Shadow of the Stadium

Forbes: Glazers 8th-Worst NFL Owners

2012-01-26T17:31:00.002-05:00

The lastest Forbes list dissing Malcom Glazer & fam names them the 8th-worst owners in the NFL. The list "looked at teams’ change in franchise value and win percentages (including a bump for playoff and Super Bowl victories) over the last five years. Each factor accounts for half of their rank."

Forbes cites the Bucs' pedestrian 2% increase in franchise value since 2006 and just 44% winning percentage over that time.

Could Rays Piggyback a Rail Referndum?

2012-01-24T09:29:00.004-05:00

Last week, I wrote that Tampa Bay stadium talk may be entirely premature considering the giant leaps forward the region may make in the next few years when it comes to transit.

Monday, Trib reporter Michael Sasso wrote that light rail could be seen as a remedy to the Rays’ attendance ills.

Eighteen months ago, the Rays took a rare public political position in donating $50,000 to rail advocacy group "Moving Hillsborough Forward." And they may be willing to do it again.

In an era where few prominent sports figures are willing to speak their minds politically (new Rays slugger Luke Scott not included), it would be refreshing to see Stu Sternberg use his leverage to push for better transit in Tampa Bay.

Of course, it could potentially help the Rays too. While St. Pete politicians may think rail could keep the Trop relevant long-term, I have a feeling Sternberg & co. have already discussed the possibility of a Rail & Rays referendum.

Just as the Bucs piggybacked their stadium efforts onto a schools referendum in 1995, the Rays could potentially tout the region-changing benefits of getting both rail and a stadium for one "low" price.

Of course, the price would likely be somewhere near $2 billion over 30 years in the form of a penny-per-dollar regional sales tax. And such a project would require significant legislative finagling. But it's happened time and time again in Florida and history could certainly repeat itself.

One Man's Quote of the Decade on Stadium Subsidies

2012-01-23T14:58:00.003-05:00

Florida State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, sure knows how to deliver a quote. In fact, he's been delivering the same one for seven years.

Today in Tallahassee, he said, “We have spent over $300 million supporting teams that can afford to pay a guy $7, $8, $10 million a year to throw a baseball 90 feet. I think they can pay for their own stadium."

A few months ago, the quote read something like this: "If you can pay someone $30 million to throw a baseball 90 feet...you can probably afford to build your own stadium."

Back in February of last year: "If you can pay someone $52 million to play the game of baseball, certainly you can build your own stadium with your own money."

And the first time we heard his words in 2005: "If you can afford to pay somebody $53 million to throw a baseball 90 feet, you can afford your own damn stadium."

Stadium subsidy, NFL blackout critics join forces

2012-01-23T13:06:00.003-05:00

Could a pair of movements designed to attach strings to stadium subsidies be gaining momentum in the state capital?

State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, announced today his bill to ban blackouts in taxpayer-funded stadiums (SB 836) was adopted in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. It was amended onto SB 816 from State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, a bill that would require taxpayer-funded stadiums to operate as homeless shelters on non-game days.

"I thank Senator Bennett for his desire to assist the fans of professional sports by offering to amend his bill with the blackout ban language," Senator Fasano said in a statement. "With the unanimous support of the committee I look forward to this good bill moving forward."

Continue reading on WTSP.com.

Should Tampa Propose New Stadium Sites?

2012-01-20T15:28:00.005-05:00

Granted it was written before Stu Sternberg allegedly made his "Tampa is not a panacea" comments, but nevertheless, this sounds like a bad idea: The Gulf Coast Business Review advocating Mayor Bob Buckhorn propose a new Rays stadium location in Tampa:

The conflict over the Trop has been like a chess game; each move has been slow and calculated. For example, the city of St. Pete hired a bankruptcy lawyer while drafting the contract, a strategy to counter the team using bankruptcy as a means to escape its agreement.

But Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has the power to change that game, by officially proposing a location in downtown Tampa for a new Rays stadium.

Buckhorn often speaks about the benefits of having the Rays downtown, but publically announcing a Hillsborough location for the Rays to call home could give the team’s owners the leverage to broker a way out of St. Pete.

How long can the Rays compete with the bloated salaries of the Yankees and the Red Sox while ranked second-to-last in average attendance? Certainly not for the next 15 years. Especially while serving as a pseudo-farm system for their two divisional rivals.

Mayor Buckhorn says the Rays “can’t start dating” until the team escapes its use agreement at the Trop. But offering a stadium site in Tampa could put the Rays back on the market.

Even though the idea was called a "bold prediction for 2012," one can't help but to wonder how another round of Tampa vs. St. Pete would pan out.

I suppose Tampa leaders would keep talking about how a stadium across the Bay would be better for the team....then the Rays would be able to pit one city vs. another....then some bold leader would hitch his political wagon to getting a stadium deal done....then fans might forget that the Rays still haven't provided any evidence that they can't compete in their current situation.

Or, the local media could simply advocate real regional cooperation instead of pitting one community vs. another.

Foster/Sternberg Summit - Extended Fallout

2012-01-19T08:51:00.015-05:00

There was infinite Thursday-morning quarterbacking after the 2012 Foster/Sternberg summit, but the most thought-provoking opinions came from today's lead editorial in the Tampa Tribune. However, it didn't provoke many good thoughts.

The Trib joined the chorus of criticisms calling St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster "shortsighted" in the fight to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay. They urge him to make concessions on a contract that runs until 2027 - a contract the mayor is confident will keep the Rays here for at least 15 more years.

Foster added that the team's biggest concerns appear to be whether Tampa Bay can sustain three professional teams at all. A recent study suggests the market is over-extended (but not nearly as bad as in other cities).

"When (Sternberg) says he wants to look everywhere (for a new stadium), he means it," Foster said on WQYK. "It's not just Tampa Bay. . . . I don't think they see Hillsborough County as the answer."

So Devil's Advocate poses this question - if the concern really is the region, isn't it shortsighted for newspapers to push the issue now when it could be addressed in 2020 instead?

It seems the Rays have neither the legal leverage nor the alternatives to leave before then. And 8-10 years from now, we'll have a much better idea of where people live in Tampa Bay and how they get around.

By 2020, the region could have bus rapid transit or light rail to eliminate some of the inter-county transportation headaches.

By 2020, the region will be designing a new, improved span of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

By 2020, the economy could have improved to the point where residents may be willing to pay a 1/10-cent sales tax for a new stadium.

By 2020, we'll have a better idea of where a stadium will be best-situated and if the region really is capable of supporting three teams.

In 2012, we simply don't know these things yet. So to force the issue now (that means you, Tampa Tribune) may be shortsighted.

PS - the least thought-provoking opinion on the Foster/Sternberg summit came from the Trib's Martin Fennelly, who simply wasted column space with Godfather quotes. Really? REALLY?!?

Could Tampa Bay learn from Cal Ripken's stadium snub in Sarasota?

2012-01-18T17:52:00.001-05:00

SARASOTA, Fla. - While Tampa Bay tries to sort out its stadium stalemate, critics of public subsidies in Sarasota are sending a warning to their friends to the north.

Three years after Sarasota landed Orioles spring training with a $31.2 million upgrades package, some of the promised benefits to the county still have yet to materialize. That includes a Cal Ripken Jr. Youth Baseball Academy, similar to two other year-round facilities in Aberdeen, Md., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"The public was promised one thing and now the Orioles and Cal Ripken aren't coming through," said Cathy Antones, president of Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government. "It seems that when you put the name Major League Baseball or someone like Cal Ripken or the Orioles on it, [county commissioners] lose their common sense."

Ripken is now in talks with neighboring Charlotte Co. to possibly build his youth academy in Port Charlotte. The Ripken Baseball Group claims economic impact from the facility could reach $40 million.

But the Orioles, who put out a press release in 2009 touting the Ripken academy, never wrote a guarantee into their contract with Sarasota County. They say nobody was misled and they still plan on developing a youth academy, even if Ripken builds his own just down the road.

Continue reading here.

Matt Garza Wants $10.2M; What's Wrong with this Picture?

2012-01-18T12:23:00.003-05:00

If you wonder why the Rays can't compete with the "rich" teams of MLB, consider this: the Cubs offered former Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza a healthy raise to $7.95 million next year and he turned it down. He's going to arbitration, hoping for $10.225 million.

Apparently, a 33% raise isn't enough for a pitcher who has gone 33-32 with a 3.73 ERA the last three years. Why? Because the current salary structure rewards players for merely lasting in the league. Experience = salary.

Meanwhile, David Price, who has posted superior numbers the last three years, just signed for a mere $4.35 million, the most ever for a first-year arbitration-eligible player.

Which leads me to ask again, are the Rays' problems really just a result of MLB's broken system?

Foster/Sternberg Summit - No New News

2012-01-18T11:49:00.006-05:00

Exactly as predicted, the status of the Stadium Saga is the exact same as it was a few days ago: a stadium stalemate.

As I reported yesterday for WTSP, the mayor of St. Petersburg met with Rays owner Stu Sternberg for roughly two hours at Tropicana Field. Yet, Foster told me he had no comment and Sternberg essentially said the same thing to the print reporters staking out The Trop.

Other reactions include WFTS's Tom Korun chipping in a column about how Sternberg may be Tampa Bay's best owner, but he's probably not getting a stadium in Tampa. And WFTS was also one of several stations to chase down Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn for his reaction, which remains "we'd love a chance to keep the Rays, but we won't interfere with St. Pete's contract."

You could make the argument, however, the more "Tampa" is mentioned in the same sentence as "Rays," the more it interferes with said contract...

Henderson Column: "Taxpayers Have Paid for Enough Stadiums"

2012-01-17T12:05:00.004-05:00

Tampa Tribune columnist Joe Henderson has never loved the idea of taxpayer dollars for stadiums, but now that he's opining in the paper's "Metro" section, he's taking a harder line against subsidies.

Almost two years after writing "a new stadium is what it costs to keep the team," Henderson wrote this morning that "between the Bucs, Lightning and Yankees, Hillsborough taxpayers have paid for enough stadiums. I love baseball, but business is business."

He joins the chorus of columnists urging Mayor Foster to cooperate with the Rays and for Stu Sternberg to reveal his financials (good luck with that). However, Henderson doesn't suggest how to break the stalemate.

In fact, his column merely reiterates why we're in the Stadium Saga: the Rays would be better off with a stadium in Tampa, yet nobody has any money to pay for it.

Foster/Sternberg Summit - What to Expect

2012-01-16T12:13:00.010-05:00

Even if tomorrow's meeting between St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster and Rays owner Stu Sternberg produces developments in the stadium saga, they will take place behind closed doors and likely remain secret for quite some time.

So, in anticipation of more news headlines touting "no new news" in the stalemate, here's a chance for you to get caught up on where everything stands with the Rays and their hunt for a new home:

Sunday - Stephen Nolgren's op-ed: A way out of the Rays dilemma
Aug 2011 - Noah Pransky's take on "a way out" of the stadium saga
June 2011 - What Bill Foster is thinking
June 2011 - What Stu Sternberg is thinking
Nov. 2010 - Land isn't the problem in stadium saga; funding is

Bud Selig: Commissioner for Life!

2012-01-12T13:49:00.003-05:00

Good read this week from Maury Brown (The Biz of Baseball) about how Bud Selig won't retire as planned and may just be comissioner for life.

And why not? He's helped most of the teams in the league get new stadiums and taken MLB from a $1 billion business to a $7 billion business. Which is why he's not done yet.

Aside from another increase in revenues, 2012 will likely gift baseball with a resolution to the A's stadium saga, leaving Selig to focus fully on Tampa Bay in 2013.

Baseball: I live for this!

Mayor Foster and the Stadium Saga "End Game"

2012-01-10T11:20:00.008-05:00

Glad to see the Times' John Romano still providing insight on the Rays' Stadium Saga even after his move to the Metro page. This morning, he made a very reasonable suggestion for Mayor Bill Foster to consider the end game in negotiations with the Rays.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that the mayor roll over. There is no reason for that. He has a
terrific lease at Tropicana Field, and he should use it to his greatest benefit.

But he needs to recognize the lease will be half-over by the end of the year, and the Rays are going to pay less and less to get out of it as the expiration date draws nearer.
...
He should tell Sternberg he considers the Rays to be important business partners. And he hasn't given up on the idea of baseball in his town.

But if his business partner wants to look at sites in Hillsborough, the mayor will not stand in the way as long as the Rays make some concessions.

First of all, they need to sign a contract that acknowledges that such a move in no way weakens the lease at Tropicana. Since the Rays signed a similar document when looking at a waterfront site, this shouldn't be a problem.

The Rays also need to put up $1 million in earnest money for the privilege of talking to Tampa. Again, this shouldn't be much of a deal breaker.

Finally, should the Rays eventually decide that moving to downtown Tampa is integral to the
franchise's future, they must agree to allow St. Pete to view their finances to prove this is true. I'm betting that one will be sticky.
Wait, did I say Romano was being reasonable? Nevermind, he suggested the Rays might one day voluntarily open their books.

People don't give Foster (a lawyer) enough credit for paying attention to the end game. He has always known his job is to leverage a buyout number the city can live with. Just like Sternberg's job is to wiggle his way out of the contract with minimal financial penalty.

So while the topic of contract buyout will be discussed next week, you probably won't hear about it in the media. Foster will continue to maintain his lawyer-like approach, while Sternberg will continue to call for a regional remedy.

Meanwhile, Foster's counterpart in Tampa, Mayor Bob Buckhorn, will continue to tout his city's baseball potential while maintaining his statesman status.

Rays Build a Playground, A's Build a Stadium???

2012-01-09T11:41:00.009-05:00

If you build it, they will come.

As predicted, during a Rays' playground-building event, Stu Sternberg saved some time to chat about the Rays' stadium saga. But after reading this story from the Trib's Roger Mooney, I was blown away:

The A's have a new stadium in San Jose???

