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

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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