Rays take breather over Royals 11-2

ST. PETERSBURG — Edwin Jackson took a two-hitter into the eighth inning and Carlos Pena homered and drove in five runs Friday night, helping the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 11-2 for their fifth straight victory.

(Times photographer James Borchuck spotted Chris Rock in the stands.)

Jackson (5-6) matched his win total for last season, limiting the Royals to David DeJesus' first-inning single and Mark Grudzielanek's solo homer in the seventh before giving up two singles and an unearned run in the eighth. 

Tampa Bay won for the ninth time in 10 games, improved baseball's best record to 53-32, and maintained a three-game lead in the AL East over second-place Boston, which beat the New York Yankees 6-4.

The Rays are a franchise-record 21 games over .500. Before this year, they had never been more than four games over at any point in a season.

Pena's first homer since June 3 was a three-run shot off Brian Bannister (7-8) that made it 7-0 in the fifth.

He also had a RBI single in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third against the Kansas City starter, who allowed seven runs and eight hits in five innings.

Jackson didn't get his first win in 2007 until June 24. The 24-year-old right-hander was 1-9 after losing to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 4 and finished 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA in 31 starts.

Thanks to a pair of double-play grounders, Jackson faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings. Grudzielanek hit his third homer of the season with one out in the seventh.

DeJesus led off the game with a single, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 16 games before Grudzielanek grounded into a double play. DeJesus drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, when Alex Gordon hit into an inning-ending double play.

B.J. Upton and Cliff Floyd had sacrifice flies during Tampa Bay's three-run first. Pena's sacrifice fly made it 4-0, then the slugger's first homer since returning from a stint on the disabled list with a broken left index finger broke it open.

The Rays added four runs in the eighth, two of them on Carl Crawford's third single.
Jackson allowed two runs and four hits, including eighth-inning singles to Mark Teahen and Ross Gload. Teahen scored from third base on a passed ball.

Associated Press

Comments

[Nathan]

I'm a little baby. Sorry!

[Bryan]

Nathan, Obviously you go against the curve of those actually living in FL. I got to atleast 10 games a year. 6 so far this year. But on 4th of July I am going to be on the beach with friends enjoying fireworks and sun. Most people who live 30 minutes from the beach... actually enjoying attending the beach. Odd concept huh, I wouldn't move to Colorado and go man I have a distaste for skiing. Would be a terrible choice to move their.

Anyone in their right mind should not expect a 180 turnaround in one season for attendance. Wait till next year, that will be the true test of the fans. And in the end who cares. Cause soon as the crowd fills up everyone will complain Tampa is the biggest bandwagon town.

People will always look for reason to nit pick when they see something they don't agree with. And as of right now the Rays have a fine record at home, and that is all that matters in regards to home field advantage.

[Mike C]

1. I agree with many others that all the Naimoli years caused apathy. It will take a few years of this new winning tradition to plant a good seed i.e. fan base, season tickets, corporate support etc...

2. I agree an outdoor ballpark with some kind of a retractable roof will be ideal. Preferably with a view of the bay. I'm assuming season ticket holders at the trop would be able to transfer to seats at the new ballpark. In the meantime it would be nice to see a more eye pleasing cross-pattern turf at the trop instead of that strange weed looking field.

3. I prefer the new logo and name much more than when we were all scratching our heads over the reveal in 98.

4. I agree the new ownership and now community leadership is moving in a positive direction.

5. Joe Maddon. Heck of a manager.

6. For now, I'm having great fun pulling for my hometown ball club. I've been to more games and and watched more games on tv this season then in 10+ seasons prior.

7. Hopefully we'll make the playoffs. How much fun would that be?

[John]

Three key things to consider when cracking on Rays attendance:

1. This region has only started making a major investment in mass-transit. Look at ANY of the major league cities and you will see that those with at least 50% capacity crowds also have strong mass transit systems. This helps when gas is $4-$5 a gallon: all you do is drive 20 minutes to a parking lot, hope on the bus/rail for less than the cost of a gallon of gas (in most cases), and you get to the ballpark, often with like-minded fans who are cheering and getting revved up.

