Coalition nominations due Monday -- who applied?

Well, we don't know. The nominations for Jeff Lyash's coalition were due yesterday at midnight, but we haven't heard yet who has sought one of the seven eight open board slots. We've left a message with our friends at Progress Energy, but are still waiting for a return call. If I find something out tonight, I'll post it here.

Comments

[sween]

Who cares?

[atrulyconcernedcitizen]

I agree with sween!!! Once Lyash stated his requirements...someone who wants to build a new stadium for the Rays...someone who cares about the Ray's future it became clear that this was just one monopoly..Progress Energy..looking out for another monopoly..MLB.

Given that the Rays would need between 15-20 million annually to amortize a new stadium I would gladly support a new ballpark for them if they would pay for it themselves. All it would take is the equivalent of one salary of a good MLB player. ONE PLAYER'S SALARY!!

Since I currently enjoy going to games at the Trop I'm in no hurry for a new stadium, but if the Rays say they want one who am I to argue? In fact I'd even go as far as providing the land at the Trop site or Toytown.

Point is I would have felt a lot better about ABC if Lyash had at least paid lip service to protecting the rights of Pinellas taxpayers. Isn't it enough that he wants us to pay UP FRONT for his new nuke?

[Native]

obviously 2 of you cared enough to read and post a comment.

[Paul]

Nuke Lyash! ... oops, can I say that? It would make for a good bumper sticker or yard sign :)

I actually submitted several nominations, none that will be chosen, but it was fun 'sending my love' to Lyash and the ABC.

Love how they've taken a highly complex deal and made it into 'ABC'... so simple, so basic, so out to take hundreds of millions of our tax dollars.

ahhh, to heck with it, Nuke Lyash!

[Rick K]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

A ballpark, if publicly subsidized to the tune of $10-15 million a year, that will yield $100 million or more per year in economic benefits is a HUGE ripoff.

How about all you ANTI's who want to deprive the taxpayers of that $80,000,000 annually come up with a reasonable plan that a majority will support which will generate the same return on investment.

Otherwise, stop with your public fantasies about how making $80 Million or more per year is a bad deal for the taxpayers. Next you'll be telling us that your plan to deprive of us of the benefits from a billion dollars in construction is a "preserving" our wallets.

[Rick K question for Aaron]

Aaron, did you intentionally say "seven" slots on the Coalition?

Has one of them been filled, other than Mr. Lyash's slot?

[Don Mott]

Evan got another homer! Go Rays!

[Want to be a shareholder]

Newsflash:

The City of St. Pete buys the Ray's Franchise (like in GreenBay, W.)

No more threats about leaving town.

City gets the naming rights money.

The Trop is deemed to be more than adequate. No new stadium is needed.

The waterfront parkland is protected.

The Citizens of St. Pete will be allowed to buy into the new City Baseball Franchise and become stakeholders. Millions of dollars are raised to cover the expense of buying the team.

Citizens buy season tickets for decades to come. Team makes more money than ever.

City develops land around the Trop based on demand. Gets to keep its 86 acres of land.

City gets to rename the team the St. Pete Rays.

City pride consumes the citizenry.

The Ray's previous owner's go back to New York and are never heard of again.

Newsflash.

[Paul]

I'd get behind the City buying the Rays and staying at the Trop. That actually seems the only reasonable solution to me. Either that or they stay at the Trop and stop talking about a new stadium, which I know isn't going to happen. So buy the team and have St Pete own it. Problem solved. Now lets solve more important problems like the crimes that are happening.

[Aaron Sharockman]

Rick K. Should've read 8... not 7. My bad.

[Thomas]

Still clinging to that silly notion that the stadium would be a massive economic engine huh Kool Aid...

Instead of looking at those invalid 'studies' you love so much, why dont you just look at how well the Trop lived up to it's economic promises.

It's not going to happen. People are much more in tune with the Stadium Swindle Game now than they were then.

Fool me once, shame on you; but fool me twice...

[Rick K]

Thanks Aaron, I was worried that I missed a post from you about Lyash naming a member already.

[John]

Nice of the ABC gang to return your calls, Aaron.

Perhaps they weren't referring to the nominations when they said the entire process would be open and "transparent"....

At least you don't have to worry about competing blogs about this subject, since they removed theirs from the website before they even posted the 1st comment.

[my town]

So, Rick K, I guess you buy that reduced carbon footprint lie some ditz at the last public hearing tried to sell, huh?

[Rick K]

My town. Nice try at smug condescension. Problem for you is, I ain't buying. I recognize arrogant ignorance, so I am not bothered by your silly attempts to distort.

[Pella]

The only thing I know about ABC is the name Jeff Lyash. Nothing else is transparent. To the contrary.

[Clear Direction]

Well, Rick,
If anyone should recognize arrogant ignorance, it would be you!

[Rick K to the ANTI's]

Clear Direction, you are surely right about that. Perhaps no one other than I have had more posts in these Times blogs addressed to them personally, which contained a greater abundance of arrogant ignorance. So I definitely recognize it.

Pella, we suspect that you will complain about everything that the ABC Coalition does every step of the way. So you might want to save your powder.

John, they never actually had a working blog up on the site. They had the framework for a blog, but it never accepted posts. They couldn't get it working and took it down. Not unlike most websites. POWW's website, for example, mentions a blog or interactive forums which do not seem to be working, if they were ever present. So please hold your humorous venting for something truly significant, instead of a complaint about website mechanics.

My town, No. I have long thought (since before construction began, actually) that the monstrosity that is the Dome and those acres and acres and acres of asphalt parking lots were, in addition to being a poor compromise that condemned the project to mediocrity, did not represent the best this community could do, in terms of striving to build a more eco-friendly community owned sports venue.

As the current majority ownership of the Rays, and the key management officials of the team were not involved in the construction of the Florida Suncoast Dome, my disappointment over squandered opportunities in the 1980's have nothing to do with the folks running the team today.

Wants to be, the funniest part of your plan is this "The Trop is deemed to be more than adequate."

Who deems it so?

What if there is disagreement amongst the shareholders on this point?

What if some shareholders take the same position as current Rays shareholders, insisting that the team's financial and competitive positions could be improved with a new stadium? What if the General Manager hired by the people analyzes things and concludes that the waterfront ballpark proposal is the best possible future for the team?

What then?

Or are you saying we could only buy the team if we agree NOT to try to optimize the organization's performance?

[Curious]

Does anyone here know anyone who applied? Did any of you? Rick K? Chris? Bobby?

[Guesses]

It would be terrific if someone like Rick K or Mike or Bobby Fenton or Gary made it onto the Coalition as one of the nine.