"I told Denis Coderre not to touch my team," Kriseman was jokingly quoted in an otherwise-forgettable article that also dropped the "Devil Rays" name unintentionally.
My favorite passage, attempting to describe the team's problems with the Trop:
Also making it impossible to enjoy a game under the Florida sun: the Florida sun. Clearly the author hasn't spent much time here in the summer.The roof isn't retractable, making it impossible to enjoy a game under the Florida sun.
When you live in a country where the sun is almost blocked all winter and temperature under -20 Celcius is the norm (like this winter), you can live with Florida sun during summer and never complaint about it. Between the two, most of us (up north) will play baseball under the Florida sun instead of within a stadium with a roof.
ReplyDeleteNot the first time Coderre is meeting Kriseman, and it will not be the last time too. Of course, we want the Expos back ASAP and play against the Rays under the Florida sun. But we are looking for a team that need love, cheers and vibes. It could be the A's, the Rays or a new franchise, we don't care. We just want to have a team in a league where all teams are profitable with acceptable crowds in appropriated stadium. That's all.
Hope the Rays will get their stadium problem resolved in the nest 2-3 years with plenty of fans in the stands this year, next year and the years to come. Otherwise, we will be there, with a new stadium and fans from all over the province and the northern US states.
Can't wait to attend the Reds VS Jays game in the Big O in few weeks. And stay tune, "The Perfect Storm", documentary by Sean Menard on the 1994 Expos team will be aired on TSN and RDS few days before the exhibition games. And more to come with Montreal Baseball Project, the Chamber of Commerce and private investors in Montreal!
When you live in a humid blast furnace all summer where +100F is the norm (in the summer, when baseball is played), you can't live with the Florida sun and you will complain about it.
DeleteTrust me, I have lived in Florida all of my life, no one will attend games without some sort of relief from the sun. Be that in a dome, a stadium with a retractable roof, or even the "sail" design the Rays floated awhile back.
The author of the article clearly doesn't know much about the situation, given the fact that they referenced the Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't see what's so wrong about calling out the Trop's roof. Don't we want a new open air ballpark? Not another dome that's now in a better location. Also, the Florida sun doesn't seem to be a problem for Grapefruit and Minor league teams.
Nobody close to the situation wants an open-aired stadium. Too hot and muggy in Florida between May and September.
DeleteRetractable is ideal, but given the cost, a more attractive/translucent fixed roof seems a distinct possibility.
The Florida sun isn't as much as a problem in March. A little sunblock and a hat and you are set.
DeleteAs for the minor league teams, most only average about 1,500 a game... Not that great, really. And these are people who just want to watch baseball - getting the casual fan to come out is a different story.
Legit question, is the Florida sun hotter in July than Texas or Atlanta?
DeleteI know when I went to the Trop last August, after spending the previous day outside at Universal, that I was glad it was indoors. That being said, I don't think I would enjoy indoor baseball all the time.
The big issue is that a retractable roof is going to literally explode the costs, for an area where nobody is willing to pony up the money in the first place. On the other hand, do they even build domes/fixed roof stadiums anymore? Although long buried, the sail roof idea did seem interesting.
Haven't been to either, so can't speak to which is hotter. But it's not just the sun, it's the humidity.
DeleteI am a big fan of the sail design. I hope that the Rays' front office keeps the design. Not retractable, but you get the sun with the protection. Honestly, the Marlins don't open their roof that much.
The difference, Matt, is the huge amount of afternoon/evening rain Florida gets in the summer. Humidity is awful.
DeleteThe Florida State League (High-A) is some of the best minor-league baseball out there, but they can't draw fans because of the summer weather.
In 2014, the Astros opened their roof during the month of August for the first time in a decade, so there's hope here. How many open-roof games per year would make the cost worth it to people? 8 games? 12 games? April plus playoffs? The fans might come to more games to support the team, if they were motivated by the prospect of open-roof games in October. Maybe the same money should be spent to build the new stadium on stilts to deal with c.c. (I use c.c. because this is Florida, where the donor-puppetmasters prevent even academics from discussing c.c. The first rule of c.c. is that no one talks about c.c.).
ReplyDeleteInteresting to think that Seattle's Safeco Field only has their roof on for an average of 19 games a year, slightly less than a quarter of the time. Obviously an entirely different climate, but basically the exact opposite of parks in Houston or Miami.
DeletePersonally I take in about 2-4 games a year at Toronto's Skydome (Just can't call it the Rogers Centre) and while I like the option of a game never being cancelled, games with the Dome closed just aren't the same. However, even with the Dome open, I'd rather drive the 4 hours to get to Pittsburgh and be in PNC Park, one of the best, bar none. The folks in Pittsburgh take great pride in their field's notoriety. It'd be great for the fans in TB to have a similar feeling, but hey, I'm just a tourist, and aside from from bed tax, it's not my money.
When I go to watch baseball, football, I want to be about to see outside. I think if they refurbished the Trop by installing a more translucent roof, and natural lighting throughout, more fans would come to the games.
ReplyDelete