04/25/24
June 27, 2005
Even More Empty Seats in Tampa: The Devil Rays have added a furniture showroom in Tropicana Field. Ottomans cost $599, area rugs $199, and Owner Vince Naimoli will throw in the last shred of dignity belonging to Manager Lou Piniella and everyone else associated with the franchise at no extra cost.
It's a truly awful stadium to watch anything in. Even during the games, it looks more like an auto show convention floor than somewhere actual sports could beplayed. The acoustics and sightlines stink, and it has all the folksy charm and local character of a highway off-ramp. So why not a furniture store? An average shopping day could double their attendance.
posted by chicobangs at 10:38 AM on June 27, 2005
What they need to do is give away an ottoman every time a home run hits a catwalk.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:51 AM on June 27, 2005
However, they've brought them up to the majors TOO fast, and when they are finally peaking (26-28), they'll already be free agents and heading out of town You nailed it Grum. What you have in Tampa is a perfect assessment of a AAA team. That's all they are, all they ever will be. Just a portal for real baseball teams. Sad. Maybe they can give away an ottoman and season tickets. That might get the count up to 9,000, a new record.
posted by smithnyiu at 11:38 AM on June 27, 2005
Tropicana Field is so bad you have to see a Major League game in it just to say you did. Arena football teams would be ashamed to play there. The only things nice I can say, after attending once, is that there's a huge amount of available parking spaces near the stadium and the Astroturf is the least abominable I've seen. The most surreal moment is when the Tropicana orange in right field becomes so excited about a Devil Rays home run that it spurts juice.
posted by rcade at 11:57 AM on June 27, 2005
Why the dome in the first place? I realize that Florida gets rain just about every afternoon, but it doesn't last long. What gives?
posted by NoMich at 12:57 PM on June 27, 2005
Summertime in Florida is unbearably hot. It rains for short bursts of time & gets lots of lightning. I think they made their first mistake when they put the team in St. Pete instead of Tampa.
posted by bperk at 01:11 PM on June 27, 2005
Yes, I understand it gets incredibly hot and humid in Florida in the summer. However, the Marlins play outside, as do the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and the countless minor league teams throughout the South.
posted by NoMich at 01:42 PM on June 27, 2005
I don't think it is going to matter much any way. They won't be in St. Pete/Tampa too much longer.
posted by dbt302 at 01:44 PM on June 27, 2005
It's sad that sweet Lou has to deal with the type of business that Tampas owner practices. They lured Lou away from better teams knowing that he is from the Tampa area promising him a great product to work with and what does he get instead? A team that only seems to play well when playing the Yankees these days. Tino Martinez went to the Devil Rays due to his address as did Fred McGriff a couple years back. Tino was smart enough to move on even though it meant leaving home. McGriff was picked up by a team that had him playing first base when he really should have been this teams DH and for that reason he was left a couple of homers short of 500 after being released for whatever reason and I can't believe he wasn't pulling his weigh either. If that were the reason, then it's time to get rid of most of the pichers including Baez as well as about 6 of the 8 position players with all the bench players included. While We do that, We can rid the team of it's owner and fron office too. The Lightning were able to win the stanley cup without the benefit of of huge name stars like the Red wings and Avalanche have. The Marlins won 2 seasons ago with an extremely young roster, especially the pitchers. So let me ask the question? If those teams can win with mostly heart and very young talent, why can't the D-Rays win? Their young talent is getting older and their hearts just aren't in it.
posted by melcarek69 at 01:45 PM on June 27, 2005
I have to say I watched a PawSox game last Thursday and they're right to keep Upton in the minors for a while longer. He's just not ready, seeking the flashy play instead of the correct one in the field.
posted by yerfatma at 01:46 PM on June 27, 2005
I think the Manchester United fans got confused and thought that the Glazers owned this turkey instead of the Bucs or something similar, leading to their opposition of the takeover. Would at least explain things better than the family's record from the Bucs.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:22 PM on June 27, 2005
rcade, that photo album really does catch the dreariness and emptiness of the place. All it needs is James Spader bonking a disfigured Rosanna Arquette and it'd be perfect*.
posted by chicobangs at 05:42 PM on June 27, 2005
nomich: when the marlins bid for a team, they had data showing that because of the timing of the showers, the actual number of rainouts in miami would be amongst the lowest in the MLB, which has generally been true since they got the franchise. However, the odds of there being a rainout on any given day are high- the afternoon thunderstorms always threaten to extend into the evening, even if, statistically speaking, they almost never do. This dissuades people from driving to the middle of f'ing nowhere (which is where Joe Robbie* is), which is problematic for attendance. Or that's the claim, anyway. As a kid who grew up in Miami, it seems fairly plausible. *I will never call it by that other name.
posted by tieguy at 08:26 AM on June 28, 2005
All it needs is James Spader bonking a disfigured Rosanna Arquette and it'd be perfect MMMmmm, Rosanna Arquette...
posted by justgary at 12:10 PM on June 28, 2005
The Trop's problem is that it is stuck in St. Petersburg, maybe about 45 minutes (depending on traffic) away from Tampa (and remember that most people live about 45 minutes beyond Tampa itself). The reason the stadium got stuck in St. Pete was because of local politics. Tampa gets all the new area infrastructure (airport, football stadium), and this pisses off St. pete. When it came time for the baseball stadium, St. Pete would not compromise about getting it, and whined until they did. They put the stadium in a bad part of town as a gambit to revive the downtown area, and while other parts have established themselves, the stadium and its area haven't. Of course, it doesn't help that the team has been miserable.
posted by Bonkers at 06:57 PM on June 28, 2005
Bonkers True. Though I'd say 45 minutes away from Tampa is about Lakeland, but maybe I drive too fast? Actually Lakeland would be a great place for the Devil Rays. About halfway between Tampa and Orlando with plenty of room for a nice stadium with a retractable roof. I bet the Lakeland Tigers outsell the Rays anyway. NoMich: I think they put up a dome because everyone wanted a dome back then. That was pre-Camden. I remember sitting in Olympic Stadium telling people "This isn't the worst MLB park." They didn't believe me until they watched a game at Trop.
posted by ?! at 07:17 PM on June 28, 2005
If this franchise can just get itself together, it has a bushel of young talent that could really dominate in 3-4 years. However, they've brought them up to the majors TOO fast, and when they are finally peaking (26-28), they'll already be free agents and heading out of town. Cantu, Upton, Baldelli, Crawford, Gomes, Young, Huff, Hall, Kazmir, Seddon, Orvella...all of these guys are young and good (or at least project to be quite good). Otherwise, this is a hopeless franchise. At least they've stopped fooling themselves by grabbing REALLY old veterans. What they should be doing is grabbing AAA stars like Robert Petagine from teams that won't use them. Put them in the majors as cheap stopgaps until your young stars are ready.