Rays to announce new ballpark deal

[Admin]

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2023/09/18/stadium-gas-plant-district-2028-tropicana-field-stuart-sternberg/

[Entendu]

Good for them. Very well run organization. The fans just don't show up. I'm optimistic that Miami fans will treat the Marlins better if they ever have such a prolonged period of success

[Michael]

This makes me horny.

[Admin]

Just now, Michael said:

This makes me horny.

Why weren't you already horny after that 3 game sweep?

[Michael]

Just now, SonOfJack said:

Why weren't you already horny after that 3 game sweep?

I'm still horny from that, too.

Sweep + UCF win + Dolphins win + this news, massive rager going into the office today.

[Admin]

2 minutes ago, Michael said:

I'm still horny from that, too.

Sweep + UCF win + Dolphins win + this news, massive rager going into the office today.

Thats hot

[SirFishFan]

Yawn.

[SilverBullet]

13 minutes ago, SonOfJack said:

Thats hot

Depends where he works to be honest. Could be a criminal offense in some places. 

[hovertical]

2 minutes ago, SilverBullet said:

Depends where he works to be honest. Could be a criminal offense in some places. 

This is where we learn he works from home anyway

[rmc523]

This is good news, though hopefully they won't have the same issues as they do now in St. Pete.

 

Seems like both ongoing stadium issues could be solved shortly, which opens the door for expansion talks with cities that missed out.

[Michael]

1 hour ago, hovertical said:

This is where we learn he works from home anyway

Twice a week. Today is not one of those days.

[Piazza31]

This is the dumbest move I've seen since Oakland sold out for Las Vegas.

For 20 years, the "location is garbage, we need to be closer to tampa, we need a retractable roof" has been the narrative. Now they finally get it approved and its right next to their current stadium, and its a fixed dome.

JFC, Sternberg is going to sell and buy the Orioles lol.

[Admin]

2 minutes ago, Piazza31 said:

This is the dumbest move I've seen since Oakland sold out for Las Vegas.

For 20 years, the "location is garbage, we need to be closer to tampa, we need a retractable roof" has been the narrative. Now they finally get it approved and its right next to their current stadium, and its a fixed dome.

JFC, Sternberg is going to sell and buy the Orioles lol.

Basically they took whatever they could get in terms of location, like the Marlins did.

[hovertical]

1 minute ago, Piazza31 said:

This is the dumbest move I've seen since Oakland sold out for Las Vegas.

For 20 years, the "location is garbage, we need to be closer to tampa, we need a retractable roof" has been the narrative. Now they finally get it approved and its right next to their current stadium, and its a fixed dome.

JFC, Sternberg is going to sell and buy the Orioles lol.

I lived in Tampa for 20+ years and never understood the vitriol for the location.  The Rays fans I knew never understood why people groused either.  So you had to drive over a bridge to get there?  Big deal. The thing is...traffic was NOT bad going towards the stadium even during rush hour.  I lived closer to Amelie arena than I did to Tropicana and it was WAY easier to get to Tropicana than it ever was to go see a Lightning game. 

Also...St Pete has a FAR superior and more vibrant downtown than Tampa does.  It just felt like some stupid St Pete vs. Tampa turf war and people just made shit up in their head that it took "too long" to get to Tropicana.

[pollythewog]

St Pete is awesome good for ray 

[rmc523]

1 hour ago, Piazza31 said:

This is the dumbest move I've seen since Oakland sold out for Las Vegas.

For 20 years, the "location is garbage, we need to be closer to tampa, we need a retractable roof" has been the narrative. Now they finally get it approved and its right next to their current stadium, and its a fixed dome.

JFC, Sternberg is going to sell and buy the Orioles lol.

As mentioned, they got a deal done where they could, PLUS, there's a whole complex around it, not just the stadium.

 

1 hour ago, hovertical said:

I lived in Tampa for 20+ years and never understood the vitriol for the location.  The Rays fans I knew never understood why people groused either.  So you had to drive over a bridge to get there?  Big deal. The thing is...traffic was NOT bad going towards the stadium even during rush hour.  I lived closer to Amelie arena than I did to Tropicana and it was WAY easier to get to Tropicana than it ever was to go see a Lightning game. 

