Stadium roundup

Couple of things I wanted to share with you. First, we now have an agenda for tonight's ABC coalition meeting. Here it is:

Welcome and Introductions -- Jeff Lyash, Judy Mitchell

• Election of Officers -- Jeff Lyash
• Overview
  • Mission and Objectives -- Jeff Lyash
  • By-Laws -- Jeff Lyash
  • Ground Rules -- Alan Bomstein
  • Community Involvement Group (CIG) -- Judy Mitchell
• Sunshine/Public Records -- Charlie Harris
• Round Table -- Board of Directors
• Adjourn

I didn't think there would be anything all too interesting for a first meeting. A discussion of public records laws will probably be the closest thing to news made at this first get-together.

Also, I know some people are sick of talking about attendance this year. But here's an interesting stat. The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros played a game last night (on one day's notice, mind you) in Milwaukee. The game was moved from Houston because of Hurricane Ike. Well, 23,441 people showed up in Milwaukee. The first-place Tampa Bay Rays are averaging 21,573 a game in their own stadium, more than 1,800 people less than showed up for a game in Wisconsin between Houston and Chicago. Go figure. UPDATE: I just read in the Houston Chronicle that the Cubs-Astros game in Milwaukee would have even sold more tickets, but the Brewers didn't have enough people to work the ballpark, so the teams couldn't open the upper deck.

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Comments

[get-smart]

AAron - How much were the tickets $5

[Turk]

If they want us taxpayers of St.Petersburg to pay for a new stadium, then they better name the team after St.Petersburg. As for the new "RAYS" name.....I'm sorry, but that name reminds me of "old St.Petersburg" (green benches and geezers). Looks like they (owners) could have come up with a name more exciting like "St.Pete Tigersharks" ect. The Tampa Bay Bucs went from their old Buco Bruce logo to the "Skull and Crossswords" and the fans went ballistic and bought it up like hot cakes overnight. It did not happen here in St.Petersburg. If you want fan support over here, then the owners need to change the name/logo so it will get you motivated and excited, not put you to sleep.

[Aaron Sharockman]

You asked, I answer.

Tickets for the Cubs-Astros series (played in Milwaukee) cost from $25 to $60.

From a Brewers press release:

"Tickets for both days will be priced at the Marquee Game rates, which range from $25 to $60, and seating will be sold in the Field and Loge Levels only. Tickets will go on sale at 9 p.m. CT tonight, and fans are strongly encouraged to avoid potentially long lines by going to brewers.com to purchase seats and select the "print at home" option. Tickets may also be purchased at the Miller Park Box Office beginning tomorrow at 9 a.m., but phone orders will not be available.

Gates to parking -- which will cost $10 for General and $18 for Preferred per vehicle (no advance parking will be sold) -- will open three hours prior to first pitch each day, while the ballpark will open to fans 90 minutes prior."

As you probably know, Rays parking is also $10. Non-suite tickets for the Rays sell for between $9 and $85.

[John D]

I note that Sen. McCain has proposed that a commission be established to study the economic crisis (uh, this is after he originally said that "the fundamentals . . . are strong").
So here's my big suggestion: take this star-studded ABC committee, Sen. McCain. Please! This ABC committee would get to 'solve' our St. Pete 'lousy' stadium problem at the same time that they solve every OTHER economic problem. w00t!

[get-smart]

Thank you AAron - They are a baseball town. The Rays are doing good too. The Rays are getting 30k now as a winning team. If they make the playoffs it will probably be a sellout.

[Jon McPhee]

So we've just been told (not with complete accuracy in context, perhaps) that an "out-of-town" recent game at the new Brewers stadium draws more bodies than the average Rays game.

It's easier to get from a Chicago suburb and anywhere near Milwaukee to the Brewers' digs than it is to get from north Pinellas or East Tampa to Tropicana Field.

And while you're looking things up, Aaron, how much has the Brewers subsidy finagled by Bud Selig, who lectures us on how badly we are treating the Rays organization, cost the taxpayers of Wisconsin, again? (Is over $400 million and climbing, the same answer you get?) And what kind of shape is the Wis. state budget in? (Back in February, before the recent economic events, the projection was for a $650 million shortfall, closer to a billion now. What's your answer?) And will the debt service on the borrowing to fund the Brewers stadium take priority over any other public expenditures? (Let's see, roads and other infrastructure,schools, health care, police, courts, prosecutors' offices, ... -- you find anything different?) And do you have an answer yet for what kind of shape the Florida and Piinellas County budgets are in, deficit-wise? (Another $billion? Oh, MORE? What's the combination of funding pet projects and cutting public services going to look like?) How many times has Bud Selig, "Baseball Commissioner For Life," appeared before various legislative committees and county and city governments in how many different "markets" to threaten that an MLB team would move to a different city if they didn't get a free new public subsidized stadium? (I get over 18 since 1998 -- how about you?)

And honestly, now, what was the cost to the public of putting up that new open-air AT&T San Francisco Giants stadium? (And please don't go overboard on the value of public transit improvements to the area around AT&T Stadium, opened in 2000 after the citizens voted down the subsidy demand of a team ownership that threatened to move and couldn't find a city to take them.) What's that again? A little louder? Close to ZERO?

And what's the combined net worth of the Rays owners? And got any projections on their cash flow from the "lousy" Trop? (I know, they won't give you those two bits of info, will they?) And how much per year are we the taxpayers paying out to pay the interest and principal on the money we still owe on the Trop, and the annual costs to the taxpayers of insurance and maintenance and all that silliness?

And you've just told us that stadiums are for "rich people," who can afford to go to games to "get noticed," while us "poor people," who would pay for a new stadium via subsidies of all sorts, can just stay home and watch TV, did I get that right?

And we're supposed to just knuckle under, knuckle our eyebrows in subjection and open our emptying wallets WHY?