Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

[BunnyHardaway]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/70...odel-untenable

TV numbers down this year (more than any team in baseball) as well as attendance (22,000+ in 2010, 18,000+ this year). So not only are the fans not showing up, but they're not even watching on TV. Before this I was willing to accept the "Tropicana Field is in a bad location" excuse, but the team's been good for 4 years and the number of television viewers is going down? I don't see how relocation can be avoided here. The local government already shot down a ballpark proposal and I've read that St. Pete officials won't let them pursue a place in Tampa. They need to go somewhere where people will show up on a regular basis. I'd like to see:

1. Montreal - with a competent owner and a new ballpark, baseball would thrive there. The only reason it failed in the first place is because Loria/MLB alienated the fans in an almost criminal way.

2. Charlotte - successful AAA franchise and good sports city...IIRC they've been waiting to build a new stadium for the Knights in the event that they were given a ML team.

3. Brooklyn - just a pipe dream...the Yankees would squash that idea before it even came close to happening, but it'd be cool to see a team there again.

4. Portland - big enough market to sustain another pro team, plus the pro teams that they do have (Blazers and Timbers) draw very well.

[Travis40]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

I went to Tropicana Field in August and it's not a horrible place to watch a game. The only major gripes I had about the stadium were the concourses and location. If the stadium was located in downtown Tampa or in Orlando, I'm sure attendance would be up. I think St. Petersburg won't have a baseball team by 2020. I think the most realistic places the Rays could relocate would be...

1. Portland - Decent market that supports an NBA team and could probably support an MLB team. Portland has a great chance to become the newest MLB city.

2. New Orleans - Another decent market. They support the Saints, but the Hornets are in the bottom third in attendance in the NBA. I don't think it's likely that New Orleans can get an MLB team, but I wouldn't count it out.

3. San Antonio - With the Rangers and Astros, it's very unlikely that either team would be in favor of a third team coming to Texas. San Antonio doesn't add much for MLB, but it's another possibility.

4. Oklahoma City - After Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets relocated to OKC, and were instantly accepted. When the Sonics were moved to OKC, the team was instantly accepted, and attendance has been great. The AAA team draws pretty well, and Bricktown Ballpark could be renovated to accomodate an MLB team. OKC is a longshot.

[55]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

St. Petersburg sucks. It's a damn shame that they won't actually build a ballpark for these guys in Tampa instead.

Having lived there many years before, I also think the team would draw a lot better in Orlando.

[Reaman]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/70...odel-untenable

TV numbers down this year (more than any team in baseball) as well as attendance (22,000+ in 2010, 18,000+ this year). So not only are the fans not showing up, but they're not even watching on TV. Before this I was willing to accept the "Tropicana Field is in a bad location" excuse, but the team's been good for 4 years and the number of television viewers is going down? I don't see how relocation can be avoided here. The local government already shot down a ballpark proposal and I've read that St. Pete officials won't let them pursue a place in Tampa. They need to go somewhere where people will show up on a regular basis. I'd like to see:

1. Montreal - with a competent owner and a new ballpark, baseball would thrive there. The only reason it failed in the first place is because Loria/MLB alienated the fans in an almost criminal way.

2. Charlotte - successful AAA franchise and good sports city...IIRC they've been waiting to build a new stadium for the Knights in the event that they were given a ML team.

3. Brooklyn - just a pipe dream...the Yankees would squash that idea before it even came close to happening, but it'd be cool to see a team there again.

4. Portland - big enough market to sustain another pro team, plus the pro teams that they do have (Blazers and Timbers) draw very well.

Charlotte seems like a fantastic option to me. They surely need to relocate though. It's beyond the point of being awful with the fans here.

[Qdiddy]

Puerto Rico is an ideal location, it would succeed there as baseball is king in Latin America. You think the rays recruit talent now wait until they are in the area. You have a good size local population as well as tourist to see games. Great move IMO.

[SPTO]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

Puerto Rico is an ideal location, it would succeed there as baseball is king in Latin America. You think the rays recruit talent now wait until they are in the area. You have a good size local population as well as tourist to see games. Great move IMO.

Except their monetary situation would be far far worse. It'd be even worse than what the Blue Jays and Expos had to deal with with a 65 cent US Dollar. You'd need a fat cat rich guy if it's to even succeed the way Tampa is succeeding right now.


Anyways I remember reading an article last offseason or the offseason before by Peter Gammons saying that there's people in the New Hampshire/Hartford area that would be interested in buying the Rays. I don't know if that was just one of his harebrained ideas or if it had any truth to it.

Charlotte seems to be the best option even if it's a slightly smallish market.

[Picci]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

I know it will never happen but I wish Las Vegas would get a mention. MLB would be highly accepted there. Gives me another reason to make a trip there again.