Also...St Pete has a FAR superior and more vibrant downtown than Tampa does.  It just felt like some stupid St Pete vs. Tampa turf war and people just made shit up in their head that it took "too long" to get to Tropicana.

I think part of the argument was also that they could potentially get more corporate revenue in Tampa that they may not be able to get in St. Pete.

But, how much of it is posturing trying to get cities to pony up?

 

The location may not be great, but just having a new park will draw people out - maybe people hated going to the dump of a stadium so they just refused to go?  The one negative the Rays don't have is that they've been really good for a long time now, so on-field performance isn't an excuse for fans.  We've been terrible for a long time now, I don't blame people for not wanting to go.

Loan Depot park is in an awkward place plopped in the middle of a neighborhood too, but the area around is starting to grow.

[SilverBullet]

Tampa Bay residents are just full of excuses. The team has been GREAT for so long now and their complaint is about the location of the ballpark as if it's hours away or something. What a bunch of ungrateful people.

I actually feel bad for legitimate die hard Rays fans who regularly attend games.

Marlins fans show up when the team is good which in their defense hasn't been often but when they're good attendance rises. 

[hovertical]

I can't stress enough how simple and smooth of a drive it was/is to get to Tropicana no matter which of the bay bridges you cross to get there. I am not kidding when I say the only people bitching about that drive haven't actually made the drive. While those bridges are absolute hell going the opposite way during rush hour (towards Tampa) they are fairly smooth sailing going towards St Pete and Tropicana is almost right off the exit from 275. 

Tampa people have this weird mental thing about crossing a bridge to go to St Pete for some bizarre reason. I used to work in St Pete and I also commuted to Eckerd College over there - in both cases such a smooth and easy drive.

But that stadium is a dump for real. That thing needs to be razed. 

 

[skully58]

I live in Bradenton, so I'm glad its staying in St.Pete, but the drive to Tampa is not that bad. I drive it to Lightning games all the time.

[Piazza31]

33 minutes ago, hovertical said:

I can't stress enough how simple and smooth of a drive it was/is to get to Tropicana no matter which of the bay bridges you cross to get there. I am not kidding when I say the only people bitching about that drive haven't actually made the drive. While those bridges are absolute hell going the opposite way during rush hour (towards Tampa) they are fairly smooth sailing going towards St Pete and Tropicana is almost right off the exit from 275. 

Tampa people have this weird mental thing about crossing a bridge to go to St Pete for some bizarre reason. I used to work in St Pete and I also commuted to Eckerd College over there - in both cases such a smooth and easy drive.

But that stadium is a dump for real. That thing needs to be razed. 

 

Thats the thing though, 15k-20k on that bridge doesn't seem like a big issue. I went to a Yankees game one time over there and it took about two hours to get to the ballpark. Went to a Blue Jays one in 2014(?) and it was a breeze.

It's location is alienating to two other areas. It's the same argument Marlins Park has- where broward and West Palm don't want to show up because its inconvenient to get to.

Don't get me started on the area around Amalie- friggin place felt like a maze. One wrong turn and Jason Todd was stealing my rims and tires.

[hovertical]

1 hour ago, Piazza31 said:

Thats the thing though, 15k-20k on that bridge doesn't seem like a big issue. I went to a Yankees game one time over there and it took about two hours to get to the ballpark. Went to a Blue Jays one in 2014(?) and it was a breeze.

It's location is alienating to two other areas. It's the same argument Marlins Park has- where broward and West Palm don't want to show up because its inconvenient to get to.

Don't get me started on the area around Amalie- friggin place felt like a maze. One wrong turn and Jason Todd was stealing my rims and tires.

Tbh if I still lived there I wouldn't have gone to hardly any games if they put it in downtown Tampa area and there would be literally zero chance I'd go to games if I lived in St Pete because the bridges are absolute hell going TOWARDS Tampa from about 3p-7p so putting it in Tampa would have alienated most of St Pete.

And yeah navigating around Amelie arena is a total hellscape. 

[Admin]

 

[Michael]

I would have sex with that ballpark.

[SilverBullet]

16 minutes ago, Michael said:

I would have sex with that ballpark.

Please use protection.

[Michael]

42 minutes ago, SilverBullet said:

Please use protection.

It's a virgin, we're fine.