Mooney wrote, "With the Marlins set to play in a new stadium and the A's moving out of Oakland, the Rays are the last team looking for a new stadium."

Of course, the A's don't have a new home yet and their stadium saga is almost as messy as the Rays'...but I digress.

Back to Sternberg, the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays' owner didn't have much new to say about the saga or his Jan. 17 meeting with Mayor Foster (first reported on Shadow of the Stadium). It quotes Sternberg as saying, "it's good to communicate" and "if (Foster) has something to chat about other than normal chatting that would be great."

And while that meeting between the shrewd team owner and the shrewd lawyer-turned-mayor is just 8 days away now, it wouldn't be wise to bet on the high-stakes impasse ending anytime soon.....no matter how much the recently-rebranded Tampa Bay Times wishes it would.

Save the Date: Foster Talks with Sternberg

2012-01-05T16:02:00.004-05:00

The date of the big (OK, probably not-so-big) meeting between St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster and Rays owner Stu Sternberg will be January 17, reports Michael Van Sickler.

However, the first off-season rumblings of the Stadium Saga may actually come Saturday when Sternberg makes a public appearance with his family in Sulpher Springs. The Rays will be helping to build a playground there and the Sternberg family is planning on attending. Thus, so will members of the media.

Mayor Foster Sets Meeting with Stu Sternberg

2012-01-04T11:50:00.005-05:00

Mayor Bill Foster finally has an offseason meeting scheduled with Rays' owner Stu Sternberg. The two will meet at Tropicana Field later this month.

But while the meeting may be long-awaited for Rays fans, it doesn't expect to be terribly productive for new stadium supporters. Foster is unlikely to bend much when he has a contract that ties the team down for 16 more years and Sternberg is unlikely to stop insisting Tampa Bay take a regional approach to keeping the team.

Related: What Bill Foster is Thinking
Related: What Stu Sternberg is Thinking

Foster's summer criticisms of the team's marketing efforts may make the meeting a little uncomfortable, but it's not like Sternberg hasn't rocked the boat in recent months, either.

Easy Ways to Follow Shadow of the Stadium

2012-01-03T10:29:00.002-05:00

If you haven't found Shadow of the Stadium on Facebook and/or Twitter yet, what are you waiting for? These outlets are the easiest way to follow local sports business storylines and they often include additional materials you won't find on this blog.

So make it your new year's resolution and connect!

St. Pete Mixed on Mayor's Handling of Rays

2011-12-29T07:38:00.004-05:00

I'm actually somewhat surprised that St. Pete residents aren't more supportive of their mayor's efforts to keep the Rays in-town.

Bill Foster has stuck his neck out to preserve his city's leverage in the ongoing stadium saga, but a St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll suggests his city only approves of his handling of the drama by a 49-48 margin:

Blame a confusing couple of months this summer in which City Council members criticized Foster for not having more of a strategy. During an August meeting, he said he had a plan, but wouldn't disclose it publicly, causing some council members to scoff that he was bluffing.

"His outlandish claim that he had a secret plan was a disaster," said Bill Williams, 19, a computer programmer who lives downtown. "There's been a massive breakdown of communication on the Rays issue."

Foster still said that it was all a misunderstanding and that he does have a strategy to work more closely with the Rays, adding he will try to bring "clarity" to the issue in the coming months.

Being mayor certainly is a thankless job...

This isn't Goodbye, John Romano...

2011-12-24T13:17:00.012-05:00

Some compliments and criticism of Stu Sternberg's 2011 in this morning's Times from columnist John Romano:

Typically, team owners allow MLB officials to be the bad guys in (a stadium) squabble. Sternberg, who should be celebrated for his incredible work with this franchise, instead set himself up as a villain regardless of whether you believe his message.

Romano may be preparing to move from the Sports section to the lead spot on the Metro page, but I assume he'll continue to write about Sternberg and the Rays' Stadium Saga, perhaps even more.

In the meantime, I wish John luck and take a look back at all of his columns I've critiqued over the years:

10/6/11 - Rays' model not sustainable (I disagreed)
7/20/11 - Stadium Saga all comes back to money (I agreed)
2/24/11 - Contraction talk gaining credibility (I disagreed)
9/22/10 - Stu Sternberg shows some humility (I agreed)
8/25/10 - Rays owners not getting very rich very fast (I agreed)
8/6/10 - Joe Maddon "off" on timing of catwalk criticism (I agreed)

Many Tampa Residents OK with St. Pete Stadium

2011-12-24T08:19:00.004-05:00

A new St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll indicates a majority Tampa Bay residents still prefer the Rays play in St. Petersburg and/or Pinellas County, rather than move to Tampa.

Times writer Stephen Nohlgren reports:

About 55 percent of Tampa Bay area residents overall prefer Major League Baseball to remain at Tropicana Field or at a mid-Pinellas location in the Gateway area.

Part of that sentiment stems from fans like Gulfport resident Christina Ramires, a disabled widow who likes the short drive to the Trop. "We always go two or three times a year when they offer discount tickets to school kids,'' she said.

But support for the Trop also stems from Hillsborough residents like Michael Fall of Apollo Beach, who thinks "the Rays should stay put. I don't think they deserve a new stadium."

About 30 percent of respondents favor a Hillsborough site...The 508 people polled were divided evenly between Hillsborough and Pinellas residents.

Want further evidence that average residents shouldn't be trusted with important decisions? Nohlgren reports, of Hillsborough County residents, "about 27 percent favor the fairgrounds at Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 301, compared with 17 percent who like downtown and 5 percent who prefer the West Shore area."

However, research has shown a fairgrounds site wouldn't be much more accessible to Tampa Bay's population than the current Downtown St. Petersburg site. And it wouldn't have the redevelopment potential a Downtown Tampa site would have, either.

It's All About the Education...

2011-12-23T12:48:00.004-05:00

Forbes does more than just estimate how much profit Stu Sternberg has made and how much value the Glazers are losing...it also tells us which college football programs are the country's most valuable.

No big surprises with Texas ($129M) and Notre Dame ($112M) at the top. Penn St. ($100M) is third, but is expected to drop next year following the Jerry Sandusky scandal. LSU, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Auburn, and Oklahoma round out the top 10.

I was surprised to see Florida ($86M) slip to No. 11 since I've reported on the school's monsterous football profits. In fact, Forbes indicates UF is the fourth-most profitable team in the NCAA. But losing Tim Tebow to the NFL reduced the entire Gators team to mere mortals. They still made nearly $50 million in profits last year.

Remember, it's all about the education.

UPDATE: How The Trop is Like Fenway Park

2011-12-19T17:24:00.005-05:00

Following yesterday's post about how the Red Sox were able to re-brand an aging Fenway Park - mostly through marketing - one more comparison between "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" and Tropicana Field:

The "big-market" Red Sox haven't always thrived at the box office. Thirty years ago, they only averaged 19,637 fans per game. The Rays' average since 2008 has been 21,761.

In fact, few teams drew more than 25,000 a game in the early 80's. And ticket prices were way lower! And television/merchendising revenues were a fraction of what they are today!

So what changed that 21,761 fans is "unacceptable?" Players' salaries.

Yet MLB contends the problem is not theirs; it's the problem of the baseball fan in regions like Tampa Bay.

How The Trop is Like Fenway Park

2011-12-18T13:26:00.004-05:00

Interesting read from my old friend Steve Buckley in last week's Boston Herald. He writes how Fenway Park once suffered from the same "derelict" identity The Trop has.

Yet, as I've described the Rays' poor marketing of their stadium, Buckley describes how the Red Sox were able to shift opinions and transform Fenway from an eyesore to "America's Most Beloved Ballpark":

(Red Sox owner John) Henry and his associates did a marvelous selling job when they bought the Red Sox. Recognizing that public financing for a new Fenway Park wasn’t going to magically appear, and opting not to invest millions of their own money, they chose to go with a long-term, multi-tiered renovation.

But they didn’t stop there. They came up with the “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” campaign, affixing those words to the side of Fenway on a banner the size of a big-league infield.
...
The truth, of course, is there was no such competition. With classic Red Sox arrogance, management simply called the printer, ordered up an “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” banner, and the rest is marketing history. The Red Sox have sold out every home game since May 15, 2003, thanks not to hardcore baseball fans, but to tourists who giddily plop down their money in order to say they have taken part in the “Fenway experience.”

As recently as 1995, a reserved grandstand ticket to a Red Sox home game was $12, and bleacher tickets sold for $8 a pop. And now? People pay $12 to take a tour of an empty ballpark. P.T. Barnum would have loved it.

I'm not claiming Tropicana Field is the same as Fenway Park...but it's worth pointing out the parallels.

Tampa Mayor Talks Downtown Stadium Again

2011-12-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he won't "meddle" with the City of St. Pete's contract with the Rays - a contract that has 15 more years on it - he just can't help talking about how much greater a Rays stadium would be in his city:

"We need to be prepared if (a "divorce" from St. Pete) happens to be able to make the case not only to the voters in this community but also to the business community that this is a regional asset, the Rays, that we need to keep. And if that is the case, which I think it is, what is the best location for it. I happen to think it's in downtown Tampa."

Buckhorn acknowledged a point I've made before - that any new stadium outside of Greater St. Pete would likely require a large cash buyout of the use agreement.

But Buckhorn also indicated St. Pete's biggest concern would be $90 million in outstanding debt on the stadium - debt that will be paid off in a few years. I bet if you asked St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, he would tell you his city has a lot more than $90 million in equity invested here.

Furthermore, every time Buckhorn touts Tampa as a suitable alternative to St. Pete, he is playing into the hands of the Rays, who want nothing more than to diminish St. Pete's bargaining power. The blueprint for a new stadium involves pitting one metropolis against another; but since that hasn't happened yet, a St. Pete vs. Tampa tug-of-war will suit just fine.

Rich Rays Owner: What Could Have Been

2011-12-08T09:03:00.005-05:00

With news that Tampa Bay businessman Frank Morsani donated another $20 million to the University of South Florida, sports fans here can only wonder what would have been if MLB ever awarded the Morsani group a team, as it allegedly promised on numerous occasions.

Morsani even took MLB to court over empty promises, and after 11 years, won a settlement from the league.

Instead, as history would have it, the Twins and Rangers never relocated to Tampa Bay, Wayne Huzienga won the Marlins in 1993, and with Morsani suing MLB, Vince Naimoli won the Rays in 1998. It was an unfortunate outcome for baseball fans on the Gulf Coast who didn't get a sniff of success until Stu Sternberg & co. got their hands on the team the following decade.

Chat with DRaysBay

2011-12-07T10:53:00.003-05:00

Had a good chat with the good folks over at DRaysBay.com. Topics de jour: Mayor Bill Foster vs. Stu Sternberg as well as the Miami Marlins vs. the Feds.

Enjoy:
http://www.draysbay.com/2011/12/7/2616941/stadium-talk-with-noah-pransky

Bracing for Another Volley in Stadium Saga

2011-12-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

Hope you’re enjoying the silence this offseason.

While next week’s 2011 MLB Winter Meetings (Dec. 5-8) mark the unofficial start of the hot stove season for most baseball fans, it represents something different for Rays fans: another chapter in the Rays Stadium Saga.

Inevitably, Stu Sternberg and/or Matt Silverman will answer questions from Marc Topkin about payroll. And inevitably, poor attendance will come up...and reverberate for a week around the sports talk dial.

Bud Selig will also inevitably bang the stadium drug again at his last (unless it’s not his last) annual State-of-the-Game press conference. And inevitably, columnists in Florida will spill ink for three days lamenting the lack of progress in the soap opera.

Sadly, I will not be going to the meetings in Dallas for all the fun, but I will be burning up the keyboards from Tampa Bay as I follow it from afar.

Forbes: Stu Sternberg Getting Richer

2011-12-01T09:40:00.003-05:00

An update to my post from March explaining Rays ownership is doing just fine, despite implying the team is struggling to turn a profit; Forbes reports this week:

(Stu) Sternberg, meanwhile, has turned the Tampa Bay Rays into a perennial playoff team by getting a big bang for the buck from his player payroll. The former Goldman, Sachs partner bought the Rays for $200 million in May, 2004 and the team is now worth $331 million, a 66% gain. The stock market is up only 10% since he bought the team.

For those of you counting at home, even if the Rays claim they lost $15-20 million a season (which nobody in their right mind would believe), ownership could still possibly turn a profit if it decided to sell the team right now.

Report: Glazers to Spend Millions on Stadium

2011-11-15T11:07:00.005-05:00

Malcom Glazer & family certainly have their critics among Bucs fans, but it appears they're hoping to win some people over by kicking back millions of dollars to the community.

Just not the Tampa Bay community.

Reports out of New Orleans indicate the Glazers will join Saints owner Tom Benson in chipping in for a new stadium for the Tulane Green Wave. Of course, the Glazers should have some extra dough around - they didn't have to pay a dime for Raymond James Stadium.

Then again, realize Tulane U's difficult position - it's not like it can threaten to move to a new city if it doesn't get a new stadium.

Orioles Hit Sarasota Up for More Dough

2011-11-14T12:56:00.007-05:00

It's a lesson learned in a different stadium saga - warnings ignored in 2009 potentially coming back to haunt Sarasota in its Orioles spring training deal.

The team is now asking the city to kick in an additional $420,000 "to tear up and rebuild fields at its spring training practice grounds, blaming poor drainage on an old city dump buried beneath them."

More than two years ago, I covered a contentious meeting where then-city commissioner Kelly Kirschner warned the city's cost of the ballpark upgrades could balloon:
The fear is construction could cause problems at the site (a former landfill) and while commissioners wanted to cap the city's liability (one idea thrown about was a $1M cap), the Orioles implied they would not sign any deal where they would be responsible for environmental problems.