2. Tampa Bay in particular suffers from what I call "Spring Training-itis." When you have the Single A club for the New York Yankees rehabbing A-Rod in your backyard, it makes it tough to compete. When you have the Single A team for the Phillies in a first-class stadium with cut rate tickets on the other side of that same backyard, makes it even tougher! Combine that with Single A teams in Lakeland and Sarasota (just to name a few), and you have a very thin-stretched baseball fan dollar.

3. TEN YEARS OF VINCE NAIMOLI will not be undone overnight. There are still a few fans who fear that this is just a dream, and that we will wake up and Vince will come on the TV and announce "I have taken back control of this franchise from Mr. Sternberg, effective immediately." Remember, Vince is still a minority owner, and as long as he's around, some fans will NEVER forgive.

That being said, attendance could be better, but 16,800 for July 4th is respectable considering that so many people are doing the BBQ, bar, fireworks and beach thing. To be very honest, I doubt the Rays at the beginning of this season expected THAT big a crowd! Anything more than 10,000 was probably a pleasant surprise and as much as there was a concert on Saturday, I strongly doubt more than 10k of the 30,000 in attendance were Loverboy fans!

[Nathan]

Yeah, right backatcha, Andy. Buddy.

Nathan buddy you obviously do care because you keep responding. This isn't about me failing to recognize your point. I just think it's dumb and without merit. Also I will stop vomiting up facts with the hope that you would use them to understand the reality of the situation.

It's pointless to whine and spew criticisms about the Rays attendance and what "should be" when this is by far the team's best onfield performance ever and it takes time to galvanize fan support and many factors control the attendance at ballgames outside of fan loyalty (i.e. the example I put up earlier).

You're welcome and entitled to your opinion. I just think it's worthless. Nothing new to society here. I am through with this thread and am going to enjoy Denver for the afternoon. Maybe I'll take in the Rockies game. If so I'll be sure to report back on the attendance.

[Razzlegator]

If venting here will increase attendance, then I'm all for it. Maybe if we got Joe Redner involved in some promotions that would help attendance increase also. The simple fact is, until more "BASEBALL" fans live in this area, attendance will only increase when visiting teams with generations of fans play here. So far there is only one generation of Rays fans living here. When their kids and their kids kids grow up, then attendance will be up regardless of record or visiting team. Gotta get ready to go to the Trop. See you there.
GO Rays.

[Nathan]

Andy - you're still not getting it, but I don't care. I'm criticizing fans for how they behave and hoping they'll change. You're just regurgitating facts. Facts are about what "is." My argument is about what "should be." No offense, but if all I wanted to do was get info about what the situation is, I'm not coming to you; I'm going to simply read the newspaper. These boards are an opportunity to vent about what we see wrong; what we see right; how to fix the former; and how to build on the latter.

[Andy]

Nathan you can talk about what people SHOULD do and I'll talk about what people actually do.

[Mack]

Go ahead and blame the fans, but it is what it is. MLB screwed up big-time in their roll out of the product in Florida (stadiums, locations, misunderstanding of the fanbase, poor ownership, blah blah blah) As a result, the product has sold poorly.

That being said, the Rays aren't going anywhere. They might get contracted, but MLB is not going to allow a team to move to an even smaller media market and hope for better results. The era of taxpayer money to finance revenue-generating stadiums for billionaire owners is over, and for the most part, every major market is saturated. If in ten years the Rays can't get a new stadium deal here, and their attendance still sucks, I see ownership taking a big check (at a healthy profit) from MLB to shut down.

[Nathan]

Bryan - you show your ignorance by suggesting Denver doesn't have anything going on; or not as much as Florida. First, there are MANY of us who you could not PAY to go to the beach. I've been here every second of my 41 years and I haven't been to the beach in 10 years. There's not thing one I care for at the beach.