[55]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

The fact of the matter is that they need a new owner. It sucks that the team is owned by a Mets fan who still has season tickets to Met games and wears Mets caps all year round. That is just pure BS. Stuart Sternberg is human garbage and never should have bought controlling interest in the team in the first place. I mean, this douchebag had the audacity to flat out tell the media during the September push (and subsequent playoff push) last year that he was drastically slashing payroll the following season. Yeah, that's going to do wonders for morale.

[Marino]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

Charlotte won't work. There is no where to put the team, plus no one will go to games.

[rsox]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

The Rays could survive and do very well in Tampa--if they move to Tampa.

They need a new stadium and a new owner. Being the little team that could is a fun story for MLB Network and ESPN but the fans are not supporting it. It's a good thing they locked up Longoria for as long as they did because he would probably gone his first year of free agency.

[1Rose]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

Yeah, having lived in Florida and having attended Rays games, it's a shame.

The biggest problem itself is being IN St. Petersburg. The town is like 250,000 tops and it is not a baseball city period. Really, Florida isn't a baseball state. Look at the Marlins. It's just the reality that Floridians feel like there are better things to do than go watch sports. Obviously you have sports fans every where you go, but the disinterested outweigh the passionate.

Which is unfortunate because the Rays have shown that they can give the city something to cheer about. I feel that moving to Tampa or Orlando would help, but they still aren't going to sell out ever game.

Every major market already has a baseball team. I feel like the most realistic option besides moving into Tampa, would be a relocation to Montreal.

New Orleans would be a no. NO is a football city. No way around it. As seen by the talks of moving the Hornets out of there. They have a minor league team but I'm not really sure how they do, but I get the sense that they suffer from the same disease Florida has when it comes to baseball. There is better things to do in the summer.

And Charlotte is already a small market, and there literally is no where to put the team.

[UncleMo]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

One thing I question this wonderful undervalued team is their marketing and their brains. Who put the team in that market? How is their marketing departing doing? Is it the ownership group's fault because they do bad marketing? Or is it their fault for picking a bad location? If they were to move, I'd love to see a move to a territory such as P.R.

[rsox]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

MLB is not going to move the team to Puerto Rico. P.R. is a logistical nightmare for scheduling, the stadium is minor league at best and as SPTO already mentioned they would not make any real money.

I also don't see them even whispering the name "Montreal" if the Rays ever were to relocate. As great a Baseball city as Montreal was and could have still been i think MLB burned that bridge with the fans long ago.

[dansaint]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

I could see one of the following cities make a claim for the Rays if they are ever looking to relocate:

1. Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico is baseball hungry and the fans turned out in droves when some games were played down there. You got a Canadian team...why not a Mexican team?

2. San Antonio, TX. Play 1 or 2 years in the AlamoDome while new stadium is built. I don't believe the Astros nor the Rangers can make a claim as a market (maybe the Rangers but not sure). Believe Texas is big enough for 3 teams and San Antonio is a fastly growing city with a great nightlife (riverwalk) and rapid tourism...so it's a city fans will flock to.

3. Nashville, TN. Large enough city. Minor league teams seem to do pretty well. No real team in area (maybe Atlanta) that can claim territory rights.

4. Indianapolis, IN. City is a good sports city...minor league team draws pretty well. Only concern is Cincinnati can claim territory rights.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Is the Rays future in Tampa/St. Pete?

MLB is not going to move the team to Puerto Rico. P.R. is a logistical nightmare for scheduling, the stadium is minor league at best and as SPTO already mentioned they would not make any real money.

I also don't see them even whispering the name "Montreal" if the Rays ever were to relocate. As great a Baseball city as Montreal was and could have still been i think MLB burned that bridge with the fans long ago.

I doubt that...their beef was with Selig and Loria. Selig will be gone by the time a relocation happens and Loria isn't involved. They'd take them back with open arms.

I could see one of the following cities make a claim for the Rays if they are ever looking to relocate:

1. Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico is baseball hungry and the fans turned out in droves when some games were played down there. You got a Canadian team...why not a Mexican team?

2. San Antonio, TX. Play 1 or 2 years in the AlamoDome while new stadium is built. I don't believe the Astros nor the Rangers can make a claim as a market (maybe the Rangers but not sure). Believe Texas is big enough for 3 teams and San Antonio is a fastly growing city with a great nightlife (riverwalk) and rapid tourism...so it's a city fans will flock to.

3. Nashville, TN. Large enough city. Minor league teams seem to do pretty well. No real team in area (maybe Atlanta) that can claim territory rights.

4. Indianapolis, IN. City is a good sports city...minor league team draws pretty well. Only concern is Cincinnati can claim territory rights.

Absolutely not for Mexico City. Under no circumstances should a team go there. The other three would be good though, hadn't thought of Indy before.