Andy Freed adjusting to life without longtime broadcast partner, Dave Wills

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The way Rays fans have been listening to the tale of their favorite team has changed for the first time in eighteen years.

58-year-old radio broadcaster Dave Wills died suddenly during spring training, leaving fans and his partner of nearly two decades, Andy Freed, grappling with life after Dave.

"I was like his right hand because I was on his right side, while he felt like my left hand because he was on my left side," said Freed.

Freed has called nearly 3,000 Rays games, and almost all of them were with Wills.

Wills died suddenly in March, just after he and Andy called a spring training game.

His wife, Liz, and their two kids, Alex and Michelle, were left behind.

As was his broadcast partner.

"I've read a lot about the stages of grieving," said Freed. "One of them is acceptance. I'm not quite there yet."

READ: Rays mourn loss of longtime radio announcer Dave Wills

Andy's pregame routine is still much the same. He chats with the manager before. He goes over notes. He still shares a laugh. But he got the ultimate lesson in broadcasting the hard way. It's never about the broadcaster.

Andy Freed and Dave Wills calling a Rays game 

"Dave would say the point of the broadcast is what's happening down there."

While a picture of Andy and Dave overlooks the booth, next to Andy now is a new partner, longtime friend Neil Solondz.

"Dave always said we live in life's candy store, and it really should be that when we come to the ballpark every day, this is not it shouldn't feel like work," said Solondz.

"Dave would want us to work," said Freed. "He would want this broadcast to work, and he would want Neil to feel comfortable in that broadcast booth. And I think little by little it's coming."

It hasn't hurt that the Rays are the best team in baseball and that they both know Dave would have gotten so much joy from that.

"Dave's over our shoulder enjoying every single moment of this," said Freed.

The other lesson of losing Dave is there's always a next show.

"I've heard his voice saying to me, stop being a mope," said Freed.

"Go out there and do the job that we're supposed to do. He would have been loving this season as much as anybody in the world, and to not be able to share with him physically hurts."

If you wait till the end of every night, Andy still ensures that Dave is a part of Ray's radio.

"Now for Neil Solondz, and forever for Dave Wills, I am Andy Freed from Tropicana Field, thanking you for listening."