Citing attendance woes, Foster says Rays should be allowed to look in Tampa | Tampa Bay Times

Finally, some common sense out of St. Petersburg. But a sad day, nevertheless. This will make the geographically challenged muppets on ESPN very happy.

This has to be a tough realization for St. Petersburg to finally come to. On a civic basis, this is almost as gut-wrenching a conclusion to come to as a mother who doesn't have the means to support her child putting it up for adoption.  Civic pride gets in the way and nobody wants to admit that perhaps the area bit off more than it could chew. In hindsight, as a "major-league" city, St. Pete. over-promised and under-delivered.

For years and years, as potential suitors like the Mariners, White Sox, Giants and others came a courting, MLB was told by the city fathers that this was indeed a legitimate major league city and not some hapless burg. The city was anxious to shed it's image as God's Waiting Room and enhance it's tourism chops. There would be 30-40,000 fans salivating for a chance to pack the Dome. Whenever their efforts were rebuffed, they cried out that they were being unjustly denied their rightful status as a big-league city.

Well, that 30-40,000 projection melted down to 10-15,000 quicker than snowman in St. Petersburg.

Perhaps the city fathers owe MLB an apology as well. The were right about the area, in many ways, and you were wrong. Better late than never coming back to reality. And good luck with the Thunder Dome.

from the Tampa Bay Times:
Citing attendance woes, Foster says Rays should be allowed to look in Tampa | Tampa Bay Times:

ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Bill Foster has reached the reluctant conclusion that keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in the region means he has to let them cross the bay to explore a new stadium.

Three years ago, Foster adamantly refused a team request to look at stadium sites in Hillsborough County — citing a contract that binds the Rays to Tropicana Field through 2027.

"If your goal is keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa Bay until 2050, you have to let them look in Tampa," Foster said.

Attendance might not improve markedly at a Hillsborough site, Foster said. "I think there is a big question mark as to whether or not Tampa Bay is a major league region.''

But letting the Rays explore all options now will enhance chances that the team stays for the long haul, he said.

'via Blog this'


It is best for the team and MLB.
It is best for the city of St. Petersburg.
And it is best for the entire Tampa Bay region.

They better hope they haven't burned so many bridges with MLB that they are even given the chance to lateral the ball to Tampa, so to speak. I think that they will, some dollars will change hands, some leases will be torn up. Life goes on.

Better for the city and the few fans they have in St. Pete that they simply jog across the Howard Frankland Bridge. The alternatives would be a much longer commute.

 I would imagine that MLB would like to keep the other sites that think they could support the Rays open for the inevitable and maybe overdue expansion to 32 teams. At the prices the next round of expansion-ites are going to pay, they better have a great chance of success.