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What’s the vibe, will the Rays ditch sister city idea?


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With it looking more and more likely that the Rays will get their stadium in Ybor, will they finally drop the sister city plan? I know they keep pushing it, but it always seemed like a negotiating ploy; I can’t see the MLBPA approving it or either city paying for a part time team. What’s the vibe in Tampa about it?

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Haven't been keeping real up on it but could have sworn I saw something about the latest meeting between Rays and Tampa city officials that pertained to Tampa not that opposed to the dual city thing ....... if I'm recollecting correctly.

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17 hours ago, Triple B said:

Haven't been keeping real up on it but could have sworn I saw something about the latest meeting between Rays and Tampa city officials that pertained to Tampa not that opposed to the dual city thing ....... if I'm recollecting correctly.

Ok, I think I remember hearing something like that too. I’m just confused why split cities if you have your new stadium (and both cities/stadiums have the same capacities)? It all just seems so odd. 

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3 hours ago, michibull said:

Ok, I think I remember hearing something like that too. I’m just confused why split cities if you have your new stadium (and both cities/stadiums have the same capacities)? It all just seems so odd. 

Definitely odd but the Rays are kind of good at thinking outside the box so wouldn't be shocked if they can pull it off. Move to a better location in Tampa, cut the supply of games in half and attendance may be great ....

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I dont think the Rays front office will change their stance until someone with MLB or the Players Association pushes back.

 

The also have to get two ballparks planned and built, so if the drop dead date is close and only one location is making progress, they may lean that way.  Montreal has no ballpark available (even for temporary purposes, Olympic Stadium is mainly why the Expos left in the first place), Tampa Bay at least has the Trop if they need somewhere for the short term.

Edited by bull2saintleo
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From a TBT article ....

Let’s talk about the Rays. How does a split-city plan benefit Chamber members more than a full-season, Tampa Bay-only plan?

Mayts: Losing baseball doesn’t help our Chamber, doesn’t help our city, doesn’t help our region. There’s no doubt that professional sports have a huge economic impact upon the communities in which they play. But there’s an ancillary benefit to professional sports. When you’re at a Lightning game and everybody’s got a blue jersey on, you’re all the same. It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you came from. We all rally around the successes of our sports franchises. The boat parades for the Bucs and the Lightning were unbelievable events, and those all help us come together as a community, especially in times when there’s a lot of strife and polarization.

In terms of the split-city plan, I definitely didn’t get to all 80 home games, by any imagination.

Segura: And oh, by the way, nobody has, right?

Mayts: Nobody. So the number of games is not really a huge impediment to our business community. In fact, having half of a season would allow many more businesses to have half-season support, whether it be seats or suites or other ways. From my understanding in talking with the Rays, they want a community park, where it can be used for other events. Baseball’s one component of it, but it’s also baseball-oriented development and economic development that will be lost if we don’t keep the Rays in town.

What are the odds the Rays are playing part of their season in Tampa come 2028?

Mayts: They’re pretty confident that it’s going to happen there. I think we’ve got pretty good chances.

Will we have an answer at this time next year?

Segura: We’ll be closer.

Mayts: The Rays are running out of options. And they know that although 2028 seems like a long way off, it’s really not that far off for them when you have to look at planning and construction of a new ballpark. So I think we will have an answer this time next year. We do not want to be the town that loses baseball.

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From what is being reported, it seems much more likely now than this time last year that a stadium "of some sort" will be built in Tampa, most likely the Ybor area. 

I'm still very skeptical about whether or not the "sister city" plan will happen, especially in Montreal.  There are alot of Tampa Bay people (despite not good attendance) that want to keep the Rays in the area in some form or fashion.  They are actually pretty popular here in the Summer Time when nothing else is going on.  Maybe not at the Box office, but certainly in the Sports Bars and home TV's.........I just don't see that attachment or commitment by the fans/ Government officials in Montreal.  It failed miserably there before, and how are you going to sell that city building a part time ball park to a Team they have no history, love or commitment to?  Maybe I'm wrong.

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On 12/19/2021 at 3:54 PM, JonesyBucs said:

From what is being reported, it seems much more likely now than this time last year that a stadium "of some sort" will be built in Tampa, most likely the Ybor area. 

I'm still very skeptical about whether or not the "sister city" plan will happen, especially in Montreal.  There are alot of Tampa Bay people (despite not good attendance) that want to keep the Rays in the area in some form or fashion.  They are actually pretty popular here in the Summer Time when nothing else is going on.  Maybe not at the Box office, but certainly in the Sports Bars and home TV's.........I just don't see that attachment or commitment by the fans/ Government officials in Montreal.  It failed miserably there before, and how are you going to sell that city building a part time ball park to a Team they have no history, love or commitment to?  Maybe I'm wrong.

The issue is that IF the sister city plan goes thru, Tampa would have the Rays for the first part thru sometime in June.  Tampa wouldn't see the road to the playoffs at all, unless it's on TV.  Postseason would be alternated every other year, so you might be OK or you might be hosed.  So many details of the sister city plan just doesn't make a lick of common sense.

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On 12/21/2021 at 10:55 AM, bull2saintleo said:

The issue is that IF the sister city plan goes thru, Tampa would have the Rays for the first part thru sometime in June.  Tampa wouldn't see the road to the playoffs at all, unless it's on TV.  Postseason would be alternated every other year, so you might be OK or you might be hosed.  So many details of the sister city plan just doesn't make a lick of common sense.

I suppose it is better than having no baseball at all.....but it all seems totally ridiculous to me.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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MLB has axed the split idea so the rays will either be in Tampa or somewhere else but not 2 cities.

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