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WTF? MLB approves Rays to explore playing in BOTH Tampa and Montreal?


rmc523

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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27016429/sources-rays-explore-playing-montreal

 

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  I can't see either city agreeing to that.  We have a MLB team!!!*

 

*part of the time

 

The Tampa Bay Rays received permission from Major League Baseball's executive council to explore a plan in which they would play early-season home games in the Tampa Bay area and the remainder of the year in Montreal, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

 

While the plan is in its nascent stages, the Rays have embraced the two-city solution as the most feasible to saving baseball in the Tampa Bay area after years of failed attempts to build a new stadium in the region, according to sources.

 

The return of baseball to Montreal, which lost the Expos when they moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Nationals before the 2005 season, has long been speculated and has significant support among power brokers in the city, including Stephen Bronfman, the private-equity magnate whose father, Charles, was the Expos' original owner.

 

Under the plan, the Rays would play in new stadiums in both the Tampa Bay area and Montreal, according to sources. The ability to play games early in the season in Florida would preclude the need for a domed stadium, cutting the cost of a new building. A month ago, Bronfman -- who along with Montreal businessman Mitch Garber has expressed interest in taking a minority stake in the Rays alongside owner Stuart Sternberg -- reached an agreement with a developer on a site in Montreal's Point-Saint-Charles neighborhood to potentially build a new stadium. The number of home games each city would receive has not been determined, according to sources.

 

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18 Months ago everyone thought that Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter overpaid for the Marlins. Now it looks like they might make alot of money by being the only MLB team in Florida

 

Our TV Deal should be at least $90 Million per year based on territorial exclusivity in almost 10 million TV households alone.

 

 

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This is the dumbest idea I've seen in terms of the future of the Rays.

 

Agreed completely.  Bob's point is all I could think about as I was reading.  There's a less than 0% chance BOTH cities would pony up to build brand new ballparks to have a team half the time.  Just idiotic thinking.

 

When I started reading, I thought maybe they were proposing it be a primarily Montreal team with a new park there, but still have a few games at the Trop throughout the season.  That would make a bit more sense (though still dumb), but having them in both will never happen.  What would they be called?  the Tampa Montreal Rays?  The Montreal Bay Rays?

 

 

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1 minute ago, SonOfJack said:

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1141777194877968389[/MEDIA]

Joe with the brilliant ideas as usual.

 

The people won't drive across the bay from Tampa to St. Pete as it is.......and he expects them to drive an hour to get to Lakeland from two separate cities??

 

 

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Who is this idea supposed to benefit? 

 

It's just a leverage tactic to try to get movement on a stadium deal.  But it's a very odd one at that.  As opposed to the typical "build us a park or we'll move", it's "build us a park or you'll build us a park and half have the games".   lol

 

There's no shot at this actually happening.

 

On a side note, I think a team in Nashville would be cool, and I'm guessing that'll eventually happen.  Hmm.  Swap the Rays and Sounds?  Nashville gets an MLB team, Tampa gets a AAA team?  Maybe not that crazy!

 

 

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It's just a leverage tactic to try to get movement on a stadium deal.  But it's a very odd one at that.  As opposed to the typical "build us a park or we'll move", it's "build us a park or you'll build us a park and half have the games".   lol

 

There's no shot at this actually happening.

 

On a side note, I think a team in Nashville would be cool, and I'm guessing that'll eventually happen.  Hmm.  Swap the Rays and Sounds?  Nashville gets an MLB team, Tampa gets a AAA team?  Maybe not that crazy!

 

Right I know it's ridiculous but I'm curious what those who think this is a good idea would say if asked what the point or benefit of this is. Like why would they think anyone would agree to this? If I'm the city of Tampa/St Petersburg, or the city of Montreal, or MLB, or the Rays organization itself... why would I want this? I see no way that this is a good idea for any of the involved parties. 

 

I think I'm just stumped that this got as far as it has already. 

 

 

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Joe with the brilliant ideas as usual.

 

The people won't drive across the bay from Tampa to St. Pete as it is.......and he expects them to drive an hour to get to Lakeland from two separate cities??

 

Or maybe the people in Lakeland would go? ?‍♂️

 

 

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7 minutes ago, SilverBullet said:

 

The great Brad Ziegler chimes in...

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1141765879165857800[/MEDIA]

I'm completely with you.  Especially something that MLB announced.  Like I get it if it were leaked by some employee as a random "idea", but like it's an official MLB permission thing.  Weird.

 

 

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No one in Tampa will go anymore (versus how many go now), no one will like them, just like when all the Canadians spend a few months down here, happy to see them go.  (no offense to our part time residents from the north).  How would you determine where to have the playoff games since it will be cold again come playoff time?

 

 

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Ultimately probably just trying to get Tampa and Montreal to compete over who can build a ballpark first to win the team for the whole season. Propose half a season so that neither side likes it and then MLB and the Rays say "whoever gives us a stadium first gets the team all year." 

 

Yeah, this is exactly what it is.

 

F*** this idea right back to whatever straight hell this came from. If Manfred Approves this he is a bigger c*** then I could ever imagine.

 

This will never happen, don't worry.

 

 

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Marlins fans should be rooting for the Rays to leave right? So it helps the new tv deal? 

 

It’s better for baseball if the Rays leave Florida and go to Montreal. 

 

The Marlins should get a TV deal of over $100Million per year because of their territorial exclusivity of Florida with almost 10 Million TV households.

 

We could go back to being the Florida Marlins and have 1 or 2 Home Games per year in Tampa or Orlando.

 

 

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