans everywhere they go.

Everyone in New England knows who the Red Sox are, even people who can’t tell the difference between a baseball and a summer squash.

On this particular day, there were Red Sox jerseys everywhere in St. Petersburg.

Not to mention hats and T-shirts.

The three names that were prominent on the backs of the Red Sox jerseys were (Manny) Ramirez, (David) Ortiz and (Curt) Schilling.

There were a few (Jason) Variteks and a (Trot) Nixon or two.

The Red Sox fans were festive and knowledgeable. They always have been. The rhythmic clapping and Red Sox cheers remind you of English soccer crowds.

One of the reasons they were festive was because they probably had much better seats for much less money than the tickets they could ever hope to obtain at Fenway Park.

Our entrepreneurial son, Andrew, told my wife Sally and me to wait before we bought tickets at the box office.

We gave him some money and he sought out some scalpers even though the game wasn’t going to be a sellout.

He wound up actually saving us $10 per ticket on seats only 10 rows from the field down the third-base line just beyond the Red Sox dugout.

What would a $33 ticket (obtained for $23) buy you at Fenway Park?

And the parking was F-R-E-E.

The moral of the story?

Try catching the Sox on the road. It might be more economical than you think.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews. net.