Commissioner Kelly Kirschner, who voted against the agreement, called it a "blank check" for the Orioles over the course of their time in Sarasota, since they have final say in any and all construction at the site but the city has the
liability.
"I'm not sure that's the wisest thing to do in negotiations," said Kirschner. "I would have liked to see more time and talk to some consultants to come up with a better-negotiated solution between the two parties."

"If this were a true partnership, (the Orioles) would be willing to accept a limitation of the city's liability," say Kathy Antunes of "Citizens for Responsible Government," a group against the deal. "Right now, the way this was just approved, they can make any kind of construction plans they want, regardless of how it impacts the environment and cost to the
city."
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that City Manager Bob Bartolotta accused the Orioles of "'trying to make a convoluted argument' to get the city to pay for field upgrades that should have come from a $24 million stadium renovation funded by taxpayers."

And you thought the Rays had the exclusive rights to stadium soap operas in Greater Tampa Bay...

Rays' 2012 Ticket Prices Holding Steady

2011-11-08T22:12:00.003-05:00

In case you missed it today, the Rays released their 2012 ticket information and there's quite a bit of good news for fans: most tickets will remain the same price.

Supply-and-demand will dictate many other tickets' prices, as the more popular games like those against the Red Sox or Yankees - may see small price increases. However, many tickets for the less-popular games, like those against the Orioles, Royals, and A's, will see some tickets decrease in price.

Beats the heck out of the press they got last year when they kept most ticket prices steady, but raised a few sections drastically. Also beats filling empty seats with the homeless.

New Arena Coming in Tampa

2011-11-01T06:14:00.003-04:00

New seats and an organ aren't the only big changes in store for the St. Pete Times Forum this year; with the namesake's announced name change today, the arena is about to get a new name too.

The St. Petersburg Times announced it will become the Tampa Bay Times on Jan. 1, meaning the arena will likely become the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Lightning haven't confirmed the news yet; they will make their own name change announcement soon.

How Rays' stadium saga will go down (Pt. 2)

2011-11-01T06:13:00.002-04:00

I can admit...sometimes I'm wrong.

More than two years ago, I sketched out the longterm blueprint the Rays would use to get a new stadium...and while most of it has come true, I didn't knock every prediction out of the park.

Click here to continue reading.

Buckhorn Sympathetic to Rays' Cause

2011-10-31T17:05:00.004-04:00

The more Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn shows a willingness to discuss the Rays Stadium Saga, the more he'll be asked about it. And the more he'll apparently wade into the deep waters on this controversial issue.

"The current business model is not working," Buckhorn was quoted by the Gulf Coast Business Review.

But I have to ask, how does he know? The Rays' business model isn't necessarily to fill the stands; it's to make money. And we have no idea if the team is.

Buckhorn added that he wouldn't hold taxpayers accountable for building a new stadium, nor did he want to interfere with St. Pete's use agreement. But all of that said, he teased a new stadium in Downtown Tampa "would be absolutely transformative to the area."

Foster Gets Caught in "He Said, She Said"

2011-10-26T22:44:00.005-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times will report on Thursday that St. Pete mayor Bill Foster may have suggested Stu Sternberg is giving the Rays the Major League treatment; that is, the intentional attendance-tanking owner Rachel Phelps gave the Indians in the movie Major League:

Mayor Bill Foster said Wednesday that he doesn't see the Tampa Bay Rays doing much to market the team in the Tampa Bay area.

But Pinellas County Commission Chairwoman Susan Latvala said Foster went a step further when he called her Friday.

" 'I believe that they are deliberately trying to hurt the team financially by not promoting it adequately,' " Latvala recalled Foster telling her.

In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Latvala remembered responding: "Really, really? Why would they do that?"

He didn't answer, but Latvala said she assumed he thought the Rays are trying to depress attendance to gain leverage in their bid for a new stadium.

Foster denied the recount of the event, but suggested the city and county may need to step up and help market the team. The Rays also denied any sort of "tanking" when it comes to marketing.

The Rays sometimes get criticism for not being more visable in the community and not doing enough in the marketing realm. I've even contended .the stadium badmouthing has diminished the perceived "fan experience" at The Trop.

But on the other hand, the Rays provide a lot of added value (giveaways, concerts, etc) to what is already one of baseball's most affordable tickets.

Anti-Stadium Legislation Filed in Florida...Again

2011-10-26T13:29:00.003-04:00

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, tells me he will - for a third time - file a bill that would require voter approval for taxpayer-funded stadium subsidies.

Bennett has been fighting public funding for stadiums since the Florida Marlins first came to legislature in 2005, but the previous versions of his bill - in 2009, then again in 2011 - failed to make it out of committees. Bennett blamed lobbyists for Florida's professional sports teams.

"It's time to put this thing to a halt," he said, referring to the leverage teams put on local communities to help fund stadiums.

"People are saying we've got more important things to spend our money on: educating our children, providing better schools, providing better opportunities for our people, and I think that that's what they want to spend the money on."

Bennett added that he doesn't want the Marlins' scenario - where they eventually got local taxpayers to build a new state-of-the-art stadium - to repeat itself with the Tampa Bay Rays. He said he was also irked by blackouts of Buccaneers games in a taxpayer-funded stadium.

The longtime legislator is term-limited out after 2012, but will pitch the stadium bill one more time to his colleagues.

"If you can pay someone $30 million to throw a baseball 90 feet," Bennett said of team owners, "you can probably afford to build your own stadium."

The words were strikingly similar to Bennett's comments from February of this year when he filed the bill for a second time:

"If you can pay someone $52 million to play the game of baseball, certainly you can build your own stadium with your own money."

And in 2005, when he helped kill a bill to provide subsidies for the Marlins, Bennett told the Sports Business Daily, "if you can afford to pay somebody $53 million to throw a baseball 90 feet, you can afford your own damn stadium."

As influential as the Republican has been in Tallahassee, he hasn't always been right:

"You're going to see a drastic change in the way (stadiums) are financed," he said in 2005. "People are finally fed up. And so I think the Marlins and others will be funding their own projects in the future."

Selig Weighs in on Stadium Saga

2011-10-20T23:39:00.003-04:00

Times reporter Marc Topkin reported Thursday night that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig had some not-so-endearing comments about the Rays' stadium search while appearing on a SiriusXM radio show:

Said Selig: "I like Stu Sternberg a lot, as you probably know. I have a great deal of respect for him. He's a very thoughtful, very interesting guy, done a great job there, done a brilliant job there. I, too, am concerned about their attendance. I track attendance every day. He knows it. I've talked to him a lot. They are a wonderful organization, produced a terrific team this year and finished last in the American League in attendance. I'll let you draw your own conclusion. That's bad."

Russo then asked, Is the stadium situation in Tampa (Bay) a lost cause?

Selig's response: "I can't answer that yet but I'm usually an optimist and I don't have any reason to be too optimistic."

Sure, Selig said in July he would stay on the sidelines of the stadium stalemate, but we knew it wouldn't be long before he jumped back into the game.

As I wrote at the start of the season, "Expect a steady dose of Sternberg and Bud Selig comments designed to grow that fear (of relocation). It's your choice to buy into it or not."

Going to be a long decade in the Stadium Saga...

Today in the Stadium Saga: St. Pete Council Workshop

2011-10-20T08:22:00.006-04:00

The St. Petersburg city council today takes up the Rays Stadium Saga with Mayor Bill Foster, who has taken it on the chin from local papers as he tries to maintain leverage in what could be an eventual legal battle with the Tampa Bay Rays.

"Today's agenda," writes Michael Van Sickler in the St. Petersburg Times, "sets up three items to be discussed today: a history of Major League baseball in St. Petersburg; a review of the agreement; and a discussion of the city's efforts to work with the Rays and chamber groups to promote better attendance, which was second worst in the league."

There may be some interesting soundbytes that come out of the workshop, but don't expect much progress. It has turned into more of a political opportunity for Foster critics than a productive opportunity to advance the Stadium Saga. So to better understand the stadium stalemate, read this primer on what's going on inside Bill Foster's head.

Orlando Jumps Back Into Stadium Saga

2011-10-20T07:40:00.005-04:00

Let's put aside the fact the last time WFTV-TV in Orlando reported the city could be pursuing MLB baseball, several teams laughed at them. Instead, let's pretend there's some credibility to Mayor Buddy Dyer's claim that Orlando would support the Rays better than Tampa Bay.

What Dyer fails to recognize is an appetite for another pro team doesn't equate to ability to pay for one. Even in the tourist capital of the U.S., Orlando is on the verge of being economically overextended.

When the bedtax didn't produce the same revenue the city expected the last few years, the city had to table part of a performing arts center project to pay for the bonds on Amway Arena.

Think all those tourists would snatch up Orlando Rays tickets? They didn't when the minor-league Orlando Rays played there. Plus, I can attest the drive from Disney to Downtown Orlando at 6pm is much worse than the drive across the Howard Frankland Bridge from Tampa to St. Pete. And how many Europeans do you know that flock to baseball games when they visit the States?

Then there's the question of whether Orlando residents would regularly go to games themselves. The metro area has significantly less disposable income than the Tampa Bay area and its a significantly smaller television market too.

The only thing Orlando could really provide the Rays right now is leverage. Because we all know the only way teams get publically-funded stadiums is by "blackmailing" cities with a competing city.

There is one more thing all this Orlando talk could provide.....laughs if "Baseball-to-Orlando" guy returns.

Tampa Has Money for New Stadium...But Not Much

2011-10-19T09:09:00.005-04:00

Richard Danielson reports in today's St. Petersburg Times that the City of Tampa has told local chambers of commerce that it could help dedicate $90 to $100 million over 20 years to a new baseball stadium.

It may sound good at first blush, but not when you realize a new stadium could cost upwards of $550 million. And a potential buyout of St. Pete's use agreement could tack another $100 million on top of that.

It echoes what I wrote 11 months ago today: land isn't the problem in the stadium saga, funding is.

Danielson mentions other funding avenues such as Pinellas County's bed tax, Hillsborough County's Community Investment Tax (sunsets in 2026 and would need to be re-authorized by voters), rental car taxes, and parking surcharges. But in all likelihood, all of the above would be necessary to fund a state-of-the-art stadium.

Which brings up the question - would one community be willing to help pay for a new stadium on the opposite side of the bay? At this point, the answer is a resounding no, and it's become the single-biggest frustration of Rays brass over the years.

Rays Brass Suggests Success May Be Sustainable

2011-10-06T17:44:00.002-04:00

In a season-ending press conference where Rays' general manager Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon celebrated another successful fall run, both men acknowledged the team's shortfalls at the box office.

But neither would suggest, as principal owner Stuart Sternberg indicated Tuesday, that success was unsustainable in Tampa Bay without a new stadium.

"We're going to be a really talented team next year," Friedman said, sitting alongside Maddon. "We've proven time and time again that it's not necessarily about the payroll number; it's about the talent we have. So, it's easy to use (revenue) as an excuse, but the two of us refuse to do so."

Continue reading here.

Sternberg's Comments Resonate Nationally

2011-10-06T07:14:00.009-04:00

It's the same ole', same ole' situation. Stu Sternberg, frustrated with Rays attendance numbers, mentions the Tampa Bay region doesn't have long to figure the situation out and the national writers jump all over it.

Although, there was a bit more sympathy than usual for the fans, especially from ESPN.com's Jim Caple, who wrote fans aren't expected to buy a ton of tickets; merely support their team better (which, of course isn't easy when the owner gets so frustrated with them).

Maury Brown from The Biz of Baseball explains why the Rays aren't going anywhere soon, which is unfortunate for the owners because they deserve better.

Of course, local writers continued to feast on the age-old debate. The most poignant point of view came from The Trib's Joe Henderson, who said "Timing is everything, and Rays owner Stu Sternberg's couldn't have been worse.

"Maybe there was no easy way to deliver the message, again, that Sternberg is fed up with low attendance and sagging revenues," Henderson continued. "But did he have to do so while standing in the middle of the Rays clubhouse, minutes after they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Texas Rangers, concluding one of the great baseball stories in the modern era?"

The Times' John Romano, who has sympathized with the franchise before, writes now that "fans have to stop behaving as if Sternberg is standing in their driveway calling them deadbeats. He is not blaming teachers or truck drivers or retirees. He is saying his team does not generate enough revenue to keep up with 90 percent of the other major-league teams. And that's a legitimate complaint."

Personally, I disagree - it's not a legitimate complaint until the Rays show it's true. But since they won't open their books, how do we know baseball's revenue-sharing model, designed to help less-wealthy teams compete with wealthy teams isn't working?

Romano also writes that the Rays' model isn't sustainable long-term, but it ignores the huge windfall the team stands to gain in 2016 (or sooner) when it signs a new TV deal.

Then, there's the often-outlandish Bleacher Report, which actually laid out the region's problems quite well and one possible solution: let Bud Selig force the Tampa Bay's hand.

Rays 2011 Attendance Post-Mortem

2011-10-05T06:51:00.005-04:00

It was a virtual certainty that we'd have another round of attendance criticisms as the Rays wrap up another successful season on-the-field, and sure enough, two new front-page stories in the Tampa Bay papers today. Oh, and an ESPN.com story too. Maybe they were warranted.

"When I came in here in '05 and '06, I saw the stars," Rays Principal Owner Stu Sternberg said with regards to his 29th-best average attendance of 18,878. "I was told by you guys and others that all we needed was a winning team...well, we won. We won. We won. And we won. And it didn't do it."

You've got to sympathize with Stu in that he's done everything a business owner can do for a community and it hasn't reaped huge rewards for his business. But the question is, how much of his business miscalculation becomes the community's burden? If a new stadium is the answer, how much of the responsibility for building it belongs to the region?

Then again, I may be misinterpreting Sternberg's comments. Maybe he's resigning to the fact that the area will never draw 25,000 fans per game?

