Today we see plans for Rays Ybor stadium

Today at 2pm, the Rays will unveil plans for a new stadium they hope to build at the southwestern edge of Tampa’s Ybor City.

The road from Tropicana Field to the new stadium we at DRB have fondly dubbed “The Humidor” has been a long one. From the failed attempt to build at the site of Al Lang Stadium, to the stalemate with the City of St. Petersburg, to the lengthy site vetting and selection process, those of us following the Rays stadium saga have been doing so for some ten years.

John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times provides a useful overview of some of the key issues then and now.

If you want to follow the announcement live, the Rays have said they will stream it on their Facebook page.

No doubt there will be journalists live tweeting the coverage as well.

In the past, we’ve asked this community to list some of the features you want in a new stadium. Some popular features from our readers have included a gold plated Dan Johnson seat near the right field foul pole; lots of light and windows; design elements that make the stadium feel “local,” and above all a Lazy River, although we’ve never quite figured out to have one that snaked around the playing field without creating all kinds of hazards. Today we will find out whether anything from this wish list is likely to become a reality.

Of course today is at best the middle, and not the end of a process that will still need to include hard discussions about how stadium construction costs will be covered. But at least after today Rays fans will have an idea of what a new stadium could look like should the financing pieces come together.