Ray Barone is a sportswriter who lives in Long Island, N.Y., with his wife Debra and three children -- Ally and twins, Michael and Geoffrey. Ray is one son of Frank and Marie Barone, who live across the street and don't care much for knocking when they come over or making any other moves to maintain some sense of privacy for Ray and Debra.Because of his work, Ray is often sitting on the couch watching sports rather than helping Debra around the house. Ray is a loving husband and father, and generally doesn't take very many things seriously. He often cracks corny jokes, no matter what the situation. He and his brother Robert seem to have been pretty spoiled by their mother growing up, but his father seems as though the may have been more distant, forcing his sons to work for his appreciation.Ray often finds himself in the middle of many disputes and is loathe to take a definitive stance on anything -- particularly if it means going against the wishes of his mother, who always has and continues to coddle him, therefore giving herself license to drop intense guilt trips on him for going against her will on something.