Reader Rebukes Stadium-less Tampa Idea

Interesting rebuttal in today's Trib Letters to the Editor to last week's idea that the City of Tampa forget about a stadium and focus on other unique features, like sculptures:

The “city of sculptures”? And forget about baseball? Outdated thinking for downtown development? Really?

I’m having a hard time imagining Tampa’s civic pride swelling significantly over some newly acquired sculptures - as we wave goodbye to the Rays leaving for another city! If we want to be a “major league city” and be perceived as elite, does anyone really believe that the branding platform to get us there should be focused on sculptures?

Perhaps Hall should more closely study the experiences of Denver, St. Louis, Cleveland and some other major league cities. I simply can’t think of a reason why a new stadium wouldn’t serve to continue the revitalization of what has been a long-time sleepy downtown. And a new downtown stadium would tie in nicely to promotion of the Riverwalk.

Let’s leave the sculptures in the capable hands of museum curators — and we do have great museums to visit in the area. I, for one, would prefer to live and work in a major league city. I wonder how many would ride Hall’s envisioned monorail to a minor league game?