Countdown is on for Nashville SC's inaugural USL season

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2017/07/03/countdown-nashville-scs-inaugural-usl-season-2018/432709001/

Countdown is on for Nashville SC's inaugural USL season

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2017/07/03/sports-business-reporter-takes-in-his-first-soccer.html

Sports business reporter takes in his first soccer game

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/07/03/fc-cincinnati-chicago-fire-drew-hundreds-of.html

FC Cincinnati-Chicago Fire drew hundreds of thousands of viewers on ESPN

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/food/dining/st-pete-restaurant-staple-z-grille-is-closed-for-good/2329209

St. Pete restaurant staple Z Grille is closed for good

ST. PETERSBURG — Zack Gross has joked about closing before, as part of his ongoing April Fool's pranks. But Sunday afternoon, it was for real. Z Grille, one of downtown St. Petersburg's earliest and most long-standing ambitious independent restaurants, has closed.

He didn't want fanfare, he didn't want a throng of diners coming to pay their respects. Nonetheless, ex-employees found their way to the bottom floor of Signature Place on Saturday and Sunday, as did a who's who of Tampa Bay chefs and restaurant folks. David Benstock of Il Ritorno, Greg and Michelle Baker of the Refinery and Fodder & Shine, Brad Dixon of Bern's Steak House, Jason Ruhe of Brick and Mortar, Chris Fernandez of the Red Mesa group — they all came to clink glasses with Gross and his wife-partner Jennifer, and maybe grab a last plate of Dr. Pepper ribs or deviled eggs.

Z Grille's space at Second Street and First Avenue South has been for sale since September, without a buyer emerging for either the Z Grille concept or the space. Even in the face of financial uncertainty (the Grosses have a lease until 2029), they have decided to call it quits, putting their house on the market with the intention of relocating to Upland, Calif., near Los Angeles.

"We decided we couldn't make it work any longer under the current circumstances. We could have stayed open and struggled more. I'm burned out," Gross said. "My relationships are more important than that place."

So, what happened? While new big-ticket projects like Doc Ford's at St. Petersburg's Pier are being discussed and Mayor Rick Kriseman speaks of studies showing room for more growth in the dining sector, one of downtown's iconic restaurants couldn't make it. The reasons are complicated.

Some may be location: Gross, who was a James Beard semifinalist in 2009, points to two nearby closed restaurants, Station House and the Rowdies Den (which will reopen soon as Ford's Garage), as impediments to foot traffic. Then add in residual scaffolding at Signature Place from improperly installed stucco, and Gross suspects would-be diners didn't know his restaurant was open. It's not Beach Drive, it's not the booming Central Avenue corridor in the EDGE District or Grand Central. Maybe Z Grille was in no man's land.

Gross thinks what really doomed Z Grille was saturation.

"It's true. I'm doing way less money than I was doing before. You've got 20 different options now. There's another 300-seat restaurant going in at the new (Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement), and the Hyatt Place will have restaurants, too," Gross said.

Then, in his characteristic blunt style, he added: "There's a ton of mediocre things going in and a tremendous amount of money had by people with no real skills. It's like I'm the f---ing (Tampa Bay) Rays. I can't compete with these people."

Still, in the world of restaurants, Z Grille has had a long run. It opened in its original Central Avenue location in 2005. Gross relocated to Signature Place in 2008, and took a more upscale approach. It wasn't quite fine dining, but it wasn't a casual stop-in place, either. In 2015, Gross shifted the menu from shock-and-awe, put-an-egg-on-it indulgences to healthier food. The next year, he shifted again, this time to more affordable options.

It has outlived several dozen of the more than 100 restaurants crowding the area between Eighth Street N east to Tampa Bay, and between Second Avenue S and Fourth Avenue N.

Here's a sampling of the defunct: A slew of restaurants at what is now Sundial (Bambu, Grill 121, etc.), Buona Vita, Diner 437, The Garden, Green Chili Indian Bistro, Hammerheads, L'Olivier, Patanegra, Paddy Burkes, St. Pete Brasserie, Yummy Mama, Zapata's. And the future of other enormous projects like Hofbrauhaus St. Petersburg seem wobbly.

