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I love Evan Longoria.<33

They should at least give the Tampa area some time before deciding to move. If the Rays continue to play baseball and the fans continue to not show up during the regular season for the next five years, then they should consider moving. But the Rays should give it some time, give the fans more than a couple of years to start showing up.

If they did end up moving, I can't really think of too many cities where a team might draw. Charlotte? Portland?

"Sternberg's remarks could simply be a push for a new stadium."

The Rays were awful for how many years? They had one great season, now their blackmailing St. Petersburg for a new stadium. Sad, sad, sad.

"the Tampa Bay area remains one of the poorest, oldest and most fractured communities with a major league baseball team, according to a St. Petersburg Times"

I have an idea. Make the St. Petersburg Times explain just what that statement means and how they can possibly back it up. Oldest community? You mean to say Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater is older than say New York or Boston or Chicago or Philadelphia or Milwaukee? Fractured? What does that even mean? Tampa Bay separates Tampa from St Pete and Clearwater? Oh my!!!! So bad for baseball. Poor? You mean not enough Fortune 500 Companies to justify more luxury boxes than seats?

This is not even credible. The Rays have had poor attendance because of a total lack of dedication in the past to winning. Now that this has been proven to be over, maybe you will see full stadiums and more endorsement deals. The St. Petersburg Times has always lacked credibility in my opinion, and this is just more of the same. They never got over the fact it is called the Tampa Bay area as opposed to the St. Petersburg Metro Complex or something like that.

Sternberg is being a typical money grubber in his remark. The things you ask for have to be earned. Show that you are not a fluke first, then you can start complaining if Santa does not bring you sponsors.

I thought "oldest community" meant age of fan...an in seniors, but don't let me slow you down jrscott.

after 10 plus seasons they are just now figuring this out...if they don't draw next season move the team..donlt wait.

I am not blamoing Sternberg ast all for this, and I doubt this is about the stadium, not completely anyway. He has to make money to keep his team competitive, maybe?, and even though the team sucked for a long time he does not have the luxury of another 5 years to play footsie with the locals...there either is a market there or there is not.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 10:20 AM ET  11.17 by AllStarz

I am not blaming Sternberg ast all for this, and I doubt this is about the stadium, not completely anyway. He has to make money to keep his team competitive, maybe? And even though the team sucked for a long time he does not have the luxury of another 5 years to play footsie with the locals...there either is a market there or there is not.

Mornin' AllStarz. It amazes me how many pro sports teams FL has and how many of them are in financial woe due to local fan apathy -- you'd think they'd learn. I personally think that if a team moves from a town then that town shouldn't get a 'new' team down the road, but that's an argument for another day. Give Tampa next year to respond to their success in terms of attendance and make your decision to move after the season's over NEXT year.

Sternberg has only owned the team for a couple of years. The team needs to go to Tampa and leave St. Petersburg.

It's a tough draw for a baseball team in Florida. I've sweated through several spring trainings in Clearwater. The weather is hot in the spring, but it's unmerciful in the summer. I don't know how the Marlins survive playing in an open air stadium. Tampa also has no fan tradition. Most of the fans you saw this year filling their stands had no idea they had a team 2 years ago. Comparing Tampa to Philly, New York, Chicago or Boston is a bad idea. These cities have lived and died with their teams. The Phillies just had 2 million people line Broad Street to see the champs on parade. Boston had a few less, but still an unbelievable turnout. Tampa wouldn't have had 200,000 turn out. New Era reported that the WS Champs clubhouse caps order for the Phils was the largest they've ever run and they were sold out almost instantly. The next biggest order was the Red Sox first recent Series win a few years ago which was also an instant sell out. The Marlins have won the Series twice and had a team in contention until late August, but still failed to put bodies in the stands. The Phils, Yanks and Red Sox all draw more to spring training games then the Marlins & Rays draw to regular season games. The city and state would be foolish to consider a new stadium for these guys until they develop a tradition of winning and filling the stands. Their fans are still learning too. In NY, Boston, Philly, Chicago etc., a visiting player reaching into the stands to put out a hometown player wouldn't be allowed to make the catch in a regular season game, let alone the Series. And cowbells are never the answer!!!!!!

