New Stadium For Tampa

[fulltritty]

Plan outlined for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, redevelopment

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-redevelopment

Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg, Florida, chose a partnership between the Rays and the Houston-based Hines development company from among four proposals to transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) downtown site where Tropicana Field now sits. Welch said the plan should keep the Rays in St. Petersburg for the long term.

The plan calls for a new domed stadium to be ready for the 2028 season opener; the Rays' current stadium lease is up in 2027. Renderings indicate the old stadium would be demolished.

[Raleigh504]

Will be interesting to see if the team agrees/signs a lease for the new stadium. Will add one more city for expansion if they do stay put. Which I am ready for all the city/stadium stuff for the Rays/As to be done so we can finally get 2 new teams to MLB.

[Stech36]

Interesting. While the stadium is terrible, I thought the location was the main reason for low attendance

I feel like this would be the same mistake the marlins made

[awz50]

I am happy baseball in tampa is staying

Sad they are using the old location it seems

[awz50]

Originally Posted by Stech36

Interesting. While the stadium is terrible, I thought the location was the main reason for low attendance

I feel like this would be the same mistake the marlins made

The stadium is not as bad as people say, its outdated but its not horrible

[hxcmilkshake]

Yeah its the location. A brutal drive.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Drew3000]

Originally Posted by Raleigh504

Will be interesting to see if the team agrees/signs a lease for the new stadium. Will add one more city for expansion if they do stay put. Which I am ready for all the city/stadium stuff for the Rays/As to be done so we can finally get 2 new teams to MLB.

MLB should be focusing on other issues (salary cap/floor, ending blackouts, Bally sports bankruptcy, how to get young fans engaged) then adding 2 new franchises to an already watered down talent pool

[Silent George]

Originally Posted by Stech36

Interesting. While the stadium is terrible, I thought the location was the main reason for low attendance

I feel like this would be the same mistake the marlins made

As a central Fla resident:

The location (for driving) is absolutely terrible
The location (for leisure) is absolutely terrible.
The stadium for watching is ok
The stadium for enjoying the stadium sucks
The stadium for field conditions has to be the worst in baseball. That turf…
and of course, as an aside, the tv blackouts are absurd.

The rays literally have a better spring training site in Tampa, which is why attendance is pretty comparable for fake baseball.

The drive makes it untenable for me to visit regularly. Anyone who commutes to a normal 7PM game is forced to deal with Tampa rush hour traffic from 95% of wherever you’re coming from. And they’re at the very end of a host of busy interstates.

And I’m not joking when I tell you that, at least a few years ago, the closest leisurely thing to do around the stadium was a holocaust memorial. There’s nothing resembling a Battery or Wrigleyville or Ballpark Village.

Fixing all of the bottom items would be good, and make everything more enjoyable. But I still can’t justify actually getting there.

[KhalDrogo]

How badly will they fleece the taxpayers?

[Raleigh504]

Originally Posted by Drew3000

MLB should be focusing on other issues (salary cap/floor, ending blackouts, Bally sports bankruptcy, how to get young fans engaged) then adding 2 new franchises to an already watered down talent pool

Agreed and a lot of that is on the CBA (Salary floor & blackouts). However, with adding 2 teams, the new teams (depending on location) could make it worthwhile to eliminate the blackouts as well as the Bally sports bankruptcy could force an end to the blackouts. I think a lot of things could have MLB get rid of the blackouts.

Also 99% of the problems is really due to Rob. One of the worst commissioners in pro sports.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by Silent George

As a central Fla resident:

The location (for driving) is absolutely terrible
The location (for leisure) is absolutely terrible.
The stadium for watching is ok
The stadium for enjoying the stadium sucks
The stadium for field conditions has to be the worst in baseball. That turf…
and of course, as an aside, the tv blackouts are absurd.

The rays literally have a better spring training site in Tampa, which is why attendance is pretty comparable for fake baseball.