On Sunday afternoon, Z Grille joined the list. After selling out of food, the Grosses turned out the lights and put a sign on the door: "On vacation."

(Follow link for full article.)

http://sport360.com/article/football/239399/fox-deal-could-well-be-catastrophic-for-us-soccer-federation/

Fox TV deal could well be catastrophic for US Soccer Federation

Sport360's Steve Brenner believes the 2026 WC TV rights does US Soccer and their president Sunil Gulati no favours in maximising revenues.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://saintpetersblog.com/z-grilles-closing/

On Z Grille’s closing

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/07/03/twim-forty-nine-mls-players-shine-concacaf-gold-cup-rosters

TWIM: Forty-nine MLS players to shine on CONCACAF Gold Cup rosters

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.cltampa.com/food-drink/food-features/article/20866325/food-network-guy-fieri-buya-saint-petersburg

BREAKING: Food celebrity possibly captured in Bigfoot-esque downtown St. Pete photo

Could this spiky-haired enigma be Guy Fieri on his way to Buya?

Not an hour ago, we at CL were texted a candid, far-away photo of what appears to be Food Network show host, restauranteur, Donkey Sauce creator, refrigerator racing stripe enthusiast and insanely polarizing pop-cultural figure Guy Fieri getting out of his trademark red Mustang Camaro on downtown St. Pete's Central Avenue.

Is it him?

It sure looks like him. AND, super-hip EDGE District ramen-and-Japanese-whisky destination Buya announced via its Facebook page that the restaurant would be closed for lunch today — and Sunday! — "due to a private event."

Related? Almost certainly. What's going on?

We'd hate to speculate, but could the visored upscale-greasy-spoon aficionado be in town to film a little more coverage of the Bay area's burgeoning food scene?

Maybe he just likes ramen.

And hell, maybe it's not even him.

(It's totally him. Didn't you see the license plate?)

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/StPetersburgFL/comments/6kacm8/guy_fieri_spotted_in_downtown_st_pete_filming_at/

Guy Fieri spotted in downtown St Pete, filming at Buya Ramen (cltampa.com)

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2017/06/27/tampa-ranks-higher-than-la-new-york-and-san.html

Tampa ranks higher than LA, New York and San Francisco for art buying, report shows

Jun 27, 2017, 6:55am EDT

Tampa is the fourth biggest art buying city in the United States, according to a new report from marketplace Artfinder.

Artfinder examined art buying habits across the country and found that 789 artworks were bought per million Tampa area inhabitants in 2016, more than buyers in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco, according to a release.

Tallahassee is ranked the top city, with 1,303 artworks bought.

“We are now seeing a new generation and a new kind of art buyer emerging, our audience are typically younger than those who buy from galleries, and they don’t necessarily classify themselves as ‘collectors’ – they’re not buying for investment, they’re buying because they want something handmade by a real person on their wall, something no-one else has got,” said Jonas Almgren, Artfinder’s CEO, in the release.

Locally, St. Petersburg's reputation as an arts destination is growing, as the number of museums increases. Tom James, chairman emeritus of Raymond James Financial Inc., and his wife, Mary, plan to open a museum later this year in downtown St. Pete. The couple have personally invested more than $50 million in the Tom & Mary James Museum of Western + Wildlife Art.

Artfinder discovered regional differences in the art that customers are buying — people in big cities prefer abstract, non-figurative works; those outside of cities prefer animals, flowers and plants and landscapes, sea and sky. Artfinder sells original art from 10,000 artists in 113 countries, according to the release.

See below for a breakdown of the results.

Top 10 U.S. cities (on customers per 1 million inhabitants):

    Tallahassee (1,303)
    New Haven, Connecticut (953)
    Anaheim, California (842)
    Tampa (789)
    Raleigh, North Carolina (770)
    San Francisco (726)
    Miami (620)
    Austin, Texas (592)
    Santa Monica, California (578)
    Boston (572)

(Follow link for full article.)

http://stpeterising.com/home/2017/6/25/lolitas-wine-market-now-pouring-in-downtown-st-pete

Lolita’s Wine Market Now Pouring in Downtown St. Pete

June 27, 2017

Last year, when husband and wife Alex and Kelly Rodriguez adopted Lola, a Golden Retriever/Louisiana Catahoula Hound mix from Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida (GRRMF), they had no idea it would drive them and friend CF Hawkins to open a wine bar.  You see, Lola is sassy and has a penchant for trouble.  “When Lola is bad, we call her ‘Lolita’ and when she is bad, she causes us to drink. So, in order to afford to drink good wine, we had to open a wine market.  So here’s to Lola!” says Kelly with a grin.

