[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Tampa As A Baseball Market, What Stu Wants And Upton Versus McCutchen
BJ Upton, Gabe Gross, New Stadium February 1st. 2010, 8:16am
Portfolio.com looked at 82 different US and Canadian markets to determine which cities are best suited to support professional sports franchises. Tampa did not fare so well (thanks Jordi)…
Nineteen areas are overextended, with Denver, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Tampa facing the worst problems. The income bases of these overextended markets are inadequate for their existing teams, let alone any new ones.
Of those 19 areas, 12 of them are home to MLB teams (San Francisco-Oakland has two teams). Only two markets without baseball teams (New Jersey and San Bernardino, CA) were deemed to be able to support big league baseball.
Meanwhile, remember the ABC group that released it’s final report on the Rays stadium recommendations? The same group that was formed by the mayor of St. Pete? Well now that ABC has basically said the Rays should be in Tampa, the city of St. Pete no longer wants anything to do with the ABC group.
“We appreciate ABC’s efforts,” City Attorney John Wolfe and Senior Administrator Rick Mussett wrote Tuesday in a memo to the council. “However, any relationship the city may have had with ABC has been effectively severed.”
Politicians fighting. And the only ones that will lose are the fans. Thanks assholes.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Howard Troxler says it is now time for Stuart Sternberg to become more vocal on the Rays stadium situation…The problem is, if Sternberg wants the Rays to be anywhere besides St. Pete (likely), he is not allowed to talk about it. It is in the Rays contract with St. Pete that they are not even allowed to publicly discuss moving the team to another city. [St. Pete Times]
- Michael Sasso speculates on what a bullet train would mean for the Rays attendance. Of course, the catch is that the Rays would have to be in Tampa. [Tampa Tribune]
- Marc Topkin makes a case for the Rays making more additions to the roster in the next few weeks…Look for 2-3 recognizable names invited to spring training on minor league deals. [St. Pete Times
- Gabe Gross may have signed with the A's. [MLB]
- BJ Upton or Andrew McCutchen? Go. [Baseball Professor]
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Our very vocal mayor elect. said during the election that “He would do anything to keep the Rays in St Pete………” Now he’s turning his back on studies He (they) ordered, and the silence on the issue (building soon) will continuing until someone figures out how St. Petersburg (politicans) can benefit from the actual building of a new stadium….otherwise they really don’t care (alla Kathy Ford)…..
Work on that AF and company….. and we might have a chance to keep the Rays here (St. Pete)…..or else…..
Ha, Cleveland and Denver are overextended? Those cities didnt have any trouble selling out for years.
Cork, check out this article:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ben_reiter/02/01/baltimore.orioles/index.html
Basically, the Orlioles are looking to use the same path to the playoffs that the Rays are using. Interestingly enough, Reiter admits that the O’s have to compete with three teams in the AL East in order to do that, Rays included.