Second, Colorado - and Denver in particular - has spectacular weather in the summer. It can be hot, but when it's 92 in Denver, the humidity is about 10%. That's actually not uncomfortable. Contrast that with Tampa, which has a heat index of over 100 most summer days because the humidity is well-over 50%, even in the heat of the day (when humidity is always at its lowest). Denver is one of the most "fit" cities in the country, which is because its residents do things. Outside.

What you offer is just another excuse for a lousy fan base. I'm not gonna budge of that assessment until the numbers refute my opinion. Until then, I'll continue to "complain" about our pathetic, frontrunner "fans."

[Nathan]

Andy - you totally missed my point; I was not saying opponents do not IN FACT drive attendance; I'm saying opponents SHOULD NOT drive attendance. Genuine fans show up regardless of who's in the visitors' dugout.

From gman:

"I am a Yankees fan and I have been to 4 games this year...yeah...Yankees games...I am not changing my allegiances....admittingly (sic) I would support the Rays more if they were in the National League"
___________

The Interstates run north, too. I will be the first to bag on locals for not supporting this team. But you carpetbaggers who think we would wither on the vine without your NY largess are just as contemptible. You're not doing us any "favors" by moving here to suck on the teat of warm winters while you cling to your loyalties up north. Move back.

[Bryan]

It's stupid to complain about attendance. It's a bit different when your in Colorado or other cities have not much going on. You live in FL and its 4th of July who doesn't go to the beach.

[Andy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance?sort=away_pct&year=2008&seasonType=2

Nathan, the above link invalidates your claim that opponent doesn't drive attendance. Opponents may not exclusively control it, but they do have a major effect. Just look at the numbers.

No one talks about moving Texas or Cincinnati, yet we are steadily approaching their attendance averages. I just don't know why you are so sour on the organization. Do you honestly think a fan base would coalesce around a losing team?

Also I'm disappointed that you haven't responded to my point about yesterday's 15K attendance bounce at Coors field because of fireworks at the stadium. Unwilling to accept information that undercuts your points?

Tampa Bay has just as many baseball fans as most markets its size. The problem is half of them support other teams. As most Floridians are transplants from the north, they all hold their allegiances to their hometown teams. When the Red Sox or Yankees or Cubs come to town, all of these "baseball fans" show up. Otherwise they don't. So guess what? All you Yankee fans and Red Sox fans and Cubs fans that live in Tampa Bay and want to rip on Tampa Bay's baseball fans for not supporting the team - you're ripping on yourself! You are the baseball fans who live in this community and don't support your local team. I think its funny that all of these transplant fans assume that there are all these OTHER baseball fans in this community who aren't showing up... Hello! It's you! You're the baseball fans that don't bother to show up.

Personally, I don't care. It is what it is. Florida is mostly made up of people from somewhere else and that's fine. If your're a Yankees fan and you only want to go to games when the Yankees are in town, fine. Just don't insult the rest of us who are going to all the games you aren't. Its not our fault you don't care enough about baseball to see your hometown team play - its yours!

[Razzlegator]

I'm just stating the facts as they appear in Wikipedia. As far as not going to games, I average 30 a year, not counting spring training. So as Jonny G would say; I'm pretty sure you aren't talking about me.

[Nathan]

Responding to individual criticisms is a waste of time; but Bodog, you are WAY off base about me. I was born here and as much as this town annoys me I'll probably die here, too. I know a thing or two about how this team came up; the promises made by each side; and the recriminations that volley back and forth now. That said, my criticism is not of the TEAM, it's the FANS.

First, however many games I go to is NOYFB, but I go to plenty. Second, all the stats about population densities, costs, etc. are just lame freaking excuses by people looking for a reason to NOT go. That's primarily my beef.

My other beef is the POWW crowd and their ilk who think there is NO way the team will relocate and the people who continue to claim that ownership will be "patient" while the fan base becomes more loyal and attendance rises. What planet are you on? Attendance on a national holiday of less than 17K for the BEST team in baseball is both inexcusable and embarrassing.

