What's wrong with the Trop?
First of two Sunday's worth of stories looking at Tropicana is available first here.
What's wrong with Tropicana Field?
Are the Tampa Bay Rays turning a profit?
We'll talk more about the stories here next week.
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September 05, 2008
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About This Blog
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to pursue plans for a new baseball stadium. Host Aaron Sharockman offers the latest on the issue, focusing on the impact to taxpayers, the evolution of the Rays’ proposal and the politics unfolding behind the scenes.He invites your feedback, questions and suggestions. You can e-mail asharockman@sptimes.com or call 727-892-2273. Also contributing to the blog:
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Let me get this straight:
- The Rays claim they are losing money, but they are totally unwilling to open their books to prove it.
- The Rays want taxpayers to fund a new stadium so the team can turn around and double ticket prices and stick it to those same taxpayers that just paid to build the stadium.
- The team claims it only wants a new stadium so they can be competitive. Yet over the past decade, teams in new ballparks averaged only 2.2 additional wins. Five of the nine teams got worse.
I have a question: How can anyone reasonably say this is a good idea for the public?
Posted by: Thomas | September 05, 2008 at 04:07 PM
Let's repeat the mantra because the Rays ownership group has thick skulls apparently:
The citizens of St. Petersburg are not going to subsidize the retirement funds of a few multi-millionaires from NYC.
Period.
We are not building a half billion dollar outdoor ballpark with public money so 600 fans can sit outside and watch MLB on a Wednesday like they do in Miami.
You signed a lease. Honor it. If not, pay the price to break it and build your own ballpark with your own money, wherever you wish, on your own private land that you will pay property taxes on just like everyone else.
We have bigger problems to deal with, like our city leaders spending a quarter million dollars on a freaking truck without any discussion whatsoever.
Posted by: Absurd | September 05, 2008 at 04:10 PM
Dear absurd (ksf)
Your voice is like music
Posted by: nancy | September 05, 2008 at 05:08 PM
"The team claims it only wants a new stadium so they can be competitive."
Excuse me. Am missing something here? The team is at the top of their League. And this is not competitive?
Seems like playing in the Trop is the magic ingredient!
Posted by: Beekeeper | September 08, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Mr. Kalt promised to open the Rays books "as much as MLB would allow them to" back at the community discussion held at the Pinellas Point Civic Association meeting this past spring. I know because I was the one who asked the question.
Me. Kalt, I'm still waiting...
Posted by: Cathy Wilson | September 08, 2008 at 11:43 PM