Lolita’s Wine Market quietly launched last week at 16 18th Street South in the Grand Central District of St. Pete.  The space is a cozy 974 square feet — just enough room for around 25-30 people.  And the vibe is comfortable and laid-back.  “We want people to feel like they are coming to somebody’s house, not necessarily to a restaurant that they have to get dressed up for.  We like to describe it as a wine shop meets coffee shop concept,” says Kelly. 

Lolita’s specializes in wines from all over the globe, not just American or regional wines.  The focus will be on boutique wines and interesting blends and varietals.  Kelly, who is developing the wine program, said she wants to take a good-better-best approach by offering a little bit of everything — everyday drinking wines, mid-tier wines and some pinnacle wines.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tbo.com/blogs/media/guy-fieri-in-tampa-buying-fireworks-eating-ramen-in-st-pete-food-network/2329218

Guy Fieri in Tampa buying fireworks? Eating ramen in St. Pete? Food Network star spotted across Tampa Bay

Perhaps you've heard that celebrity chef, Food Network host and hair icon Guy Fieri was all up in St. Petersburg last week.

He was filming Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but apparently his Tampa Bay encounters went beyond the one he had with a steaming bowl of Buya's ramen.

Phantom Fireworks on Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa posted some photos on their Facebook page after Fieri stopped in to buy fireworks there — around $2,000 worth of them, a store manager later estimated.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampa/comments/6l1xkn/guy_fieri_walks_into_a_store_in_tampa_and_buys_2k/

Guy Fieri walks into a store in Tampa and buys $2K worth of fireworks (tbo.com)

(Follow link for full article.)

https://orangeandbluepress.com/2017/07/04/cheat-sheet-fc-cincinnati-tampa-bay-rowdies/

Cheat Sheet: FC Cincinnati at Tampa Bay Rowdies

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.espnfc.us/match?gameId=477750

2017 United Soccer League, USL - REGULAR SEASON

Tampa Bay Rowdies

ESPNU 7/6 

8:00 PM ET

FC Cincinnati

(Follow link for full article.)

https://archpaper.com/2017/07/america-new-sports-stadiums/

America’s biggest and best upcoming sports stadiums

There’s nothing more American than sports, so just in time for America’s birthday, here’s a look at some of the biggest stadium projects in the works—from the world’s most expensive stadium to a celebrity-backed soccer field.

Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles Football Club)

The 22,000-seat and $250 million stadium for the LAFC is now under construction. Designed by Gensler in a “European-style” arrangement with steeply-raked and sweeping seating areas, the open-air stadium is meant to bring viewers in a closer relationship to the field and players.

David Beckham’s Major League Soccer stadium

Soccer star David Beckham is making moves with a Populous-designed, 25-000 seat stadium. What’s catching attention, however, is not the celebrity attachment: it’s that there won’t be parking. Instead, fans are expected to use Metromover, Metrorail, water taxis, ridesharing, and plain-old walking to get to the stadium.

The Portland Timbers’ stadium expansion

Allied Works Architecture (AWA) has unveiled designs for a $50 million expansion to the 91-year-old soccer stadium in Portland, Oregon’s Providence Park, home to the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns soccer teams. The stadium expansion, according to information on the AWA website, is conceptually inspired by William Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and will aim to add roughly 4,000 seats to the existing stadium complex.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/3947414/david-beckham-paris-saint-germain-hall-of-fame/

WHAT THE BECK? David Beckham included into Paris Saint-Germain ‘Hall of Fame’… despite playing just 14 games

(Follow link for full article.)

https://mlsmultiplex.com/2017/07/04/nasl-miami-fc-mls/

NASL: How would Miami FC do in MLS?

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/07/05/how-nashvilles-mls-expansion-bid-could-get-big-boost-gold-cup-match/442468001/

How Nashville's MLS expansion bid could get a big boost with the Gold Cup match