Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

[Dog]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

I doubt that.

What makes you say that? Philadelphia is a football town. Now matter how bad the Eagles play, the fans always show up and fill the stadium

[55]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

The fans are lame, no matter how well the team is playing the media doesn't care, the stadium is an hour away from downtown Tampa and it is also the worst stadium in the league.

What do you expect?

[CMH]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Guys have said it all. Tampa just isn't a place for regular-season baseball.

Vegas also isn't but don't tell that to the writers that keep talking about it like it's the perfect place for an expansion team in any of the major sports.

It's not. Travelers don't make fans.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

This isn't going to help:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Tampa-Bay-Rays-stars-call-low-attendance-at-home?urn=mlb-272868

[Speedy]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

This isn't going to help:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big...urn=mlb-272868

I saw that yesterday and the players have every right to gripe. They're playing their butts off to the point they have the best record in the majors...I'll keep saying it:

Get out of Tampa.

[JBH3]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Move Tampa to Norfolk! The Hampton Roads area has clamored for a major league team, and can by far support one.

[Dog]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Move them to a place where the fans will actually appreciate them and support them

[CMH]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

I saw that yesterday and the players have every right to gripe. They're playing their butts off to the point they have the best record in the majors...I'll keep saying it:

Get out of Tampa.

Agreed. The media will spin this and Yahoo! writers already have, but Longoria and Price are right.

They are leading all of baseball and had 10,000 fans attend a playoff clinching game. That's insulting to the franchise.

That being said: perhaps ownership needs to lower ticket prices and concessions. If people aren't going to the games, then you need to offer them incentive to attend. Obviously, winning is not the answer.

It's unfortunate and an eye-opener for me because I've always stood by the notion that wins eventually interest a fan base. Then again, maybe the issue is not with the theory, but this particular fan base or lack there of. You can't attract people who aren't interested to begin with, I guess.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Move Tampa to Norfolk! The Hampton Roads area has clamored for a major league team, and can by far support one.

Do we really need another team in the Virginia, Maryland area? Seriously, that'd be 4 now, if you include the Phillies.

Move them to a place that may be interested, like Louisville.

[Speedy]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

They are leading all of baseball and had 10,000 fans attend a playoff clinching game. That's insulting to the franchise.

It's unfortunate and an eye-opener for me because I've always stood by the notion that wins eventually interest a fan base. Then again, maybe the issue is not with the theory, but this particular fan base or lack there of. You can't attract people who aren't interested to begin with, I guess.

YP, what markets do you think this franchise would succeed in? Personally, I believe the biggest markets "untapped" are:

**Raleigh, NC: the NHL put a team there that has thrived)
**Omaha, NE: since the college WS is there, it makes sense to put a MLB team there)

Other markets I think would be better than Tampa (which honestly includes about every city) would be San Antonio, Portland & Louisville like OSUFan said. The Rays seriously need to get out that lease because otherwise it will continually drag the franchise down.

[jake44np]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

YP, what markets do you think this franchise would succeed in? Personally, I believe the biggest markets "untapped" are:

**Raleigh, NC: the NHL put a team there that has thrived)
**Omaha, NE: since the college WS is there, it makes sense to put a MLB team there)

Other markets I think would be better than Tampa (which honestly includes about every city) would be San Antonio, Portland & Louisville like OSUFan said. The Rays seriously need to get out that lease because otherwise it will continually drag the franchise down.

Omaha, NEB??
Because the college world series is there??
Are you serious? Have you ever been to Omaha??

[Speedy]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Omaha, NEB??
Because the college world series is there??
Are you serious? Have you ever been to Omaha??

Anything is better than Tampa but I don't know about which markets would be both profitable and provide a good fan base. I do believe Raleigh would be a good place for a team, as the only thing sport wise is to watch hockey or the fall sports (college football/basketball). There was thinking by MLB to put a team here during the contraction days earlier this decade.

What's with the condescending tone, by the way?

[snepp]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Put a 3rd team in NY.

[JBH3]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Do we really need another team in the Virginia, Maryland area? Seriously, that'd be 4 now, if you include the Phillies.

Move them to a place that may be interested, like Louisville.

What 4 exactly? Baltimore, Washington, -- all AT LEAST 3 hours away... (the Phillies are 6 hours away), and you have to beat your way down the 2nd worst traffic in the country (according to the Dept of Transportation) through the VA/DC/MD/DEL/PENN I-95 corridor.

If you put any stock into the data here there is more people living in VA Beach than in Cleveland OH. If I referenced the census bureau I bet I'd find a more reputable resource that validates this. The Hampton Roads area is a large market encompassing Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, VA Beach, Hampton, Newport News, and Portsmouth.

The issue has always been a venue...there were plans to remodel Harbor Park; where Baltimore's AAA affliate plays/once longtime home of the Mets AAA affliate...but in the end DC won out because what's better?

A venue in the nation's capital -- a transient non-interested baseball market -- or a venue in a thriving baseball community such as Hampton Roads, albeit a lesser city such as Norfolk. An area that has given birth to such rising stars as: David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Upton brothers, Mike Cuddyer, Mark Reynolds, Daniel Hudson and countless others.

[CMH]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

YP, what markets do you think this franchise would succeed in? Personally, I believe the biggest markets "untapped" are:

**Raleigh, NC: the NHL put a team there that has thrived)
**Omaha, NE: since the college WS is there, it makes sense to put a MLB team there)

Other markets I think would be better than Tampa (which honestly includes about every city) would be San Antonio, Portland & Louisville like OSUFan said. The Rays seriously need to get out that lease because otherwise it will continually drag the franchise down.

My opinion based on nothing but my own thoughts is: nowhere else.

Any attempt to...

Put a 3rd team in NY.

Will be blocked by the Yankees and Mets. Any attempt to put a team in a large enough market would be blocked as well by the team that "controls" the market.

Is that sustainable in court? I don't know. All I know is that no one has been successful in really stopping a team from owning a market. Baltimore tried with Washington, DC, but the issue there is no one believed that DC belonged to Baltimore. The same issue comes up with San Fran fighting Oakland's move to San Jose or Fresno or wherever else they can think.

A particular area "belongs" to a team when no one else is there, but Fresno is not SF and DC is not Baltimore so it held no water. Now, if a team can convince enough people that Brooklyn or NJ is not New York then they have a shot. New York rides on the whole Tri-State idea of NY/NJ/CT. But,
those two other states don't belong to NY and I'm sure a team could win that case in court.

My real solution is something that can't be undone and that's killing overexpansion. I know fans in Colorado and Arizona love expansion, but Florida has not done well in that regard. Their teams are winning games and they still don't show up. It's very different than say a KC or Pittsburgh where the teams are underperforming. I'm sure we can safely assume that if the Pirates could find ways to win again they'd draw more fans as well as even take some of the fake Phillies fans with them (which I'm sure real Phillies fans would love).