Rays Owner: MLB No Longer Believes in Tampa

[Viva Medias B's]

Stuart Sternberg, the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, said today the Major League Baseball no longer believes in the viability of having a franchise there. I have always said that the Rays should be in Orlando. I think that's a better market for sports, and the Rays would draw better there.

Link

[LITTLE NELL]

The Bay Area will lose the Rays unless the stubborn mayor of St. Pete does what's best for the area and let's the Rays out of the lease at the Trop.
Team should be relocated near downtown Tampa.
Not sure if Orlando is a good alternative, metro area has only 1,500,000 people while Tampa Bay is at 2,500,000.

[WhiteSox5187]

Originally Posted by LITTLE NELL

The Bay Area will lose the Rays unless the stubborn mayor of St. Pete does what's best for the area and let's the Rays out of the lease at the Trop.
Team should be relocated near downtown Tampa.
Not sure if Orlando is a good alternative, metro area has only 1,500,000 people while Tampa Bay is at 2,500,000.

Why would the mayor do that? He holds all the cards and if he lets the Rays out of their lease they will lose them anyway. It seems to me that baseball in Florida just doesn't work.

[LITTLE NELL]

Originally Posted by WhiteSox5187

Why would the mayor do that? He holds all the cards and if he lets the Rays out of their lease they will lose them anyway. It seems to me that baseball in Florida just doesn't work.

Because maybe he would not like being remembered as the guy who was responsible for the loss of the Rays for the area. He needs to do the right thing.

[CoopaLoop]

Florida sucks. Get em all out of there.

[WhiteSox5187]

Originally Posted by LITTLE NELL

Because maybe he would not like being remembered as the guy who was responsible for the loss of the Rays for the area. He needs to do the right thing.

If he lets the Rays out of their lease they would probably bolt anyways.

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by CoopaLoop

Florida sucks. Get em all out of there.

They should let the state float away.

[LoveYourSuit]

Originally Posted by LITTLE NELL

The Bay Area will lose the Rays unless the stubborn mayor of St. Pete does what's best for the area and let's the Rays out of the lease at the Trop.
Team should be relocated near downtown Tampa.
Not sure if Orlando is a good alternative, metro area has only 1,500,000 people while Tampa Bay is at 2,500,000.

Would the Orlando tourist factor help make up for the population difference?

[Brian26]

Originally Posted by WhiteSox5187

It seems to me that baseball in Florida just doesn't work.

Pretty much this. We heard the same story in Miami. They built a multi-million dollar facility in the "better location", and they still couldn't draw. Shut the state down after Spring Training and move these two teams to cities that will appreciate them.

[mrfourni]

Where are they going to go? Is there a city out there that will publicly finance a $700m-$1b stadium anymore?

[chicagowhitesox1]

I think New York would be the best place to locate a new team. I seriously doubt the Rays would get fans even if they moved to downtown Tampa. It didn't help the Marlins.

[RKMeibalane]

Originally Posted by chicagowhitesox1

I think New York would be the best place to locate a new team. I seriously doubt the Rays would get fans even if they moved to downtown Tampa. It didn't help the Marlins.

A team in Brooklyn or Manhattan would work.

Montreal deserves a team, as well. Loria **** all over that city and its fans, who were robbed of a likely World Series appearance in 1994 due to the incompetence of Selig and Fehr, and was then allowed to buy the Marlins- again a result of Selig's incompetence- whom he has ruined perhaps beyond repair.

[RKMeibalane]

Originally Posted by kittle42

They should let the state float away.

That's not a bad idea, actually. It would be nice having LeBron and Wade out of the country permanently.

[cards press box]

Originally Posted by chicagowhitesox1

I think New York would be the best place to locate a new team. I seriously doubt the Rays would get fans even if they moved to downtown Tampa. It didn't help the Marlins.

How does the Brooklyn Rays sound? And perhaps a baseball stadium could be built near the Barclays Center which, ironically enough is located at the very spot that Walter O'Malley wanted for a new stadium for the Dodgers in the 1950's -- a location at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn right near a station for the Long Island railroad. The New York Islanders will join the Nets at the Barclays Center within the next two years. Why shouldn't the Rays join them?

And while the damn Yankees would scream like spoiled brat about the whole concept, can you imagine how fun and appealing (and probably lucrative) a New York/Brooklyn rivalry in baseball would be?

[RKMeibalane]

Originally Posted by cards press box

How does the Brooklyn Rays sound? And perhaps a baseball stadium could be built near the Barclays Center which, ironically enough is located at the very spot that Walter O'Malley wanted for a new stadium for the Dodgers in the 1950's -- a location at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn right near a station for the Long Island railroad. The New York Islanders will join the Nets at the Barclays Center within the next two years. Why shouldn't the Rays join them?

And while the damn Yankees would scream like spoiled brat about the whole concept, can you imagine how fun and appealing (and probably lucrative) a New York/Brooklyn rivalry in baseball would be?

Brooklyn Rays isn't bad, though it has the same "out of place" feel as the Los Angeles Lakers or Utah Jazz. The Mets have a minor league affiliate in Brooklyn called the Cyclones, presumably due to their playing in the Coney Island area, where the famous Cyclone roller-coaster is located.