Tampa Mayor Jane Castor calls for a fresh start on Rays stadium talks

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https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/10/08/tampa-mayor-jane-castor-calls-for-a-fresh-start-on-rays-stadium-talks/

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor calls for a fresh start on Rays stadium talks

Castor attended Tuesday’s Rays-Astros Game 4 at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is seen on the field just prior the Rays taking on the Houston Astros for Game 4 of the American League Division Series Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 in St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG – A crowd of 32,251 filled Tropicana Field when the Rays revived their playoff hopes Monday. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor joined the crowd on Tuesday, and is looking to revive talks of a...

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https://floridapolitics.com/archives/307683-joe-henderson-rays-can-extend-hillsborough-stadium-talks-into-extra-innings

Joe Henderson: Rays can extend Hillsborough stadium talks into extra innings

So, you thought there was no chance the Rays will move to Tampa? Never say never

Remember the reaction around the Tampa Bay area when the plan to build a baseball stadium in Ybor City collapsed? That was the old ballgame, many people said. There went the last chance to keep the Tampa Bay Rays from moving far, far away.

Or as they say in Montreal, adieu. Few people paid much attention to a statement from Rays President Brian Auld, though. Maybe more should have.

“Working for (owner) Stu Sternberg for the last decade you learn you never say never,” Auld said.

And sure enough, that which once was dead may now live again. The Tampa Bay Times reported that St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said it’s OK for the Rays to speak with Hillsborough County officials again about a stadium deal.

In my opinion, it is the only chance to keep the Rays in the area. And it’s tantamount to a concession by St. Petersburg that the team will not stay in that city after its lease expires in 2027.

Sure, fans will turn out in large numbers for special events such as Monday’s playoff with Houston at Tropicana Field. The Rays opened upper-deck seating to accommodate fans who wanted to come out at 1 p.m. on a workday.

We all know that’s not the norm, though, and everyone should know why. It’s simple geography. The Trop is located at the extreme western end of this sprawling market and traffic to get there can be beastly. Most fans pick and choose a few games to attend and watch the rest on television.

Put a new stadium in a central location — somewhere near downtown Tampa — and I think it’s a different story. There were would increased corporate support, especially as Tampa continues to grow. A team in this market can be financially successful.

That’s the good news.

Here’s the other side, though.

Coming up with a financing package to meet Sternberg’s requirement remains a mountain-sized hurdle. If it comes together at all, it will be complex and in multiple pieces — not the least of which must be a significant buy-in from the Rays. Any proposal will face scrutiny and opposition.

On the “He Said, She Said” podcast last week, former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told co-hosts Peter Schorsch and Michelle Todd Schorsch he is skeptical a deal can be struck.

“I just don’t see it happening here,” Buckhorn said. “I think Tampa is sort of out of the equation for now.”

To be fair, that was before the news broke about this latest twist in the plot. But if Tampa is out of the equation after this development, then the Rays are out of the market — period. A stadium in Hillsborough is the only way to keep them here.

Sternberg has the leverage, too. It’s not the cockamamie split-season plan with Montreal he floated a few months ago. It’s the idea of the Rays moving to Montreal for good — assuming he can get a stadium there.

So, here we go again.

Keep this in mind as the stadium saga drags on, though.

Baseball is a timeless game, and so are stadium negotiations — maybe even more so.

These things are always drawn out, complicated, and emotional. They often look lost. But cities — or in this case, regions — almost always figure out a way to keep their team. Only one baseball franchise has moved since 1972.

It was Montreal when the Expos became the Washington Nationals.

Earlier this year, Sternberg appeared to dash any hope of Tampa Bay keeping the Rays solely to itself in the future.

Now, maybe not.

It’s like Auld said: Never say never.

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https://www.wfla.com/daytime/100-things-to-do-in-tampa-before-you-die/

100 Things to do in Tampa Before You Die

Kristen Hare is here with her book “100 Things to do in Tampa Before You Die.” Tampa Bay offers an array of interesting places to visit and explore, including beautiful beaches, aquariums, theme parks, breweries, art museums, parks, and restaurants. But whether you’re a local or a tourist, there are plenty of spots you might be missing. Why not step into the dark night in Ybor City to discover the streets and spaces where stories of early immigrants unfold on a walking ghost tour? Or watch the 1940s sponge diving video and then soak up the Greek culture and kooky kitsch at Spongeorama in Tarpon Springs. Climb through the great above ground root forest at Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City. Or wait for the first weekend of each month and dig through the treasures at Brocante Vintage Market in St. Pete. In this second edition of 100 Things to Do in Tampa Bay Before You Die, you’ll find one hundred ideas to help you get to know Tampa Bay, or get to know it even better.

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https://www.tristatehomepage.com/hidden-history/hispanic-heritage-month/historic-ybor-city-walking-tours-take-you-back-in-time/

Historic Ybor City walking tours take you back in time

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – You can see it in the architecture, taste it in Cuban sandwiches, and smell it in the cigars in the air.  Historic Ybor City in Tampa is a culture rich in Cuban history.

“He wants to build what is a lasting legacy, something that will carry his name,” said Steven Stamberger as he walked past the old Centro Espanol.

Stamberger is not only a great storyteller, he’s a guide with Historic Walking Tours of Ybor, who helps to carry on the legacy of the city’s Cuban heritage through his tours. “We’re going to take you back in time. We’re going to take you to the casitas, the factory houses that Mr. Ybor will build and provide for all of the people who come to work here, and to live here. You’ll learn what life was like back then. It was a little harsh by today’s standards,” said Stamberger at the start of the walking tour.

