Conflicting reports have emerged about a potential sale within the Rays’ ownership group, as Montreal businessman Stephen Bronfman told Rejean Tremblay of Le Journal De Montreal (hat tip to Sportsnet.ca’s Ryan McKenna for the translation) that a Bronfman-led group of investors would buy a minority share of the Rays within a few months’ time. This statement was denied by no less than Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg himself, who told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that “there’s nothing happening in months. No way.”
As Sternberg, Bronfman, and Major League Baseball continue to explore the possibility of the Rays splitting their home schedule between St. Petersburg and Montreal come the 2028 season, Sternberg said that Bronfman’s group “eventually, at a point, I would expect and believe they could and would become minority partners….I need some representation up there.” A partial sale wouldn’t happen, however, until construction is actually in progress on a new stadium in Montreal, Sternberg stressed. That ballpark is still very much in the conceptual stages, as land has yet to be secured and the city of Montreal has yet to approve any building. Still, Bronfman and the Rays are hopeful of having their two-city idea green-lit by MLB by the end of the year.
Some more from Tampa…
- Speaking of ownership, Topkin writes in a separate piece that neither Sternberg or Rays minority owner Randy Frankel were planning a bid to potentially buy the Mets. After plans to sell the club to Steve Cohen fell through, the Wilpon and Katz families still intend to sell the Mets. Frankel “was involved with a group that expressed interest in 2011” in purchasing the Mets, Topkin writes, while Sternberg is a Brooklyn native who was a Mets fan growing up. Of course, a Sternberg bid for the Mets would also require him to sell the Rays to another buyer.
- Assuming no major injuries, the Rays may only have three undecided roster spots to figure out by Opening Day, Topkin writes. Michael Perez, Kevan Smith, and Chris Herrmann will be battling for the backup catcher position, one bullpen spot will be filled from a plethora of in-house arms, and it remains to be seen whether the Rays will use their 26th roster slot on another reliever or another infielder. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo’s ability to handle third base could be a deciding factor, as if the newly-signed slugger is capable, the Rays could have enough extra infield depth between Tsutsugo and Joey Wendle to take on the extra reliever. Whatever the team chooses to do with their 26-man Opening Day roster, of course, can be adjusted during the season — Topkin floats a scenario that would see the Rays start the season with the extra infielder, but then call up an pitcher for extra relief depth during a busy stretch of 30 games in 31 days between April 3 and May 3.
Why was Tampa ever approved as a major league franchise? Terrible fan base, and a Costco-like stadium. Terrible.
Damn bruh dats the most original take I ever heard. give yourself a pat on the back for that mate
You should be ashamed of yourself..Never take anything serious from ANYONE that spells cool like that…
And if that wasn’t enough, the “dood” definitely should have told you more than all you needed to know…lol
And yet no one has actually answered the question. All you’re doing is demeaning the question in an attempt to avoid answering it.
The short answer to why is the Tampa Bay metro area is the 18th largest US market and is less than an hour and half drive from the 22nd, 72nd, and 81st largest US metro areas. It is also the 2nd largest metro in the 3rd largest state. That is the short answer as to why Tampa Bay deserved the Rays.
The short answer to why the team struggles with attendance is that MLB allowed other teams to use the Tampa area as a relocation threat to get stadiums approved during the 80’s in other locations such as Chicago and San Fran. After losing a team they thought was going to relocate, St. Petersburg used a threat of legal challenge to MLB’s antitrust exemption as a way to blackmail MLB to agree to award an expansion team in St Pete and not Tampa. Unfortunately St Pete, while a great city, is surrounded by water on 3 sides and is not the population center of the region. That would be in Tampa.
No one demeaned the question. The question was supported by the commentators premise which was nothing but silly insults agains Tampa and its fans. The comments were related to that and valid.
So why do you not respond to those?
Thank you from a Rays fan.
I actually like the split city idea. It just has to be done with the understanding that one city is the primary city, maybe have the AAA team of that franchise permanently locate to the other city.
So, in this case, the franchise would play in Tampa except for maybe a 6 week period between the All Star break and roughly labor day. Approximately 25 home games.
If this works, there are other franchises that could benefit, if for no other reason just because of weather. A couple of smaller franchise cold weather cities could start their seasons in cities such as New Orleans, or San Antonio, or Jacksonville, or San Juan.
The Rays are already an advanced development organization for the league. They are not to be taken seriously.
Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, Charlie Morton, Emilio Pagan, Nick Anderson. I’m starting to think the rest of MLB is a developmental league for Tampa
Except they have the 8th most reg seasons wins in mlb over the last 10 yrs. I guess a lot of teams didn’t take them serious either.
They have the 5th most wins over the past 12 years including 7 90+ win seasons. Lots of fan bases should be showing up to see their teams with torches and pitchforks if they really cared. What does it say about you if your team can’t play with a team “not to be taken seriously?”
Interesting how they keep making the playoffs then
Not true! If nothing else, the Rays rescue players and give them their “last chance”. Once given a chance, the Rays somehow turn them into STARS & then they go elsewhere for the Big Bucks! These are NOT undeveloped players, these are guys with years experience in the Bigs & are given a second or third chance! I suppose U think that a team who won 96 games & made the playoffs in 2019 is not to be taken seriously, huh? How did YOUR team fare?! Ha! Go Rays!!
San Juan… doubt it would happen but I really like that concept.
Lol, that place can’t even receive disaster relief supplies without messing it up, no mlb team is ever going to that corrupt place
All those smaller franchises actually have fans attend their games. Tampa doesn’t have fans. They should play all of their games on the road.
Steven – What a ridiculous statement! Most of the “smaller franchises” have been around for a LOT longer than the Rays. Not to use that as an excuse for poor attendance at Rays home games, there are logistics as to why there IS such poor attendance. An entire 3rd of the area surrounding the Trop is the Gulf of Mexico. The damn fish aren’t gonna be going to ANY games! Building a new stadium or moving to Tampa is easier said than done! Ownership wants a shiny new stadium – at taxpayer cost – and THAT simply isn’t gonna happen. Even if the owners were to “chip in” 50%, THAT ain’t gonna happen either! This area already got F’d by the Bucs owners years ago & that bad taste still lingers. To us loyal, die-hard Rays fans, there are NO simple solutions – only worry that we’re gonna lose OUR team because of corporate GREED!! Because of shared TV revenue & the Uber-rich teams paying a tax, there’s NO way that ANY team is losing money. They’re just not making as MUCH as they think they should!! Nuff said!!
Jake you may like it but I am sure the players and player association will not and I do not blame them
I like the concept, too, but I may be biased!
The split-city concept really could bring MLB to more cities.
Zaub – Agreed. But at what cost to the “home” city? How would U feel about having the Habs split home with ANY other city? Hey, but it’s in the “good” of bringing the NHL to other cities, right? I rest my case.
Cat – sure, not all franchises need it, but there is surely a group of current and prospective split-partners that will hand-raise for the deal. It could be a trial run for Charlotte or Nashville ans an only hope for other cities. Creative. More invested fans, etc., and who knows, especially with 162-game regular seasons.
Montreal, Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis and Portland all have one thing in common, they all need new Stadiums along with Tampa. Which cities would be willing to build a new ballpark for 40 home games? I think the split home games would be a big mistake. How long would Tampa be viable if the Montreal Expos/Rays draw large crowds? They would abandon Tampa in a heartbeat.
Tampa needs a new ballpark, period.
Perhaps that’s a benefit rather than a problem long-term, that is, much smaller and much cheaper facilities. Intimate sell-outs. Perhaps some nice renovation/upgrades at AAA stadiums? San Juan- and Parc Jarry-esque. Why not? Might be more tenable, especially if the season is not shortened.
Trout27 – Good points indeed! A new stadium. Therein lies the solution – and problem – to this whole thing! Owner wants a “free” stadium & EVERY city, local, state official is saying NO! Hillsborough County is still pissed at the Glazers (or they SHOULD be), the State of Florida is still wondering how they got F’d by Marlin executives & NOW, the Rays want a new stadium? Ha! Good luck!! Sadly, the biggest losers in this Greedfest is gonna be EVERY Rays fan!! Here’s my wish – the Rays win a World Series HERE, in my lifetime….then I can die a happy man! Nuff Said…
Understand! Fun to discuss. Good evening.
Zaub – U never answered my Q! How would YOU like to have the Habs play HALF of their Home Games elsewhere? It doesn’t matter why, it’s simply out of YOUR hands, regardless of the reason. I’ll bet U’d be pissed TOO! Now, regarding the Rays, we KNOW the reason – it’s ALL about the owner making MORE money!! Period!! I rest my case…
Oh, and PLUS, the owner is pissed that nobody is gonna give him a FREE stadium…. So he can make even MORE money!! Ha! Sad but TRUE!!
Alright, Cat. The dog woke me, so here it is…The Habs and lots of other teams don’t need a brother city. Sticking to baseball, two smaller, more intimate stadia with 41 games each creates greater possibilities for loyal, game-attending fans. Games are events to be savored. Crowds better and appreciative. A little intra-fan-base competition even drives up attendance and enthusiasm. Two smaller places may allow use of existing facilities, upgraded if needed. I personally think, with the cost of attendance and 81 home games, it makes sense for many teams and their expanded communities. The seasonal split actually helps support the long season, as well. It”s fan-centric and reduces owner power to demand massive stadium expense. I have more reasons, but I’m tired!
But I like Costco.
Their stuffed salmon is to die for.
Mlb had promised them a team on the previous expansion and it did not happen. They gave Tampa the team for fear of getting sued.
Sevans36 – There’s a lot of truth to Ur statements. Both the Chi White Sox & SF Giants totally USED Tampa Bay to get their new stadiums. Until eventual Miami owner, H Wayne Huizenga(spelling?) came into the picture, the Tampa Bay area & Colorado were the Absolute front runners for those 2 expansion spots. Somehow, Miami got the nod. Now, I’m not suggesting that there were some behind-the-scenes shenanigans going on involving LARGE sums of cash between MLB & Huizenga, but I’m saying that THAT is EXACTLY what happened! THAT is why Tampa Bay finally got it’s well deserved club! One of these days, the REAL truth will come out!! Just Sayin’…
Because without them the team in Little Havana wouldn’t have any competition for the Florida State AAAA Championship.
PH – Ur comment is Stupid!!
Florida has never been a viable state to host a professional sports franchise, let alone a baseball club. You can thank George Steinbrenner for “influencing” MLB to place a team near Tampa. The team’s sole purpose is to allow displaced (retired) New Yorkers an opportunity to say the Yankees on a regular basis.
The Miami Dolphins and their half-century history say hello
Football is a different deal altogether. There is a huge difference between 9-11 home games in football and 81 home baseball games. Hopefully, the Rays can build a new stadium and draw 2.5-3.0 million fans a season. The Rays are an outstanding organization, they deserve a new home.
ChiSoxCity – I must disagree with Ur assessment…to a point. Florida is a PERFECT state to host a Pro Sports team. Simply because of the diversity of Florida’s population, U have fans rooting for their “old” AND “new” teams. I’ve read countless statements from fans saying, to the effect, “I’ll root for my new home team, unless they’re playing….fill in the blank”. BUT, that means they’ll be going to THAT game, for sure, along with the OTHER games that they already go to! On the downside, there are SO MANY part-time residents & they can’t ATTEND home games, especially baseball, since it’s played during the summer. Spring Training games are virtual sellouts, good luck finding a ticket. But after that, the state’s population drops by at least 25%. Considering WHERE the Trop is located it’s not shocking to see why home attendance sux! Cheerz!
That makes no sense. They root for their team. They may “root” for the Florida team but that does not mean the go to the games to support that Florida team at all so it is not the best of both worlds. It stinks.
Word- Imagine that U’re just fluttering along, a little butterfly. The breeze, softly caressing Ur delicate wings on a fine spring day – SPLAT – U just flew into the windshield of a 2020 Mustang Cobra doing 85 on a 35mph road. Now THAT stinks. My story makes a LOT more sense than yours. Nuff Said…
Stadium is dated, but the surrounding neighborhood of St. Petersburg was awesome to hang out in. Problem is, it’s too far away from Tampa for people to consistently come. Plus, Florida will always be a football state. As in College football.
Kewldood – What a Rood, Ignorant, Viscous thing to say! What gives YOU the right or insight on Ur biased statement? Do U live here? Have U ever even BEEN here? Like most of U opinionated A-holes who have NO freakin’ clue, U base Ur vile opinions on hearsay, right!? Contrary to Ur misdirected belief that the Rays fanbase is “terrible”, the TV market for Rays games have INCREASED EVERY year for the last 10 years, tuff guy! “Costco-like” stadium? Ha! For Ur information, Dood, it’s much better than that! I’d say more like Sam’s Club quality! Ok, so the stadium isn’t the BEST, but my Dad will kick Ur Dad’s Azz up & down that stadium any day of the week, punk!! Take THAT!! Cheerz
Rays Up!!!
Stupid idea, just move the team. Can’t stand this split team ridiculousness. Then the postseason will be a mess for scheduling with them. Move them to Nashville or Charlotte. I don’t know, just do something other than this.
A team in North Carolina or Nashville seems more viable than Florida for sure.
Yes!
Montreal is more viable than all of them.
How so? Remember the Expos? How is THAT viable?
Mlb killed that team with the 94 strike. Poor owners and a crumbling stadium afterwards just finished them off. Go to Montreal and you still see Expos stuff everywhere, decades later. It’s also one of the largest metros in all of North America. They can support a team better than any of the smaller mentioned metros.
Kermit – you go!
Or New Orleans/Baton Rouge
the rays are better off moving out of tampa people there don’t support the team
It certainly didn’t help a few years back several people got sick after eating from their concessions…
If your stadium isn’t top notch, at least make up for it by offering some kickass food…Bad stadium, subpar atmosphere, and food that gets you sick…Not so sure I blame them..
I’m sure they’ve got their stands cleaned up, but still it is really hard to overcome a bad reputation, especially when you end up putting a few people in the hospital..
Bravefan88 – That is the MOST ridiculous statement I’ve EVER read!! Like, the Rays have ANYTHING to do with the food served at thier stadium? The Rays are in the biz of playing BASEBALL, not playing Sous Chef! The concessionaires are responsible for food selection & SAFETY! The Rays are one, if not the ONLY, team in MLB that allows U to bring in Ur OWN food to a game! How about sticking to the product on the Field & not so much on the product U’d like to stick in Ur pie hole!! Nuff said, fruitcake!
Trop is in South St. Pete down I275S away from I75/I4.
Residents around The Trop fail to show up as walk ups. Over half the season ticket holders live outside of St. Pete (myself included). Unlike other cities mass transit is a minimum in Florida so you have to be closer to the fans that actually want to go.
I’ve been hearing this take for a while. I just don’t get it though. The stadium is only 23 miles from Tampa. How is that a problem? Literally every other franchise has fans that travel farther than 23 miles to see a game. I routinely drive over 40 miles to Cardinals and Blues games. I think the real problem is that Florida simply isn’t a good baseball environment. Football in FL (at all levels) seems to trump baseball
FlJay, don’t waste your time with these trolls/ignorant fools.
Fljay73 – Agreed! Despite the Trop being in a near-consensus “terrible” location, there doesn’t seem to be any effort to make it easier to get to & from games! One would think that the powers that be would’ve figured out SOMETHING years ago, instead of just bitching about poor attendance! How about offering some sort of tix/ride package for those that don’t wanna make the drive themselves? If by bus, use busses that HAVE a toilet on them & encourage fans to have “fun” during the ride! It’s well known that, BESIDES the cost of a ticket to the game, the average fan spends another $45 on concessions & other merch. Perhaps ownership might consider “quantity over quality”. In other words, make it exceedingly affordable to go to a game & FILL the Seats! Stop worrying about the cost of a seat & just put a butt in the seat that would normally be empty! Give a special price for day-of-game walk-ups! STU – U want better attendance? Heed my words!! Ha! Just Sayin’!
Rudy – That is a totally ridiculous statement! What gives YOU the right to make such a ridiculous statement? Do U even LIVE here? Are U an owner? Just because attendance at home games is less than ideal, that doesn’t mean people don’t support the Rays!! In fact, the ratings for Rays games on TV have gone UP considerably over the last 10 years!! Current ownership was stuck with a HORRIBLE TV contract when they bought the team. Hopefully, that will be resolved soon, if not already. Face it, the Trop is in a LOUSY location! That’s a given. But don’t tell ME that Rays fans DON’T support OUR team!!
2028?
One would hope that real progress would be made sooner in building a new stadium and launching a new Expos team.
I wonder what the other market would be in expansion?
Montreal didn’t have enough support in the past. Putting a team there would be a disaster. The Rays and MLB are just floating this as an idea to squeeze another public funded stadium to add to the league’s portfolio of properties.
The Expos drew well, including outdrawing the Yankees in the 1970s. The Loria years and 1994 were killers.
Yes zauberman, Montreal deserves the Expos again. But only if they bring be back the name and sweet logo!
Amen and here it is!
They can’t build a new stadium until then bc st Pete’s mayor will not allow it to happen. They have already tried but are under contract there through the 2027 season. Nothing will happen until 2028 at the earliest.
my point is people don’t come to games there they even closed the upper deck during the season due to lack of attendance
Les Expos sont la!
Zaub – Screw U, Par Lay Voo!! Ha!
As a Canadian, I would love that we secure a team that does not have to split time anywhere. Tho
Not an option. Split or bust it seems
Seems Montreal is being used to leverage a deal with a different south eastern city
Creacher – Ur wish is granted! I give U the Jays! Now, just keep Ur grubby lil hands off my Rays!! Ha! Cheerz!
I love the Rays org but the fact that our AAA team in Vegas has a higher attendance than both south Florida teams is a joke. Obvi the MLB should spread out, a future 32 team league that includes Montreal, Las Vegas and Portland (M’s travel schedule is a joke, replace the Rangers and Houston in the AL West with LV and Port teams) is the future. Also f*$k a 7 team playoff jus do 6 like football with the worst division winner and best wildcard getting a home field 3 game series in round 1.
Tampa is central Florida. Problem is the stadium is in st Pete but needs to come across the bridge on the Tampa side. Additionally, the current stadium is horrible. It is not even a baseball stadium, just converted into one. Nothing can happen till 2028 bc st Pete’s mayor will not allow it to happen. No one in Tampa wants to drive over there.
Finally some common sense here. The stadium atmosphere is terrible. The location is terrible, the ownership is clueless about marketing. The front office is top notch. Is it any wonder that the attendance is terrible? Fans do care. Support is not only through attendance.
I’ve been to PNC in Pittsburgh when the attendance was under 9000. A beautiful park with a bad team will affect attendance as much as a terrible park with a contending team.
Is the stadium experience as bad as Miami’s?
Ah Miami, people in Little Havana love baseball lets get them to pay a fortune for a stadium and then blow up the roster and operate off the AAAA model. Yeah, they do love baseball, but aren’t willingly to pay the ridiculous MLB prices to watch a game, they’d rather stay home and listen in on their transistor radios.
The Rays aren’t a bad team
They’re a great team; they have a terrible ballpark and fanbase and a city that refuses to help them out with either. The team is fine, it just needs to move to San Jose.
Rooted – It’s nice to see that U have singlehandedly figured out EVERYTHING! Damn son, why aren’t U the Commish?!! Ur observations are not only far-fetched, they’re absolutely ridiculous!! Lemme explain – By definition, but unlike Ur thought process, MLB is a well-oiled machine that doesn’t require much maintenance. MLB doesn’t act swiftly simply because a rookie thinks a tire might need air. There’s a long, thought-out process that takes time to decide if that tire REALLY needs air – or not. As MLB evolves into its next phase of greatness, it will be up to our Grandchildren to decide whether the right decisions were made. Not us. Just Sayin’…
Contract the Rays. Montreal 2.o is a dumb idea
Contract the marlins instead. Rays would draw better if they had a stadium in tampa instead. Even that can’t start until 2028 bc of their contract in st Pete. I know Miami has a new stadium so that won’t happen and mlb will not exit the state of Florida all together.
Contract both of them.
G20 – Ur statement is beyond Stupid!! Grow up & go get a job! Ha!
Montreal had better support the team should this split franchise occur. Montreal is a great city, but there are a lot of excuses given for why the Expos left town. Bottom line? The Montreal locals stopped going to games. The “strike” excuse is overstated, all teams were impacted by the strike, but Expos fans like to cry particularly foul over that one.
Really? 1994 was a killer.
Zaub-Exactly the point 30 was trying to make! It was the 1st year that division foes, Braves, weren’t likely to win the division in YEARS! Wake up!!
I’d like to see a club back in montreal. It’d make a nice al east alignment where the widest range of travel for half a seasons worth of games was Montreal to baltimore, with everyone else falling in between.
Attendance couldn’t be much worse, and, I’d expect you get a decent amount of baseball tourism into CA from the northeast to watch games and enjoy the strong dollar. That’s an advantage the old expos never had, NYY/BOS fans on local road trips for the weekend.
Win-win-win.
CA means California lol
Splitting between two cities is indeed a terrible idea. Especially splitting them between two different countries. Tampa can support a team, St. Pete cannot. People forget Tampa already supports two other major league sport franchises that aren’t going anywhere, ever. Lightning are top five in attendance. And if the bucs weren’t terrible for the last decade that stadium would be full as well.
I love when people that aren’t from Tampa try to judge the fan base like they understand it.
The problem isn’t the fan base, it’s the stadium location. It’s too far from TAMPA, and they built Tropicana right in the heart of a less than ideal neighborhood, in a county that is packed full of snow birds that move down here for the beaches. Pinellas County is FULL of Boston/NY/Toronto fans as a result, which means those games sell a ton of tickets because their fans are here. Move the stadium into Hillsborough County, into TAMPA itself and the fans will show up. Get Montreal their own team.
The bottom line is they don’t show up. True fans would find a way to make it especially when the place is empty and the ticket prices are as reasonable as they’ll ever get.
Do you think the fans that show up for games in other cities all live across the street from the stadium?
For The Better – U hit the nail on the head!! Those haters that DON’T live here have NO freakin’ clue!! I live about 25-30 miles away from the Trop. Sounds like that should be easy enuff to commute to a game, right? WRONG!! There are NO trains to just hop on & off of, there are NO busses, no trams, no NOTHING except Ur car! IF U decide to drive to the Trop, traffic is a perpetual NIGHTMARE & God forbid if there’s an auto accident along the way, U will Miss the game! Then, once U find a place to park, be prepared to dish out another $10-$20, cash! – depending on how far U feel like walking to the stadium. The bottom line is that the LOCATION of the Trop makes a BIG difference on whether U want to go to a game & go through the hassle of GETTING there! Been to Fenway before & jumping on a train puts U as close as U need to be. Jump on a stinkin’ bus here & U may or may not be where U wanna be! Big difference!! Rays fans are Solid Rays fans! It’s unfortunate that we are, more times than not, logistically, not able to SHOW it!! Nuff Said…
Nashville, Vegas and San Antonio are all better ideas than Montreal. I don’t know who would give them a TV contract and I can’t see them being able to generate much revenue. Fan support is another issue altogether
They would have the Canadian TV deal which spreads to about 35 million people plus. Either TSN or Sportsnet (Canada’s sports networks).
I agree with you. Those three spots are better than Montreal.
San Jose is over an hour’s drive from both SF’s park and Oaklands new park. They have more PEOPLE and MONEY than SF+OAK combined, yet are stuck with a crummy A-ball team when the people have proven to be great sports fans, with the NHL Sharks and MLS Quakes, and also the NFL’s 49ers (who are now located a 10 min drive from the Sharks, but its an hour+ drive between SF and SJ, lol). It’s for MLB to get the Giants to relinquish their stranglehold over the entire Bay Area, it’s time to share the wealth. The Bay needs 3 teams.
Strike 4- U’ve already been OUT, many strikes ago! U sir, should RUN – no, wait, take a walk, to Ur nearest Mental health facility. U’ve apparently been struck on the head WAY more than 4 times!! Ur ideas (?) are Way out of wack!!
Montreal outdrew the Yankees in the 1970s – check it out.
That must have been the EARLY 70’s…
Who cares
Montreal drew less than Tampa draws right now! For many years. Stop peddling this crappy narative.
Yankees were forced to play at Shea for a couple seasons. New York’s crime was high in the 70’s. All factors in attendance.
News flash: Quebec is nearly 200 billion in-debt. Not Canada, just Quebec. Province should not be putting in any money for a new stadium. The old stadium is broken down and in a bad location that caused the move in the first place.
Give Montreal a AAA team and if the city supports the franchise then give them a chance to return to the big leagues.
I always thought the club should move to Newark and be the third NY area team. The NJ Rays, sponsored by Ray’s Original. I love it.
I always thought the club should move to San Jose and be the third Bay Area team. The SJ Rays, a perfect thematic pairing with the SJ Sharks. I love it.
Been to Tampa numerous times and the problem is and always has been location location location. They need a stadium in Tampa and not in an area of St Pete’s where it’s quiet.
What sucks is the Rays are not perennial losers. Their front office always keeps the team stocked with young low cost talent and puts about as consistent of a competitor on the field as they can with their meager revenue. The organization deserves better… they probably should just move altogether, but if they have to split time somewhere else to find people to walk through the turnstiles, go for it.
As a Canadian, I can tell you there is absolutely no way that Montreal will ever build a stadium for MLB in the hope a team might come here. You think they are going to spend $500 million for a part time team? No city would do so.
And MLB would not want to come. Taxes in Quebec are high, revenue will be low as it’s in CDN dollars, and support will be luke warm.
Just down the road in Quebec City, they built an arena to draw an NHL team. They are still waiting.
Pure pressure tactic. Another Manfred special. Get rid of the man!
And where would a Montreal team play?
Oh you didn’t know? This genius plans requires two BRAND NEW STADIUMS
Facts are out in the open people, like mentioned before St.Pete is fulllll of elderly snowbirds who are not home grown Rays fans. The bridge to get to the Trip is absolutely awful, notice most other teams are in big cities with youth and business men that get off work and catch a quick game. There is no way you can get off work at 6 in Tampa and get to St.pete by 7 without rushing like a madman. The Rays consistently have top 5 tv ratings out of all MLB teams, the fans are watching, the fans are here but they are in TAMPA where our other sports teams were smart enough to locate. Downtown Ybor would’ve been the absolute perfect location for this team and everyone blew it. You have an owner who just flat out doesn’t care
It’s not entirely Stu’s fault. The original owner Nemoli agreed to that 30 year lease of the Trop. A stadium that was already almost 15 years old in 98. Also hard to blame the Mayors of St. Pete. None of them in the past or the current mayor Kriseman want to go down in history has the guy that let MLB leave their city, even if its the right thing to do for everyone in involved to guarantee MLB doesnt leave this area.
The city of Tampa and the Rays had 3 years to figure out a site and a plan to build a new stadium and figured nothing out. Sternberg sat on his thumbs and watched time slip by with no urgency or care to really push to make a deal, It’s completely his fault.
It’s largely Stu’s fault. Mostly due to the fact that he didn’t want to pay for the new stadium himself, he wanted literally ANYONE ELSE to pay for it.
And other people are absolutely right, there is ZERO public transport for people to come to the games. If you DO want to make the commute, you have to drive yourself across one of the bridges in rush hour traffic, then pay $25 to park in a sketchy area of town, then drive through worse areas trying to get back onto the interstate to get BACK to the bridges and back into Tampa. People that aren’t from here act like there aren’t any fans. WE’RE HERE. They just like to pretend like we don’t want to be there. No, we want to support our TAMPA team in TAMPA.
Downtown/Ybor would be ideal. Heck, send the Yankees to the trop for spring training and renovate Steinbrenner to accommodate a full season. Cheaper than building from the ground up.
Xforthebet- Downtown/Ybor would be ideal… For who? Those that live nearby? Sure! They could build a new stadium in my LITTERAL back yard & I – ME – I’d be happy as hell!! Sadly, it’s just not THAT simple. If Ybor was so great, shouldn’t it be half completed by now? No, the powers that be – Stu & Mayor, commissioners, etc – couldn’t agree about who’s gonna PAY for the damn thing!! Here’s how it went at the meeting – Stu : Oh, man, this is GREAT, we’ll take it! Mayor : Awesome, it’s a deal!! So, Stu, how much are YOU putting in? Stu : Huh? Putting in WHAT? I’m keeping YOUR team in YOUR city. What else could U want from ME?!! ~ Yup, that’s how it went folks!! Ha! Just Sayin’…
KC38 – U poor fool, Ur “facts” are nothing less than Ur biased opinions!! Elderly Snowbirds? Not home-grown Rays fans? SUCH stupid comments! I can only assume that U never excelled in community relations, right? In no particular order, allow me to dispell Ur words of Wiz-Dumb – Yes! The Trop is located in a Horrible spot! BUT, there are THREE bridges from Tampa to St Pete, not just ONE, as U have suggested! People FROM St Pete, GOING to a Bucs game, don’t seem to WHINE about THAT, like Tampans do!! It’s just another excuse why YOU don’t go to Rays games! Poor baby. Obviously, YOU haven’t been ANYWHERE in St Pete for quite some time. If U had, U’d see with Ur own Eyez that St Pete is extremely VIBRANT, with people of ALL ages, genders, colors, etc! Business MEN, getting off work to go catch a game? What?!! Are from the ’60s? Did U just fall out of a Cartoon? Maybe Ybor would’ve been great! We’re YOU gonna build them the stadium? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Ur opinions here are useless. In MY opinion, U’d be best served to keep Ur opinions to Yourself, until U can come up with ONE that actually makes sense. Just Sayin’…
Just build them a new stadium in a better location or get them out of Tampa…spitting a home field is just ridiculous
I am not a Florida resident, but would the Rays or Marlins do better in Orlando? As a former Expos fan, Montreal seems like a bad idea. By the end, it was a bag of hurt. Had a great history for churning out young stars, but even that had dried up by the time they exited.
Florida itself IS the problem, all baseball fans there are Yankees fans. If anything, both teams should relocate and the Yankees should play half their games in various cities in FL, being that they have massive fanbases all over the state from retired New Yorkers. That will probably never happen (although I could see NYY playing a series or two there as a “home” game in the future), but Florida needs to stay Spring Training only.
Strike 4 – There U go again, being a typical brainless Yankees honk & talking before U think! Look, DUMBAZZ – in spite of Ur wishful thinking – not everyone who lives in Florida is a Yankee fan. To the contrary, most people here HATE the stinkin’Yankees!! Get that through Ur F’n pea brain!! Until U become BASEBALL Commish, U would be well served to just keep Ur insane comments to yourself! Nuff Said…
Rays would do better in Tampa Bay, not in St. Petes. As for Miami, put a winning team there and the fans will come. They haven’t contended since moving to the new park.
But, Orlando could potentially work. Specifically, should a stadium be on the Disney grounds? That’s Lake Buena Vista which could prove risky. However, lots of action there all year round.
To:We’re All Just – First, St Pete IS part of Tampa Bay, in case U missed it. Second, a winning team does NOT necessarily translate to filling a stadium. Point in case: the Rays! There’s a lot more than having a winning team to being able to fill a stadium. History tells us that LOSING teams have regularly filled stadiums. IE,:Red Sox, for one. But guess what? – They’ve been around for 100 years & there are 10x as many people that have lived & grown up there BEING Red Sox Fans for GENERATIONS!! 90% of the population HERE have come from somewhere ELSE!! Do the freakin’ math!! It’s gonna take time – A LOT of time – to build & KEEP a fan base compared to cities that were BORN into a team!! In that respect, the Rays haven’t even reached their infancy yet!! Nuff Said…
G20kodiak – In my humble opinion, no, I don’t think the Marlins or Rays would do ANY better than where they are now. As opposed to “Strike 4” ramblings, I’ll give U an honest opinion as to why I don’t think that’s a good idea. First, which team would have to relocate? Who gets to choose? I’m sure that both cities would have a LOT to say about it. As U know with Ur Expos, NOBODY wants to lose THEIR team. I’m old enuff to remember when Montreal GOT their team. I don’t know for sure, but it seemed like the year of the players strike (94′? when the Expos looked to be the favorite to win the division) that things fell apart in Montreal. In baseball, there are teams with a rich, historic history that’s passed down through generations. Then, there are teams like the Rays, who have yet to reach their infancy, comparatively speaking. Yet, these so-called critics who know NOTHING about baseball, let alone it’s history, are so quick to call for MY Rays to disappear! How DARE they!! Thanx, bro! Cheerz!
The only MLB team Florida cares about is the Yankees. The state CANNOT support MLB no matter how badly MLB wants it to. Both the Marlins and Rays deserve better fanbases, in both teams cases the Rays and Marlins are most Floridans #2 team behind the Yankees. The number of true fans is not worth it. There’s at least a dozen places that deserve a MLB team, San Jose, Dallas, San Antonio, Charlotte, Montreal all deserve a team amongst others. Florida does not. Get MLB out of Florida, leave FL for Spring Training only.
No other MLB team would allow so many MiLB teams remain in a hour vicinity of their area. Blue Jays, Phillies, Yankees…, especially the Yankees and Steinbrenner Field. They should be booted out of the state. Look at Minors attendance for those 3 teams. The other option is to move the Florida State League to the panhandle, but I’m sure the Braves would moan about that.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_att&lid=123&sid=l123
Now, you can’t 1:1 attendance, but moving to Tampa and moving the local FSL teams elsewhere would significantly boost attendance. Look at the Rays TV ratings – they’re superb. The fans are here, but the area is saturated with transplants AND the transplants local teams. That’s just dumb.
Tampa86 – Sorry, but Ur way of thinking is what’s dumb! First, half of MLB has their Spring Training facilities in Florida. NO city in Florida is EVER gonna shut THAT down! As it is, they fight to GET one! So, after Spring Training, what are they gonna do with those stadiums? Let ’em sit there til next spring? Of course not! Don’t U think that the MLB teams who play A-Ball during the summer months here pay for that? Cities make a LOT of money from that! Stop being so Ignorant and do Ur HOMEWORK!! Sheesh!!
Ok then. Don’t complain about attendance then. Thats nearly 380k fans going to MiLB games in the area. Thats a substantial amount, something most other MLB teams dont deal with. Plus, Florida is transplant central all ready, why give these people reason to never change allegiance. Yankees playing in our backdoor is an affront. How about if Durham moved Towson, would Baltimore appreciate that?
Tampa86 – Sheesh! Here U go again! I, personally, am NOT complaining about attendance!! Ownership, and apparently YOU are the ones bitching about THAT! There is DEFINITELY a fan base here. Yes, the stadium could be better, but it is what it is. YES, a new stadium, in the RIGHT spot would be great!! BUT, in Ur mind, U keep putting the “blame” on things that have NOTHING to do with the core issues! Simply put, these issues CANNOT be resolved in a day, a week, a month, or even YEARS! Sad, but true. Greedy owners want a “free” stadium so they can continue to make their $millions in exchange for keeping OUR TEAM where it is. Double-Edged sword here – Yes, the local economy will DEFINITELY benefit from having a MLB team here – but at what cost? The owners will DEFINITELY benefit too, at almost NO cost to THEM! Sure, they’re gonna cry about losing money. I say BS!! There are ABSOLUTELY NO teams in MLB that lose money!! They’re freakin’ liars if they claim that they are!! Take THAT to the bank, I’d bet my life on it!! With the Rays & Stu, he simply feels like he should be making MORE money? Period! “His investment”. Oh, U poor little Rich Boy!! He could sell the Rays tomorrow and TRIPLE his investment. Maybe Quadruple+!! Stu – Quitchabitchin’!!! Nuff Said…
Tampa86 – BTW, what do U mean, ALLOW? Do U REALLY think that ONE team, the Rays, have the power OR authority to TELL MLB what to do with any OTHER MLB clubs that have MiLB teams in Florida?!! See? That’s just ONE example of why EVERYTHING that U say should be dismissed – immediately!! Now go back to Ur mom’s basement & go do Ur freakin’ homework!! Come back when U have something that actually makes sense! I rest my case, U knucklehead!! Ha!
,
“there’s nothing happening… in months”, says Stu. Yeah, it’s gonna take until Montreal breaks ground on a new stadium – for Stu & Crew – before THAT announcement will become “official”. Right, Stu?!! Sternberg is no better – or worse – than any other of these GREEDY, money monsters who want something for nothing! Oh, for nothing, U say? “We allow U to KEEP YOUR team in YOUR city”, they might offer. Wow, what a bargain!! OUR team, in OUR city!! What a novel concept!! Damn, why didn’t we think of that BEFORE?!! We must be IDIOTS!! Hmmm… that’s EXACTLY what they’re hoping. It really P*SSES me off that MY team, the Rays, is being held hostage by a small group of men, with a LOT of money, simply because they want a lot MORE money. May I suggest that those in favor, RAYS UP & fight these SCOUNDRELS!! My City, My Town, My TAMPA BAY RAYS!! Once & Forever!! NEVER Anywhere Else!! F-U-STU!!! Nuff Said…
How you know not to engage a person talking about the Rays attendance: 1) they think Tampa Bay = Tampa; 2) they think the Rays play in Tampa; 3) they don’t know that Tampa Bay does not have mass transit systems like other large metropolitan areas; and 4) they don’t understand the importance of being located in a large downtown metropolitan area to capture corporate ticket sales.