Which stadium site would lure you to more Rays games?

Should the future home of the Tampa Bay Rays be in downtown Tampa? Or the West Shore district? Or even the fairgrounds in eastern Hillsborough County? Those three options — along with potential sites in downtown St. Petersburg and mid Pinellas County — are all being considered by a panel studying whether the Rays should leave Tropicana Field for a new home.

Which site would you choose?

West Shore Boulevard
Keep the Trop, no need for a new stadium
Downtown Tampa
Fairgrounds
Downtown St. Petersburg
Carillon area

Baseball chat at noon Friday

There's been a whole lot of baseball business news in the past few days. Rays president Matt Silverman publicly questioned the viability of the Tampa Bay baseball market. And now a group studying locations for a potential new stadium, are eyeing three different sites in Hillsborough County. Let's get into it starting at noon Friday. - Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Study on renovating the Trop should come this month

Meant to post this earlier, but I got caught up in other things. Rays VP Michael Kalt says the team's analysis of what it would take, and how much it would cost, to renovate Tropicana Field likely will be released this month.

The report was expected to come in May, but the group A Baseball Community canceled its monthly meeting. The Rays say they are using the extra time to produce a more thorough report.

The next ABC meeting is scheduled June 15. (Of course, that's when I'm on vacation. Sigh).

Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Al Lang Field no longer in the running; what it means

The Rays' Michael Kalt said today what most people in St. Petersburg thought: A new ballpark at Al Lang Field isn't happening.

Kalt was open and frank during a 20-minute discussion. He said the team thought they could make a downtown St. Petersburg stadium work if it was done right (i.e. not like the Trop). But now Kalt and the Rays brass are starting to think a new ballpark can't even do it alone.

He said that means rebuilding on the current Tropicana Field site might not be the great option many others do.

The team's focus most certainly will now turn to the Gateway area in St. Petersburg, which many county leaders prefer but many city leaders are hesitant to support.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

With St. Pete's waterfront out, where should the Rays look next for a stadium?

The Tampa Bay Rays management has officially killed the team's proposal for a new baseball stadium on downtown St. Petersburg's waterfront. And now say they are unsure whether a new stadium could succeed anywhere in downtown St. Pete, even where they currently play at Tropicana Field.

"It's pretty clear people did not want a ballpark down there," Rays senior vice president Michael Kalt said Friday. "From what we're seeing, we're probably in that camp, too."

Now that a waterfront stadium is out, which site should the team consider?
Toytown
St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport
Tampa
New stadium at the Trop
Keep Trop, no need for new stadium

Forbes says Rays made $22 million more in 2008

SEATTLE — According to Forbes magazine, the value of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise has gone up to $320 million, a 10 percent increase over last season that is third largest in the majors.

And according to the Tampa Bay Rays, it doesn't matter.

"It is based on their own proprietary metrics. We don't and have never understood them," Tampa Bay Rays president Matt Silverman said Wednesday night.

"Clearly, our appearance in the World Series has helped the franchise's valuation. Since the team isn't for sale, the number has very little relevance."

The Rays still rank just 26th overall, with the Yankees topping the list at $1.5 billion. But, according to Forbes, the Rays had the fourth-highest operating income, $29.4 million, which it defines as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, though down slightly from last year ($30 million). Only the Marlins, Nationals and Cubs had more, but it also shows the Yankees in negative numbers, at minus-$3.7 million.

Forbes says the Rays' revenues went up from $138 million to $160 million. For more, see forbes.com.

-- Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

FBI seeks stadium-related emails

But not in St. Petersburg.

FORT MYERS (AP) — The FBI is seeking e-mails from four government employees in southwest Florida that appear to pertain to the development of the Boston Red Sox's new spring training facility.

The FBI has asked Lee County to provide e-mails containing more than two-dozen search terms. Some of those are names associated with the final four sites under consideration for the facility.

The Red Sox agreed to keep their spring training home in Fort Myers — the Lee County seat — for another 30 years in December. Part of the deal includes development of a new complex that would open in 2012.

The county is set to select the site of the new facility next week.

An FBI spokesman confirmed the request but would not comment on why agents are seeking the e-mails.

St. Petersburg mayoral forum Thursday in St. Pete Beach

A head's up. St. Petersburg's mayoral candidates will discuss county tourism issues Thursday starting at 9 a.m. at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. It stands to reason that someone will ask about using county tourism tax dollars to fund a new ballpark.

We'll be blogging the event live at our sister blog, Bay Buzz, so you can see what the candidate's are saying.

Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

*

Jeff Lyash at Tiger Bay today

My hunch is he'll split his time talking about energy and the stadium. My hunch, also, is that most of it will be boring. I'll report back this afternoon.

UPDATE: Back from Tiger Bay. First, I'm sorry I said it would be boring. I didn't mean that as a slight. I should have said I don't think news will be made. And in that regard, I was right. Lyash spent his first 20 minutes talking about energy policy.

(This is a stadium blog, but the big controversy there is Progress Energy Florida wants to build a new $17 billion nuclear power plant and charge customers for some of the construction costs up front). I was going to try to punk the Times' business editor and say Lyash announced that the utility was abandoning the plan amid public outcry, but that seemed like too much work.

Anyway, on the stadium Lyash continued to hit all the talking points -- nothing is off the table, interim reports due out in June, etc.

He also offered up the best one-liner of the afternoon.

"It actually is easier to build a nuclear power plant than it is to build a baseball stadium."

Seen in the audience: Hal Freedman and Hamilton Hanson of POWW Hugh Tulloch and Ed McGrath (who are no a part of POWW, but opposed the waterfront stadium) and former Pinellas County commissioner and ABC member Bob Stewart.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Scott Wagman on Rays ballpark: Not necessarily in St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG -- Mayoral hopeful Scott Wagman said he wouldn't require the Tampa Bay Rays to build their new stadium within city limits.

Wagman said he would like the Rays to stay in St. Petersburg, but it is more important that team officials and community leaders come up with a location that will benefit the entire region and ensure the team has a long future in the Tampa Bay area.

However, Wagman said he would oppose plans to build a new stadium along St. Petersburg's historic waterfront.

Wagman's position on the Rays' controversial stadium stands in stark opposition to Mayor Rick Baker's demand that the stadium be built in St. Petersburg.

Wagman clarified his position on the Rays' stadium during a campaign event at the Globe Coffee Lounge Friday.

During an informal question and answer discussion with supporters, Wagman said crime and job creation were his two top issues.

He also said that time-limited parking downtown should be more consistent.

UPDATE (1:40 p.m.): Fellow mayoral contender Deveron Gibbons just called Wagman's position on possibly letting the Rays leave St. Petersburg "crazy." 

"That comment shows a complete lack of sensitivity for the folks who lived in the Gas Plant area and gave up so much to get baseball here," Gibbons said, referencing the forced relocation of a predominantly African American neighborhood to make way for what is now Tropicana Field. "The people that gave up so much, that means nothing to Scott Wagman?"

Like Wagman, Gibbons said the waterfront should be off limits to the Rays. But, Gibbons said, "we ultimately have to figure out how to keep the Rays here."

-Cristina Silva and Aaron Sharockman, Times staff writers