Population: 335,709 Other Franchises: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (average attendance: 49,000-plus; one championship), Tampa Bay Lightning (average attendance: 17,000-plus; one championship) Baseball . With a plan to play part of the season in Montreal scrapped, the Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly shifting from a plan for a modest Ybor City facility to a larger, domed ballpark that will serve as year-round home for the MLB team. Lets be real. 2016 as part of a charity appeal following the Orlando nightclub shooting, the Tampa Bay Rays wore Orlando Rays caps during their game against the San Francisco Giants. "This is unnatural," Rays president Matt Silverman said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. MLB has tried to encourage o. After nearly a decade as the Devil Rays, and countless phone calls pleading with the team to change the name, the teams new ownership, led by current owner Stuart Sternberg, decided that it was best to change the name to the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay Rays Radio Network - Wikipedia The Apollos enjoyed moderate success in both attendance numbers, drawing close to 20,000 fans a game, and on the field, posting a 7-1 record under the Head Ball Coach.. Seven asteroids brushed past Earth this week: should we be worried? Relocate to Montreal or Nashville where they can draw fans, same can said for the Marlins, The Tampa Bay Rays are less than two months away from Opening Day. Were looking forward to engaging.. . Hes quite popular in Florida, as he was a star QB at the University of Florida and later coached the Gators to a national championship. One possibility under consideration is for the team to move to land on the western edge of Tampa's Ybor City, space formerly occupied by Kforce headquarters, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Newest Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Rumored Location: Florida State Fairgrounds. Videos by OutKick. The Case for Moving the Rays to Orlando - Legends On Deck While she . Charlotte is a fast growing city, and theres tons of potential in every way. July 21, 2022 by Dave Harris. We are not talking here about a first-class organization, such as the Lakers or the Celtics. Period. I might rather sit in I-4 traffic rather than paying to watch a pitchers duel from the outfield bleachers. Rays to Orlando Gains Momentum - Legends On Deck Toronto president Mark Shapiro said the Jays, who said they were in favor of the Rays exploring the plan, were not consulted by the council and also were surprised by the decision. Rays were fearless on the bases in 2022. You know what lies in life in Orlando that attracts millions of tourists annually? What it will take, Reinsdorf said as have many others is a new ballpark. The Rays easy solution to fixing their money and attendance problems is to simply move north to Tampa. the Tampa Bay Rays ridiculous plan to split their season between the Tampa area and Montreal. The Atlanta Braves called the sports complex their spring training home from 1998 to 2019 before moving to CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida. Sign up for the Rays Report weekly newsletter to get fresh perspectives on the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the majors from sports columnist John Romano. The Tampa Bay Rays have submitted a proposal to build a new domed ballpark near the site of the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises current Tropicana Field home in St Petersburg, Florida. Then the political people rise up and we will hear from them, he said. I believe MLB put teams in the Florida region to see how they fare because they regularly had spring training like Arizona so they tested the market. Central Texas is one of the most populous areas in the United States, and there have been talks of them potentially hosting another sports team for some time. ORLANDO, Fla. Major League Baseball is coming back to Walt Disney World Resort in 2023. Whether or not the idea of moving a baseball club there is worth discussing remains to be seen. NHL Lightning & Panthers. If people can afford a family trip to Disney, they can spend a few extra bucks to see Mike Trout perform. Not terrible, but not good. Tampa Bay Rays moving spring training camp to ESPN Wide World of Sports City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando: Tampa Bay Rays move to Orlando? Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. The Rays have trained since 2009 in Port Charlotte, Florida, about 90 minutes south of St. Orlando is a fantastic in-state option for the Rays, and it doesn't have the cumbersome cost of starting the fanbase over or getting out of a valuable TV deal across the state of Florida. The Rays have trained since 2009 in Port Charlotte, Florida, about 90 minutes south of St. There has been discussion from some investors. Danny - Nationals Lead Writer: @Nats_Baseball, Matt - Nationals Lead Writer: @HolleranMDH, 2021 Half Street High Heat A Nationals Podcast . Spring training workouts begin Feb. 6 for early arrivals, with pitchers and catchers reporting Feb. 14. Because they play somewhere accessible for the greater Tampa Bay area. That is true about the Hispanic population in Miami, but I feel like that organization has pissed off so many fans in Miami. Yeah, it should work.. Rays face Braves with Shane McClanahan on the mound today, Bucs expected to release veteran tight end Cameron Brate, Why Rays Drew Rasmussen will slow down this spring. By James Hicks | January 12, 2022 at 4:22pm CDT. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000. Baseball clubs have never drawn crowds. Read: Tips to keep your furry friends safe from the cold this winter. I think the reason for most attendance for a local team will be for the transplants who don't get to see their old home town teams much - it will be the Bronx south on Yankee series, little . The Spurs were consistently in the top half of the NBA in attendance pre-pandemic, showing that San Antonio can gather fan interest, while Austin would be a fun experiment. As the Rays' 2022 season began, the team's expiring 2027 lease at Tropicana Field crept closer. League officials gave no reasons at the time, which surprised the Rays as they had been given permission in June 2019 to explore the plan and expected the go-ahead to try to make it work. Retired Orlando Magic executive Pat Williams says Orlando is the natural future home for the Tampa Bay Rays. New rules could make them more aggressive. The Rays were left looking for training facilities . The last meeting with Auld was just before Christmas, Williams told the Tampa Bay Times this week. An Orlando baseball team does seem a bit unrealistic though, until you realize, maybe an Orlando baseball team is not an expansion team but rather a relocation. Tampa Bay Rays: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights - Yardbarker Unlike Pinellas, which is largely built out, and with more room to grow than Hillsborough, the Orlando area is growing in all four directions," Williams said. This would conflict my loyalties. Its also a decent distance from Florida. You cant possibly think Im going to answer that question, Reinsdorf said. Ill be supportive of anything that Stu wants to do., Reinsdorf and Red Sox principal owner John Henry, another council member, declined Wednesday to share details on the Montreal decision. Before working at News 6 he worked for stations in Miami and Fort Myers. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook. Why? Warriors' NBA championship odds have value with Steph Curry returning entertainment And, quite frankly, a bit surprised at what happened, as we were. Rays co-presidents Matt Silverman and Brian Auld have met with Williams several times" since Rays owner Stu Sternberg announced his split-season concept between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Additionally, I wouldnt want to try to compete with Texas Football during the fall, which is another reason to keep out of Austin. 2023 Cox Media Group. Charlotte is a fast growing city, and theres tons of potential in every way. In an effort to court the Orlando, Florida, market, the Devil Rays played a series at The Ballpark (now called Champion Stadium) at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in the 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season. The location in St Pete makes attendance for the Rays suffer because the distance from Tampa and northern suburbs is a challenge on 275 most weekdays. One of the most recent development in the future of the Tampa Bay Rays involves the city of Orlando. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Rays Pitcher Tyler Glasnow Scores a $2.35M Waterfront Home in Tampa The location in St Pete makes attendance for the Rays suffer because the distance from Tampa and northern suburbs is a challenge on 275 most weekdays. Rays expect to move Yandy Diaz to first base for 2023. . According to the Southern League's website, the move to Walt Disney . MLB to Orlando? What to know about the Dreamers and their unlikely Its also a decent distance from Florida. TE Prospects On Bucs' Radar Dream Of Coming To Tampa On Tuesday, Disney announced the Tampa Bay Rays will conduct part of the team's 2023 spring training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. TAMPA, Fla. - The possibility of the Tampa Bay Rays moving out of St. Petersburg could be closer to reality. I'm fine with it. New rules could make them more aggressive. 5 Potential Relocation Spots For Rays - Half Street High Heat | A Nashville's pursuit of an MLB franchise might be gaining steam, if a Tampa City Council member is to be believed. PETERSBURG, Fla. The Tampa Bay Rays are relocating their spring base for 2023 due to extensive damage to team training facilities caused by Hurricane Ian. Whatever he thinks works, works. It time to move on to more deserving cities. I dont get the sense that Tampa and St. Pete are kissing cousins. Lebanon.. The biggest reason to move to Charlotte is because it is an untapped baseball market. Thats up to Stu, Reinsdorf said. Globe Field You will find the newest MLB stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Pat Maroon (14) fends off Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph (73) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, in Pittsburgh. Baseball can be a thriving business in a fast-growing region heavy with deep-pocket corporate sponsors like Disney and Universal, he says. Families of Orlando shooting victims say DeSantis, Rick Scott playing And unfortunately, its not our first rodeo.. Ron DeSantis vetoed $35 million in government spending for a new practice facility for the Tampa Bay Rays after the baseball team posted a tweet in support of gun control, according to create an agency to facilitate the process for Argentines, Charger specialist Anker launches a very promising 3D printer on Kickstarter. new Tampa Bay retiree one of thousands stuck in federal . This scenario seems perfect for an in-state move. "I can't afford to move," said Skylite . A recent column on the XFL Newsroom posed a simple question: When the XFL returns, should the Tampa Bay Vipers stay in Tampa? I think Stu should do what I think hes trying to do, (which) is get a stadium built in the Tampa area, Reinsdorf said. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to release veteran tight end Cameron Brate, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.This move comes as no surprise, considering the Bucs' salary cap situation, as well as their recent youth movement at the position.An undrafted free agent out of Harvard, Brate won a roster Russia The Magic rank 20th out of 30 teams for home game attendance. The Masters is keeping its criteria the same for next year. Colleen has lived there for eight years and says she lives on $1,500 a month in Social Security. Because they play somewhere accessible for the greater Tampa Bay area. Tampa Bay Rays, American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, that plays in the American League (AL). If soccer can get people going, then so can baseball. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa mayor Jane Castor made clear that she hopes to see the Rays remain in the Tampa area. The series selected was the May 15-17 series versus the Texas Rangers. It is even to believe that the upper echelons of the MLB do not know it either with the few information that it is possible to obtain here and there! Move the Tampa Rays to Memphis. Much like the last two cities on this list, Nashville would be better off receiving an expansion franchise than sorting through recruiting the Rays. Option to move Rays to Orlando must be raised. Central Texas is one of the most populous areas in the United States, and there have been talks of them potentially hosting another sports team for some time. With no answers from MLB on the vote, the team is focusing on great talks with Tampa Bay officials but needs to hear more details. Tampa Bay Rays - Bleacher Report Aside from a brief flash of greatness from 2006 through 2013, the Tampa Bay Rays have been a sad baseball team playing in the dumpy ballpark in the middle of nowhere.
