The City of St. Pete reached an agreement in which Al Lang Field will continue to host baseball for the next three years, but in doing so they sold their soul (and Al Lang’s name) to the Devil.
The City Council agreed last week to lease Al Lang and the Raymond A. Naimoli Complex to the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission, an offshoot of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Sports Commission…The commission will be able to rename or sell Al Lang’s naming rights, with the City Council retaining final say over the name of the facility.
And in case you think the naming rights will net the city millions of dollars, think again. The City of St. Pete sold a piece of their history for next to nothing…
The baseball commission can keep all proceeds up to $100,000 from the sale. Proceeds in excess of $100,000 will be divvied up between the city and the tenant, with the city receiving 75 percent of the cut.
To be fair, the official name of the field changed in 1998 to “Florida Power Park, home of Al Lang Field” and later to “Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field,” but most fans continued to call it “Al Lang.” And all indications in this report are that if the price is right, Al Lang can kiss his field goodbye.
Under new deal, Al Lang Field could be home to baseball again [St. Pete Times]