The drive makes it untenable for me to visit regularly. Anyone who commutes to a normal 7PM game is forced to deal with Tampa rush hour traffic from 95% of wherever you’re coming from. And they’re at the very end of a host of busy interstates.

And I’m not joking when I tell you that, at least a few years ago, the closest leisurely thing to do around the stadium was a holocaust memorial. There’s nothing resembling a Battery or Wrigleyville or Ballpark Village.

Fixing all of the bottom items would be good, and make everything more enjoyable. But I still can’t justify actually getting there.

Definitely agree with everything you said, but I will say as far as around the stadium… there’s Ferg’s! Sure, it’s a crappy sports bar with awful food and expensive drinks….but… I forgot my point. I’ve been to 18 major league stadiums and it easily sits in last place for me.

[SupermanBrandon]

Rays - new Tampa stadium
As - move to Vegas
Nashville - expansion
Montreal - expansion
…all announced in the next 24 months


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SethMurphy]

Originally Posted by SupermanBrandon

Rays - new Tampa stadium
As - move to Vegas
Nashville - expansion
Montreal - expansion
…all announced in the next 24 months


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I want to see baseball return to Montreal, but I don't think we get two eastern expansion teams. My hunch would be Nashville and something like Portland.

But I would vote yes on Montreal/Nashville for sure

[endthecurse]

Originally Posted by Silent George

As a central Fla resident:

The location (for driving) is absolutely terrible
The location (for leisure) is absolutely terrible.
The stadium for watching is ok
The stadium for enjoying the stadium sucks
The stadium for field conditions has to be the worst in baseball. That turf…
and of course, as an aside, the tv blackouts are absurd.

The rays literally have a better spring training site in Tampa, which is why attendance is pretty comparable for fake baseball.

The drive makes it untenable for me to visit regularly. Anyone who commutes to a normal 7PM game is forced to deal with Tampa rush hour traffic from 95% of wherever you’re coming from. And they’re at the very end of a host of busy interstates.

And I’m not joking when I tell you that, at least a few years ago, the closest leisurely thing to do around the stadium was a holocaust memorial. There’s nothing resembling a Battery or Wrigleyville or Ballpark Village.

Fixing all of the bottom items would be good, and make everything more enjoyable. But I still can’t justify actually getting there.

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

Definitely agree with everything you said, but I will say as far as around the stadium… there’s Ferg’s! Sure, it’s a crappy sports bar with awful food and expensive drinks….but… I forgot my point. I’ve been to 18 major league stadiums and it easily sits in last place for me.

The area around the stadium has gotten a lot better for pre- and post-game in the last couple of years. Ferg's is a hole, but it's massive and there's almost always a buzz. Green Bench is a solid brewery. Burnt Ends has good BBQ and a 'hidden' tiki bar on the top floor. Lots of other new restaurants and bars nearby -- and it looks like this development will add more. The stadium is terrible, though -- worst park in baseball, from the ~20 I've visited.

Never understood St. Pete, though -- especially because the stadium is a little too far from the downtown bars and restaurants. PITA to access from every direction, too (I live in Sarasota half the year).

[eye4talent]

Originally Posted by Drew3000

MLB should be focusing on other issues (salary cap/floor, ending blackouts, Bally sports bankruptcy, how to get young fans engaged) then adding 2 new franchises to an already watered down talent pool

They should focus on other issues, too. But the talent is not watered down. A few organizations aren’t trying very hard, but there is a lot of talent out there, looking for playing time.

The Cardinals and Twins, for instance, could each almost field two competitive lineups. It’s why platoons are so widely deployed these days.

Pitching is the area that usually suffers more with expansion, but pitching is in good shape right now. There are teams stockpiling starting pitchers because they can.

League ERA isn’t as low as right before the 1993 expansion, but it’s close, and it’s considerably lower than right before the 1998 expansion. And in fact, the league ERA in 2014 was equivalent to the ERA in 1992.

Of course, the shift ban and a tweak to ball density could potentially throw that off. But ultimately, it does appear that the talent pool is in good shape.

The bigger issue would be making sure that new franchises can compete financially.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mandy1320]

Originally Posted by Silent George

As a central Fla resident:

The location (for driving) is absolutely terrible
The location (for leisure) is absolutely terrible.
The stadium for watching is ok
The stadium for enjoying the stadium sucks
The stadium for field conditions has to be the worst in baseball. That turf…
and of course, as an aside, the tv blackouts are absurd.

The rays literally have a better spring training site in Tampa, which is why attendance is pretty comparable for fake baseball.

The drive makes it untenable for me to visit regularly. Anyone who commutes to a normal 7PM game is forced to deal with Tampa rush hour traffic from 95% of wherever you’re coming from. And they’re at the very end of a host of busy interstates.

And I’m not joking when I tell you that, at least a few years ago, the closest leisurely thing to do around the stadium was a holocaust memorial. There’s nothing resembling a Battery or Wrigleyville or Ballpark Village.

Fixing all of the bottom items would be good, and make everything more enjoyable. But I still can’t justify actually getting there.

Spot on as a Tampa resident myself. Although, downtown St. Pete and the area surrounding the Trop as been revived the last few years and Ferg's has been there all along.

But yea, location is the issue as it might as well be on an island and there is no direct route to the stadium. Bridge -> Interstate -> Backed up side streets. Then pay $20 for parking.

They should have gone with the Ybor/Channelside site as it works for the Lightning.

Regardless, Stu is a POS and is trying everything to not pay for a new stadium even though he didn't build the current one in the first place.

[Mandy1320]

Originally Posted by endthecurse

The area around the stadium has gotten a lot better for pre- and post-game in the last couple of years. Ferg's is a hole, but it's massive and there's almost always a buzz. Green Bench is a solid brewery. Burnt Ends has good BBQ and a 'hidden' tiki bar on the top floor. Lots of other new restaurants and bars nearby -- and it looks like this development will add more. The stadium is terrible, though -- worst park in baseball, from the ~20 I've visited.

Never understood St. Pete, though -- especially because the stadium is a little too far from the downtown bars and restaurants. PITA to access from every direction, too (I live in Sarasota half the year).

LOVE Green Bench. That whole street has a lot of various food/hangout options.

[TimBuckTwo]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

How badly will they fleece the taxpayers?

Take, take, take and take some more.

Enjoy!

[PoPCulture]

Heard this when the story broke yesterday and I had mixed feelings. I’m glad to see they won’t be moving but add me to the list of those that are disappointed that the location is staying the same. I’m 2 hours North of Tampa and that makes it really tough to make the choice to go to Rays games. The ratio of Lightning to Rays games that w attend is like 10 to 1, it’s just so much easier getting to Amalie and there is more to do while in that area.

The Mayor grew up thin the area that the Trop displaced and his Grandfather owned a business there so I can see why it’s important to him to revitalize the area. I just don’t think it’s a great long-term decision but I’m willing to be proven wrong if that means the team stays put.

[Silent George]

Originally Posted by Mandy1320

Spot on as a Tampa resident myself. Although, downtown St. Pete and the area surrounding the Trop as been revived the last few years and Ferg's has been there all along.

But yea, location is the issue as it might as well be on an island and there is no direct route to the stadium. Bridge -> Interstate -> Backed up side streets. Then pay $20 for parking.

They should have gone with the Ybor/Channelside site as it works for the Lightning.

Regardless, Stu is a POS and is trying everything to not pay for a new stadium even though he didn't build the current one in the first place.

That's why when someone was talking about fleecing the tax payers, my thoughts were "this is Florida, son."

The absolute refusal to fleece the taxpayers, and the absolute refusal to let the Rays get out on the deal they signed is why this is an annual topic.

Ultimately, tax payers have to take it on the chin to some degree to have a team somewhere, because there's always going to be a local government willing to screw over their citizens that you can move to. So you have to give a little if you want to be in the ballgame. St. Pete has been steadfast against that, and DeSantis has also hovered above the incident whenever the Rays have appealed to Woke crowds.