Alas, though, Dave proves the point with his post. "It was K.C." Uh, guys, the OPPONENT shouldn't drive attendance. The HOME team should drive attendance. Sadly, this is not going to change; the misers will block any stadium deals; and the Rays will be gone in 7-10 years (there will be a few years of litigation and the new home city will have to build its new stadium). Rest assured, numbers like yesterday's virtually guarantee this team is being shopped. Pull your head from your "happy place," recognize reality, and prepare to say goodbye to your team.

[Dan]

GMan and others. Good to hear from you. You are validating my point. It's easy to slam attendance in the area in which you live when you're not cheering for the home team, although your attendance point is valid. My first reaction would usually be, "Go back home and freeze in the winter (as we boil in the summer), but I admittedly would have a very hard time cheering for anybody by the Rays, Bucs, Lightning, etc. no matter where me and my family lived. Cable and satellite TV, the internet, and these blogs allow you to follow your team and share your thoughts like no other time. That is what is fun about this.

If you have lived here for any length of time, you realize that this area will not support ownership (i.e. Culverhouse, Namoli, Art Williams, etc.) that put a poor product on the field while pocketing millions in our money. It does take time for this area to come around.

It is even more refreshing no matter the win-loss record to have owners that make a plan public and stick with it as far as running a team. All of the Rays core guys (except for Upton) are locked in for the next 4-5 years at below market value. That's smart business and will give them more resources to build further into the future. You can't overpay veterans and win forever. Thanks Stu, Andrew, and the rest of Rays brass for giving us something to be proud of.

Finishing 1 game ahead of the Red Sox and/or Yankees (with payrolls triple and quadruple the Rays) will be good for baseball and even sweeter for true Rays fans.

Can the Rays keep it up? I sure hope so. Whether they do or not, my final question is, "Are we having fun yet?"

[Edgar]

That is a shame. Only 16,000 fans to see a team with the best record. That is pitiful. The fans did not go see the team when gas was $2.00 a gallon. What makes the old farts come see the team with gas prices set a record high? That is brutal. It is either kick the old farts out of that area or relocate the team to downtown Tampa. The majority of the 34,000 fans that showed up for the Boston Red Sox series are not true fans. They are bandwagon jumpers. I bet you this was the first time they had seen a Rays game before. I live in Indiana and I go see the Rays play when the White Sox play at Chicago every year. And in 2004, I went to go see the Rays play the Tigers and this is when both teams were definitely bad. Kazmir was a rookie pitcher and Carlos Pena was a Tiger. This tells you that I am more compassionate for my team than the people who live there. I had been a fan for 10 years. GO RAYS!!! In 2008.
I live in Indiana and I am more of a Rays fans than the majority of the people in St Petersburg.

[Razzlegator]

As of 2006, Tampa pop. 333k. SP pop.
250k. NY pop. 8.25m. Boston pop. 590k(they truly are a regional team, so their #'s may be skewed). The point is, their pop. #'s are much larger, and their tradition much longer as far as baseball is concerned. Then when you consider that people like gman who only go to games when their team is playing, it's not hard to understand the attendance figures. If some of these team fans were baseball fans instead, then there might be a few fans in the seats. Nobodies asking anyone to change allegiances. The joy of the game should be enough to get a true fan to attend. And if the Rays do leave for whatever reason, I won't be heading to the Skyway Bridge. As Raymond would say, Peace in the AL East.

[Andy]

Gman and Nathan, jeez guys...how do you really feel about the Rays?

I am in Denver and the only reason the stadium was packed (+15000 people over their avg. attendance of 33000/game this year) was the fireworks show that the city puts on within plain view of the stadium.

Guess what, the Trop has a roof and is in the middle of downtown St. Pete. We all know the Trop is a pretty lame baseball venue. People in Florida are going to do something else on the 4th. Plus, it's the Royals. Plus, attendance is up by over 3500/game anyway. Are those just more Red Sox and Yankee fans?

E.g. The Marlins attendance was 16000+ when they won the 2003 WS. Their attendance the next year was 22000+/game. The Rays are more than halfway to that increase and with only a strong first half.

Do you trolls expect any of us to take you seriously?

[Mark]

How many people live in Tampa? Over a million? For Pete's sake, if every person in Tampa that is complaining about attendance being low AND that it is "too far away" to drive to St. Pete" to attend a Ray's game would just SHUT UP and attend ONE game, we would sell out the Trop every night! If you actually love attending LIVE Major League Baseball games, then put your fanny where your mouth is!

[Bodog]

Rays fans, don't let the likes of the Nathan's and gmen upset you, for 10 plus years, the Nathan's and gmen of the sports world have pissed and craped on the Rays for being the worst team in baseball. The Rays are no longer the doormats of baseball. Nathan and gman can't come on the site and go on and on about how crappy the team is - so now they concentrate on the fan particpation, years past, no-one gave a rats azz about the Rays attendant, they were to busy laughing at us because we were loser, brunt of their jokes. Hell, ESPN wouldn't even give the Rays a millisecond of exposure, Now we're the rave of MLB and all the other media outlets. Nathan and gman, ya see what winning does, it puts ya in the lime light. Just like ESPN and all those other media outlets that were slow to come around with their praise of the Rays - so will the Tampa Bay area fans. It's gonna happen, you can bet on that. Nathan, gman - you might as well get use to it - their is a new Sherrif in town and it's name is the "TAMPA BAY RAYS". The Yankees and Red Sox days of dominating the ALE is over.

[Bodog]

Solid analogy Dan in NY. Having lived in the Tampa Bay area ( St. Petersburg) for a number of years, this area is initially notarious for not supporting their teams, however; once the winning starts - they are extremely supportive,etc: Bucs, Lighting, Storm, even the old CBA ( semipro basketball league). Stu has only had this team for three years and the fans will slowly warm to the Rays. For Nathan and those other haters, the Rays aren't going anywhere. I know this for a fact. Prior to my retiring as a Police officer with the city, the travel director of the Rays also worked as a Police officer. He now works for the Rays and we continue to keep in touch. Yes, Stu and his staff are frustrated with the attendants and the situation with the stadium, but on very good authority, the team isn't going anywhere. Believe me, things are going on at City Hall that we' aren't privy too that will ensure the Rays remain in St. Pete.

[Craig]

I love how gman thinks he can demand answers. lol Somebody sure thinks highly of themselves, Oh and nice Rays obsession there buddy - is watching Girardi run the yankees into the toilet getting that boring? Yeah I can see that. ha ha ha

[Razzlegator]

Perhaps all of this national embarrassment will cause the other fan bases to move somewhere else(one can only hope).

[gman]

Dan...I have no qualms answering your questions...I am a Yankees fan and I have been to 4 games this year...yeah...Yankees games...I am not changing my allegiances....admittingly I would support the Rays more if they were in the National League or continued to be a non-entity as they were the previous 10 years....they are a damn good team and obviously a threat to the Sox and are playing much better than the Yanks....that being said...if it was not for all of the hated Yanks and Sox fans that have invaded the Trop since 1998....the team may have already been gone....all of those last place finishes have finally paid off by some quality players thru the draft and the new ownership has done the right thing by taking care of them with some longterm contracts....it is time for all of the people crying "win and we will come" to not only say "win..play the Sox, Cubs, or Yanks. and then some of us will come and let the other teams fan base buy up the rest of the tickets"

[gman]

There was a note on the ESPN broadcast regarding the paid attendance....that makes the situation nationally embarrassing...there will be a decent crowd tonight because of the concert...and then it will decline again on Sunday...nobody has yet to provide a very compelling reason as to the basis of my original point...why did the Rays have the worst attendance Friday night while maintaining the best record in baseball? Because it was Kansas City....well if the Rays have to rely on the fan bases of other franchises or gimmicks like Saturday night concerts to survive and pump up their attendance totals...then that is not very encouraging

[Razzlegator]

A search of mean incomes shows that Tamps Bay is ranked 133rd nationally. That surely factors into attendance, especially over the course of 81 games. Tickets may be inexpensive, but concessions certainly aren't. There are many things that drive attendance, not just pathetic fan bases.

[Shannon]

Relax and stop complaing about the attendance.

