October 6, 200520 yr New York investor Stuart Sternberg took control of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from founding owner Vince Naimoli on Thursday, promising better days ahead for a franchise that's finished last in seven of its eight seasons. The first order of business was to fire general manager Chuck LaMar, who had been with the franchise since its inception. Assistant GM Scott Proefrock and player personnel director Cam Bonifay also were dismissed. ??The time has come for dramatic change for this organization,'' Sternberg said, vowing to make the necessary corrections, on and off the field, to improve the team. Sternberg, who assumes the title of principal owner, also announced the appointment of Matthew Silverman as team president. The moves follow the departure of manager Lou Piniella, who sought a buyout with one season remaining on his contract after criticizing the ownership group led by Sternberg for being more concerned about the future than trying to win now. The ouster of Naimoli, who retains 15 percent ownership and takes on the title of chairman, and LaMar had been expected for weeks. Sternberg did not announce a timetable for naming a new manager and general manager. ??The timing is not as important as getting the right people,'' Sternberg said. The club announced a buyout with Piniella before last weekend's season-ending series against Baltimore, and LaMar began cleaning out his office at Tropicana Field well before Sunday's finale. Naimoli led a determined campaign that wound up with Tampa Bay being awarded an expansion franchise in 1995, however his tenure as managing general partner was marred by numerous public relations blunders and he quickly became the man most associated with the Devil Rays' futility. Still, most of the responsibility for the team's difficulties on the field rests with LaMar, the only GM the club has had. Even though the team had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball for much of his tenure, LaMar did not do a good job of spending on the occasions Naimoli did loosen the purse strings to acquire talent. Wilson Alvarez, Greg Vaughn, Jose Canseco, Vinny Castilla and Robbie Alomar were among the high-profile players LaMar brought in, but none had the impact that the general manager envisioned. In eight major-league seasons under LaMar, Tampa Bay went 518-775 and finished last in the AL East seven times. The Devil Rays finished 67-95 this season, a year after winning a franchise-best 70. Sternberg headed a group that acquired about 50 percent of the Devil Rays in May 2004. He originally had an agreement to take control from Naimoli in January 2007, but was willing to pay the managing general partner to step aside early. Source: AP
October 6, 200520 yr I'm glad they fired all those idiots who ran the team. Now put their money where their mouth is and improve the team
October 6, 200520 yr Surprised the guy lasted this long. Anyone know if this new owner/majority partner is going to actually try to win or is he a cheapskate too? I mean he is making parking free. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- New York investor Stuart Sternberg took control of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from founding owner Vince Naimoli on Thursday, promising better days ahead for a franchise that's finished last in seven of its eight seasons. The first order of business was to fire general manager Chuck LaMar, who had been with the franchise since its inception. Assistant GM Scott Proefrock and player personnel director Cam Bonifay also were dismissed. "The time has come for dramatic change for this organization," Sternberg said, vowing to make the necessary corrections, on and off the field, to improve the team. Sternberg, who becomes principal owner, appointed Matthew Silverman team president. The moves follow the departure of manager Lou Piniella, who sought a buyout with one season remaining on his contract after criticizing the ownership group led by Sternberg for being more concerned about the future than trying to win now. The ouster of Naimoli, who retains 15 percent ownership and becomes chairman, and LaMar had been expected for weeks. Sternberg did not announce a timetable for hiring a new manager and general manager. "The timing is not as important as getting the right people," Sternberg said. The club announced a buyout with Piniella before last weekend's season-ending series against Baltimore, and LaMar began cleaning out his office at Tropicana Field well before Sunday's finale. Naimoli led a determined campaign that wound up with Tampa Bay being awarded an expansion franchise in 1995, however his tenure as managing general partner was marred by numerous public relations blunders and he quickly became the man most associated with the Devil Rays' futility. Still, most of the responsibility for the team's difficulties on the field rested with LaMar, the only GM the club has had. Even though the team had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball for much of his tenure, LaMar did not do a good job of spending on the occasions Naimoli did loosen the purse strings to acquire talent. Wilson Alvarez, Greg Vaughn, Jose Canseco, Vinny Castilla and Robbie Alomar were among the high-profile players LaMar brought in, but none had the impact that the general manager envisioned. In eight seasons under LaMar, Tampa Bay went 518-775 and finished last in the AL East seven times. The Devil Rays were 67-95 this season, a year after winning a franchise-best 70. Sternberg headed a group that acquired about 50 percent of the Devil Rays in May 2004. He originally had an agreement to take control from Naimoli in January 2007 but was willing to pay the managing general partner to step aside early. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2182576
October 6, 200520 yr Good news to see a new owner dedicated to the team for that tortued franchise. This could be bad for the Orioles, who have the worst owner in baseball. I predict the O's will finish in last place next year.
October 6, 200520 yr Surprised the guy lasted this long. Anyone know if this new owner/majority partner is going to actually try to win or is he a cheapskate too? I mean he is making parking free. There's parking at the Trop?!?
October 6, 200520 yr Surprised the guy lasted this long. Anyone know if this new owner/majority partner is going to actually try to win or is he a cheapskate too? I mean he is making parking free. There's parking at the Trop?!? Yeah, and it usually costed 10 dollars.
October 7, 200520 yr This is great news, it'll be interesting to see what on-field changes will be made. Perhaps the signing of a marquee free agent or two...
October 7, 200520 yr Peter Gammons says the top GM candidates have sabermetric backrounds. The three names he mentioned currently work for the Red Sox, Indians and Blue Jays.
October 7, 200520 yr They have a solid team, they just need to put the pieces into place; a new owner was a must. Hopefully good things will come.. Just look at the OF depth they have, assuming they all can stay healthy: Crawford, Baldelli, Huff, Gomes, Gathright... they're only going to get better Hopefully they can manage to land a veteran pitcher to anchor the staff along with Kazmir. It's a shame though that they're in the AL East and it's hard to see them winning that divison unless the Red Sox and Yankees somehow disappear off the face of the earth.
October 7, 200520 yr Peter Gammons says the top GM candidates have sabermetric backrounds. The three names he mentioned currently work for the Red Sox, Indians and Blue Jays. Really? I read Bowden was one of the candidates. John Hart too.
October 7, 200520 yr Peter Gammons says the top GM candidates have sabermetric backrounds. The three names he mentioned currently work for the Red Sox, Indians and Blue Jays. Really? I read Bowden was one of the candidates. John Hart too. If Bowden was to leave, who would take over the Natties?
October 7, 200520 yr Peter Gammons says the top GM candidates have sabermetric backrounds. The three names he mentioned currently work for the Red Sox, Indians and Blue Jays. Really? I read Bowden was one of the candidates. John Hart too. If Bowden was to leave, who would take over the Natties? Brian Cashman's name has been thrown around.
October 7, 200520 yr Peter Gammons says the top GM candidates have sabermetric backrounds. The three names he mentioned currently work for the Red Sox, Indians and Blue Jays. Really? I read Bowden was one of the candidates. John Hart too. If Bowden was to leave, who would take over the Natties? Brian Cashman's name has been thrown around. Beautimous. That would be cool.
October 7, 200520 yr Bowden was interviewed on XM Radio and stated he would like to stay in Washington. But that depends on whether the new ownership group wants him. He'd be great for the D'Rays if they could get him.
October 7, 200520 yr JimBo resembles LaMar to me. From the focus on a player's tools and the incessant promotion of their own player's value.
October 8, 200520 yr They have a solid team, they just need to put the pieces into place; a new owner was a must. Hopefully good things will come.. Just look at the OF depth they have, assuming they all can stay healthy: Crawford, Baldelli, Huff, Gomes, Gathright... they're only going to get better Hopefully they can manage to land a veteran pitcher to anchor the staff along with Kazmir. It's a shame though that they're in the AL East and it's hard to see them winning that divison unless the Red Sox and Yankees somehow disappear off the face of the earth. That's why playing High Heat 2005 I created a Devil Rays dynasty that was just that, nasty. And the Sox and Yankees stayed out of the playoffs all the time. :shifty Too bad it was just a game
October 9, 200520 yr Brian Cashman's name has been thrown around. Be carefull what you wish for... Cashman has contributed nothing to the Yankees' success and done everything to increase their payroll. He got a great reputation based on work done by Bob Watson [now the Czar of Baseball] when he put the pieces in place for that World Series run. All Cashman had to do was maintain - and he couldn't even do that. I will be happy the day he exits New York!
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