Some Folks in Orlando Wants to Take the Rays

Fun fact: Rays home attendance since June 1st -- or right around when schools ended classes -- is nearly 28k per game.

over 3 years ago R.J. Anderson 24 comments 0 recs |

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damn you Melvin Mora...

...11 LOB… honestly, at least Huff tries… Papsmearbon was practically serving up an epic fail… ugh-tastic

by daveh33 on Jul 13, 2008 5:22 PM EDT reply actions

.. or some guy on the internet wants Orlando to want the Rays.

Longlorious.
Free Kila Kaaihue!

by RATW on Jul 13, 2008 5:58 PM EDT reply actions

Fair enough.

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 13, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Or maybe they could just move to Tampa...

then maybe some more Tampa residents would attend games…..

by arkansasraysfan on Jul 13, 2008 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Or they can stay in St. Pete

and Tampa residents can man up and drive across the bridges like we do for the Bucs/Lightning

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2008 CITRUS SERIES CHAMPIONS

by JMB on Jul 13, 2008 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Can I bid for a straight up trade

We will give Florida the Bulls and we will take the Rays here in NC.

I grew up in Tampa and my take on this is that if your excuse to not go to games and you live in Tampa is I do not want to drive to St. Pete, well my guess is you still wont go to games in Tampa, you will just find a new excuse. If you really want to go to the games and you have the financial means to buy tickets it shouldnt matter whether they play in Tampa or St. Pete, there isnt much difference.

by Dbullsfan on Jul 13, 2008 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions

NO

THEY MOVE TO SARASOTA ON SIESTA KEY right next to my house.

Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans

BELIEVE in 08!

by SRQman on Jul 13, 2008 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Tampons already have two professional teams

or maybe four, I forget.

They can have the Rays when they pry my cold, dead fingers from them.

by Gator80 on Jul 13, 2008 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions

then i suggest some serious smooth talking to your fellow voters in st pete

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Jul 13, 2008 9:44 PM EDT up reply actions

In 2010

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 13, 2008 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Glady Signed

Mr. Fckyouson
110 Eatsht Lane

by GomesSweetGomes on Jul 13, 2008 10:28 PM EDT reply actions

Awwwww Isn't that cute....

Orlando thinks it is a real city and not a tourist trap. Get real. The only reason Orlando has a basketball team is becase Tampa didn’t want a basketball team. Orlando cant really support the Magic and they want a baseball team…. Keep dreaming. The Rays are moving to Tampa. Sternberg proposed the waterfront park in St. Pete because he knew the old codgers over there would refuse it. Now he has put together a “Community” coalition to decide where the best place is to put it. Well I am sure they study will find that 60% of their ticket sales are from Hillsborough County residents. If Pinellas county can’t even put up a majority of the ticket buyers for the team now… Why would you leave them there? Ticket sales would only go up if it is moved to Hillsborough County which is what I suspected Sternberg wanted to do all along. He just wanted to have the excuse of St. Pete telling him no to use as leverage to move it. Mission Accomplished.

by PewterPirate55 on Jul 14, 2008 7:34 AM EDT reply actions

I doubt this is less an actual official grab by Orlando

and more one of the pointless, trivial wishful-thinking bullcrap pieces that make up 99.99% of the online petition sites.

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

by Orlando Rays on Jul 14, 2008 7:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Lets just hope he uses that leverage to keep them in-state.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Jul 16, 2008 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions

As a resident of Orlando

I can honestly say I don’t see the Rays doing any better in Orlando than in Tampa Bay.

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

by Orlando Rays on Jul 14, 2008 7:36 AM EDT reply actions

Orlando Baseball

I’m speaking hypothetically. Neither Orlando, or it’s entire metro population would be able to build a serious case for supporting a baseball team.

Why is it that everybody wants to move the Rays so bad? You know, there are two baseball teams in Florida, and the last I checked, the Rays weren’t the ones with crappy ownership, weren’t the ones who were completely incapable of drawing crowds despite success, and weren’t the ones who don’t have their own stadium? Why does this obsession focus on the Rays?

As for the other team (takes deep breath)

The Florida Marlins cannot draw baseball fans because ESPN Deportes focuses too much on soccer.

Once you get over how hillarious and rediculous that sounds, think about it for a second.

by kericr on Jul 14, 2008 2:11 PM EDT reply actions

The Marlins have a stadium deal. That’s the difference.

Plus, Miami metro is 5.4 million people.

Longlorious.
Free Kila Kaaihue!

by RATW on Jul 14, 2008 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Tampa Bay is also one of the top 15 TV markets

If the Rays stay good, the people will come.

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.

by Orlando Rays on Jul 15, 2008 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions

There is nothing wrong with this market and it’s demographics, which is why I’m fairly confident that it would take extraordinary circumstances for MLB to allow a move of the franchise any time soon, regardless of the stadium outcome.

Longlorious.
Free Kila Kaaihue!

by RATW on Jul 15, 2008 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Miami metro is huge

And that’s all the more reason that they have no excuse for them to not be getting 20k in there a night. That is an area that simply does not care about their baseball team. The fringe excuse is they don’t get enough press coverage, thus the ESPN deportes joke/half-theory.

by kericr on Jul 15, 2008 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m giving Miami a pass until the new stadium. My understanding is the Marlins get solid TV ratings and have for some time, which should translate to much better attendance with a new retractable roof park, unless the vast majority of baseball fans in South Florida completely lack disposable income.

Also, as much as I hate Jeffrey Loria, now that he finally has a franchise with a new stadium, he’s actually put some long-term money into the team in the form of the contract to Hanley Ramirez. Hopefully this is the first of many signings.

So finally, after almost two decades of mostly legitimate gripes about the stadium, weather, firesales, ownership changes, etc., I expect Marlins fans and Miami will fully embrace the Marlins.

At any rate, neither team is moving to Orlando any time soon.

Longlorious.
Free Kila Kaaihue!

by RATW on Jul 15, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Whats with the unneccesary capitalization?

Obviously written by a bafoon

by kurby on Jul 14, 2008 6:45 PM EDT reply actions

David Whitley is a tool

He is that same moron who went over to USF’s campus and rode the bull with UCF stuff on – even though he is not a UCF grad nor fan (Gator lover). He throws a lot of shiat on the wall to see what sticks.

I echo what Orlando Rays said above – this city does not deserve a team. It has failed miserably with minor league baseball and supporting any other team here unless that team is front running. The Magic hardly ever sell out despite being the only show in town.

by Jason Collette on Jul 15, 2008 4:15 PM EDT reply actions

As a Gator

That REALLY, REALLY pisses me off. I place colleigate loyalties above all others, which is why I’m indifferent in the USF/UCF rivalry (except for when it comes to asshats who suggest Grothe > Tebow).

by GomesSweetGomes on Jul 15, 2008 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions