Catwalk Controversy: 2011 Revival

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 contract? 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?

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.  {Read the report here}:

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

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

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

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?"

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.