(photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Times)
After years of exhaustive negotiations and research, the Rays made a small yet significant step forward to perhaps cementing themselves in the Tampa area by releasing schematic renderings for a new ballpark, which could supposedly open as soon as 2023. The site that was finally chosen was in the Ybor City area, one of the oldest parts of Tampa that could use the development. The renderings most notably feature three things: a translucent roof, a ton of streetfront retail, and a nearly $900 million price tag. It will be no small feat to get those three elements implemented in a neighborhood on the National Historic Register and in a city that is already tapped out on hotel tax money. What this proposal does represent is that the long-standing dispute between the Rays and the City of St. Petersburg, where Tropicana Field is currently located, may have turned a corner.
While the Rays' most significant hurdle moving forward is probably financing, the Athletics' primary problem is location. The A's ownership has indicated that wherever the ballpark happens to get built will likely be completely funded by the team and other private investors - if a site ever gets approved altogether by the Oakland, the club, and MLB. The A's saga has been going on even longer than the Rays, at least as far back as 2006 when the team proposed a new 35,000 seat ballpark, initially in Fremont and later San Jose, which was then dubbed "Cisco Field." The Giants currently have a minor league team in San Jose and thus claim that area as part of their "territory," so naturally they objected, and this has been making little to no progress since. Because of MLB's strict territorial rights and because Oakland is, well, Oakland, there are a limited number of areas the team can feasibly look to build a stadium that are both accessible and conducive to growth and profit. It seems to be down to two sites presently - one in the Port of Oakland or "Howard's Terminal," and another option to build a new ballpark next to the Coliseum, similar to how the Brewers located Miller Park.
Commissioner Manfred has made his interest in expanding MLB to 32 teams very well known, but also that this will not happen until the Oakland and Tampa ballpark crises are both solved. So, there is a sense of urgency for the A's and Rays that has really never been there before. The clock is ticking and I suspect that if we don't see any big movement on either situation by the end of the current CBA (which is set to expire in 2021), that the murmurings of relocation will start get louder. Montreal and Portland, among other cities, have been salivating for this opportunity and both would be prime candidates to land a team, but Manfred will certainly exhaust every option first before even considering that. Burning bridges in markets like Oakland or Tampa, however small they may be compared to the rest of MLB, would be a bad idea considering the waning popularity the sport already has.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.20:
Brewers 69-57, -3.5, -- WC (3 v. Reds, 3 v. Pirates, 3 @ Reds, 3 @ Nationals)
Reds 55-69, -16.5, -13.0 WC (3 @ Brewers, 4 @ Cubs, 3 v. Brewers, 3 @ Cardinals)
Twins 59-64, -12.0, -14.5 WC (1 v. White Sox, 2 @ White Sox, 4 v. Athletics, 3 @ Indians, 3 @ Rangers)
2018 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 12 (+16 worked)
Peter - 20
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.