There Is No Place Like Dome: A Fan Host's Unofficial View from the Top of the Trop to the Stands with the Fans

by Bruce Reynolds

From beers to tears, a unique look at major league baseball games through the eyes of an usher at his beloved stadium. Follow Bruce, a 16-year veteran Tropicana Field Fan Host, as he leads you to your seat and navigates the world of the stands and the fans. A humorous and heartwarming insight into baseball, the stadium, the games, and the fans, from their cheers to crying in their beers. You will discover that there really is No Place Like Dome.

170 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2025

Reviews

[Joshua Montanari]

As a Rays fan, and as someone who knows Bruce personally, this book captures the spirit of the Trop, as well as Bruce’s personality perfectly. This book felt very nostalgic of both Saturday nights at the Trop, and seeing Bruce on Sunday mornings at church.

Can’t give a book that makes me feel that way anything but a 5/5

[Tom Gase]

I was in St. Pete to visit Tropicana Field earlier this week so I wanted to read a book on the Rays. This book has a little bit of history with the Rays, but it's mostly in poems written by the author, who has numerous very good stories about being an usher at the ballpark for a decade and a half. Some of the stories are emotional and make you shed a tear or two and a bunch just make you laugh really hard. The author really gets into his job and it shows in these stories. However, I was looking for more on the actual history of the team, and that part was a little lacking. This book focuses more on the author's time helping people at the ballpark. Closer to a 3.5 rating really. Loved the stories about all his crazy hats with foods on them.

[Michael Lortz]

Fun light read for baseball fans, especially fans of the Tampa Bay Rays. Bruce is an energetic host (formerly ushers) at Tropicana Field. This book is filled with stories in the stands, from Bruce's antics and costumes to the tales of the fans themselves. This book is not a history of the team, although it does have some fun poems Bruce wrote after each season. Although Bruce's stories are a 5/5, I have to drop a star due to typos and copy editing.
There aren't many books on the Rays, so this is a welcome add to my baseball library.
Disclaimer: I've met Bruce and we have done Tampa-area book signings together.

[Anthony]

Enjoyable and relatable stories from Bruce’s Fan Host career. My girlfriend used to work with him years ago and picked up book. Read in an afternoon on our camping trip this weekend on a whim and I’m glad I did.

[Chuck]

I worked with Bruce at the Trop for a couple of seasons in the early 2020s. Bruce does a great job of describing the routine of being a fan host. Anyone who knows Bruce and Jeanette, know what great people they are and that the Rays are lucky to have them as representatives of the team.

[Reid Ferguson]

Bruce transports you to Tropicana Field and makes you want to go to a ball game. The stories and insight he has into this special team and ballpark is unmatched and this was truly a delightful read.