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Post by MxT13 on Dec 27, 2010 12:23:31 GMT -5
www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-about-to-resume-filling-roster-holes/1142002It's really kind of sad reading that article. The champions of Moneyball are almost to the point where they are once again no longer relevant, as Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Rafael Soriano have been let go. They've been forced to cut payroll because nobody goes to the games, and as a result they have a staggering revenue stream. They've been able to get away with it the past few years, but do we see the Rays being respectable in 2011?
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2787cmt
New Member
Cmt Sports Forum
Posts: 6
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Post by 2787cmt on Dec 27, 2010 14:07:05 GMT -5
I am a Rays fan, and it really sucks. The Rays don't stand a chance in the AL East next season. They can go without Carlos Pena, and even Rafael Soriano. But, Carl Crawford, I would say he is the best Rays player in history. The Rays organization, players, and the fans as well are just being as optimistic as possible over this situation. I hope for the best.
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 27, 2010 15:57:17 GMT -5
I feel bad for the Rays. They really gave the Yankees and Red Sox a run for their money in a division where the Jays and Orioles made it seem like everyone else should just lie down and be irrelevant. This just shows, however, that Tampa Bay is not a sustainable baseball market. If they couldn't churn a real profit while winning with a relatively cheap payroll for a very good team, what will work in Tampa? In southern FL the Marlins aren't doing so hot either.
I hate to say it, but a relocation might be the only thing to save this franchise - Montreal Expos style. I doubt they will move any time soon though considering how new they are as a franchise and it would mean Major League Baseball admitting a failure.
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Post by MxT13 on Dec 27, 2010 16:05:20 GMT -5
Another problem is they're not in Tampa...they're in St. Petersburg. It's not like the citizens in Tampa Bay can say, you know, let's go to the ball game today, because they have to drive an hour to get there. The Lightning aren't necessarily having the same issue because the Forum is (appropriately) in Tampa Bay. From what I hear there's plans for a new stadium, so I'll be really interested to see how that turns out.
While I see hope for the Rays in terms of attendance, I'm really skeptical about the Marlins. It's not like they're moving closer to home in (I think 2012), they're just upgrading in roughly the same place. I can't imagine they get more people than they do now consistently. Perhaps Oklahoma City or Portland will be getting a 2nd team sometime in the near future...
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 27, 2010 20:17:50 GMT -5
True, though aren't the Lightning in St. Petersburg (they play in the St. Pete Times Arena) as well? They don't draw amazing numbers, but I am pretty sure they do relatively well NHL wise.
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Post by MxT13 on Dec 27, 2010 22:06:00 GMT -5
No, they're in Tampa. I know, it's really ironic that the Lightning play in the St. Pete Times Forum but the Rays are the one's playing in St. Petersburg. In case you were interested: tampaplanet.com/Lightning+Attendance+Up
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 27, 2010 22:11:56 GMT -5
Wow, that's weird. Just to put it in perspective, the Isles arena has a capacity of 16,297. If Tampa is selling those 16,000 tickets/game average that's pretty good. I just have a hard time believing the Rays will ever be a sustainable MLB franchise as currently situated. They have a new stadium, they were winning (only a year removed from the WS), and had a relatively low payroll filled with exciting young players. And they couldn't make enough money to retain their talent. Even the Nationals are able to offer up big money (albeit stupidly, but that's for another debate).
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Post by BlackOps on Dec 28, 2010 7:56:05 GMT -5
Tropicana Field is in St. Petersburg. The problem is twofold: it's difficult to get to the stadium and the stadium itself sucks. A few years ago I saw a sketch of the new proposed stadium and it looked awesome.
Another issue with the Tampa is that there are a lot of fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox there and those people still haven't been won over because it took over 10 years for them to do anything.
I like the Rays. I hope they stay. The farm system is still loaded, so a few years from now they'll probably be back into the 85 win range, but that'll never be enough to take the division with the amount of money the Sox and Yanks spend.
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 28, 2010 9:58:20 GMT -5
Another issue with the Tampa is that there are a lot of fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox there and those people still haven't been won over because it took over 10 years for them to do anything. That's an excellent point I completely forgot. Most people in the Tampa (and most parts of Florida) are people from the Northeast who moved their there to escape the cold.
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Post by BlackOps on Dec 28, 2010 21:26:02 GMT -5
Another issue with the Tampa is that there are a lot of fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox there and those people still haven't been won over because it took over 10 years for them to do anything. That's an excellent point I completely forgot. Most people in the Tampa (and most parts of Florida) are people from the Northeast who moved their to escape the cold. That and the area has been home to multiple teams during spring training for decades. It's really sad seeing the crowd as a 50-50 split between Yankees and Rays fans. Also, I cannot restate how crappy the ballpark is. It's a little interesting being inside for a ballgame, but when I went there the lack of features made it a dull and depressing place. It just isn't what baseball is supposed to be.
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 29, 2010 10:01:02 GMT -5
That's an excellent point I completely forgot. Most people in the Tampa (and most parts of Florida) are people from the Northeast who moved their to escape the cold. That and the area has been home to multiple teams during spring training for decades. It's really sad seeing the crowd as a 50-50 split between Yankees and Rays fans. Also, I cannot restate how crappy the ballpark is. It's a little interesting being inside for a ballgame, but when I went there the lack of features made it a dull and depressing place. It just isn't what baseball is supposed to be. To be fair, before last year, Shea and Yankee Stadium didn't really have any features and attendance when the teams were winning was never a problem.
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Post by BlackOps on Dec 29, 2010 11:34:59 GMT -5
True but at least those stadiums had grass and air and good smells and no cowbells. Those things make it feel like a high school football game. It isn't baseball. It isn't the game that attracts people, it doesn't have that feel of "love" for the game.
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Post by Nyi28nhl on Dec 29, 2010 11:37:48 GMT -5
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Post by BlackOps on Dec 29, 2010 11:41:53 GMT -5
Oh that's just awful. Hockey games I get, basketball too. Baseball.. just not what I want.
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Post by MxT13 on Dec 29, 2010 17:10:10 GMT -5
Just throwing it out there...I love indoor baseball. Aside from there only being one exit for everybody to roll out of the Trop, I had a good experience. It may have been because it was 2008, it was their first sellout weekend and it was against the Saux, but I liked it nonetheless.
Two seasons ago I went to Toronto to see two games of the Phillies series; the first day the roof was open, the second day it was closed. The first day was the game Jayson Werth put it into the 4th deck, J.A. Happ went the distance, and we got a foul ball after the fan next to us got in the way of John Mayberry, Jr. But I still remember enjoying the comforts of air-conditioning and lack of sun glare which made the 2nd game that much better to watch. I don't know, just personal preference.
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