Rays' Attendance: Maybe it's Not the Location

2011-09-28T08:20:00.005-04:00

Long before Stu Sternberg took to his soapbox, I pointed out the problem with Tropicana Field had nothing to do with the venue, but its location. I'm wondering now if I was a little bit wrong.

As the Rays post sorry attendance numbers for a Yankees series with playoff implications, every writer in Florida is trying to find a new spin on the same old story (as predicted).

But the excuses - the stadium's condition, then the economy, then the location - are growing old.

"I don't want to hear that it's the location," former ABC Coalition member Craig Sher told the Tampa Tribune. "It is what it is. (Tropicana Field is) air conditioned. It's nice. (This week's opponents are) the New York Yankees. I surely hope they sell out. It has to be tremendous walk-up sales."

It wasn't. 22,820 Tuesday after 18,772 Monday. And it can only be explained by the region's attitude toward baseball.

Floridians aren't used to driving 60 minutes for a baseball experience, and as Boston Globe columnist Nick Cafardo pointed out, MLB and Sternberg underestimated Floridians' desires to drive to baseball games.

If you handed someone in Connecticut a free Yankees or Red Sox ticket, there's a good chance they'd travel 90 minutes to the game. If you handed someone in Tampa a free Rays ticket, they probably wouldn't drive 30.

Shifting attitudes of a football-minded fan base takes time. More than the 13 years the Rays have existed.

But shifting attitudes also takes constant reinforcement of the message and the Rays have grown frustrated and impatient.

Sternberg and team president Matt Silveman have committed to putting a winner on the field - and essentially executed to perfection - but they often contradict the message to fans when it comes to marketing. They subtly point the finger at their fans for not drawing like most other MLB teams.

Telling fans baseball won't succeed in Tampa Bay without a new stadium may be a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Rays, but it didn't have to be that way. They could have worked on the attitudes first and gotten the stadium down the road.

Stadium Irony Can Be So Ironic

2011-09-27T10:56:00.009-04:00

If you wonder why the Tampa Bay region is so hesitant to build a taxpayer-funded stadium for the Rays, you only need to read this article from the Cincinnati Enquirer or this summary from Field of Schemes.

The Cincinnati region faces a huge shortfall on the bonds for its two riverfront stadiums:

The deficit in the fund that pays for Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park could be as much as $14 million next year, grows to $46 million in 2013 and eventually could cumulatively reach $480 million if nothing is done.

That leaves Hamilton County (Ohio) with few options, like the bleak situation Orlando faced when building Amway Arena.

Field of Schemes author Neil deMause writes that Orlando "scrapped a planned performing arts center and cut back on police, fire, and road services to fill funding shortfalls on the Magic's new arena."

He's also interviewed in the Enquirer article:

Hamilton County commissioners, through negotiations, public pressure or lawsuits, keep trying to force the Bengals and Reds to cut new deals. But that rarely works, deMause said.

"The teams say, 'You made a deal and if you got the short end of the stick, that's not our problem,'" he said.

The irony, of course, is the opposite seems to be true when franchises make bad deals.

Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg has admitted he overestimated the willingness of fans to drive to St. Petersburg when he bought the team in 2006. But despite 16 years left on a 30-year deal at The Trop, he's made it clear he expects a new ballpark built if Tampa Bay expects to keep the Rays in town.

Are Tampa Bay's Stadium Concessions Clean?

2011-09-26T20:54:00.001-04:00

A year after a scathing national report ripped the cleanliness of Florida stadiums' concession stands, Tampa's largest sporting venues have showed modest improvement in reducing risks to consumers.

Concession stands that were racking up a dozen "critical violations" at a time have trimmed the number down considerably, but most concession stands at Raymond James Stadium and Tropicana Field still were cited for risks by state health inspectors during random visits. At the St. Pete Times Forum, almost half of all concession stands received "critical" violations.

Click here to continue reading.

Rays Attendance Watch: September 25

2011-09-25T19:25:00.003-04:00

The Rays are on the verge of completing an unlikely, unprecidented, and largely unbelievable comeback in the Wild Card standings, but most of Tampa Bay probably hasn't noticed yet.

Competing against a full slate of football games, the Rays drew just 21,008 for their final Sunday afternoon game of the regular season. On Saturday night, with country singer Miranda Lambert performing after, the Rays drew just 27,773. On Friday night, just 18,093.

Those numbers are bad.

With three games left on the schedule - all against the Yankees - the Rays (18,663 avg) have a chance to climb past the Marlins (18,740) in MLB's attendance rankings...all the way up to 28th. A season-ending series against the Yankees with the Wild Card on the line should be enough to pack the pews in St. Pete, but regardless of playoff fortunes, you can be sure there will be another round of reminders this week about how poorly-attended games at The Trop have been.

Sox Writers Take Note of Rays, Stadium Saga

2011-09-18T12:06:00.004-04:00

Fantastic take on the Rays' situation from the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo:

The bottom line appears to be all that is stopping the Rays. By now, it should be apparent that baseball and Florida do not go well together. There’s a reason the two Florida teams have the two worst attendances in baseball.
The Marlins, who are a mess in a lot of ways, will move to a brand new home next April, with all kinds of bells and whistles. But you still wonder whether it will matter to their attendance. Obviously, there will be an initial rush to see the new place, but after that, what?

The Rays simply can’t get a stadium built. It’s baffling why people in the Tampa/St. Pete area make such a big deal about driving over the bridge to St. Pete. It really isn’t that bad, is it?

How much more can Rays owner Stuart Sternberg stretch that payroll? Sure, attendance is low, but the money from revenue-sharing and TV is pretty decent. Could their $45 million budget be
stretched to $55 million to get a big-time hitter, even if (OMG!) it means less of a profit?

Only their accountants know for sure.

The Rays do a lot of things right. They are swiftly becoming a model franchise, causing New York and Boston a little discomfort. The payroll disparity is huge, yet they always seem to be in the mix.

In six short grafs, Cafardo sums up the Stadium Saga perfectly:

MLB and Stu Sternberg underestimated Floridians' desires to drive to baseball games;

The Rays are making decent money from revenue-sharing and TV,

But we'll never know how much profit they're making because they don't open their books;

Despite all that, ownership continues to defy the odds and put a winner on the field.

Privately-Funded Stadium Failing; City Considers Bailout

2011-09-15T12:11:00.003-04:00

Think you can build a stadium these days with only private funds? So did the owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but then he went broke...and the city is now considering a bailout.

As I've written before, of the dozens of baseball, basketball, and hockey venues built in the last 49 years, just one was successfully built without public support - AT&T Park - and even the Giants admit they caught "lightning in a bottle" with their timing.

Even in the NFL, where owners' revenues dwarf those of their pro sports bretheren, just one stadium was built without public dollars: Gilette Stadium in New England, where corporations are tripping over themselves to sponsor a piece of the Patriots.

Bucs to Honor Selmon; Nobody to Witness it

2011-09-09T14:04:00.003-04:00

I had heard this question asked several times this week, but never so elequently as a Tampa Tribune reader did this morning:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning a tribute to Lee Roy Selmon during the Lions game on Sunday. Unfortunately, the game will most likely be blacked out in the local area, so the only fans who will see or hear the tribute will be those in attendance.

For months now we have heard how football, the National Football League and the Bucs are about the fans. If this is indeed true, I propose the Glazers do the right thing with Lee Roy's tribute and lift the blackout so that every fan in the area can be a part of it.

In the spirit of Lee Roy and giving back to the community, as he did, the Glazers should buy out the remaining tickets so the blackout is lifted, and then donate the tickets to firefighters, police officers and the local military. What better way to honor our first responders on the anniversary of 9/11 than on a day when we also honor one of Tampa's finest, Lee Roy Selmon.

A few years ago, the Glazers would have probably bought out the rest of the tickets. But there's a lot fewer fans than there used to be....and the Bucs aren't worth nearly what they used to be.

Times Continues to Rip Foster; Sternberg Gets Free Pass

2011-09-05T18:18:00.006-04:00

Just two weeks after it's last over-the-top criticism of Mayor Bill Foster, the St. Petersburg Times Editorial Board unleashed another attack this weekend, calling Foster "The Minor League Mayor":

To his credit, Foster offered last year to allow the Rays to look within St. Petersburg and just outside the city limits for potential stadium sites. Since then, it's been all strikeouts and errors. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg reasonably wants to look at the entire market, including Tampa. Foster has refused, alternately snubbing and encouraging business leaders, discouraging public officials from talking, and threatening legal action. The mayor has generally treated the Rays as a courtroom adversary rather than a significant business that contributes to the civic and economic life of the entire region.

In its effort to encourage a regional discussion for a future Rays home, the Times is merely diminishing St. Pete's leverage in negotiations and encouraging a Tampa vs. St. Pete war.

While they acknowledge Foster has offered a compromise, they give a free pass to Sternberg for ignoring it. The reason the Rays don't want to bother exploring sites in Pinellas is because they've already studied them....and every other potential site in Tampa Bay.

The Rays want a region-wide search so they can trumpet Tampa as a better location for a park and really increase the pressure on Foster. Which is exactly the reason why Foster doesn't want to let them (publically) explore Tampa.

The editorial continues:

While he is understandably frustrated, Sternberg should come off the sidelines. Allowing the Rays to study potential stadium sites in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties for a limited time is worth something. Sternberg should make a reasonable offer to St. Petersburg after the season and ask the City Council to vote on it or make a counteroffer. He also should open the Rays' financial books to confirm that the franchise is not making mountains of money.

The Times has suggested Sternberg should open the team's books and make a "reasonable offer" to St. Pete before. But he won't. So the question is, will the Times continue to give him the benefit of the doubt or will it criticize him the way they criticize Foster's negotiating tactics?

Rays to Nashville? Fat Chance

2011-09-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

The talk about the Rays playing in Nashville is fun and all, but it's 100 percent unrealistic. Not only is Nashville a significantly smaller media market than Tampa Bay (read: fewer TV dollars), but its already financially overextended with its two current sports teams.

A recent study looked at the abilities of the 59 biggest U.S. communities without MLB to support a team. Nashville ranked 56th (Charlotte was 53rd). The report concluded the only metropolis in a position to add a MLB team would be Riverside-San Bernardino (Calif.) - not exactly a market that strikes fear in the heart of Tampa Bay's politicians.

Last Time We Hear About Glazers' Financial Problems

2011-09-02T07:20:00.003-04:00

After record profits, significant debt payment, and an impending IPO which could return another $1 biliion, it's safe to say the Glazers are is no longer over-extended.

The family, which also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has used the mega-marketing power of Manchester United to dig out of a hole after the economy collapsed in 2007/2008.

Although they seemed to have owed more than Man U was worth in 2010, Malcolm, Joel, Bryan, and company have seemed to have put the financial concerns behind them.

Mayor Foster Confirms Slip of Tongue

2011-09-01T21:26:00.002-04:00

I called it "miscalculated politicking;" Mayor Bill Foster called it "erroneous speculation brought about by my own words."

Either way, Foster confirmed today what I wrote last week, that he let his mouth run a little too loosely when he told city council he had a "plan" to keep the Tampa Bay Rays.

Of course, he confirmed his "plan" was nothing new either, which is why the Stadium Saga will be played out in years, not months.

Mayor Foster Confirms No "Secret" Rays Plans

2011-08-30T20:39:00.004-04:00

With a two-page letter to the St. Petersburg Times, Mayor Bill Foster confirms what I wrote 11 days ago: there is no secret plan for a new Rays stadium.

Foster penned:

My plan consists of three strategic elements: 1) ensuring that the legal integrity of the city's agreement with the Rays is not compromised; 2) supporting private sector efforts to retain the Rays as a regional asset without compromising the city's agreement with the Rays; and 3) continuing to support and promote the Rays as a professional sports franchise in west-central Florida.

He goes on to say his job is to protect the interests of St. Petersburg first and not to compromise "the position of the city in its future dealings with the Rays."

So the Rays won't talk to Foster and Foster won't compromise at this point. But fortunately for anyone following the stadium saga, the Rays - as first reported here - are willing to talk to the private business groups trying to facilitate negotiations.

The progress will be slow, but at least there's a glimmer of (longterm) hope. I'll explain more later this week....

UPDATE: Bill Foster's "Detailed Plan"

2011-08-24T20:24:00.003-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times loves to hate Mayor Bill Foster. For a couple of weeks now, the paper has been cranking up the heat on the city's leader for not being more open.

What's ironic, is the mayor is being fairly open - and honest - when he says there's nothing going on with him and the Rays. But, for all his missteps in the court of public opinion, he does have a plan. And, according to Michael Sasso from the Tampa Tribune, it means more lawyers in case the silent treatment from the Rays and MLB continues:

Various reports have claimed that Major League Baseball might "contract" one or more teams out of existence, including the Rays. Other reports suggest the Rays would move the team out of the city.

St. Petersburg has no reason to believe the team actually plans to do that, but the city needs to be prepared just in case, Wolfe said. So, the city has contacted several firms with experience representing governments in disputes with professional ball clubs.

For example, it reached out to a law firm that represented the owner of the Metrodome in Minneapolis when baseball's Twins wanted to leave early, Wolfe said. He didn't specify the lawsuit, but presumably he was speaking about the 2001 lawsuit that pitted the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission against the Twins.

Rays Attendance Watch: Rough Weekend at Trop

2011-08-22T08:24:00.002-04:00

Despite a much-needed three-game sweep of the visiting Seattle Mariners and some cool David Price giveaways, it wasn't a terribly successful weekend for the Rays at the gate.

The attendance for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night games at The Trop was 14,884, 20,148, and 17,226, respectively. The season average dropped to 19,234 (28th in MLB).

