Rays to St. Pete: We Accept Your Offer

The Tampa Bay Rays will accept an offer from St. Pete councilmembers to attend a public presentation of a stadium proposal in Carillon, in the city's Northeast corner.

In a one-paragraph letter to councilmembers Thursday, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg wrote that "I anticipate that members of the Rays organization will attend." No meeting date has been set yet, but it is expected that members of the Pinellas County Commission will attend as well.

"Please understand," Sternberg's letter continues, "that our attendance is a courtesy to you, and it has no bearing on our long-standing position: We will consider any potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay, but only as part of a process that considers every ballpark site in Tampa Bay."

The St. Pete council sent a letter to the team last week following its methodical decision to listen, but not participate, in the stadium presentation.

And while Mayor Bill Foster had indicated the team would need to accept his offer to amend the use agreement to consider a site at Carillon, it may not be the case. Carillon, and much of the "Gateway" region, already fall within St. Petersburg city limits.

Foster, St. Pete Challenge Rays

They criticized the Tampa Bay Times, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Tampa Bay sports critics. But in the end, St. Petersburg city councilmembers voted to invite a developer to pitch his Gateway stadium concept at a future meeting.

The board, along with Mayor Bill Foster, also issued a challenge to the Rays to accept a 2010 offer that would allow consideration of possible stadium sites across Pinellas County, not just in the City of St. Pete.

The resolution, said St. Pete city attorney John Wolfe, would "protect the integrity of our use agreement."

Wolfe also criticized the Tampa Bay Times for pushing St. Petersburg to let the Rays break their contract. He said giving up leverage would "open the door for Rays to leave the region."

"We would love to have these discussions with our Major-Leauge partners," Foster said, "but that just hasn't been possible."

Continue reading here.

12 Acres in Gateway

So in a week where none of the Stadium Saga news was really new, we saw the Mayor of St. Pete indicate he'd meet with both Pinellas County commissioners and a private developer who wants to build a stadium on the Pinellas side of the Howard Frankland Bridge (otherwise known as the "Gateway" region).

But haven't we heard this all before?

Aug '12: Tampa Bay Times editorial board rips Mayor Foster for not doing enough to negotiate with the Rays, while giving the team a free pass
Sep '11: Tampa Bay Times editorial board rips Mayor Foster while giving Rays owner Stu Sternberg a free pass

Aug '12: Plot of land made available in Gateway for baseball stadium, but officials admit financing it would be difficult
July '12: Plot of land made available in Downtown Tampa for baseball stadium, but officials admit financing it would be difficult
Feb '10: Plot of land made available in Downtown Tampa for baseball stadium, but officials admit financing it would be difficult
Feb' 10: Plot of land made available at state fairgrounds for baseball stadium, but officials admit financing it would be difficult
Feb' 10: Plot of land made available in Gateway for baseball stadium, but officials admit financing it would be difficult

Aug '12: Local TV stations interview fans (and bartenders) who love the idea of a stadium closer to them
June '11: Local TV stations interview fans who love the idea of a stadium closer to them

Aug '12: St. Pete councilwoman rips Mayor Foster for his handling of the situation
Aug '11: St. Pete councilwoman rips Mayor Foster for his handling of the situation


Sound familiar? It should. Even the Rays said, "Over the years, we've heard and read about many developers who would like to include a baseball stadium in their plans."

But also familiar is the silence when it comes to how a new stadium would be financed, since nobody wants to talk about the real issue right now, and that's how to pay for it.

Coverage of Hillsborough/Rays Discussions

Thursday brought the expected "invitation to talk" from Hillsborough Co., but the real news of the day was the Rays' indication they'd accept it, despite the threat of legal action from St. Petersburg.

While much of the Tampa Bay broadcast media covered the predictable, WTSP's Adam Freeman did a nice job explaining St. Pete's reaction and advancing the story to "what next?"

"Hopefully this will alow us to start to break the log jam that has not moved in over three years," Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan told Freeman, who also questioned Hagan how St. Pete's contract could be bought out when he said the Rays a "200- to 300-million dollar economic engine." Hagan said he only expected a buyout to cost in the "tens of millions," but didn't elaborate.

Hagan, who had previously told the Tampa Bay Times that he was willing to cause the "divorce" between the Rays and St. Petersburg, has now advanced the Stadium Saga to the regional conversation the Rays have so desperately longed for. But he has also given the team the leverage it needs to potentially pit one side of Tampa Bay against the other. The Times editorial board applauded the move as a "smart decision."

But nobody is willing to yet address the issue of how to pay for a $600 million stadium (St. Pete's mayor once said, "Am I worried about people assembling land in Hillsborough and Tampa?...no. I've seen their budgets."). The ABC Coalition already summarized years ago that the Rays would be better off playing near the Howard Frankland Bridge or Downtown Tampa.

Still, this could be an important step toward addressing the elephant in the room: that any new stadium in Tampa would likely have to be financed by some sort of a multi-county tax. Pinellas County, by comparison, has more funding available for a stadium, which is why Gateway remains very much in the mix.

Hillsborough County and the Rays are taking cautious steps toward a fall public meeting (with guidance from all of their attorneys), but as Field of Schemes' Neil deMause best summarizes, "is just looking OK?"

Buckhorn: "We Need to Start Looking at Other Options"

In one of his most direct comments on the Rays' Stadium Saga since taking office, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told WTVT today that "we need to start looking at other options" after Commissioner Bud Selig once again criticized Tampa Bay's attendance.

"If the business model doesn't work in St. Petersburg, if the fans are not attending, if the corporations are not buying tickets, if the stadium is outdated, then something needs to change and something will change, whether we like it or not," Buckhorn told the station.

However, as I've said countless times, we still have no evidence that "the business model doesn't work." As WTSP's Adam Freeman reported today, the Rays are one of the league's most profitable teams and the franchise is worth double what it was when Stu Sternberg purchased it.

"Nowhere in our agreement with the Rays has the city accepted responsibility for attendance at the Trop," St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster told WTVT. "Per our agreement that runs through 2027, we build the house. We pay for the house and you play baseball."

Buckhorn acknowledged that he's "got to be careful because they have a contract," but added that "I can't see the Rays continuing to play in that environment with that type of fan support."

Attendance Talk and the Stadium Stalemate

You know it's a slow news day at the Tampa Tribune when they crank out another "attendance watch" story (hey, I do it too!).

Michael Sasso writes:

With the season reaching its midpoint this week, an average of 20,583 fans have turned out for the Rays' 43 games at Tropicana Field. That's up a bit more than 1,300 fans a game, for a 7 percent increase over this time last year, according to the baseball data website Baseball-Reference.com.

More eyeballs also are tuning in to Rays broadcasts on Fox's Sun Sports. Viewership is up 62 percent over this time last year, according to Nielsen figures. The average broadcast is being viewed in about 99,000 homes.

The better turnout at the Trop is encouraging news for fans who want to see the Rays stick around the Tampa area long-term. However, it probably won't quiet the critics who are pushing for a new stadium.

You might have to multiply the 1,300-fan increase by 10 to do that, said one prominent observer.

"Now 13,000, then you've got an article," said St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, who has demanded that the Rays fulfill their contract to play in St. Petersburg.

What we're seeing at Tropicana Field mimics the trend league-wide: more fans taking in games. And while the Rays are still 29th in the league and unlikely to move very much, there could be a little bump at The Trop with more Red Sox and Yankees games on the horizon and only four real weak mid-week series left on the calendar.

But perhaps an even bigger takeaway from the attendance article is that it's been two years since Stu Sternberg issued his ultimatum to St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay, and we still have no real news in the Rays' Stadium Saga.

It may continue that way until the caucus commissioned by the Greater Tampa and St. Pete chambers of commerce releases its inevitable findings. But the effort, initially launched in December 2010, was expected to produce a report in early 2012. That was delayed to June 2012, but has since been delayed again. It's unclear if the delay is related to the complexity of the research or the political climate, still unfriendly to the multi-county tax that may be necessary to get a stadium built.

New York Times on Stadium Saga

Last week, it was Stu Sternberg. Today, it was Mayor Bill Foster's turn to appear in the New York Times.

In a recap of the last three years of the Stadium Saga, the Times quotes the typical voices on the debate without the typical cliches:

“Everyone has an opinion, but not one of the people running their mouths are paying the freight on the stadium, and they were not here when the team was the laughingstock of the league,” Foster said in his office not far from Tropicana Field. “I put a lot in contracts, commitments and loyalty. All I’m asking is for them to abide by the contract.”

Hillsborough Co. Commissioner Ken Hagen was also quoted:

"If they left our region, it would have a devastating effect on our community from a quality-of-life and economic perspective,” said Ken Hagan, a Hillsborough County commissioner who has pushed to speak directly to the Rays. “To stick our heads in the sand and hope the stadium issue resolves itself is shortsighted."

While losing the Rays would be a huge emotional blow to the region, I'm not sure how much it would hurt Hillsborough Co. economically. It might even help since Tampa residents would be a little more likely to spend their disposable income in the county.

One other paragraph jumped out at me from writer Ken Belson:

The concession stands are buried in rotundas far from the seats, the scoreboard is tiny and the surrounding neighborhood is about as far from Wrigleyville as possible. On occasion, the stadium’s catwalks have deflected balls hit high in the air, making the whole stadium — it is the only one in baseball with a roof that does not open — feel like a Rube Goldberg contraption.

I guess I try to see the cup half-full: the Trop has plenty of concession stands near the seats; the scoreboard is visible from most seats; and the neighborhood around the Trop provides countless more options than even the MLB's newest park in Miami. (Personal guilty pleasure: ordering Taco Bus pre-game then bringing it into the stadium - they allow it!)

It's another tired knock on the Trop and the Stadium Saga from a national news outlet. But at least this story acknowledges the arguments against a new stadium while pointing out all of its flaws.

Tampa vs. St. Pete: "Got Talent?" Edition

They've battled over the Rays, the Bucs, the airport, postmarks, and even half-marathoners, but the latest edition in the Tampa-vs.-St. Pete war features the NBC show America's Got Talent.

During the Sunday night season premier, I tweeted my surprise that the show opened its St. Pete casting call with a montage from the Florida Everglades. Little did we know, NBC's misdirection was just getting warmed up.

As the Tampa Bay Times' Michael Van Sickler and Eric Deggans reported, St. Pete leaders are miffed the episode mentioned "Tampa" and "Tampa Bay" numerous times, but never once "St. Petersburg."

They even drew the parallel to the Rays' Stadium Saga:

It was a snub that stung especially because Tampa is being hyped by some as the next home of the Tampa Bay Rays, who currently play in St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. (Mayor Bill) Foster and other city officials bristle every time ESPN broadcasts a game from the Trop by declaring, "Live from Tampa."

This surely won't be the last time the issue pops up, especially since we're still in the relatively early stages of "How the Stadium Saga Will Go Down."

Buckhorn Says St. Pete Can't Sustain Rays

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told the Tampa Bay Business Journal this week the Rays' relationship with St. Pete has to change "sometime."

"The reality is," Buckhorn told the TBBJ, "it’s not a business model that will work.”

The Rays and MLB have both made it clear they aren't satisfied with the team's current business model, which relies heavily on revenue sharing. But it's worth re-emphacizing neither has done much to demonstrate an actual financial strain in Tampa Bay.

Buckhorn may not be wrong about a stadium in St. Pete, but talking about Tampa's superiority is doing his counterpart, Bill Foster, no favors.

A Softer Side of Stu (Pt. II)

Stu Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times' Michael Van Sickler today that, while he's envious of the Marlins' new stadium, he's seemingly content right now at The Trop:

"I like my stadium. I love the place. I'd challenge anyone, and we have, to come in and say it's not a great experience. It's not an ideal experience. Something is keeping people from coming in."

Maybe a softer side of Stu? Last time I said that, it lasted about a month before the stadium saga went sour again.

Sternberg was all smiles, but also acknowledged he has more staying power than the political leaders who are stalling the stadium search:

"You know, the political people, they come, they go," he said. "I'm into my second mayor now."

Romano on St. Pete's Ironclad Contract

The Tampa Bay Times' John Romano used today's column to explain why the Rays can't break their contract with St. Petersburg:

"If (the contract isn't ironclad), it is pretty close to it. The city has sent more than one letter warning others to watch what they say about the Rays moving out of Tropicana.

Bankruptcy might eventually be a weapon for the Rays and MLB. More than likely, a negotiated settlement would come first.

It's something I've written about before, as has the Times, but the newspaper still makes the seemingly-hypocritical argument that St. Pete should take immediate action to negotiate its way out of the favorable contract.

More Backhanded Jabs at Mayor Foster

The Tampa Bay Times sure isn't letting up on it's new favorite punching bag, St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. Even when they aren't directly slamming the mayor for his approach toward the Rays' Stadium Saga, they're taking backhanded jabs at him through an editorial praising his Tampa counterpart, Bob Buckhorn:

Buckhorn has been looking at institutions throughout Tampa Bay as regional assets, from the Tampa Bay Rays and the gulf beaches to the area's colleges and universities...that sort of open discussion and brainstorming is how leaders in metro areas should work together to preserve and enhance shared assets.

