**2014 Tampa Bay Rays Thread**

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by north_pinellas_guy

bye bye rays. Stupid move by the city council.

2027

BTW, I'm surprised you northerners are so gung-ho about getting rid of the Rays - it's the only chance for you to see your favorite teams from the north or wherever the hell you came from before coming to paradise. Had you adopted the Rays since this is your new hometown, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

Thanks for nothing-

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by BucFan

2027

BTW, I'm surprised you northerners are so gung-ho about getting rid of the Rays - it's the only chance for you to see your favorite teams from the north or wherever the hell you came from before coming to paradise. Had you adopted the Rays since this is your new hometown, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

Thanks for nothing-

Please reread my post. I said it was a stupid move by the city council. IOW - I do not want them to go.

BTW - 2027 means nothing, if they and the league want them to leave.

[Vannort54]

Originally Posted by BucFan

2027

BTW, I'm surprised you northerners are so gung-ho about getting rid of the Rays - it's the only chance for you to see your favorite teams from the north or wherever the hell you came from before coming to paradise. Had you adopted the Rays since this is your new hometown, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

Thanks for nothing-

That's ok my team has spring training in Lakeland I can watch them there and on tv.

[Vannort54]

Originally Posted by BucFan

2027

BTW, I'm surprised you northerners are so gung-ho about getting rid of the Rays - it's the only chance for you to see your favorite teams from the north or wherever the hell you came from before coming to paradise. Had you adopted the Rays since this is your new hometown, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

Thanks for nothing-

Did they do a study here before they had a team here to see if there was a fan base to support a MLB team. Or did they think and hope that a baseball team would catch on here. Most will never give up there home team that they grew up with. Some have been loyal to their tean for over 50 yrs. tell a Yankee or Detroit or Boston fan to support another team. See what they say.

[JasonAnc]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

Did they do a study here before they had a team here to see if there was a fan base to support a MLB team. Or did they think and hope that a baseball team would catch on here.

The old studies said the same thing the new studies say. MLB works in this region in Tampa, not so much in St Pete.

But St Pete/Pinellas pols of the day refused to believe cold, hard statistical reality, viewed the reports as a personal affront on their misplaced pride, and built the stadium on their own, without a vote, and against the wishes of MLB. This is part of why Tampa was not awarded an expansion team the first go around, because MLB didn't like the location or the stadium.

[TS808]

It would be interesting to see the team sold and relocated to Orlando. Same Florida problems will remain but a small built-in fan base is already present, some (not many) fans from the Tampa Bay area will still stick with the team, the east coast would be opened up, Lakeland, Ocala, and Gainesville won't care either way, and 50 million tourists/business travellers will fill in the rest. Jeter's looking to buy a team. Tampa would have been ideal but Orlando is only 90 minutes away from him.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

I can see the team moveing soon maybe to Montreal. MLB is tired of supporting them.

If MLB wants to relocated the team away from the 3rd most populated state in the country - a state where baby boomers flock to once retired - and that group will be growing exponentially in the coming years - good for them. But I believe moving to a Canadian city where baseball has already failed and away from a populated state is pretty bad business practice. Good luck w/ that.

[BucFan]

Rays sign two-time all-star free agent....

Rays sign Asdrubal Cabrera | HardballTalk

[SeaSpur]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

Did they do a study here before they had a team here to see if there was a fan base to support a MLB team. Or did they think and hope that a baseball team would catch on here. Most will never give up there home team that they grew up with. Some have been loyal to their tean for over 50 yrs. tell a Yankee or Detroit or Boston fan to support another team. See what they say.

That is where the problem lies, though...the Rays aren't even old enough to where kids who grew up as Rays fans have kids (which turn into Rays fans, and so on).

A local following has to be created. To hell with the New York and Boston fans who attend to see "their team" from back home...and for most of them, the only Rays game they will attend each season. We need local fans who support the Rays.

One way to expedite the situation is to remain attractive to YOUNG PROFESSIONALS and the area hasn't done the best job of that from what I can see. They need to stop caring about what the old geezers who retired from up North think and get progressive and do what the real spenders (30-50 year olds) and income makers want. This area needs to stop being okay with surviving on a population of retirement/medicare income. Invest in downtown cores with attractive but affordable living, attract major companies, and by all means improve the damned transportation system in Tampa Bay!

[SeaSpur]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Rays sign two-time all-star free agent....

Rays sign Asdrubal Cabrera | HardballTalk

Great pickup but I hope not at the expense of a Zobrist. Zo is getting up there in age, but he is about as consistent as you can ask for in a MLB player...on both sides of the ball.