Rays unveil new stadium

[RobertR]

The design certainly looks nice, although the practicality of the roof may be an issue. I also like that they're not going with a faux retro design. A retractable roof on a retro design is an oxymoron.

 

Everyone says that the current stadium is a dump and I believe it from what I've seen on television. That said, funding may be a problem for this. Of the two, the Marlins need a new stadium a lot more than Tampa does.

 

Robert

[Invader3K]

I don't care if the Trop is only 15-20 years old, it was a complete dump. I've only been to six stadiums, but it is by far the worst one I've seen. It's probably good they only plan on 34,000 seats, but what if they get really good in 8 or 10 years and they're always selling out?

Then you raise ticket prices, start charging people to get on waiting lists for season tickets, etc.

 

Realistically though, I think the Rays are basically always going to be a mid-to-bottom tier team until they can somehow get out of the AL East. Sure, they will always get a lot of transplant fans attending, but people in that area won't support a team unless they're winning.

[SeriesFinale]

"Glad the Brewers would never do this. "

 

Should have seen this coming http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. At least MP is within shouting distance of downtown. Where 894/I43 and Hwy 45 meet out in Hales Corners is probably a better comparison.

Approximate istance from Tropicana Field to downtown St. Petersburg: 1.3 miles

http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&iwstate1=dir:to&daddr=1+Stadium+Dr+Saint+Petersburg,+FL+33705&fb=1&geocode=9888666139730637832,27.766942,-82.655021&oi=manybox&ct=17&cd=1&resnum=1

 

Approximate distance from Miller Park to downtown Milwaukee: 4.2 mi

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=One+Brewers+Way+53214&daddr=717+N+Plankinton+Ave,+Milwaukee,+WI+53203,+USA&sll=43.039295,-87.90893&sspn=0.002799,0.004989&ie=UTF8&z=14&om=1

 

I should add you don't need to get on an interstate in St. Pete, either.

 

Anyway, I almost started this thread yesterday but I thought it would turn into the standard "Dump on the Rays and Florida" thread that we usually get around here when this team is mentioned. I really like the moves Stu Sternberg has been making and I think this has a strong possibility of happening, which would be a major shot in the arm for this franchise. The Trop has been an albatross around the Rays' neck.

 

 

Here's a pretty good rundown:

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/webspecials07/special_reports/new-ballpark/

 

[adamb100]

The Tropicana is probobly the worst ballpark to watch a ballgame besides The Metrodome which already has it's fate sealed up. This also guarentees Florida baseball for probobly 30 years at least.

[Baldkin]

The Trop is the Astrodome built 25 years later... only... worse.

[SeriesFinale]

This also guarentees Florida baseball for probobly 30 years at least.

The Rays have a lease with the city/Tropicana Field for another 26 years so it's close to guaranteed anyway (at the least guaranteed to cost MLB or a new owner A LOT of money/legal fees if they want to move/dissolve the team).

 

You think it's bad now, imagine the Trop in 2033...yikes!

[Big Reed]

it's a nice looking stadium. I used to live in Tampa and moved away in 2000. The trop was an Ok domed stadium and even had a couple of advanced laptop internet features in its seats behind home plate. That's where the fabulous Sports babe and Dick Vitale would sit. Dick Vitale is a huge Rays fan. I recall one year it was great as a host for the NCAA basketball tournament. Some of the discussion in 2000 was about moving the stadium to Tampa just North of Raymond James Football Stadium. There actually was enough space, but I have to believe since the yankees' Spring training complex is accross the street, that George Stienbrenner probably used his influence to insure that the D Rays did not move next door. It was also said at that time (2000) that no lease was permanent. Any lease, no matter how long it is written for can be broken if both parties are in agreement.

 

one of the attendance problems for the Trop was that it was built in St Pete and not Tampa. The team is called the Tampa Bay Rays with expectations that people from Tampa would want to go accross the bay to watch a baseball game. I'm sad to say that many times it's faster to go to Orlando from Tampa than it is to cross over the bay bridges to St Pete. I lived in Valrico and taught at St pete Junior college. It would take me 45-60 minutes to travel one way and that was not in rush hour traffic. The population of St pete is a retirement community. the tourists that come to the beaches of Clearwater would rather spend their time on the beaches rather than attending a game. I hate to say it , but the yankees' spring training games in Tampa would draw more people than the average Rays game.

 

I hope all goes well. I can fully understand why they would want to downsize the capacity of the stadium. I think 35,000 is a good figure to aim for. I am kind of surprised they didn't try to relocate to the northern Tampa area.

[danzig6767]

Even if they get this stadium, it's gotta be such a drag for the few fans they have to play in the same division as the two money printing machines in the Yankees and Red Sox.

[logan82]

Invader3K wrote:

Then you raise ticket prices, start charging people to get on waiting lists for season tickets, etc.

 

Realistically though, I think the Rays are basically always going to be a mid-to-bottom tier team until they can somehow get out of the AL East. Sure, they will always get a lot of transplant fans attending, but people in that area won't support a team unless they're winning.

Well at least they can get all the retirees from Boston and New York that live in Florida to several games a year.