Then, former sports columnist John Romano penned his own story criticizing Foster's leadership on another topic:

This is what a bureaucrat does:

Works within the system. Says please and thank you. Follows rules, avoids independent thinking and, above all else, protects the status quo.

This is what a leader does:

Leads. All the time. No matter the consequences.

Which brings us to the embarrassment that is the St. Petersburg Police Department's headquarters. The place is a dump. It is too small, too antiquated, too dangerous.
...
So if you're not going to fight for this cause, what will you fight for?

In other news, you should take a few minutes to listen to an interesting Biz of Baseball podcast from Field of Schemes' Neil deMause on the Rays' and Marlins' stadium issues.

Tampa Bay Times Hypocritical on Stadium Saga

The Tampa Bay Times continues its war on St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster with a Thursday morning editorial that cited a "failure to lead" on the Rays stadium issue. Once again, they called on him to make a concession to the Rays in exchange for cash:

Foster should propose amending the lease to allow the Rays to study stadium sites in Pinellas and Hillsborough for a limited period. In return, the Rays would pay the city for the opportunity. It's not at all certain where the ideal stadium site would be, given the complications of assembling the land, finding enough parking and exploring funding options. And regardless of the results of a comprehensive look at the market, St. Petersburg would be protected financially. The city would still hold the Trop lease with the Rays that doesn't expire until 2027.

One major problem is the assumption that the Rays would be willing to pay St. Pete for the right to study stadium sites in Tampa. The team has made no such public offer yet.

But even more baffling - and hypocritical - is how the Times criticizes Foster for not doing enough to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay - even though their contract extends for 15 more years. Yet, the column acknowledges that St. Petersburg is "protected financially...(by its contract) with the Rays that doesn't expire until 2027."

If the contract protects St. Pete financially until 2027, it prevents the Rays from leaving Tampa Bay - or even talking to other cities - until 2027 too.

So then why does the Times continue to diminish St. Pete's leverage one editorial at a time???

Hillsborough Commissioner Out to Fulfill Campaign Promise

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan tells the Tampa Bay Times that he's finally ready to take action on one of his campaign promises: keeping the Rays in Tampa Bay:

"I'm just beyond frustrated at the lack of progress regarding the Rays' long-term future in the Tampa Bay region," Hagan said. "For me, just sitting by idly and hoping issues will work themselves out is counterproductive."

In coming weeks, Hagan said he will ask county attorneys to opine on whether Hillsborough can engage in direct talks with the Rays about their future in the region despite the team's lease at Tropicana Field. If he gets a favorable response, he said he will reach out to the team to figure out what the Rays want and how local government can help.

Hagan went on to tell the Times that local governments lose a little bit of leverage every day because the cost for the Rays to break a contract gets smaller.

However, Hagan neglects to acknowledge leverage is also diminished every time an elected official suggests the team break its contract, as he is directly implying.

On the campaign trail in 2010, Hagan said "It's important to our community and our economy to have a plan...a vote for me is a vote for future sporting events (in Hillsborough County)." He made it clear he was prepared to bring the Rays to Tampa.

Additionally, every year that goes by without new stadium talks also means another year of Rays baseball in St. Petersburg, supposedly worth more than whatever buy-out might be proposed.

Also read: What Mayor Bill Foster is Thinking

Politicians like Hagan and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn have been calculated in describing circumstances that could lead to the Rays leaving Pinellas. And that means a possible 9-figure buyout on top of the $500-$600 million stadium cost.

So regardless of what the Hillsborough Commission decides, the county still can't afford to build a new stadium on its own and there isn't enough money in Tampa Bay to build a new stadium without public dollars, or else we wouldn't be having this conversaion.

Instead, the stadium saga continues to be a political football, much to the dismay of local business and community leaders.

"When the cities start fighting with each other, it just drives us up the wall,"
one influential leader told the Tampa Tribune in January.

The most encouraging "way out" of this saga remains the work of the private business groups researching regional financing options. Stay tuned for their updates this summer.

Foster/Sternberg Summit - Extended Fallout

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?!?

Foster/Sternberg Summit - No New News

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...

Foster/Sternberg Summit - What to Expect

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

Mayor Foster and the Stadium Saga "End Game"

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???

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

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.