Reading Between the Rays' Lines

The Rays’ $7.25-million signing of relief pitcher Rafael Soriano is a big step toward proving their commitment to winning in 2010...but it doesn’t come without some emotional baggage for fans.

Two quick disclaimers before I go on: my hat is to the Rays for making one of the biggest signings of the winter; also, since I wasn’t able to attend this week’s press conference, the quotes from team president Matt Silverman are from Marc Topkin’s article in the St. Pete Times.

“We're overextended heading into this year," Silverman warned of the team’s all-or-nothing attitude, which could push the 2010 preseason payroll north of $70 million for the first time.

But just 11 days earlier, VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said, “In 2010, we don't really have any flexibility...when (we overextend), you're stealing from a future year."

What that means is the Rays are saying now that they may have to cut salary in 2011. But what purpose does the warning serve when Friedman said the team doesn't disclose target payroll numbers so their "29 competitors don't know what we're working up against?"

The answer is that the warning is actually part of a plea.

"Last season we were shooting for league average in attendance and fell well short," Silverman told The Times. "This season we will be gunning again for that league-average attendance. There is that connection between the revenues that we generate and the investment we can make throughout our organization."

The Rays have been campaigning for years to get fans to support their team not just with their cheers from home, but also with their butts in seats at The Trop.

And while the latest campaign strategy doesn’t just repeat the message, it also serves as another plea for a new stadium – one that the Rays assure will increase revenue and better-help the team compete in the ultra-competitive American League East.

Glazers Sell REALLY Expensive Home

According to the Palm Beach Daily News, the Glazer family, which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has sold off a major property in the upscale beach town.

"La Bellucia," at 1200 S. Ocean Blvd, sold for $24 million. Malcolm Glazer's First Allied Jacksonville Corp. bought the 5-bedroom/6.5-bathroom oceanfront property in July 2000 for $14 million.

Are the owners of the Bucs trying to sell off their assets to pay their debt on Manchester United, as some have suggested on both sides of the Atlantic? And was Dan Sileo onto something when he said the Glazers were in financial dires that would eventually force them to sell their billion-dollar NFL franchise?

It's unlikely we'll know anytime soon, as the Glazers aren't exactly the most forthcoming individuals...but it's hardly mere coincidence the Bucs have both the NFL's lowest payroll and NFL's worst record.

Friedman: Rays Have No Flexibility in 2010

The Rays want to improve in 2010...but not at the expense of jacking up their payroll. That was the message delivered by the Rays' Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, in an interview before the start of MLB's Winter Meetings.

"In 2010, we don’t really have any flexibility," Friedman said with regards to the team's payroll. "Like we’ve always maintained, we always have some flexibility, but when that happens, you’re stealing from a future year."

For more, continue reading here.

St. Pete Steps Up Fight to Keep Rays

Despite a last-minute letter from a senior administrator with the City of St. Petersburg, the ABC Coalition voted unanimously to approve its initial draft of conclusions designed to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay "for generations to come."

St. Petersburg City Development Administrator Rick Mussett sent a letter on Wednesday, urging the committee to show more respect toward the current lease ("use agreement") with the city, despite data that suggests the team would fare better closer to Hillsborough County.

For more, continue reading here.

Pitchman Wants "Great Wall of Jeter" Too

He wanted a six-foot privacy wall like his Davis Islands neighbor, Derek Jeter, so badly, Anthony Sullivan copied his request for a code variance word-for-word. Unfortunately for Billy Mays' former partner on the TV show "Pitchmen," the city's Variance Review Board may not see him in the same light.

For more, continue reading here.

What the Mayoral Election Means for the Rays

Bill Foster wasn't the only winner in Tuesday's election in St. Petersburg. The Tampa Bay Rays, eager to get out of downtown because they say it's too far from the center of the area's population, were probably celebrating like they had won a title too.

For more, continue reading here.

Bucs Lash Out Over Madoff Reports

Reports that the owners of the Buccaneers lost $450 million in investments related to Bernie Madoff and may have to sell the franchise were refuted on Thursday by team co-chairman Joel Glazer. It also landed the sports-talk host who broadcasted the reports in hot water.

For more, continue reading here.

Rays, ABC Coalition Add Observations

If they haven't made their point yet, the Rays presented more evidence Wednesday afternoon that they suggest shows Downtown St. Pete is too remote of a location to sustain a Major League Baseball team in the long-term.

For more, continue reading here.

Could/Would/Should Rays Consider Leaving?

Despite all the talk of the Rays possibly leaving Tampa Bay, it seems like an incredible long shot given the legal implications, the fact that the Rays don't really hate the area, and the possibility that Pinellas Co. will eventually build the team a new home in the Gateway area of St. Pete/Clearwater.

For more, continue reading here.

Rays Aren't Small-Market

It's sometimes hard to listen to fans and analysts call the Rays a "small market" team. Sure, it looks that way when you compare them to their "large market" division foes, the Yankees and Red Sox.

And sure, there's simply no comparison between the number of people that live in Tampa Bay and the people that live in the New York or Boston area. The Yanks and Sox have more people to sell tickets to and they make more in TV revenue with more people watching. But to blame the Rays' limited payroll on Tampa Bay's limited market size is deceiving.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=113050

Rays Have New Ways to Fill Trop

The Rays may still be searching for a way to sell-out their 81 home games, but they think they've come up with a solution to filling the stands on some non-game-days.

Their new subsidiary - the Sunburst Entertainment Group - will look to open up business opportunities for the team outside of baseball. That includes bringing more events to Tropicana Field like football games, concerts, and community events.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=113166

ABC Coalition Starts Building Final Report on Rays

For the first time, the ABC Coalition - the group studying the best way to keep baseball in Tampa Bay in the long term - started forming some initial conclusions at its Thursday afternoon meeting.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111901

And find the final report here.

Can Hulk Hogan Slam Property Taxes?

Hulk Hogan is letting everyone know about his new tag-team partner, GuaranteedLowerPropertyTaxes.com.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, has been hired by the Fort Myers-based company that claims it can lower your property taxes by appealing the appraised value of your home.

"I'm in the same boat as you guys," said Hogan at the campaign's kick-off event in Estero, Fla. this past weekend. "But I bet your bottom dollar that we could look at your situation and take a quick check on where you're at with your history and what's going on with your home, and we can save you money."

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111778

Derek Jeter can go ahead with plans to build a six-foot concrete and wrought-iron wall around his Davis Islands mansion after a City of Tampa board unanimously voted (7-0) to provide him an exception to city code, which limits solid structures to just three feet.

The home has drawn the ire of his future neighbors, many of whom spoke out against the exemption request.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111361

Yankees Star Wants to Build "Great Wall of Jeter"

Derek Jeter's attempt to build an outfield-sized wall around his new 30,000-plus-sq. ft. Davis Islands home has, well, run into a bit of a wall.

The Yankees star is looking for an exception to the city's three-foot-tall limit on solid walls, citing privacy and security issues at the waterfront mansion. His request for a six-foot-tall concrete and wrought-iron fence will go before Tampa's Variance Review Board on Tuesday, August 11.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111092