Rays revisit Al Lang Stadium as alternative to Tropicana Field

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.fox13news.com/sports/rays/rays-revisit-al-lang-stadium-as-alternative-to-tropicana-field

Rays revisit Al Lang Stadium as alternative to Tropicana Field

T. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - An idea the Rays have floated for their proposed poly amorous relationship with Tampa Bay is a new ball park at Al Lang Stadium on St. Pete's waterfront.

"That's absolutely a possibility," said Stu Sternberg, principal owner of the team, when he was asked during a news conference Tuesday.

The Rays recently bought the Rowdies Soccer Team, and they have a contract with the city of St. Petersburg to play soccer at Al Lang through November 2020.

If the Rays also play baseball at Al Lang, it could be leveraged for renewing a contract with the city.

Joe Zeoli, St. Pete's director of development says the Rays could play baseball at Al Lang, but that would require St. Pete to let the Rays out of their contract at Tropicana Field which expires in 2027.

If the idea sounds familiar -- in 2008 the Rays proposed a new stadium at Al Lang but that failed.

Sternberg has said, whether St. Pete or Tampa, having a team to themselves won't work.

"All for their own won't be an option going forward," Sternberg said. "Just not going to be an option going forward."

Mayor Rick Kriseman has made it clear if the team wants a three-way relationship with the region -- they'll get no public money from St. Pete.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/06/26/new-st-petersburg-ballpark-could-factor-into-rays-tampa-bay-montreal-plan/

New St. Petersburg Ballpark Could Factor into Rays Tampa Bay/Montreal Plan

The Al Lang Stadium site could be in play for a new ballpark as the Tampa Bay Rays explore a split Tampa Bay/Montreal arrangement, though it is far from certain at this stage.

It was revealed last week that Major League Baseball is allowing the Rays to explore a concept that would allow the franchise to split its seasons between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Plenty of obstacles would have to be overcome to make the idea a reality, but the plan could include new open-air ballparks in both markets. The open-air designs would result in lower construction costs, while allowing the Rays to plan their schedule around optimal weather conditions–spring and early summer games could be played in the Tampa Bay region, with summer and early fall games in Montreal.

The Rays publicly discussed the situation on Tuesday, noting that their goal is to start any potential split-season arrangement in 2024. As for ballpark plans, the team is floating the idea of maintaining its Tampa Bay-based operations in St. Petersburg at a new open-air facility. The waterfront Al Lang Stadium, the team’s former spring-training home and a location once proposed for a Tropicana Field replacement, is among the sites that the organization would consider. For his part, St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman is expressing a willingness to discuss the idea, but with the caveat that any new ballpark constructed as part of a split-season arrangement be built without any city funds. More from the Tampa Bay Times:

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/fans-media-politicians-agree-rays-struck-out

Fans, Media, Politicians Agree: Rays Struck Out

The few remaining wisps of goodwill remaining between Tampa Bay and its Major League Baseball franchise evaporated this week when team owner Stu Sternberg floated a fantasy of having his Rays split its home games with the City of Montreal.

Reaction was swift and negative with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, calling the hare-brained scheme “nonsensical” and a possible violation of the team’s agreement with the City of St. Petersburg. The attendance-challenged Rays currently schedule all 81 home games at St. Pete’s Tropicana Field.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s airing of such a preposterous proposal is viewed both locally and nationally as baseball’s last swing in coercing Tampa Bay taxpayers to foot the bill for a new stadium that would benefit billionaire Sternberg.

The plan -- if it can even be termed as such -- calls for playing early-season games in Florida. That supposedly would preclude the need for a domed stadium, a must in the dead of summer. But it rains in Florida and a stadium with no roof cannot be multi-use, previously the major selling point of a taxpayer-supported stadium by influence-peddling public officials.

MLB’s players’ association would have plenty to say about its membership forced to purchase/rent living space in two separate cities. And where would playoff games be played?  Not in Tampa if one subscribes to the weather argument.

Kriseman asserted unequivocally that “ultimately, such a decision is up to me and I have no intention of bringing this latest idea to our city council to consider. In fact, I believe this is getting a bit silly.”

The Rays cannot explore playing any Major League Baseball games in Montreal or anywhere else prior to 2028, without reaching a formal memorandum of understanding with the City of St. Petersburg.

Reaction to Sternberg’s polyandric panacea for low attendance was fast and furious. David Hill of FanSided called a Rays permanent relocation “inevitable.”

“Baseball simply is not working in the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg area,” Hill wrote. “Yes, the ratings are nice, but the Rays cannot survive on just television ratings alone. People need to come to the stadium and buy merchandise as well.”

USA Today opined that Sternberg’s announcement represented "a very, very bad day for baseball enthusiasts in Tampa and St. Petersburg, as their fears of regular-season, big-league baseball vanishing from their market moved from the abstract toward reality.”

Dan Schlossberg wrote in Forbes that the sharing arrangement would actually pit Tampa Bay and Montreal against each other.

“Since both Montreal and Tampa Bay need new ballparks to be competitive, the two-city concept almost sounds like a scenario for “Beat the Clock,” according to Scholssberg. Whoever builds first wins. Or so it seems, despite claims from Manfred and Sternberg that this is not an automatic mandate for relocation.”

In a Washington Examiner opinion piece entitled “Don’t let the Tampa Bay Rays screw taxpayers in two cities,” Tom Joyce wrote, “As if the benefit of taxpayer-funded stadiums had not been debunked by multiple studies and articles, this one is worse than usual.