The Rays still have some big series left on the schedule, but unless they go on a 1978 Yankees-like stretch run, it appears likely they'll post a sub-20,000 attendance average for the first time since 2007.

You can blame the economy, the stadium, frustration with the stadium saga, and high-def TV, because it's likely a combination of all factors.

But ponder this: 50 years ago, 19,234 would be good enough for fourth place in MLB. Forty years ago, it would have been good for seventh. And 30 years ago, it still would have been in the top half of all teams.

So while their 19,234 average at the moment isn't a particularly pretty number, it could be worse for the Rays. At least the St. Petersburg Times is hammering Stu Sternberg's nemesis, Mayor Bill Foster. (Read about Foster's "secret" plan here)

Mayor Foster's Secret "Detailed Plan"

2011-08-19T09:25:00.003-04:00

Mayor Bill Foster's comment to city council Thursday that he has a "detailed plan" to keep the Rays is nothing more than miscalculated politicking.

Foster, who wants city council to stop diminishing the city's leverage in the stadium saga by suggesting possible concessions to the Rays, said he had a "plan" so council would stop pressuring him in public. Foster has been briefing council members individually on the issue, even though the Rays haven't spoken to him in months.

The St. Petersburg Times reports:

"I am very content with the communication with the administration,'' Kennedy said. "If the Rays are interested in having discussions they should call the mayor.''

Foster concurred that public meetings make for an awkward forum.

"We can't play this poker hand in the sunshine, without weakening our position,'' he said. "When the time comes, when they are ready to come to the table, it will be publicly discussed and be in the sunshine. We can't do anything to weaken our position, which is why I'm willing to come to you individually.''

Since I've already explained What Mayor Bill Foster is Thinking, it makes sense that his "plan" is nothing more than to stop letting the issue play itself out in public. Foster doesn't like that the Rays have essentially issued an ultimatim: let us out of the use agreement or we'll continue the public pressure.

Of course, the Rays are thinking the more the issue plays itself out in the papers, the more pressure put on Foster to make concessions. The team has communicated with local business groups interested in fostering regional stadium efforts.

And although it will take years, the Rays are hoping the pressure on St. Pete will eventually help turn the tides so multiple counties can get behind an affordable financing plan for a new venue.

Times Editorial Board Cranks Up Pressure on Mayor Foster

2011-08-17T18:58:00.006-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times Editorial Board will print its "Five questions for the mayor on Rays" tomorrow morning and join Councilwoman Leslie Curran in pressuring Bill Foster to break his silent stalemate with the franchise. But to assume the fault belongs solely on the shoulders of the mayor is only one of the board's poor assumptions.

When the City Council discusses the issue today, here are five questions council members should ask the mayor:

1 Why do you fear allowing the Rays to evaluate potential stadium sites in Tampa?
Despite the Rays' lack of interest in a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, the city has a number of assets: the long-term stadium lease, publicly owned land, interstate access and a revenue stream of public money that could be redirected from Tropicana Field to help pay for a new stadium. Let's see how that stacks up to what the Rays might find in Tampa, whose assets include a broader business base and possibly shorter driving times for more fans.

Mayor Foster, as I've written before, is afraid of a Tampa vs. St. Pete competition. To allow the two cities to compete against each other means one side could overextend itself again in order to make the Rays happy. He sees it as his job to protect St. Pete's interests, and that means avoiding a Tampa vs. St. Pete war.

2 What could St. Petersburg receive in return for allowing a broader search of stadium sites?
Allowing the Rays to look in Hillsborough is worth something. Reasonable negotiators could agree on fair compensation that would allow the Rays to look only in Pinellas and Hillsborough for a limited time, and the city still has the long-term lease.

This point is valid; if St. Pete could get a payment in exchange for allowing the Rays to explore Tampa, Foster might jump at the chance. But I'm not sure the Rays would.

3 How does refusing to allow the Rays to look at possible stadium sites in Hillsborough benefit the city's negotiating position?
Every year that goes by, the less that is owed on the bonds that paid for the Trop and the less time that remains on the stadium lease, which expires in 2027. The city's leverage decreases as the clock ticks, and it becomes less expensive for the Rays to buy their way out or for a future owner to move the team and fight in court.

But, the Times fails to acknowledge, every year that goes by also means another year of Rays baseball in St. Petersburg, supposedly worth more than whatever buy-out might be proposed.

4 What are the long-term time lines and financial considerations?
Studying stadium sites, identifying revenue options and building public support takes time. A stadium is not going to be built soon, but Tampa Bay should be poised to move when the economy recovers.

St. Petersburg should study all of its options. The Tropicana Field site was attractive to developers when the Rays proposed their ill-fated waterfront stadium, and it will be again when the economy revives. Compare the cost of building a stadium and the economic impact of Major League Baseball in the city to saving the money a new stadium would cost, selling the Trop site to private developers, revitalizing that portion of the city and bringing spring training back to St. Petersburg. The more information, the better informed the decisions.

I guess the question is, "what's there to study?" If the Rays maintain location is the big reason people aren't coming to The Trop, why bother conducting studies that would suggest another Pinellas location would be better? Especially since any regional search would yield what's a forgone conclusion: Tampa is a better location for the stadium. It would crush Foster's leverage in the negotiation.

5 If the Rays do not want a new stadium in St. Petersburg, would you rather residents drive to Tampa to see their favorite players or fly to Charlotte?

Not only do I believe the Rays want to stay in Tampa Bay, where they've built considerable equity, but I don't think Charlotte is anywhere close to being in a position to lure a new team. All Charlotte represents right now - and the Times falls into the trap perfectly - is a city MLB would like to use to "blackmail" Tampa Bay, just as they did eith Tampa Bay for so many years.

Rays Still Talking Stadium, Just Not to St. Petersburg

2011-08-17T14:00:00.003-04:00

Frustrated by the lack of progress on the Rays' hunt for a new stadium, city council member Leslie Curran says she's anxious to know what the city can do to break the deadlock. She'll ask Mayor Bill Foster and the city's legal team for an update at Thursday afternoon's council meeting.

Foster, who wouldn't comment on the new agenda item, isn't expected to say much. The mayor has briefed council members individually on progress and the lack thereof.

Foster has publicly said the city is comfortable with its current use agreement, a seemingly-strong document that binds the Rays to Tropicana Field until 2027.

"My door is open... but right now, (the Rays) haven't approached (long-term talks)," Foster said in March.

It's believed Foster has met with Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg just once since then.

The Rays, meanwhile, have been more forthcoming with a number of other groups working toward a stadium solution. 10 News has confirmed representatives from the team have spoken with the Clutch Hitters, a pro-baseball business group, and a stadium financing caucus put together by the St. Pete Area and Greater Tampa Chambers of Commerce.

Continue reading here.

Update: Manchester United Seeks Singapore IPO

2011-08-16T10:27:00.003-04:00

It was a month ago we saw the first reports from London that the Glazers may take Manchester United public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and today the Wall Street Journal reports the rumor was true...except the IPO will be in Singapore:

U.K. soccer club Manchester United Ltd. is planning to raise around $1 billion from a Singapore initial public offering in the fourth quarter, people familiar with the situation said Tuesday, in the latest foreign listing to tap Asia's funding markets.
...
The club, which was once listed on the London Stock Exchange as Manchester United PLC, had initial planned to list in Hong Kong, but changed its mind and has now picked Singapore as a listing venue, the people said.

Singapore has been pushing to position itself as one of the preferred destinations for foreign listings in a bid to compete with Hong Kong, which this year has seen companies such as commodities giant Glencore International AG raise $10 billion ahead of London and Hong Kong listings in May, and Prada SpA, which raised $2.15 billion in June.
...
Manchester United was delisted in 2005 after U.S. investor Malcolm Glazer bought the club.

Forbes this year ranked Manchester United as the world's most valuable football team in 2011, valuing the club at $1.86 billion. The club is one of U.K.'s most successful, having been crowned English league champions 19 times and European champions three times in its 133-year history.

Last week, reports indicated the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would sell off between 15 and 25 percent of the club in its IPO, but a $1 billion offering would appear to be more than a quarter of the club's value.

New Venture for "Baseball in Orlando Guy"

2011-08-15T16:36:00.003-04:00

Armando Gutierrez may be moving on from his efforts to land minor-league baseball in Orlando. The Orlando Sentinel reports:

Businessman Armando Gutierrez Jr. is back, and he’s creating a federal political fundraising operation with Republican consultant Slater Bayliss called Maverick PAC Florida.

The effort is aimed at young-ish “Next Generation” Republicans, under the age of 45. Hopefully they can still write big checks, no?

MAVPAC Florida doesn't reference what's going on with "Baseball in Orlando," but conservative supporters of the committee had better hope it goes better than his bid for baseball and his bid for Congress.

Stadium Stalemate is Because Tampa Bay Won't Embrace Multi-County Tax

2011-08-10T14:07:00.008-04:00

As I wrote on WTSP.com today, the head of the grass-roots business group, "The Clutch Hitters," met with St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster today. He told me it was just a casual chat, and there's little reason why it would ever be more than that.

The Clutch Hitters are doing a noble thing and encouraging local leaders to think regionally for the sake a new stadium. They aren't advocating location or even revenue streams, just discussion.

But the group isn't telling Foster, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, or anyone else in positions of power things they don't already know (Foster admitted it in 2009). The only way to get a new stadium built is with public money, and it will take a multi-county effort (like in Colorado, Minnesota, Milwaukee, etc) to come up with enough.

So right now, as The Clutch Hitters encourage regional cooperation and the area's two biggest Chambers of Commerce "explore financing possibilities," any discussion of stadium location is taboo. Because as easy as a tenth-of-a-cent sales tax would be to swallow for some people, few in St. Pete would get on-board with the plan if the stadium was built in Tampa. Likewise, few in Tampa would support their dollars going toward another Pinellas stadium.

The Chambers and Hitters both know a regional revenue stream is the first step toward a new stadium, but nobody - including the Rays - know how to get there. Every time stadium financing is raised, stadium location dominates the discussion.

REPORT: Glazers to Sell Part of Man U

2011-08-06T18:31:00.002-04:00

Reports out of London are that the Glazer family, which also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, could sell off between 15 and 25 percent of Manchester United to get out from some of their well-documented debt problems:

Shares in Manchester United are again up for sale.

But the plan to put a stake of the world’s most famous football club back on the market will only strengthen the Glazer family’s grip on power at Old Trafford.

Sunday Mirror Sport understands that United’s reviled American owners are preparing to sell up to a quarter of the club in a move that could raise more than £400million.

That would enable them to slash the £500m debts that are currently costing United £45million-a-year to service.

And the Glazers would then be able to pay themselves – and other new investors – millions in dividends every year.

Investment giants UBS are advising on the sale which is called an Initial Public Offering.

The Glazers are looking to cash in on between 15% and 25% of United.

They value the club at £1.7billion – an astonishing increase on the £800m they paid when purchasing the Reds in an £800m leveraged buy-out that split the club apart in May 2005.

The report, from Sunday Mirror Sport, speculates the Glazers want to retain 75 percent of the club, and thus, full control.

Mid-Week Subsidy Updates

2011-08-04T09:37:00.004-04:00

I suggested Hillsborough County and Tampa leaders would learn a lesson from their public subsidy hand-out to PricewaterhouseCoopers last week. Sure enough, they're still red in the cheek from the deal, which Pricewaterhouse called off after public outcry. But as the St. Petersburg Times suggested, officials may have been "unprepared" for the subsidy talk. I think most owners of sports teams across the country would tell you most public officials are unprepared for the heavy-duty negotiations.

And while it's a good thing that "The Clutch Hitters" are now lobbying for more talks in the Rays' Stadium Saga, it's just another step in the long, ugly process of how stadium deals go down.

Rays Stadium Saga is MLB's Problem

2011-08-02T08:49:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I wrote how the Rays' Stadium Saga is like the U.S. debt ceiling debate. Except, of course, MLB could keep going down the same path and remain profitable.

But the issue deserves more attention because despite all the noise about small-market teams losing money, MLB has had an anti-trust exemption for almost 90 years and, in many ways, functions as a single business, not 30 individual businesses (see how they're trying to rescue the Dodgers).

With $7B in revenue last year, there's plenty of profit in MLB to go around. And although revenue sharing is considered by some a crutch and a problem, it's neither; revenue sharing is a symptom of the league allowing teams to spend dollars proportional to their cities' size (because its more profitable that way).

As much as the Steinbrenners and Lucchino/Werner/Henry clans may want revenue sharing reduced, it will remain an important part of the MLB business model as long as salaries continue to grow (which they will). But since the big clubs profit more if the smaller clubs profit more, a stadium in Tampa Bay is so important to everyone in the league.

A good point is raised by Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball, who says MLB owners already padded their pockets on the backs of Tampa Bay:

St. Pete built the then-Florida Suncoast Dome in 1986 to try and bring MLB to the market. When it was completed in 1990, it, and Tampa Bay-St. Pete became a lever to get new stadiums around the league built. Whether it was the White Sox, Giants, or Mariners, all used relocation to the new Dome as a way to get shiny ballparks built.

The stadium debate isn't about the Rays - it's about the profits of all 30 MLB clubs. If simply building a new stadium was the instant fix some people suggest, MLB would step in to help close the $200 million funding gap Tampa Bay faces in building a $500-$600 million stadium. But it's not. Unfortunately, the stadium debate is much like the national debt debate and there's no instant fix.

The problem in Tampa Bay isn't just about the fans or the market - it's about MLB. It allowed its business expenses to skyrocket, and now it wants you to help fix it.

How the Rays Stadium Saga is Like the National Debt Debate

2011-08-01T08:44:00.000-04:00

We already know the Trop is like Pensacola Beach after an oil spill and the Rays are like "Big Oil," but the stalemate in the Stadium Saga has remarkable comparisons to the national debt showdown.

While the Rays have indicated they aren't generating enough revenue to remain competitive in the long-term, the same question many in Washington are asking should be asked here: does MLB really just have a spending problem?

Last year I suggested the Rays' inability to "keep up with the Joneses" was because MLB allowed major-market teams to jack up the going rate for star players:

You have teams like the Rays - very well-run and successful in player-development - that still can't compete in the standings every year because they can't compete on the free agent market.
This is a serious flaw in the game right now.

Whether the problem lies in revenue sharing or the league's inability to reign in the spending of major-market teams, the result is the same - teams like the Rays have no choice but to settle for long-term mediocrity...or plead for public dollars.

That's not the fault of the Rays' front office or its Tampa Bay fan base.

That's the fault of the Yankees, the Red Sox, Major League Baseball, and the mighty MLB Players' Association; all the parties that let the businesses' overhead (player salaries) grow faster than many cities can bear.

Unfortunately, the Stadium Saga is unlike the nation's debt debate in one way - there seems to be no foregone conclusion at the end of this predictable discussion.

Tampa Learning Lesson St. Pete Already Learned

2011-07-31T15:19:00.002-04:00

Much like St. Pete learned three years ago, Tampa and Hillsborough Co. are learning a tough lesson: voters hate it when public deals are negotiated in private.

Similarly to how the Rays' failed waterfront stadium deal went down, officials in Tampa are trying to wipe the egg off their face after agreeing to hand over $1+ million in incentives to a large mystery company "considering" a move out of town.

That business turned out to be PricewaterhouseCoopers, and it turns out it may not have ever been leaving the region in the first place.

My guess is, Hillsborough leaders will ask smarter questions the next time they're presented with a similar situation.

But the jury is still out as to whether leaders will act any different when it's a sports team - the Rays - asking, "please help subsidize our expansion or else we're leaving?"

Times Editorial Board Makes Another Stadium Plea

2011-07-24T13:42:00.005-04:00

There were a pair of thoughtful commentaries in this morning's St. Petersburg Times on the stadium saga.

Columnist John Romano contends (with good reason) the biggest problem for the Rays is the lack of business support - largely because of the stadium's location in St. Petersburg, rather than Tampa.

The paper's editorial board took a much more aggressive approach, pleading with Mayor Bill Foster and Rays management to end their stalemate. The board places most of the blame on Foster for protecting his community's investments above the greater good of the Tampa Bay region:

It seems everyone recognizes a sense of urgency to get serious and think regionally except Foster, who hasn't budged in a year. That's not good for St. Petersburg taxpayers or the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.

Foster refuses to accept the reality that Tampa Bay is one market and that the Rays and the community need to explore potential stadium sites in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The mayor's offer last year to let the Rays look at sites outside St. Petersburg in mid Pinellas was a positive first step, but it did not go far enough. It's not reasonable to declare Hillsborough off limits, just as it would not be reasonable for the Rays to rule out Pinellas County without looking at the entire market. The Tampa Bay region has matured beyond such narrow thinking on issues ranging from drinking water to transit to higher education, and professional sports requires the same kind of broader vision.

Foster pointed out last week during the dustup over the Trop's shortcomings that he is the mayor of St. Petersburg, not Tampa Bay. But his refusal to compromise with the Rays is no way to treat any prominent business, and it is not in the long-term financial interests of city taxpayers. Every month that clicks off the calendar with no movement is a month closer to paying off the stadium bonds and to the 2027 expiration of the lease. Every month that goes by with no action costs the city leverage and makes it less expensive for the Rays to break the lease or, more likely, starve the team financially and stall for more time.

The editorial makes good points, but it neglects to acknowledge one thing - Foster has said he's waiting on the Rays to sit down and talk and so far, they haven't been interested.

It should not be this difficult to break this deadlock. Foster should negotiate an agreement with the Rays that would allow them to study stadium sites in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties for a specific time period in return for compensation that recognizes St. Petersburg's civic and financial commitment to baseball. The Rays would have to commit to thoroughly considering sites in both counties, and the city still would hold the Trop lease as its trump card.

The Times is asking Foster to simply give up some of his leverage on the team right now, a concession the mayor seems unlikely to make. The way he sees it, doing nothing ensures the region at least 15 more years of Rays baseball. While it's not going to get Tampa Bay very far in its quest to keep the Rays for generations to come, it's a risk Foster seems willing to take in a bad economy.

Tampa Yankees Won't Move to Orlando

2011-07-22T08:18:00.005-04:00

It seemed like a foregone conclusion (I wrote about it in this space a year ago), but the far-fetched plan to move the Tampa Yankees to Orlando appears dead.

Armando Gutierrez, the 29-year-old businessman who has held multiple press conferences promising Central Florida the moon (it started with a pledge to bring MLB to the area), has struck out. Time to roll back up the proverbial "mission accomplished" banner.

Despite an online campaign to urge Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs to support a land giveaway, "Baseball in Orlando" was rebuffed Wednesday as Jacobs terminated their quest for land next to the Orange Co. Convention Center. The mayor cited the group's inflated attendance projections and discounted rent offer.

You can read more about Gutierrez' struggles to bring the Yankees to Orlando here, but we probably still haven't heard the last from him. He's proven very stubborn in his attempts so far.

Maybe the Rays Don't Hate The Trop

2011-07-20T11:07:00.003-04:00

Does Joe Maddon really hate The Trop? Or is he just talking to the baseball gods?

Last year on August 5, Joe Maddon ripped The Trop after a catwalk played a role in a loss. A month later, he "made amends" after the Rays won a game with a near-catwalk strike.

This year on July 19, Maddon ripped The Trop after consecutive nights of stadium delays. But that same night, after Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson lost a ball in the stadium lights, he again apologized.

Coincidence? Or is Maddon really the smartest man in baseball?

Also, at least one player told the Tampa Tribune people should just get over it:

Monday's delay was weather related, and Rays pitcher J.P. Howell pointed out Tuesday that if it weren't for the roof and the catwalks that keep it in place, the game would have been delayed a lot longer because of the thunderstorm raging outside the stadium.

"Whatever," Howell said of the criticism lobbed at the Trop. "There's a (flag) pole in Houston right in the middle of the playing field in the outfield. Some stadiums have short porches, and I think that's ridiculous. In those places it's a unique thing. In the old Twins stadium you couldn't see fly balls because of the ceiling, that's part of the gig. That's the only home field advantage we have, and it's not really an advantage."

Stadium Saga Re-Focuses on Money...and Logic

2011-07-20T06:54:00.006-04:00

Times columnist John Romano makes a great point in this morning's paper: the stadium issue "all comes back to money."

The column echoes mine from November 2010, when I said the debate about stadium location was moot until they discovered a magical pot of money somewhere....or discussed a regional-funding effort.

While Romano has been way off-base at times on the stadium issue , he was also critical of Rays' manager Joe Maddon in 2010 the last time the skipper criticized the stadium.

Now, he fine-tunes his tone on the matter, bringing about some relevant points:

Catwalks, broken lights and ESPN blowhards have no business in the discussion of whether the Tampa Bay area needs to consider the construction of a new stadium.

When Rays manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday that Tropicana Field was improper for Major League Baseball after 14 seasons, it sounded almost as silly as St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster once saying the catwalks were the equivalent of Wrigley Field's ivy.

This isn't about artificial turf or low-hanging speakers or lightning strikes on national television. This is about money. And it is about the future of baseball in Tampa Bay. And it might even be about the city of St. Petersburg's reputation and its ultimate direction.

Romano goes on to say "Attendance and revenue streams at Tropicana Field are not sufficient for Major League Baseball's needs" - a point may take issue with since MLB hasn't provided any evidence of this.

But Romano hits the nails on the head when it comes to what's going on inside the head of Stu Sternberg: "Stu Sternberg (isn't) going broke...the Rays are (simply) making far less money than 90-95 percent of their baseball business partners."

The column continues by applauding Sternberg for saving the Rays franchise and making it a winner, but applauds St. Petersburg for building a stadium on the backs of taxpayers.

Romano says it comes down to the commissioner:

Bud Selig needs to acknowledge that MLB owes St. Petersburg a debt. We were his street corner tart for more than a decade, helping stadiums get built in other markets. Maybe that doesn't get us a lifetime pass, but MLB is flush with enough cash that it needs to take an active part in any new stadium discussions here.

But tougher questions about the stadium saga are posed by Field of Schemes' Neil deMause:

There's no doubt that Maddon and Silverman would love a new workplace — hey, who wouldn't? — but some of their complaints border on the bizarre: Rain is a "disruption to the game"? Rays players can't focus on baseball because they're worried that other cities are making fun of them? And, for that matter, how exactly is a shattered lightbulb — the first in nearly 14 seasons of games at the Trop — an indication that the whole place needs to be torn down (as opposed to, say, switching to sturdier light fixtures)?
...
The real question that should be asked, meanwhile, is if the Trop is really "improper for Major League Baseball," why so many teams threatened to move there in the '80s and '90s in order to extract new stadiums from their home cities (off the top of my head: the White Sox, Indians, Giants, Rangers, and at least two or three more that I'm forgetting); not to mention why MLB ultimately gave St. Petersburg an expansion franchise in 1998 despite knowing where their home park would be. Has the definition of "improper" really changed that much in 13 years? If rain is now an unacceptable distraction, I guess maybe...

Matt Silverman Chimes In on Stadium Saga

2011-07-19T21:44:00.003-04:00

And Rays President Matt Silverman joins in on the Trop-bashing too:

In a statement released to the media today Silverman said, "Joe speaks from the heart, and I agree with what he said. It’s hard to combat the national media’s depiction of our stadium. Our situation has become a distraction. It is affecting the clubhouse, and it spills over onto the field of play. It damages the national reputation of St. Pete and Tampa Bay, and it harms the Rays brand. Clearly, something needs to be done.”

The Rays have made it clear they want the region to come together to think of something, but they haven't been overly eager to suggest solutions (of course, St. Pete's pesky threat of lawsuit may have something to do that).

Last year, when Stu Sternberg held his landmark stadium press conference, I wrote, "Sternberg didn't offer any suggestions of how a stadium would get built in this economy, he merely said the region needs to come together to get it done. I imagine the team will eventually contribute to a new stadium, but for negotiating sake, that offer isn't on the table yet."

A year later, very little has changed. In fact, it may be a while before anything does.

Maddon: Mayor Foster Has "Head in Sand"

2011-07-19T20:23:00.007-04:00

Just when we thought the Stadium Saga would stay quiet for a few months, we get a catwalk delay Sunday, a lightning delay Monday, and Joe Maddon sounding off Tuesday. It's similar to Maddon's stadium complaints from last August, but gotta strike while the iron is hot, right?

"You shouldn’t play with all these obstructions, and all these caveats. Of course not. It's runs it's course. It was here for a moment. It served it's purpose. And now it’s time to move on. Absolutely it is. And to deny that, everybody has just got their head in the sand, period.

"This is a great place to raise a family and for me it's a great place to have a major-league team - the Tampa Bay area. So looking down the road I would hope that people have enough foresight to construct the new ballpark in the right place that maintains us here for many years, and permits us to build this (organization) into what we can. It's already pretty darn good - we could make it even better with the right facilities.

"The new ballpark would have to be retractable. To do otherwise would be economic suicide – it’s uncomfortable, the rain, the disruptions with the game, the disruptions with your work. All that stuff would be counter-productive. If you’re going to do it, do it right. Do it right, man."

The Sporting News reports Maddon is already thinking about stadium designs. Maddon also took what Times writer Marc Topkin called "veiled shots" at St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, who responded:

"I agree it's a regional asset and it requires support from the entire region. As I said before, I am not the regional mayor. I am the mayor of the city of St. Petersburg and I will do whatever I can to protect the interests of the people who built the stadium.

"We absolutely need to work with the region...I’ve always been one to look at the regional approach when it comes to attract fans to Tropicana Field. But the region didn’t build Tropicana Field. It was the people of Pinellas County who built Tropicana Field. So right now I am only concerned with their interests and protecting their investments.

"They have 15 years left on their lease agreement...so yeah, I’m holding on pretty tightly. If they want to look at sites within Pinellas County, I'm all for that."

Last month I wrote about what was going on inside Foster's head, and his comments today seem to confirm my assumptions.

Catwalk Controversy: 2011 Revival

2011-07-18T07:10:00.004-04:00

Looks like we can look forward to another week's worth of Tropicana Field-bashing after 16 innings and nearly six hours of fun last night.

The game would have been shorter had a Sean Rodriguez pop-up not shattered a light hanging from the catwalk. NESN tweeted, "shards of hot glass are falling on Tropicana Field after the catwalk's struck again. Batboys are collecting the glass in their gloves."

My first thought is, "I wonder if it's the same bulb I shot in my 2010 story on the Trop's catwalks?"

But my next thought was how strange it is that the Tampa Bay region spends more time defending its stadium and its fan base than the team's management does.

I can't remember a time when the team's top brass has been over-complimentary of the region's fans and when it says anything about The Trop, it's obviously about the need to replace it. A little stadium promotion would go a long way toward making fans want to visit.

St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, however, dons his marketing cap when it comes The Trop, comparing its quirks to the ivy at Wrigley Field or the Green Monster at Fenway Park.

And Pinellas Co. Commissioner Ken Welch took it a little more personal last night, tweeting, "Watching the Rays game - The ESPN commentators whining about the Trop got old a couple of hours (or years) ago..."

Sorry Ken, the talk isn't going anywhere. It's not like Stu Sternberg will try to convince anyone to embrace the park's pesky "quirks" the way the Red Sox front office did when the region was lamenting Fenway Park's tiny seats, poor sightlines, and illegally-close foul poles in the late 1990s.

