"I've talked a lot...to Stu Sternberg, the owner (of the Rays) - who has done a terrific job, by the way - about this subject and he and I are going to have a lot of conversations in the offseason about it. I mean, they have produced a remarkable organaization...The average Major-League club in this year drew 2,436,000 people. And so, for those clubs that are winning whose average is consistently below that, you always have to wonder why and there has to be concern. So, we have some work to do, and as I say, Stu and I have had a lot of conversations and will continue to have."Selig will be asked a LOT about Rays' attendance this fall and it's clear he's not afraid to suggest (ever-so-slightly) that the team could move. It's also clear that while Sternberg isn't eager to talk about the subject to the media or St. Petersburg's mayor, he has been talking to Selig about it behind-the-scenes.
Fortunately, the issue shouldn't occupy too much of our time until after the playoffs...
"I've talked a lot...to Stu Sternberg. . . who has done a terrific job, by the way"
ReplyDeleteIf Stu Sternberg had his way, there'd be a white elephant of a stadium on the St. Pete waterfront, built two years before he declared downtown St. Pete "not viable" for Major League Baseball. He has also apparently negotiated himself into some of the worst television and concessions contracts in professional sports.
"Terrific" is not the word I'd use. He has hired good people, though I'll give him that.