Friday, June 10, 2016

Another Blow to Baseball in Tampa

Last night, Hillsborough Co. commissioners voted again to keep a potential transportation tax referendum off this fall's ballot, not only dealing a blow to the Rays' hopes for better transit in Tampa Bay, but also the hope that residents in Hillsborough County might be willing to spend new money on infrastructure improvements.

Of course, the case to spend money on baseball - at a time the county has a multi-billion-dollar transportation funding shortfall - gets even harder here. But as the Times' Steve Contorno reports, citizens are starting to mock commissioners for their seeming willingness to spend on sports and not roads:
One speaker, Yvette Maldonado, sarcastically suggested that commissioners may discover the will to pave roads if they were named after baseball stadiums.
"Wow," she said, "I think I found the solution folks."
Making things even harder on stadium advocates, the commission ultimately voted to look into whether tax-increment financing (TIF) could be used to earmark property taxes for transportation...which might make hopes of a stadium TIF even harder to accomoplish.

ALSO READ: Hillsborough has no idea how to pay for a stadium
ALSO READ: Land isn't Problem in Stadium Saga; Funding is.






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21 comments:

  1. A. So, no o transport improvements, no financing and no location for Hillsborough ... = no stadium.

    B. No location in Pinellas (and the Trop is a no go) = no stadium

    C. No local business support


    A+B+C= Rays moving to Montreal

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  2. A = transport improvements upcoming
    B = numerous locations being discussed
    C = business's will support
    D = new lucrative tv contract coming
    E = excellent tv market
    F = long term "upside" for Tampa/St. Pete/Orlando and Florida as a whole. (Not a toilet like Montreal)

    A+B+C+D+E+F = No team for the northern toilet (aka Montreal) You can take that to the bank!

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  3. A = transport improvements upcoming: none of which help the Rays.
    B = numerous locations being discussed. Discussing non-available sites is worth shit.
    C = business's will support: They haven't yet
    D = new lucrative tv contract coming . In 2018
    E = excellent tv market. TV don't pay for a stadium
    F = long term "upside" for Tampa/St. Pete/Orlando and Florida as a whole. (Not a toilet like Montreal). Oh really? Like the MLB market in Miami?

    Florida is a MiLB state.. NOT MLB

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  4. Keep calm gentlemen.

    While Montreal is investing $5.5B is phase 1 of REM (light train), phase 2 will be announced later in 2016, more Metro stations on the blue line and an additional $10B-$15B in the Downtown Strategy initiative over the next 15 years (and I forgot to mention $2B-$3B in Dix30), Tampa Bay is trying to figure out how to use/raise taxes to fund the new stadium and improve public transportation to the right site.

    By the end of 2017, Tampa Bay/Rays should be able to determine how MLB will stay in the region and Manfred will probably start internal discussions about expansion in Montreal and Mexico.

    If not, then, we should be able to track airplanes between Montreal and New York to confirm that Bronfman and al. are negotiating with Sternberg to buy the Rays (like Nordiques fans are tracking planes between Raleigh, Oakland County, Quebec city, Montreal and Teterboro for the Canes transfer between Karmanos and QMI).

    Now that the REM project is public and the Downtown Strategy initiative is starting, more details on the new Montreal baseball stadium will be presented by the end of 2016 (near Bridge-Wellington REM station?).

    And like Mayor Coderre said off-the-record in Cooperstown in 2015, all Montreal baseball fans must be ready, he will need us soon!

    Stay Tuned!

    P.S. Spaceman movie about Bill Lee is coming this summer, August 19th 2016, in a theatre near you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Montreal is a toilet. Keep dreamin'. The amazing "fanbase" of Montreal already contributed to losing a team once. There won't be another team for the toilet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure you need to resort to name calling but any way you look at it, Montreal is a much better city overall than Tampon will ever be.

      Delete
    2. Reminder’ed, noted, notarized, filed and collated for copious future use. (Credits to MDN for such excellent quote).

      I suggest that you put all your energy to keep and support the Rays rather than being an expert in toilets and everything related. The Rays deserve it.

      Because every statements like that is counter-productive, it demonstrates the frustration and the fear of the fan base. Assuming your are a proud Rays fan!

      Delete
    3. No fear here. No name calling either. Just referring to the obvious regarding "fans' in Montreal. They blew it once. Their apathy ruled the roost. No team for Montreal, you can take that to the bank!

      Delete
    4. iCal’ed for copious future use. (Credits to MDN for such excellent quote).

      Delete
  6. A - Channelside is near i4, i275, toll roads, sr60, a trolley, and in walking distance for many of the new ballparks attendees.
    B - in the #1 (http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2016/06/07/10-cities-americans-are-moving-to-right-now-and-10-they-are-leaving/#72f82fdd3e91) city people in America are moving to w/ 1000's of new residential & commercial places set to be built around the new ballpark.
    C - Channelside much closer to Central Florida's biggest businesses, including 50 mi. rt closer to Orlando.
    D - The Rays are in America's 11th, 19th, 38th, 47th, and 61th biggest tv market.
    E - Tampa & Orlando are set to involve into a Metroplex.
    E - Many unknown investors set to be involved, well if people like Derek Jeter are "unknown".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From reliable sources, several NY investors wants to invest in a MLB franchise. So I have no doubts that some of them (including Jeter) would love to be involved with the Rays once a site is determined and once the overall funding is also established.

      Otherwise, they for sure, would love to buy the Rays and re-locate it

      And if it's not possible, those investors will have the opportunity to buy a new franchise in Mexico or be part of a consortium under Bronfman and al. direction in Montreal.

      The next 12 months will be very interesting for Tampa Bay, and then, for Montreal and probably a city in Mexico (TBD).

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    2. Neither Montreal or Mexico City will be getting team.

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    3. Well, they wouldn't be able to move the team if MLB won't let'em. Besides, if anything, they all are in the know with the Rays future, and the future minority owners will just be investors in the team in Tampa, like Vinik's investment in the Red Sox, Magic's investment in the Dodgers, etc..

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    4. Only a matter of time before NY Metro has three MLB teams...

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  7. That would be foolish for them to move to Canada. Big risk when this area is on the rise.

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  8. The Rays won't be relocating. MLB and Rays ownership know that a tempest in a teapot, would be unleashed. Let's just say MLB would be exposed. Montreal might get an expansion team in 15 years or so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MLB expansion will happen before the end of Manfred first mandate or at the beginning of the next one.

      Once the new CBA is negotiated, and once TB and Oakland stadiums situations are moving forward, expansion will occurs. That's what Manfred said repeatedly publicly.

      Thinking that expansion will happen in 15 years from now does not make sense. Manfred was elected based on his vision and expansion is a key element of his mandate. 15 years means he will wait at least 2 mandates (5 years each) before starting the expansion process!

      I would believe a 15 years timeline if Manfred was quiet or not really key on expansion. But what I heard so far is too bold to believe it will be in 2 mandates from now.

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    2. Here is what I just wrote from the horse's mouth.

      http://www.thegoodphight.com/2016/6/15/11936616/mlb-realignment-and-the-phillies

      Manfred interview (in the video clip) is from the White Sox game, May 5th, 2016.

      15 years? Hope the CBA and TB/Oakland situations will be resolved before 15 years.

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    3. Why would expansion talk hinge on the A's & Rays? Obviously, because MLB creates leverage by creating hope in other markets.

      The ONLY way expansion happens is if the exposure to the new TV markets represents a huge growth in revenue....which is possible, but no sure thing. Otherwise, the wealthy teams would just be subsidizing more mid-size and small markets.

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    4. Rayxit.... coming soon to Tampa

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