Talk of Rays’ future surfaces at Fan Fest
ST. PETERSBURG — Thousands of baseball enthusiasts swarmed Tropicana Field on Saturday to celebrate the upcoming season, but many were thinking well beyond spring training to the day the Tampa Bay Rays decide where to build a new stadium.
Last month the St. Petersburg City Council approved a plan, proffered by Mayor Rick Kriseman, to allow the team to look for stadium sites beyond the city. A prior agreement with St. Petersburg prohibited the team from looking at potential sites elsewhere until 2027, a restriction Kriseman said could sour the team on staying in St. Petersburg long term.
Cars filled the parking lot at Tropicana Field as thousands of people came out for the team’s free annual Fan Fest. On Saturday, thoughts about the team’s future in St. Petersburg were on many of the attendees’ minds.
“There’s no way I’m going to downtown Tampa if they move,” said Ann Marie Colletti of St. Petersburg. “If I got to one game a season, that would be a lot.”
Colletti has been a Rays fan for 13 years, and said she usually attends at least one game every time the team is in town. Tampa traffic will dissuade her from going to many games if the team moves to a stadium in Hillsborough County, she said, and any move away from St. Petersburg would be bad for fans.
Tampa resident Gary Mahl said he attends five to 10 Rays games every season, and he would not necessarily go to more if a stadium was built on his side of Tampa Bay. But the team needs to do something to build its fan base, he said. The Rays consistently have one of the worst attendance records in Major League Baseball.
The team needs an upgraded stadium, Mahl said, and that the most important thing will be ensuring it has convenient access from local attractions and businesses.
“It’s never going to be Boston or New York,” he said. “I just don’t want to see them leave, no matter who gets it.”
Fan Fest had plenty to offer fans of all ages with autograph signings, face-painting and a chance to run the bases. At about noon a “State of the Rays” discussion took place featuring team President Brian Auld, Chief Business Officer Jeff Cogen and Senior Vice President Melanie Lenz.
During a question-andanswer session, the three Rays executives addressed the stadium relocation and potential sites. Auld said the team will use data to drive its decision to stay in Pinellas County or move to Hillsborough County.
“You only get to do it one time,” he said, and wants to make sure the team makes the right choice.
Auld acknowledged that no matter where the stadium is built, some fans will be disappointed.
While he has pushed for the Rays to be allowed to look at potential stadium sites elsewhere, Kriseman has maintained Tropicana Field is the team’s best option.
The St. Petersburg mayor formed the “Baseball Forever” campaign as a way to persuade the Rays to stay put. The campaign features local fans, business owners and politicians telling team management why they should remain in the Sunshine City.
To draw fans this season, Cogen said, the team is planning weekday promotions including discounted tickets for members of the armed forces on “Military Monday”, $2 tickets for children on Tuesdays and $2 hot dogs on Wednesdays.
He also said the team will add value to season-ticket packages by, for example, debuting a ticket-holder clubhouse called the Draft Room. Rays employees on Saturday offered hard-hat tours of the ”Draft Room, which is under construction.