The tour starts at the statue of Mr. Vicente Martinez Ybor, the founder of Ybor City, and creator of the legacy of the Cigar City. The 90-minute tour takes you back to the late 1800s. From the very first social club, Centro Español, to the Cuban Club, the tour gives a glimpse of how social clubs were the heart and soul of the community. “You’re entire personal life will be spent in your respective social club,” said Stamberger.

These days, many of the clubs have been turned into restaurants and other businesses. Walking through Ybor City you’ll see many pieces of history, even that no longer in operation. The tour also includes historic cigar factories, the State Museum, and a spot known to many Cubans as holy ground.

Jose Marti Park is the only plot of land in the United States owned by Cuba. “So it’s actually Cuban soil in each one of these round gardens,” Stamberger said as he pointed out the round gardens surrounding a statue of Jose Marti.

Marti is known as a Spanish Aristocrat who gave his famous speech from Ybor City, calling for the liberation of Cuba. “You’ll often see families that will purposely travel to Ybor City from all over the country to visit this park because this is holy ground,” said Stamberger.

The tour offers a living history, waiting for people to explore. “We may not be Cuban, we may not be Spanish, but we all have a link to what went on here,” Stamberger said.

The tour costs $20 for adults, $10 for Children 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. For more information click here.

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https://www.insider.com/best-cities-in-the-us-for-foodies-2019-10#2-new-york-new-york-24

The 25 best US cities for foodies

13. Tampa, Florida

Tampa's Ybor City district has restaurants and shops. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The city of Tampa is another foodie spot that's not to be overlooked. Its Ybor City neighborhood is one of the city's most historic areas and it's filled with iconic restaurants. Tampa earned the No. 13 spot out of 182 for having food diversity, accessibility, and quality.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/deiwbu/usl_power_ratings_oct_7_2019_oc/

USL power ratings: Oct. 7, 2019 [OC]

Even with a rough outing Friday night, Tampa remains the strongest team in the East. Unfortunately, the result in Virginia definitely takes a top-three finish out of their hands. Can still happen (No. 1 is still theoretically possible, even), but quite a bit of help is needed.

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https://clubcountryusa.com/2019/10/07/usl-power-ratings-oct-7-2019/

USL power ratings: Oct. 7, 2019

Welcome to the USL power ratings! Don’t forget to follow the site on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for all the content on USL, US Soccer, and Nashville SC.

Table Power

This rating method combines points per game with the quality of opposition played (also measured in points per game). It’s blind to home/away splits as well as scoring margin. The goal is to project a final table based on the games already played.

USL East power ratings:

Pittsburgh Riverhounds – 65.14 projected points
Nashville SC (+2) – 62.26 points
Indy Eleven (-1) – 61.86 points
New York Red Bulls II (+1) – 60.43 points
Tampa Bay Rowdies (-2) – 60.15 points

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https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2019/10/mls-on-espn-scores-viewership-increase-for-2019-regular-season/

MLS on ESPN Scores Viewership Increase for 2019 Regular Season

ESPN Coverage of Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs Kicks Off Next Weekend – October 19 and 20

ESPN’s English-language television coverage of Major League Soccer scored a two percent increase during the 2019 regular season, according to Nielsen. The 31-match schedule on ESPN and ESPN2 delivered an average audience of 246,000 viewers (P2+), up from 241,000 viewers for 31 matches in 2018.

On ESPN, 25 matches averaged 266,000 viewers, a seven percent gain from 248,000 in 2018 – the most-watched cable network for MLS matches this season. The six telecasts on ESPN2 in 2019 delivered an average audience of 164,000.

ESPN’s top-three MLS telecasts in 2019:

462,000 viewers – Seattle Sounders FC vs. Atlanta United FC, ESPN (Sun, July 14)
401,000 viewers – DC United vs. Atlanta United FC, ESPN (Sun, March 3*)
368,000 viewers – LAFC vs. Sporting Kansas City, ESPN (Sun, March 3*)
* 2019 season-opening doubleheader on ESPN

The top-10 markets for ESPN’s Major League Soccer telecasts through Friday, Oct. 4: Portland (0.8), Atlanta (0.5) Seattle-Tacoma (0.4), Cincinnati (0.4), Kansas City (0.4), West Palm Beach (0.3), Las Vegas (0.3), Richmond (0.3), St. Louis (0.3) and Austin (0.3).

Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs on ESPN

ESPN’s coverage of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs will begin Saturday, Oct. 19, with Real Salt Lake vs. 2018 MLS Cup finalist Portland Timbers at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes. Also this weekend, Minnesota United FC hosts Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. This postseason, MLS is debuting a new single-elimination playoff match format that will conclude Sunday, Nov. 10, with the 2019 MLS Cup on ABC.

Date Time (ET) Event Networks
Sat, Oct 19 10 p.m. Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers ESPNEWS / ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 20 8:30 p.m. Minnesota United FC vs. LA Galaxy ESPN / ESPN Deportes
Thu, Oct 24 7:30 p.m. Conference Semifinals ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes
  10:30 p.m. Conference Semifinals ESPN / ESPN Deportes
Tue, Oct 29 TBD Western Conference Final ESPN / ESPN Deportes
Sun, Nov 10 3 p.m. MLS Cup ABC
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