The other major league teams should back any team(s) that is/are losing money. Its a league and they should take care of each other instead of always relying on the fans and tax payers to bail them out.

If they want to leave, LEAVE. Don't expect much support because the U.S. economy is in disarray whether you live in New York, L.A., Chicago or Tampa Bay.

key warning signs: 1. anytime you can walk up and buy ALCS
2. you can buy WS tickets on game day at the box office
3. during game 7 of the ALCS, 50% of the seats are occupied by the other teams fans

If after the season they had in '08, they still don't sell a ton of season tickets, I'd look into moving them asap. Seriously, if a World Series appearance, ROY award and one of the best and brightest young lineups and rotations doesn't put butts in the seats, nothing ever will.

Move them to Las Vegas. And then move them to the NL so I can see the Cubs play without having to drive to Phoenix or LA.

The reason no one goes to Rays games is because Tropicana Field might be in the worst possible location. I live in Downtown Tampa... as in the center of Tampa. Tropicana Field is 25+ miles away. In evening traffic that journey takes close to an hour. I can't even imagine how long it takes for people that live in North Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Brandon or any of the outlying suburbs. No one is going to drive from the suburbs if it takes them close 2hrs each way. If the Rays had a stadium actually in Tampa, say near Raymond James and not across a large body of water and on a penisula, I would guarentee an attendance bump of 40%, easily.

Evertonius, you're a tool. The ALCS tickets sold out in less than an hour. The World Series tickets sold out in something like 24 minutes. The only place I've ever been where playoff tickets could be had at the box office was Atlanta. And as for opposing team's fans, it's the Boston Red Sox we're talking about. If you held the series on Mars they'd find a way to get the drunk bus there. And as someone who went to six Ray post-season games this season, I can say with authority that Red Sox fans (1) have a lot of money for booze, and (2) can't handle their booze. I guess to be respected Rays fans need to beat up opposing fans in the stands like they do in Boston, Philly, and New York. Oh well, I guess I have something to do on "bat night"...

As long as the Rays are stuck in that cost cutting dump of a domed stadium (it's no ball park, trust me... I've been there; it has all the ambiance of a cheap polyesther carpet), they should either be contracted or allowed to move to the next viable MLB market, which would likely be Charlotte, NC (as long as Bud the Dud is the Commish, it's not going to be booming Las Vegas).

The stadium where it stands is kindof in no mans land... it's too far removed from downtown Tampa Bay to be really in Tampa Bay and it's too far and inaccessable from St. Peter's waiting room, er ah, I mean stoplight choked St. Petersburgh to be in St. Pete either. The team actually would be better off moving to the Disney spring training complex in Orlando and then expanding that park. JOMO.

Freight train, ever hear of the term "bandwaggoner fan"? It happens all over America... when a team, any team collegiate or pro, catches fire, the bandwaggoners and worse yet yuppies and DINC's suddenly show up claiming to be "life long die hard fans".

I'm not saying you're one of them, but I give you Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs in 2003 as "exhibit a". Bartman, who lived (and probably still does live), in the basement of his parents affluent north shore suburban home, suddenly catches "Cubbie fever", goes out and scalps a ticket, buy a new Cubbie hat and jacket along with the latest Sony radio headphones (so that he can try and understand what he's watching), then costs the Cubbies their first shot in almost 100 years at a World Series.

Same deal I'm sure went down in Tampa this offseason too. The bandwaggoners ALWAYS show up for a playoff game, but where were they in September when YOUR Rays were drawing a pathetic less than 15,000 a game?

QUOTE(#19):

Originally posted 01:01 AM ET  11.18 by So Cal Fan

(as long as Bud the Dud is the Commish, it's not going to be booming Las Vegas)

Four or five years ago when they were talking about moving the Marlins, Mayor Goodman got approval for funding for a new state of the art stadium with the casinos eating most of the cost and everything.

I just want better baseball than my Las Vegas 51's. :(