This is just like the Bucs back in the early 90's. It does not happen overnight. I have four tickets for tonites game. Would have gone yesterday but allready had a planned 4th of July event.

Attendance IS up. But to expect sellouts right away is asking too much. It the Rays keep it up....it will happen.

GO RAYS!

[Dave]

Let's not forget they are playing KC. This would have been a 20-25K draw on this weekend but a lot people have stayed home this holiday because gas at $4.00 a gallon does hurt. People will be selective - if they were playing the Cardinals, Braves, Marlins they would most likely draw better.

[Mitch]

Hell, let them stay at home and watch the games.., I enjoy going to the park and if I don't like where I'm sitting or whose sitting next to me I get up and move to a place where I can stretch out and relax without anyone around me!! It's like having my own baseball team, please don't crowd me at the games!!!

[Dan]

It's so good to see some halfway intelligent dialog on this issue (finally). Good call "Ray on vacation" on the Senators moving to Texas in 1972. Missed that one. Having lived in this area all of my life (40 years) it is good to finally see the Rays competitive on the field. Did anybody think in April we'd be complaining about 16k in attendance on July 4?
We have also seen similar scenarios play themselves out with the Bucs and Lightning (i.e we're out of here without a new stadium/arena combined with visiting fans filling the venues). Does this scenario look familar? Is anybody complaining about having RJS and the Forum now in the Tampa Bay area?
And as far as the "pathetic fan base" comments go, I ask those writers "How many games have you been to?" and "Who is your favorite team?" I seriously doubt if the answers will be more than "3 this year (out of 47)" or "The Tampa Bay Rays". I somehow hear frustrated Red Sox and Yankees fans, don't you? I don't see too many lifelong residents/from Day 1 Rays fans complaining about anything this year. I've read too many of these posts over the years, and we all know that many would find some reason to complain if they sold out every game and had the best record in baseball. Just the nature of the blog beast, I'm afraid.

[mario]

ATTENDANCE UP 40% FROM LAST YEAR

In past years, we would have had to lie in order to put 10,500 at the bottom of the box score

[Razzlegator]

Amen Dan!

[Dan in NY]

Having lived in St. Petersburg for some time and being from NY, I think I can give you a pretty knowledgeable opinion on the major factors contributing to the poor attendance.

First, as another poster stated, Tampa Bay is an EVENT market. There are so many things to do down there besides just baseball. People seem to gravitate towards the events in the area. I believe the responsibility of hyping up the event falls on the local media outlets. Their coverage of the Rays has been inadequate for years.

Second, The Rays just started winning and have nothing more than a history of losing. To develop a lasting, hardcore fan base, the Rays are going to have continue a trend of winning for more than just half a season. Having all of those losing seasons is harder to get past than if the team just started this year.

Third, Florida is a transient state. people move there then leave there more in Florida than any other state in the union. Considering that most of population is not traditionally Floridian, forming traditions with this population base will continue to prove difficult.

Attendance will increase. Rome was not built in a day. While it saddens me to see the figures from yesterday's attendance, I remain optimistic. The Rays are not anything like the Lightning, nor the Bucs. They are not going to somehow win one championship than be done. I believe the Rays have staying power, they will continue to grow as a whole organization, and in turn so will their fan base.

Listen people, The Sky is not falling. For it is the Sun that is only just beginning to rise. Relax, Take a Deep Breath, and go root for your home team.

As far as the new stadium, it will not even be a factor until the off season. Let the boys play baseball, worry about the stadium in November.

GO RAYS!!!!

[Razzlegator]

Do a search entering "United States+metropolitan area+ population" (no " marks) and you will see Tampa Bay ranks 19th. With no long term tradition of baseball in the area (season long, not just spring training)expecting large crowds because of an exceptional 1st half might be a little premature. This area is noted for it's win first and maybe I'll attend attitude. Location of the stadium isn't the answer. Both the Lightning and the Bucs couldn't draw until they won it all. Well the Lightning could, but it was at the sterile warehouse in SP.

