Kruk trashed the idea of D-Rays playing in Orlando in a minor league
park. This shows why Sternberg is who he is (a successful businessman)
and Kruk is who he is (an idiot, hack, talking head). Compare business acumen based on bank accounts and Sterberg wins. I mean, I can criticize Warren Buffet's investment decisions but based on our prior track records (and bank accounts), who's going to look like the fool?
Kruckie analyzed this as a former player, thinking the buffet spread in the locker room was going to be minor-league, the post-game beer was going to be minor-league, and probably that the tail in the stands was going to be decidely minor-league. Sternberg is trying to build a franchise. I give him an A for effort. And from a fans perspective, if you can see major league baseball combined with the charm and proximity of a minor-league park, you've got something. Now, if only the concession prices were the same. Well, there goes that dream.
EXCERPTS FROM THE ARTICLE:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/16/Rays/Sternberg_s_blind_amb.shtml
He is a dreamer, your Devil Rays owner. Where you see apathy, he sees
potential. Where you see empty seats, he sees untapped resources.
The Rays have a hard time getting fans to cross a bridge, and this guy
is envisioning them getting excited halfway across a state.
"I don't mind ambitious, " Sternberg said, standing on a field at
Disney's Wide World Sports complex. "There's no such thing as too
ambitious."
So how could you possibly watch people walking out of a ballpark at the
start of the 10th inning and not deem it a mistake of wild proportions?
By buying into Sternberg's vision.
"We can survive barely and we can do okay if we get the support of St.
Pete and Tampa, " Sternberg said. "We can thrive - which is what
everybody in St. Pete and Tampa wants - if I do my job expanding to become a
regional franchise. From Port Charlotte up, and Orlando in.
"We have to be a regional franchise."
But, really, that was not the purpose of this series. Sternberg's plan
is grander. He sees advertising dollars. He sees demographics. He sees
marketing.
And he sees lots and lots of television sets.
Before the Rays moved into Orlando's ballpark, they invaded Central
Florida's airwaves. The Rays increased their TV package from around 25 to
67 games.
This means a market that was the 27th largest in the United States,
according to the latest census, has Rays games on TV several nights a week
all summer long.
"Would I rather have 30, 000 people in the stadium or 1-million
watching on TV?" Sternberg said. "I think I would probably rather have
1-million people watching on TV. It's more important to know that 1-million
people do care. And, from a money standpoint and the advertising, there's
more revenue derived there.
"The Red Sox draw people on TV in Maine, all over Massachusetts, down
in Connecticut, Hartford and New Haven. People three hours away, for
goodness sakes. I know they're the Red Sox, and I know we're not. It's
going to take us a long time. But you have to start. And here's where I'm
starting. I'm putting my flag in the ground right here, and I get
everything in between."
The Rays are nowhere near 1-million viewers on their television
network, but ratings are up. In Orlando, the Rays say they've actually
doubled. That may be easier when you're basically starting from zero, but it's
still a nice boost.
And team president Matt Silverman said it is a direct correlation from
the exposure of this three-game series in the market.
© Copyright 2002-2007, St. Petersburg Times
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