Rays or Yankees? (Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton: homes, neighborhood, buy)

[scottykick]

Originally Posted by kbrkr

This isn't true; Many people have been Yankee fans since the 60's and 70's; myself included. We went through lean years prior to GMS and years afterward.

The Yanks have always been an entertaining team. It has nothing to do with bandwagons. I just love great baseball. As I diehard Yankee fan, I also root for the Rays (when they don't play the Yanks) because they are from my home town and other teams because they are play great baseball and I love a great pennant race; i.e. Texas; San Diego; St. Louis; Atlanta.

If a team is winning, it's because they are playing great baseball.

Good post, I have a few "secondary" teams...but they suck almost as much as the Mets...Oakland (big Canseco & McGwire fan as a kid in the 80's)...

[chaotix]

Florida is a primarily a football state, in addition, Marlins and Rays are recent 1990’s expansion teams, hence, can't compare, NY Yankees have a much longer/richer baseball history and many transplants will maintain their loyalty to their home team, no brainer.

. . .don't understand why mods closed the other thread or would close this thread, it is related to Tampa.

[kbrkr]

Originally Posted by scottykick

Good post, I have a few "secondary" teams...but they suck almost as much as the Mets...Oakland (big Canseco & McGwire fan as a kid in the 80's)...

Oakland always finds a way to be competitive. They've also had some very entertaining teams and ownership. I wish MLB would find a way to level the playing field with a new collective bargaining agreement to create parity in baseball. We all lose when only a handful of teams have the majority of resources. I'd love to see the AL West get more competitive.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by BucFan

there's no such team as the Devil Rays - they're called The Rays.

If you play into bogus marketing ploys...

[scottykick]

Originally Posted by kbrkr

Oakland always finds a way to be competitive. They've also had some very entertaining teams and ownership. I wish MLB would find a way to level the playing field with a new collective bargaining agreement to create parity in baseball. We all lose when only a handful of teams have the majority of resources. I'd love to see the AL West get more competitive.

Well I like the direction Nolan Ryan is taking the Rangers, he is starting from the developmental stage and getting his young pitchers use to pitching late into games, he is taking a very old school approach. I'm glad his group won the bidding process for the team.

I don't think Cuban really wanted the Rangers, he is more intrested in owning a marquee team, he tried for the Cubs and if the courts demand McCourt to sell the Dodgers, you know Cuban will want them.

There is a really great article about the Twins front office in the new issue of Entrepenuer magazine, about how they saved the team from contraction, by turning it around on & off the field.

Right now I really think the top rivalry for the Mets is the Mets fanbase vs. Mets managment. The feeling is that they pretty much don't care about the fans, the fact they opened Citi field and it had almost no Mets "feel" to it, it was all about the Brooklyn Dodgers & Citi Bank, it took a years worth of complaints by the fans for them to put so much as banners up, and opening the Mets hall of fame...Bill Buckner needs to have his own wing, otherwise I would still not of seen the Mets win in my lifetime...lol

While the Rays are still in their infancy years in comparison to the Philly/KC/Oakland Athletics, I can see them becoming very much like the A's. Were they focus on drafting & trading to build teams, and go into free agency to get complimentary players.

If I ever moved down to Tampa, I would get season tickets for the Rays and support the local team, being a fan of a team is something you "feel" so I don't know if I would call myself a fan of the team right away.

being in NY, if my team is not in the championship hunt (and being a Mets/Jets fan, that is the case almost every year) I will root for the other NY teams, but if they don't win, it does not bother me....although I jumped out of my chair when Eli made that miracle pass to Tyre that led up to them beating the Pats...you would of thought I was a lifetime Giants fan (wish I was since thats my Dads team, but as a kid I followed my older brother to to Jets, he even tried to desuade me from that choice, by buying me a Giants starter jacket one year for my birthday...lol)

back on the topic, I hope the Rays get to stay in the Tampa/St. Pete. It seems th owners main reason for wanting to leave is dispite increased winning, the attendance still has not reached the levels he wants, and is not so much blaming the Trop itself, but it's location. I have not been to the area yet, so I would not know for myself, but is it really that out of the way?

[Kevin from Tampa]

Yes, for most people who live in this area, it's out of the way.

To the immediate south, it's bounded by one of the poorest areas in the region.
To the immediate east, it's bounded by the bay.
There is dense population to the west but it only goes about 8 miles or so before you hit the gulf.
To the north there is population but that's it.

It's hard to get to on a weekday if you work anywhere but mid-Pinellas southward. That's why weekend attendance spikes but weekday attendance drops off.

[KathyA11]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

I find it sad that someone would ask this question. I assume that you're a Yankee fan.

The Rays have more local fans. The Yankees have more fans all over the country because people like to jump on bandwagons.

Just the opposite. Look at the attendance figures for last weekend. The Yankees were in town, and the Rays had their first series sellout (in their history, I think). The Yankees left, and the Rays were lucky to draw 11K. (And the story is the same all over the country -- the fans come out to see the Yankees.)

So your opinion is flawed. The Rays went to the World Series in 2007, and they couldn't even sell out their building the following year. The Yankees sell out Spring Training games just about as soon as the tickets go on sale.

And I say that as a lifelong Yankee fan, born and raised in New Jersey, now living in Marion County -- where I see as many people wearing Yankees gear as I do Rays gear.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

Yes, for most people who live in this area, it's out of the way.

.

Do you think the Yankees and Red Sox's stadiums are nearby the neighborhoods of ticketholders? I doubt it. I'm guessing at the price per ticket, that their fans come from great distances to see the games since both stadiums are in poor parts of their respecitve cities. So asking Tampa people to drive to St Pete is no big deal. Parking is free when you have a carload of people - and even when you pay, it's cheap. People are allowed to bring food and drinks into the stadium. There's no excuse. The region doesn't support the sport, period.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by KathyA11

And I say that as a lifelong Yankee fan, born and raised in New Jersey, now living in Marion County -- where I see as many people wearing Yankees gear as I do Rays gear.

Can't conclude that most of the Tampa/St Pete area likes the Yankees more than the Rays based on how many Yankee fans attend the games for Yankee series. There are a great number of Rays fans who stay home and watch on the tube.

[Ken E]

We used to drive 2 1/2 hours to Fenway if we were lucky enough to get tickets. Fans have it made down here.