[Dave]

Couple of thoughts... 1. The Rays are a FUN ride this year; October or not, we should just enjoy this right now so if you haven't gone, go to some games. 2. The posts about Tampa Bay being a poor market are probably right somewhat, and I mean poor literally. We don't have anywhere near the economy of places like Phoenix or Seattle let alone San Fran or New York. Low-wage jobs and krochety retirees are not an ideal sports market. (To preempt all those who mention the Bucs or Lightning, baseball plays about 5X as many games, if we only had games on Saturday nights, it would be full every week). 3. Give it some time, I bet the owners will. They are probably just enjoying the season like everyone, we'll talk more about a stadium later when hopefully everyone can come to the table and discuss things like adults. GO RAYS!

[Ray on vacation]

Dan,

You forgot about the Washington Senators moving to Texas.

[Carmine]

maybe if they black out the games as the nfl does, they will come...

[St. Pete Lou]

To all you disgruntled posters: Let upper management worry about attendance. Who cares what the talking heads on ESPN think? Why not just enjoy watching amazing baseball regardless of how many others decide to join you? You'll probably be a whole lot happier. If the Rays decide to move some years in the future, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, don't worry about stuff you can't control, and take some Prozac, you miserable people.

[Joey]

I was at the game Friday and I was waiting for the place to fill, and then I just strolled into the usual section of empty seats down the third base/leftfield line and parked myself with my friend for 9 innings of mashing KC. I shook my head. With the electric buzz and civic pride after beating Boston 3 straight in dramatic fashion each night, anything less than 25K in attendance is unacceptable give the 3-game sweep of the Red Sox, the national holiday and the national attention being heeped on the Rays. I like the Channelside location -- it's a ready-made entertainment district from the Ice Palace to Ybor and people already know the driving and traffic patterns there, and you can still have a stadium that opens up on the water like SF. It's sad but let's face it -- sure, we have tons of numbers in this market but this is an EVENT market, not a day-in, day-out baseball market like St. Louis, Chicago, NY, Boston etc.

[Mike_Fox]

16,800 is quite surprising following the Boston series. This attendance figure from yesterday has caught a lot of nationwide attention.

[Steve]

There was almost 31,000 at Seattle,the majors WORST team!! 16,000 here? What is wrong with some of you people?I get to 50 games a year and live in Tampa.The economics are probably just as tough in Seattle as they are here,and driving to their stadium may be worse than here.What are people's excuses?

[Larry Halstead]

Come on people. Those of you who said you'd come to the games when the Rays became a winner need to dial up Tickemaster now. The Rays have the best record in baseball, and are putting a pretty darn good product on the field.
Quit making excuses about the stadium, the parking, the traffic, the prices and whatever else is stopping you. If you don't come out to the games now, pack it up, shut up and quit talking about baseball because you're not a fan.

[Bob]

Great results but where are those Tampa fans? This is an exciting team. How about driving 30 minutes and support our franchise? There are no excuses for not supporting this team now. The Rays are the real deal so drop your perceptions and get your butts over to the Trop and enjoy the best team in baseball. Thanks to the Rays ownership group for staying the course.

[Nathan]

Well, Dan, you sound like a "glass half full" kinda guy. Congrats. But some of us know the glass should be full, and not literally "half" full, like attendance at today's game. Seriously, do you not see how pathetic this fan base is? I, for one, will avoid becoming too excited about a team I see as being one decent offer away from leaving this sorry market behind. BTW, your example about Montreal is telling, since the recency of that move suggests to me MLB's growing willingness to relocate teams that cannot draw sufficient numbers in home attendance, particularly when there is no long tradition of baseball (e.g., Oakland and KC). And there absolutely ARE markets this team could go - Charlotte, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Portland, Nashville, and Orlando are all viable options.

You can bet the 16K attendance at today's game, on a national holiday, with the team sporting the best record in baseball, and coming off 30K+ games against Boston will be Exhibit A in the owners' pitch (no pun intended) to MLB to let them find a more supportive and enthusiastic home. The POWW signs will be Exhibit B.

[MJ]

Check out Tropicanafield.com and help a local business!!

[jim]

thanks dan