Sternberg (Relatively) Quiet on Attendance Talk

2011-07-16T20:15:00.005-04:00

Regardless of whether Stu Sternberg was being calculated when he essentially said "no comment" to the same ole attendance questions, it's a nice reprieve from the media's recycled reaction to it:

"I'm tired of thinking about it, talking about it," Sternberg said. "You're tired of asking me the question, and most importantly, everybody is tired of hearing about it. So it's really all about what's going to be is going to be. And what it is, is what it is.

"And we're going to try and do as well as we can on the field and enjoy what's happening day-to-day. The numbers that are coming through are what they are. I don't anticipate talking about it or focusing on it at all this season or any time in the near future after that."

After two long-awaited games against the Red Sox, the Rays' average attendance is at 19,570 and climbing, up to 28th in the majors.

Selig Stays on Sideline in Stadium Saga (for now)

2011-07-13T11:32:00.004-04:00

As Times columnist John Romano writes, Commissioner Bud Selig didn't have a whole lot to say on the Rays' stadium search front:

It seems Tampa Bay is notable on Bud Selig's radar these days. The commissioner is impressed with the Rays on the field, concerned with attendance in the stands and bothered by the words of St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster.

On opening day at Tropicana Field, Foster said he was prepared for interference from Major League Baseball and all of the commissioner's "tricks" when it came to stadium issues in Tampa Bay.

Selig would not discuss the apparent stalemate between the Rays and the city but told the St. Petersburg Times that he took exception to the mayor's characterization of his role.

Selig also said that we could soon see more wild-card teams, an action Rays owner Stu Sternberg told me last winter he was very much in favor of.

At Least One National Writer Loves The Trop

2011-07-13T11:22:00.003-04:00

Travel writer Peter Greenberg lists his top five baseball stadiums to visit this summer, including:

Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
Don’t believe the banter you hear about this ballpark. Tropicana Field is one of the most underrated venues in the big leagues and it’s hard not to have a good time there. It may look a little funny, but the Tampa Bay Rays front office has done a terrific job of making the stadium fan-friendly.

There are probably more things to do at Tropicana Field than in any other ballpark in MLB. Take a trip out to Left Field Street to participate in baseball-themed game show or get your picture taken on a Topps Baseball Card. Behind the centerfield wall, you can touch and feed live cownose rays. In Right Field Street, your kids can have their swing analyzed on a computer scouting system or paint at Raymond’s Art Studio.

If you actually want to watch the game, then you can sit in an unobstructed seat in a comfortable air-conditioned dome that keeps you free from the punishing Florida humidity. The Rays front office has their low-budget team in playoff contention again, so you’ll always watch a good product on the field. Tickets are affordable when you buy directly through the team as Tampanians are reluctant to cross a bridge into St. Petersburg.

He makes half-decent points, but loses all credibility in my mind when he includes dingy Dodger Stadium and corporate Yankee Stadium in his list above gems like Fenway and Wrigley.

"Baseball in Orlando" Still Not Getting Anywhere Fast

2011-07-08T15:53:00.003-04:00

Two months ago, we said "Promises of 'Baseball in Orlando' Empty So Far." Two months later, little has changed.

Despite the support of John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan fame, a 5,000-seat "Yankeetown" complex on I-Drive for the Yankees' Single-A team (now in Tampa) seems to be creating more baseball critics than baseball fans.

Heck, the brainchild of young rich guy Armando Gutierrez may not even be legal.

But don't sell supporters like Morgan short yet...he did, after all, help a major network buckle after reminding us, "you can't Tivo Tebow."

Buckhorn Echoes What Foster Said Two Years Ago

2011-06-30T14:04:00.003-04:00

Times writer Richard Danielson details another episode of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn talking stadium:

Seems like every week Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is thinking out loud about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays in ways that raise people's eyebrows.

Buckhorn said in a radio interview Tuesday that he believes the team will leave St. Petersburg.
...
If the Rays do leave St. Petersburg, Buckhorn said, and not for the first time, he thinks the best place for them to land would be downtown Tampa.

But asked whether he thinks the Rays will move to Tampa, Buckhorn said, "No. It's my belief that at some point the Rays will leave St. Petersburg … and I absolutely want to be ready when that happens."

On Wednesday, Buckhorn said it's clear that playing at Tropicana Field doesn't work for the team.

Ironically, it's similar to what St. Pete's not-yet-elected mayor, Bill Foster, said two years ago.

Trib Column on Buckhorn Pitch Misses the Mark

2011-06-29T17:52:00.008-04:00

Tribune columnist Joe O'Neill writes that Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's ceremonial first pitch the other night was much more than a pitch. And he may be right...but he's also very wrong.

O'Neill says, "sooner than later, the Rays will unilaterally opt out of that (2027) Trop lease. It won't come cheap, but it's the cost of (un)doing business in the sports-franchise universe...the Rays will relocate to Tampa or they will move far away."

First of all, the Rays have a use agreement, not a lease. And they can't "opt out," only buy out.

But more importantly, it's wrong to assume all Pinellas locations are off the table.

Pinellas Co. still has the most available money and a Gateway/Toytown venue would still put the team more within reach of more fans.

O'Neill also asserts, "The water may be a 'big divide' when it comes to Trop attendees, but Tampa's mayor and key business interests have no problem bridging the bay."

I get his point, but if the businesses in Tampa supported the Rays in St. Pete, we wouldn't be having this discussion about the Rays moving.

Sternberg Reminds Fans of Repurcussions of Low Attendance

2011-06-29T14:12:00.004-04:00

Stu Sternberg held an impromptu press conference before Tuesday night's Rays/Reds game...although the comments weren't exactly improvised.

The St. Petersburg Times quotes him as saying, "Adding payroll is more difficult this year given the reality of our attendance."

To be more accurate, adding payroll is easy; maintaining profits are not.

Chambers aren't Only Groups Studying Stadium Funding

2011-06-24T21:30:00.004-04:00

As the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce teams up with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce to study ways to finance a new Rays stadium somewhere in Tampa Bay, a separate effort to research private financing is already underway. The big difference: the second effort is focused on Downtown Tampa.

Ryan Neubauer, who two years ago launched, “Build it Downtown Tampa,” has been quietly working behind-the-scenes with area business leaders on a way to get the Rays across the bay. Careful not to interfere with St. Pete’s use agreement with the team, Neubauer holds several specifics close to the vest.

But by September, Neubauer – and his partners in the grass-roots effort – expect to release a specific report on a Downtown location and financing package they think could be the solution to the Stadium Saga.

"This recommendation can't rely on any significant public funds,” Neubauer said, adding that business leaders will need to step up like never before to close a monstrous gap in funding a half-billion dollar stadium.

Meanwhile, the two chambers have been meeting to study how stadiums have been built not just in the U.S., but internationally. They want to further the work the ABC Coalition did from 2008 to 2010.

"The ABC Coalition looked primarily at potential locations,” said Bob Rohrlack, President of the Greater Tampa Chamber. “That's the one thing we are not discussing. What we're discussing is how to fund the facility."

What Mayor Bill Foster is Thinking

2011-06-24T12:40:00.010-04:00

After a look inside the brain of Rays Principal Owner Stu Sternberg, it’s time to analyze what St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster is thinking as the Stadium Saga enters another stalemate summer.

With attendance at The Trop barely registering in the MLB rankings and the city threatening lawsuit over anyone or anything that threatens to interfere with their use agreement, Foster has taken it on the chin from the local papers:
- Times columnist John Romano implied a good leader would be open to the Rays’ demands.
- Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly said Foster had his head in the sand and deserves boos.
- Times columnist Sue Carlton said she hopes St. Pete and the Rays can just work it out.
- The Tribune editorial board called Foster “stubborn” and said he’s risking losing the Rays.

We’ve heard Foster say The Trop is a great facility. But that’s Foster the St. Pete Promoter talking. He doesn’t really think the Rays’ have a park that compares to Target Field, PNC Park, or Wrigley Field. But he will get offended if you suggest the park and the city are the reason you don’t go to games.

And even though Foster said on the campaign trail the Rays could leave St. Pete after 2016, he now says he’ll go to court to make sure they don’t break the contract. That’s Foster the Lawyer talking.

To Foster the Lawyer, the stadium situation is only a problem because the Rays said so. With no actual proof of financial struggles, nor proof of another city looking for a team, Foster remains content to hold his ground. All Sternberg has done so far is ask not-so-nicely for permission to explore breaking their contract.

It comes to down to preserving St. Pete’s equity in Major League Baseball. The city agreed to build a stadium in exchange for 30 years of baseball. Foster sees anything short of that benchmark unacceptable.

Is he willing to negotiate? Sure. Is he willing to accept financial restitution in exchange for early termination of the lease? Probably. But that hasn't been offered by the Rays.

What has been offered is a region-wide search for a better location and Foster already knows what that would yeild: a Tampa vs. St. Pete tug-of-war. When the Tribune suggests a Tampa stadium plan would do nothing to interfere with St. Pete's relationship, they're wrong. It takes away St. Pete's leverage.

And in a stalemate that will ultimately come down to a negotiation over hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies, Foster the Lawyer can't afford to lose any leverage.

While he would love to help the Rays build a new state-of-the-art park in Pinellas County, Foster sees many of the recent ballparks as public bailouts of private businesses that may not have even needed them.

And as much as he would prefer to negotiate in the mayor’s office rather than the court of public opinion, Foster has no problem playing the bad guy to the region to preserve the interests of his city. He's the mayor of St. Pete, not greater Tampa Bay.

When Foster says he's prepared for all of MLB's "tricks," he means he isn't going to buy the argument that a new stadium is a "need," rather than a "want."

Foster the St. Pete Promoter thinks if the Rays wanted to succeed in St. Pete in the first place, they'd promote their home instead of bash it. Foster the Lawyer thinks if the team wants a new stadium, it should come to the negotiating table to discuss compensation for terminating its contract early.

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Tampa/St. Pete Chambers' Coalition: What Does it Mean?

2011-06-24T12:09:00.006-04:00

Thursday's announcement that business leaders on both sides of the Bay will discuss ideas on how to fund a stadium is a welcome chapter in the Stadium Saga; but it's not a surprising one. After all, the ABC Coalition - not coincidentally, a group of business leaders from both sides of the Bay - concluded a new coalition would be necessary in its final report from January 2010:

The coalition found the Rays are right to assert the current stadium near Downtown St. Pete is too remote for most fans to frequently visit, and that Tampa Bay will need to band together to get a new stadium deal done.

"This is all one region," said Rays' Senior Vice President Michael Kalt. "We're committed to this process and this region, so I don't think anyone has any reason to worry, no matter if they're in St. Pete or Tampa or Pasco County."
...
Kalt did, however, repeat that he hoped leaders on both sides of Tampa Bay would put aside their differences and work together to keep the Rays in the area. It's an assertion echoed several times by members of the coalition.

"Baseball is regional, just like transit or education," said ABC Coalition member Craig Sher. "We need to take a regional approach...not just one city."

The news should also ease Stu Sternberg's frustrations at the region's uncooperative attitude, but it may not get him much closer to a stadium. With no taxing authority, the group of businessmen may be hard-pressed to do anything more than lobby for a multi-county tax and tax breaks for the project.

These are some very powerful business leaders determined to make things happen, but if funding a stadium was as simple as pooling their private dollars, we wouldn't be in the current stalemate.

What Stu Sternberg is Thinking

2011-06-23T14:10:00.002-04:00

With the Rays and St. Pete entering year No. 4 of the Stadium Saga, the most pivotal player in the game is also the hardest to get on-the-record.

Rays’ Principal Owner Stu Sternberg has been more calculated than candid with his public comments, but it’s because he’s trying to execute a blueprint dozens of professional teams have used to get new stadiums.

Sternberg truly cares about putting a winning club on the field. And despite a bitter taste in his mouth from how the 2008 waterfront stadium idea was quashed, he still wants that club to play in Tampa Bay. But he – and his investors - also care about turning bigger profits and that will ultimately determine the future of the Rays franchise.

Related: Is a New Rays Stadium a Need or "Want?"

A new stadium could represent $200 million in value to the Rays, including tens of millions in revenue in each of the first few years. And while Sternberg would put a portion of that money into his own pocket, the rest would undoubtedly go back into the team, creating a better product for fans. He sees it as a win-win.

But the problem is that a new stadium would cost substantially more than $200 million. So Sternberg needs help.

While private developers may be eager to donate land for a new park, there’s no financial gain to be had from building the actual stadium for a team. That leaves a funding gap for a retractable-roof stadium of approximately $300 million.

So public financing will have to close that gap. And every penny generated by a tourist tax, a tax-increment financing (TIF) district, or payments-in-lieu-of-taxes, means a penny saved by Sternberg.

With a lucrative television opportunity lurking in 2016, the franchise may be anxious to capitalize on the stadium momentum now. Attendance is ugly, payroll has been slashed, and the team has been winning. To many in the Rays’ organization, there’s no reason the region shouldn’t be supportive of these efforts. But like the private sector, there’s no appetite in the public sector right now for stadium financing, either.

Sternberg’s frustrations stem from the fact that the Tampa Bay region can’t get together for a seemingly-simple multi-county tax like the efforts that got stadiums built in Denver and Milwaukee.

But even in bad economies, appetites can change. And the process can be sped up by finding a second municipality hell-bent on landing Major League Baseball.

Until that day, the Rays have to wait out the economy, let Tampa Bay fans grow uncomfortable with the silence, and let columnists and editorial boards do the dirty work of leveraging politicians. The uglier it gets, the more leverage created for the long-term goal.

It’s not that Sternberg and the Rays have bad intentions; it’s actually the opposite: they really want baseball to survive in Tampa Bay. But business is business and profits must come first.

Tomorrow, a look inside the brain of Sternberg's nemesis in “What Mayor Bill Foster is Thinking.”