Not getting a deal done wouldn't be a shock at all. St. Pete choosing the exact same location as a means to build up that specific area isn't a shock at all. Frankly, I turned down a request for an interview from the Rays in the past year because 1) there's no way the Rays pay enough and 2) I'm not taking a job for a few years only to quit when they relocate to Quebec, or something.

[base set]

I think the Bally situation will be the dominant story in baseball by mid-summer.

MLB basically fields the top 780 players in the game on a daily basis, as ranked by a large amount of daily data mining of their individual performance from a global supply from all other countries and leagues that play the sport. I fail to see how that could be a watered down talent pool.

I figure it can’t be easy for the Rays to sign free agents just because of their stadium; regardless of ownership financial strategy. Aside from the turf have also read complaints about how the Batter’s Eye works there. I would expect a new stadium design to improve that.

[Mandy1320]

Originally Posted by Silent George

That's why when someone was talking about fleecing the tax payers, my thoughts were "this is Florida, son."

The absolute refusal to fleece the taxpayers, and the absolute refusal to let the Rays get out on the deal they signed is why this is an annual topic.

Ultimately, tax payers have to take it on the chin to some degree to have a team somewhere, because there's always going to be a local government willing to screw over their citizens that you can move to. So you have to give a little if you want to be in the ballgame. St. Pete has been steadfast against that, and DeSantis has also hovered above the incident whenever the Rays have appealed to Woke crowds.

Not getting a deal done wouldn't be a shock at all. St. Pete choosing the exact same location as a means to build up that specific area isn't a shock at all. Frankly, I turned down a request for an interview from the Rays in the past year because 1) there's no way the Rays pay enough and 2) I'm not taking a job for a few years only to quit when they relocate to Quebec, or something.

I've always believed it's either the Rays move to actual Tampa (Ybor/Fairgrounds) or they move somewhere else. St. Pete wants to keep the Rays and they've made that clear by not letting them out of their lease early but then again, taxpayers are going to push back on anything since Stu refuses to up his spending relative to other teams and has made multiple BS efforts to keep the team in FL the last few years.

Not sure how they are going to redevelop that whole site in 6 months in between seasons.

I'm the opposite of you where I can't get an interview with them to save my life!! I've made multiple pushes to get in the analytics department.

[Mandy1320]

Originally Posted by base set

I think the Bally situation will be the dominant story in baseball by mid-summer.

MLB basically fields the top 780 players in the game on a daily basis, as ranked by a large amount of daily data mining of their individual performance from a global supply from all other countries and leagues that play the sport. I fail to see how that could be a watered down talent pool.

I figure it can’t be easy for the Rays to sign free agents just because of their stadium; regardless of ownership financial strategy. Aside from the turf have also read complaints about how the Batter’s Eye works there. I would expect a new stadium design to improve that.

Hockey, too. They'll probably get bought out like Fox Sports did and become something else. Rinse and repeat.

[TruBlueBrewCrew]

The decision to leave it in the same location is a terrible one. I live in downtown Tampa, absolutely love baseball and rarely make it over there.

The Trop just doesn’t feel like a stadium that should be in Florida, I can’t stand it. And yeah, it’s just a little too far away from downtown St Pete.

Ybor would have been nice, but some of the surrounding areas are not very nice and a lot more work to the surrounding communities would have been necessary.

I think they’re foolish to not try to have it closer to Tampa. Not surprised with the leadership they have in St Pete though, to be honest.

[eye4talent]

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

Definitely agree with everything you said, but I will say as far as around the stadium… there’s Ferg’s! Sure, it’s a crappy sports bar with awful food and expensive drinks….but… I forgot my point. I’ve been to 18 major league stadiums and it easily sits in last place for me.

You had me at awful food and expensive drinks!

I remember from my spring training trips to Tampa that the Trop was definitely not convenient located. (I made an effort to drive by before going to the Rays’ ST complex.)

If I remember correctly, it probably took about the same time to get there from my North Tampa motel as did to Lakeland.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro