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Old 07-20-2011, 09:58 PM
 
485 posts, read 1,007,725 times
Reputation: 471

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It is a desolate, dark, scary neighborhood. Like I said, I work near there, so I know what it's like there day and night. And I know what goes on day and night, despite the police station nearby. Not a great location safety-wise. Not a great location distance-wise. Not next to the water. Not next to lotsa streetlife, shopping, etc. Not in the region's "action zone", etc. Now if the stadium were located on the water next to the Dali, for example, that would be a different story.

BUT I actually think much more than location, the other reasons I gave are why baseball here is doomed.

 
Old 07-20-2011, 11:20 PM
 
817 posts, read 2,241,679 times
Reputation: 1005
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
If the trop was located way outside Boston in an inconvenient place, fans would still pack it

Or in the south side of chicago

Boston has like 2-3 times as many people as Tampa Bay. Of course they would. Comparing Tampa Bay to Boston is just plain silly. Tampa Bay is more like Kansas City or Pittsburgh in terms of size.
 
Old 07-20-2011, 11:39 PM
 
13 posts, read 43,138 times
Reputation: 26
A better and more central location would increase attendance in my opinion. I haven't lived here long, but like baseball, and enjoy going to games. I will admit that the Rays are my 2nd favorite team, but I still enjoy going to a game now and then. I would go to a lot more if the stadium was in Hillsborough, and think a lot of other people would as well.
People from Orlando, Lakeland, etc might even make the trip if it was just that much closer to where they live.

Build a stadium in Tampa, and the stadium would fill up; that's my opinion.
With that said, I don't think most games would be filled like the St Louis Cardinals (my favorite team) are, even though the St Louis area has a bit less people than the Tampa Bay area. Busch Stadium is in downtown St Louis, which is much easier to get to for more people than the Trop is.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 05:54 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
3,237 posts, read 6,283,298 times
Reputation: 1492
Quote:
Originally Posted by planedition View Post
It is a desolate, dark, scary neighborhood. .
It is in a dark, scary neighborhood. Built on a superfund site in case anyone forgot. Funny the proposals are to built a new one at the fairgrounds or downtown tampa. Not the best neighborhoods either.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 05:54 AM
 
Location: Savannah, GA
789 posts, read 1,850,773 times
Reputation: 1689
Quote:
Originally Posted by BucFan View Post
I don't pay admin/handling fees because I buy at the gate (not the day of the game).

General Rules
* ITEMS ALLOWED IN FACILITY :

Food/Drink/Soft sided Containers:

Food items wrapped, bagged or contained in clear packaging (peanut bags, re-sealable plastic bags, etc.) in soft containers no larger than 16”x16”x8” that can fit under a fans seat.

Snacks for children

Single-serving juice boxes

Bottled water in sealed plastic water bottles (no larger than 1 liter.)

Small Bags:
Bags, backpacks or other articles must fit within a space of 16 inches long, 16 inches tall, and 8 inches wide and are subject to inspection from security.

Tropicana Field Tampa Bay Rays St Petersburg, FL tickets. Directions, seating chart, events. Official Ticketmaster site.
We've actually had our bottled water removed from us at the Gate???
 
Old 07-21-2011, 06:19 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,234,143 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
You people need to **** about a new stadium. It's not needed. These greedy bastard owners of the Rays need to shut up and just field a competitive team.

Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are old, you dont see their owners crying like a bunch of ******* in the media for a new stadium
I agree w/ you. Today we don't need a new one, but in ten years we will. Probably time to plan now for that eventuality. I don't like the idea that Sternberg will be flipping the team for a huge profit once he gets our city to buy him a new stadium. The tax payers always seem to get screwed.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 06:21 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,234,143 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by kbrkr View Post
We've actually had our bottled water removed from us at the Gate???
Not me. Your bottle must have been unsealed or too big.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 06:24 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,234,143 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa View Post
Boston has like 2-3 times as many people as Tampa Bay. Of course they would. Comparing Tampa Bay to Boston is just plain silly. Tampa Bay is more like Kansas City or Pittsburgh in terms of size.
Went to Boston last year and it's in a grungy neighborhood - and in a place where I'd feel very uncomfortable walking around at night or when there wasn't a game.

A big thing about some of the other cities is that they have metro/mass transits that take you right to the stadium (ATL, NY, Boston for instance).
 
Old 07-21-2011, 06:47 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,234,143 times
Reputation: 14611
2011 home attendance through 47 games: 927,370, Average: 19,731
2010 home attendance through 47 games: 1,031,168 Average: 21,939
2009 home attendance through 47 games: 1,103,268, Average: 23,473


ST. PETERSBURG --

— ESPN brought the national spotlight to Tropicana Field on Sunday and Monday nights to televise a pair of mid-July games with playoff implications. The Tampa Bay Rays lost both times, but what took a bigger hit was their home field.

A pair of delays, one on Sunday when a foul ball broke the glass casing in front of a catwalk light and another Monday when a nearby lightning strike temporarily knocked out a bank of lights behind first base, gave the broadcast crew as well as the network's Baseball Tonight analysts a chance to comment on the dome.

The remarks weren't flattering.

Former big league pitcher Orel Hershiser, one of the analysts Sunday night, called the Trop the worst stadium in the major leagues.

During Monday's 18-minute delay, "Baseball Tonight" analyst John Kruk, who played 10 years in the major leagues, said the stadium is not a major league ballpark.

Kruk told The Tampa Tribune on Tuesday that he couldn't believe the backlash he's received on his Twitter account over his remarks.

"I've been getting killed," he said. "I didn't know there were that many Rays fans."

But Kruk stood by his remarks, which he said are based on his visit to the stadium during the 2008 World Series and conversations he had with players who played at the Trop, including a number of former Rays.

"All they talk about is how poor the building is for baseball," Kruk said. "Any time a game can be determined by a catwalk you have issues."

Rays manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday's game with the Yankees that he couldn't argue with Kruk's assessment.

"He's right. We do need a new ballpark, and he's right, this ballpark is improper for Major League Baseball," Maddon said. "He's right. I can't deny that. You shouldn't play with all these obstructions, all these caveats. Of course not, it's run its course. It was here for a moment. It served its purpose and now it's time to move on. Absolutely it is, and to deny that, everybody has their head in the sand, period."

Rays President Matt Silverman issued this statement: "Joe speaks from the heart, and I agree with what he said. It's hard to combat the national media's depiction of our stadium. Our situation has become a distraction. It is affecting the clubhouse, and it spills over onto the field of play. It damages the national reputation of St. Pete and Tampa Bay, and it harms the Rays brand. Clearly, something needs to be done."

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said he was "perplexed" by what he heard during the broadcasts. He doesn't agree with Kruk calling the ballpark poorly lit, and he doesn't see a problem with the catwalks.

"You don't want your ground rules and the facility to be a factor in the outcome of the game, and rarely is it at the Trop," Foster said.

Monday's delay was weather related, and Rays pitcher J.P. Howell pointed out Tuesday that if it weren't for the roof and the catwalks that keep it in place, the game would have been delayed a lot longer because of the thunderstorm raging outside the stadium.

"Whatever," Howell said of the criticism lobbed at the Trop. "There's a (flag) pole in Houston right in the middle of the playing field in the outfield. Some stadiums have short porches, and I think that's ridiculous. In those places it's a unique thing. In the old Twins stadium you couldn't see fly balls because of the ceiling, that's part of the gig. That's the only home field advantage we have, and it's not really an advantage."

Since taking over after the 2005 season, owner Stuart Sternberg has spent millions of dollars cleaning up the building, both the seating bowl and the areas underneath accessible to fans.

And while most agree the Trop is a much better venue than it was during the team's first seven years, the catwalks and the fact it is the only remaining enclosed stadium (the other domes have retractable roofs) in the major leagues will always cast the Trop in a negative light.

"I never played there, but I played in a bad ballpark. I know what a bad ballpark looks like, feels like. I haven't said anything (about the Trop) that I haven't said about a ballpark I called home for five seasons," said Kruk, who spent five seasons playing for the Phillies in Veterans Stadium and also played in Montreal's Olympic Stadium and the Houston's Astrodome.

"It's an opinion. If you don't like it, fine. The ownership wants out, but they get on me because I say it's a bad place to play baseball."

Under media attention, Trop comes off in bad light | TBO.com
 
Old 07-21-2011, 08:41 AM
 
817 posts, read 2,241,679 times
Reputation: 1005
Quote:
Originally Posted by BucFan View Post
I agree w/ you. Today we don't need a new one, but in ten years we will. Probably time to plan now for that eventuality. I don't like the idea that Sternberg will be flipping the team for a huge profit once he gets our city to buy him a new stadium. The tax payers always seem to get screwed.
There are ways around this...

The Bucs stadium really torqued people off....we all voted for the CIT, largely because it was tied to education and parks, but also largely to keep the Bucs. I was ok with that, just like I'm ok with building a stadium for the Rays. HOWEVER...where Hillsborough County messed up with the Bucs stadium was in how they structured the contract. The Bucs/Glazers got WAY too much control and money out of the stadium. Damn near every cent that thing generates goes to the Bucs, even for non-Buc events. USF games? Most money that isn't contractually obligated to USF goes to the Bucs. Tractor pull? Stadium fees and much of the concessions go to the Bucs. Bowl games? Ditto. If the Glazers ever sell the Bucs, every dime of profit goes in their pockets.

If/when Tampa builds a Rays stadium, they need to protect themselves better and not just bend over and take it in the rear. Have riders in the contract that specify that if the team is sold, a certain percentage of the profit goes toward relief for the bond debt on the stadium Retain some control over revenues. Learn your lesson

And downtown Tampa is not scary at night, no more scary than places downtown Cleveland or the area where Baltimore's stadium us.
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