Rob Neyer Nails Stadium Saga Synopsis

2011-06-23T14:04:00.001-04:00

ESPN's Rob Neyer hits the nail on the head in the last paragraph of (yet another) Rays stadium story:

How does all this end? I think it's impossible to say. Except we can be fairly certain that nothing's going to change in the next year or three. Which means more pieces exactly like this one. Enjoy!

ESPN's Howard Bryant on Rays/A's

2011-06-22T20:11:00.002-04:00

ESPN's Howard Bryant takes a long look at the plight of the Rays and A's. His most interesting paragraph comes toward the end:

"Wheels exist within wheels, and quite possibly the Giants and Rays continue to be linked. When the Giants foundered in Candlestick Park, executives pointed to weak attendance but strong television ratings as proof that the problem was not the market but the ballpark. The Rays' television data suggests, too, that the problem might not be the market, after all, but the lack of a nice place to watch a game. The Giants took a risk and built their own ballpark. If the Rays are to be taken seriously, they might need to do the same."

Good read.

Is a New Stadium a Rays' Need? Or "Want?"

2011-06-20T09:07:00.010-04:00

With their much-anticipated Red Sox/Marlins/Father’s Day homestand in the books, the Rays’ average attendance creeped up to 18,484 on the year. Sadly, still 29th-best mark in the league.

The sagging 2011 numbers, combined with the mere mention of the word “stadium” at a Hillsborough Commission meeting, provided another week’s worth of fodder for talk radio, sports columnists, and newspaper editorial boards.

Times Story: Hillsborough Officials ponder Rays' future
Times Column: Playing hardball will only hasten Rays' departure
Times Column: Hey, St. Petersburg, Tampa here: Can we talk Rays?
Trib Editorial: Being ready for the Rays

But for the Tampa Bay region to bear the burden of poor attendance numbers is wrong. Is it Tampa Bay's fault Busch Gardens' numbers dropped last year? Is it the region's fault more people aren't buying the Tampa Tribune???

First and foremost, the profitability of the Rays in Tampa Bay is the responsibility of Stu Sternberg and the owners that bought the team five years ago. A recent article even provided evidence the team should be able to turn profits here.

But that said, the region still bears a bit of responsibility in making sure any business that calls Tampa Bay home survives. However, so far, the Rays haven’t shown any evidence they can’t.

We’re simply expected to take their word for it.

What the Rays have provided is below-average attendance numbers. But MLB reported $7 billion in revenue last year and the Rays post better-than-average televison ratings. So who knows what the team’s bottom line looks like other than the folks in the front office?

All we know so far is that the team HAS been sustainable in Tampa Bay - even profitable. So what evidence do we have that the team won’t be in the future? Are revenues expected to drop? It’s not like the team has major debt problems like a handful of others in the league.

Actually, revenues should climb in future years as the team stands to negotiate a new, lucrative television contract based on it’s growing audience.

So, while fans are expected to believe the current situation is not sustainable; while local municipalities are expected to help subsidize a new stadium; and while St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster is expected to give the team permission to break it’s use agreement; the Rays should provide actual evidence of their needs, not their “wants.”

Stu Sternberg owes it to the region to open up his books.

ESPN Ranks Lightning No. 2 Franchise in Sports

2011-06-16T13:14:00.002-04:00

ESPN's annual Franchise Rankings pay big props to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the second-best franchise in all the major sports. The Green Bay Packers were No. 1.

The rankings take into account a number of factors, including front-office success, fan relations, and ownership's honesty/loyalty to players and fans. The Lighning notched outstanding ratings in those three categories. Even the team's worst rating, "Stadium Experience," was in the top 25 percent of franchises.

The Tampa Bay Rays were the 25th-ranked franchise of 122, thanks to excellent performance on-the-field and excellent affordability for fans. However, the Tropicana Field experience (111th) and ownership loyalty to player/community (86th) dragged it down.

The Tampa Bay Bucs, 59th of 122 teams, were middle-of-the-pack in most categories. They scored positive points for their recent championship, but were penalized for poor fan relations (104th).

Column Says Rays Right Not to Price Tickets Dynamicly

2011-06-14T20:34:00.003-04:00

David Simmons from The Biz of Baseball writes that dynamic ticket prices, one of my big stories to watch in 2011, is a great idea for most teams...just not the Rays:

"The loss of season-ticket holders has forced teams to begin the use of dynamic pricing. Teams, like the concert industry, are challenged to make the same amount of revenue of their ticketing inventory by selling fewer tickets."

Glazers May Go Public with Man. U

2011-06-13T12:19:00.002-04:00

According to The Times in London, The Glazer family, owners of Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, may go public with Man U. on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Marketwatch reports:

English football club Manchester United could have a GBP1.7 billion flotation in Hong Kong as its American owners study the possibility of the club's return to the public markets, the Sunday Times reports.

The report said the Glazer family have held talks with several investment banks on a plan to list the Premier League club on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It said advisers believe the strength of the club's brand and its following in Asia could attract a higher price for its shares in Hong Kong than in London.

However, the report also cited sources close to the discussions as saying that plans are still at an early stage and may come to nothing.

It said bankers have told the Florida-based Glazer family that the listing could value the club at GBP1.7 billion, or more than double the GBP790 million they paid for it in 2005 when the club was taken private.

A spokesman for the club couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

More on Hillsborough Commissioners and Tampa Stadium Talk

2011-06-09T08:04:00.004-04:00

It's a tricky position for Hillsborough Commissioners: how to support long-term efforts to keep the Rays without upsetting their "friends" in St. Petersburg or the vocal anti-tax voters around Tampa that put them into office.

With Commissioner Ken Hagen bringing up stadium funding at a budget workshop yesterday, it's a good time to take a look back at what commissioners said about a possible Tampa stadium on the campaign trail:
Commissioners Campaigning - 10/31/10

Also:
Timeline and coverage of Rays' Stadium Saga

Tampa's biggest stadium-financing advocate is a Republican

2011-06-08T22:35:00.004-04:00

It seems counter-intuitive that one of Hillsborough County's biggest anti-tax advocates keeps bringing up public financing ideas for a possible Rays stadium, but Commissioner Ken Hagen brought it up again Wednesday.

The St. Petersburg Times reports,Hagan said he knows of no specific, concrete plans moving forward to build a baseball stadium in Hillsborough County and is not trying to lay the groundwork.

He said he was simply putting on record the idea that tax districts are a way to use public money without asking residents generally for a tax increase.

Under the proposal, the fairgrounds and surrounding land would be designated as a "community redevelopment area." As the economy rebounds, and new construction takes place, increased property tax money resulting from rising values would go to pay for roads, sewer pipes and other infrastructure in the immediate area.

Hagan said that as he has talked to people around the country where other stadiums have been built, and the so-called tax-increment financing has been a strategy used to pay for the public infrastructure they require. The team or other private interests then pay much, or all, of the stadium costs.

"I just want to point that out," Hagan said. "It came up in the context of the fairgrounds, but my comment was not directed at the fairgrounds."
Hagen is right in that TIFs have been used to successfully finance roads and parking lots at countless stadiums now. But it's wrong to assume (not that Hagen did) TIFs could finance an entire stadium. There's no real way right now to finance a stadium right now with just Hillsborough County's assets.

And that, folks, is why we have the stadium saga.

Sternberg Still Frustrated with Attendance

2011-06-07T21:54:00.007-04:00

As I said last week, 99% of what Rays' principal owner Stu Sternberg says to local media is deliberate and calculated. While last week may have been his rare from-the-heart moment, he went back to the script this week in an interview with the Tampa Tribune:

"To run a payroll like we do now, basically the second-lowest in baseball, and barely keep our nose above water, we can't sustain that."

Not that Sternberg doesn't have a right to be upset with the 29th-best average home attendance of 17,954.

"It is what it is,'' Sternberg said of the disappointing turnouts at Tropicana Field. "It could be better and should be better. I know we can't sustain ourselves like this. It hasn't gotten better. If anything, it's worse. We had another successful year last season and the economy, while it's not good, has not gotten worse, but our numbers I think will be down, coming off a postseason appearance. It's unheard of."
...
"People are watching us on TV and listening on the radio. I walk around and I see all the hats. I want to have a team that's going to be able to compete, but we can't lose money year in and year out, hand over fist."

If the Stadium Saga were a 9-inning game, we'd still only be at about the bottom of the 3rd.

Sternberg Owns Up to Mistake

2011-06-03T11:22:00.004-04:00

Taking a break from his typical well-choreographed volleys in the Stadium Saga, Rays owner Stu Sternberg lobbed another controversial comment at Rays fans Thursday night - likely inadvertently.

Speaking at a roundtable of Tampa Bay's three major franchise owners, Sternberg said the one thing he learned about the area since buying the team five years ago was that "the water is a big divide."

The comment was a nod at the hesitance of Hillsborough County fans to cross the Howard Frankland Bridge for weekday games.

And while Sternberg went on to say, "we've learned about the driving habits of people, their willingness and ability to navigate bridges and so forth," the comments shouldn't be construed as a knock on Rays fans as much as it is an admission of a business mistake.

Sternberg and the majority of his front office come from the Northeast, where fans will routinely drive an hour or two to see the Yankees, Red Sox, or Phillies play. Growing up just eight miles from Fenway Park, I still had to spend 60+ minutes getting to the game. And we thought nothing of it.

So understand Sternberg's frustrations that many Floridians won't drive more than 30 minutes - or cross a bridge - to see good baseball.

Two years ago, Rays VP Michael Kalt admitted to me the team underestimated the psychological barrier of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

"I think we need to be honest about what people's tolerances are to travel to go to sporting events," Kalt said in July 2009.

It seems for all their dilligence in getting the extra edge in places like the draft, the gate, the concession stand, and even in sports psychology, the Rays' made one big mistake when it came to consumer psychology.

Breaking News: Fans Don't Like The Trop

2011-06-01T13:16:00.003-04:00

I've seen bogus "studies" this week about cities most overdue for hurricanes (Tampa was #3) and the most dangerous zip codes in the country (Downtown St. Pete was #8). But the sports world had it's own - baseball's best ballparks, judged by fan ratings on review site Yelp.com.

As someone who has been to two-thirds of these parks, I can tell you there are plenty of slights (Wrigley Field 10th? Nationals Park 26th?). There are also head-scratchers, like how the White Sox' U.S. Cellular Field ranked higher than the Diamondbacks' Chase Field.

The Rays ranked 28th, by the way.

Article author Nate Silver, formerly of 538.com, concluded some of the surprises could be explained by fans' perceptions of their team's performance, rather than the stadium.

He also concluded that it's not worth building a retractable roof since the five stadiums with the expensive technology averaged a 3.86 rating, compared to 4.10 without them.

Silver didn't make any conclusions with regards to attendance, however. Maybe it was because the most-popular park belonged to the Pirates (26th in attendance) and other popular parks belonged to the Orioles (22nd), Royals (25th), and Indians (27th).

Tampa Bay's Front Offices Keeping Busy

2011-05-27T12:11:00.004-04:00

Aside from the craziness that surrounds a Lightning playoff run and the tough decisions that come with a battle for first in the AL East, the front offices of Tampa Bay's pro teams are quite busy with a number of non-personnel moves.

First, with the NFL lockout extending into the summer, the Buccaneers announced a four-day furlough for all front-office employees. The team says more are possible if the lockout extends into the fall, but this could actually work out quite well for employees. If the season gets underway in September (as many experts expect), the employees will be reiumbursed for the furlough, meaning four extra vacation days. Additionally, the Bucs say the move helps avoid layoffs.

And the Rays quietly made another committment to the region, giving the Tampa Bay Partnership free ad space on the left field wall at The Trop. The private group, which the Rays are paid members of, promotes business development across Tampa Bay. While the team has been criticized for its lack of marketing around the region in recent years (possibly tied to attendance efforts?), this shows they're still activly courting business partnerships and plan on remaining in the region in the long-term.

May 23 Attendance Watch

2011-05-23T11:25:00.003-04:00

Last week, the Rays did themselves a pair of favors when it comes to attendance numbers. Not only did they draw decent crowds to The Trop for a weekend Orioles series and a pair of weekday Yankees games, but the Rays also helped kill the Marlins' weekend numbers in Miami.

The "Sunshine State Showdown" drew 18,111 on Friday, 21,814 on Saturday, and 15,432 on Sunday. The Marlins' season average actually climbed to 17,180 after the weekend, but they also fell into dead-last in the MLB ranks.

As for the Rays, their 18,020 home average is off quite a bit from last year's numbers, but they still rank 27th in the league. Since most of the league's attendence numbers are down right now, the Rays aren't all that far behind the 22nd-ranked Blue Jays (20,752 average), the 21st-ranked Orioles (21,551), or the 20th-ranked White Sox (22,423).

But as long as Tampa Bay sports fans are still distracted by the NHL playoffs or HD television sets, we can still expect plenty of good seats available at The Trop next homestand.

How the Rays are like Big Oil

2011-05-18T19:11:00.002-04:00

Last year, I wrote how the Rays were like Pensacola Beach after the BP oil spill.

Now, I think I can draw comparisons between the Rays and BP itself.

This week, many Democrats scoffed at Republicans' refusal to drop subsidies to BP and other big oil companies. Meanwhile, all the arguing over whether the Rays should get a new stadium has to do with how much the public would have to subsidize.

I don't think many Americans would honestly want the big oil companies to fail (or banks, auto-makers, etc.). Thus, there's support for subsidies to keep their products affordable.

Similarly, most Tampa Bay residents support subsidies (tax breaks, interest-free loans, etc) for businesses that help out the region. That's why the public pays for the stadium that allows the Rays to turn a profit.

The big debate, however, is always over how big is too big of a subsidy? While Democrats argue oil companies are too profitable for subsidies, it's often Republicans making the case that team owners are too rich for stadium subsidies.

There's no right answer, but it's why many sports teams invest in lobbyists to push their political agenda.