“Economically, it’s hard to justify spending big money in either of the Rays’ proposed markets, since there isn’t much of a baseball market in either Tampa or Montreal. While the Rays’ average attendance this year is bad, it’s still higher than anything the Montreal Expos got in their final four seasons as a franchise,” Joyce wrote.

Somehow Montreal, though unable to support the Expos, always has its name in the mix of cities ripe for major league baseball and willing to fund, at least partially, new stadiums. The other names: Portland, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Nashville.

Despite leading the wild card race in the American League, the Rays sport an average attendance of 14,546 -- second lowest in the Majors, ahead of only the Miami Marlins. Last month the Rays drew a franchise-worst 5,786 fans. The previous low was 6,509 on Sept. 5, 2017 when a hurricane was forecast.

The Rays’ opening day payroll of around $65 million was among the lowest in baseball, according to ESPN.  Among the difficulty in securing a new stadium, a paucity of local revenue and a poor local-television deal, the Rays have been seen by other cities as a relocation target.

It's really a shame that the Rays will eventually leave the Tampa Bay area, but it can't come as a surprise. The TB/Montreal half & half proposal is idiotic, but it won't make any difference come 2027 or earlier. The current ownership group won't carry the weight of a fair percentage of the cost of a new stadium so kiss 'em goodbye!

I went to a baseball stadium once, to attend a concert. I thought they could have designed the stadium better for the music fans.

That's it for me. A dozen years of Sternberg's BS and his continuous billion-dollar extortion attempt is enough. I'm out! No games. No more TV, either! Au revoir, Stuie! Ne laissez pas la port vous frapper en sortant!

I’m reasonably fluent in French. It seems you omitted an important noun.

Take a team that can't draw flies, mix in a couple of Buffoons like Bob Buckhorn and little Ricky Kriseman and say bye bye to your baseball team.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2019/06/montreal-group-supports-idea-of-sharing-rays-with-tampa-bay.html

Montreal group supports idea of sharing Rays with Tampa Bay

Private equity mogul Stephen Bronfman speaks to the media about the prospect of Major League Baseball returning to Montreal Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Montreal. Bronfman, whose father Charles was the original owner of the Expos, is part of a group spearheading effort to return baseball to Montreal. At left is and Pierre Boivin. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)

MONTREAL — The son of former Montreal Expos owner Charles Bronfman believes the predominantly French-speaking city is ready and willing to support — and share — the Tampa Bay Rays.

Private equity investor Stephen Bronfman leads a group working on bringing baseball back to Montreal and said Wednesday the city can embrace the sport again. He called the idea of one team in two cities groundbreaking.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week the Rays have "broad permission to explore what's available." Tampa Bay is averaging 14,546 fans a game, lowest in the American League and well below the MLB average of 27,360. Only the Miami Marlins draw smaller crowds, averaging 9,378.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/299919-rays-spotlight-municipal-election

Tampa Bay Rays spotlight otherwise quiet St. Pete municipal election

St. Pete’s upcoming elections could determine the fate of baseball in the region.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.fox13news.com/sports/rays/rays-fans-rally-to-keep-team-in-the-tampa-bay-area

Rays fans rally to keep team in the Tampa Bay area

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/sports/rays-stadium-montreal-sternberg

Tampa Bay must share Rays with Montreal, owner insists

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/sports/20190627/montreal-willing-to-share-rays

Montreal willing to share Rays

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/06/25/kriseman-to-rays-we-need-a-good-working-relationship/

Kriseman to Rays: We need a ‘good working relationship.’

St. Petersburg’s mayor reiterated his opposition to using taxpayer dollars to help build a ballpark for a part-time baseball team.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.morningjournalnews.com/sports/local-sports/2019/06/sports-briefing-461/

SPORTS BRIEFING

Rays owner looks at Montreal

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The principal owner of the Rays says it’s unrealistic for his team to play full time in the Tampa Bay area, and a shared season with Montreal is the best option.

“I don’t see it happening in St. Petersburg and would be hard-pressed to see it working in Tampa from what I know,” Stu Sternberg said at a news conference Tuesday. “This is not a staged exit. This is about Tampa Bay keeping its hometown team and Montreal having one, too. I believe strongly in the sister-city concept. We’re asking for open minds.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week the Rays have “broad permission to explore what’s available.” Tampa Bay is averaging 14,546 fans a game, lowest in the American League and well below the MLB average of 27,360. Only the Miami Marlins draw worse at 9,378.

“We are at or near the bottom in every economic category in Major League Baseball,” Sternberg said in his remarks at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

An agreement between the Rays and St. Petersburg for Tropicana Field runs through 2027. St. Petersburg’s mayor has shot down the two-city possibility.

“The City of St. Petersburg will not participate in the funding of a new stadium for a part-time team,” Mayor Rick Kriseman said.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/06/26/the-rays-could-return-to-al-lang-stadium-its-owner-says-heres-a-look-at-its-72-year-history-in-st-pete/

The Rays could return to Al Lang Stadium, its owner says. Here's a look at its 72-year history in St. Pete.

St. Petersburg used to be one of baseball's biggest spring training cities. It may now get a team back for the first time since 2008.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/norwich-city-loan-watch-richards-named-in-team-of-the-week-1-6127747

Norwich City loan watch: Richards named in Team of the Week as Rowdies lead the way