Rays have explored becoming 2 city team (with Montreal) (upd: rejected by MLB)

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Ha...check out the strategy here...

The Rays logic here is bafflingly stupid. Tampa hasn't been willing to build a stadium for 10 years now and they think both cities will now build them a stadium for half seasons?

This is like a girl, who has been begging her boyfriend to buy her an engagement ring for 10 years, now comes to him with the ultimatum. "Ok here's the deal, there's another guy who wants to buy me a ring. I want to spend half my time with him and half my time with you. Great news too, I'm willing to accept a cheaper engagement ring from you now!"

The Rays are just begging to get dumped here.

 

[JaymzB]

14,970
17,589
16,037
14,643
15,393
12,660
11,213
7,984
17,701
17,617
26,277
27,261
28,418
28,621
28,650
19,957
18,665
14,025
22,844
18,255
22,019
16,952
11,612
20,607
20,265
22,390
18,189
19,959
18,489
11,295
9,540
11,435
7,935
10,031
12,662
9,356

I like how certain posters just completely ignore how horrendous the Expos attendance was for the vast majority of their history.

To be fair, before the attendance fell off a cliff in 1998 (and never recovered) the Expos were an average small-mid market team attendance wise. Especially when you consider their first 8 years were at the smallest park in the Majors (Jarry Parc).

Then when you add the fact that they made the playoffs once during that time, the support for the club was pretty good (better than clubs like San Diego, Seattle, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Houston and Cleveland over the same time period).

 

[tony d]

I'd like to see baseball back in Montreal but not this way. This way is very far fetched and I doubt it happens.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Read this and educate yourself. Real Reasons why Expos Fans Stopped showing Up - ExposNation

So basically their arguments are Montrealers had better things to do and they lost players. I'm pretty sure those are still going to be things that happen, so it's not exactly a point in their favor.

To be fair, before the attendance fell off a cliff in 1998 (and never recovered) the Expos were an average small-mid market team attendance wise. Especially when you consider their first 8 years were at the smallest park in the Majors (Jarry Parc).

Their attendance wasn't good well before falling off a cliff in 1998. From 1984 to 1998 they never finished higher than 17th out of 26 or 28 teams and had several seasons where they were in the bottom 5.

 

[Mightygoose]

St. Pete mayor on Rays deal: 'This is getting a bit silly' - Sportsnet.ca

Mayor says team cannot play games outside of the city without council approval, something he will not introduce.

Rays are apparently supposed to announce their intent for a stadium plan in St. Pete's or not by the end of the summer. Otherwise, they may have created an 8 1/2 year lame duck situation

 

[robert terwilliger]

as bad as it's gotten in tampa st pete, they've never fallen to the point of montreal.

"oh this team just isn't fun and doesn't have players i like!"

20 years later: "gimme a team back!!!!"

 

[viceroy]

as bad as it's gotten in tampa st pete, they've never fallen to the point of montreal.

"oh this team just isn't fun and doesn't have players i like!"

20 years later: "gimme a team back!!!!"

Hi bud! You a Rays fan? I'll enjoy sharing a fandom with you. I hear The Rays are a very well managed team hoping to learn more about them. Share if you can. Have a nice summer!

p.s. I'd love it if their AAA farm club could move to Quebec City.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

As I have stated in the past, the Expos drew better in their "good years" (which were far less frequent) than the Rays. Relative to the rest of MLB in the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Expos drew better than Rays as well. After 94, the Expos were basically toast in Montreal and everyone knew it. It was just a matter of finding an appropriate suite which took nearly a decade to find. Attendance was much lower during those decades (60s,70s,80s) than it is in the present.

Rays' attendance (out of 14 or 15 teams in the AL):

7,9,10,11,12,13,13,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,15,15,15,15,15,15

-Rays are almost always last in attendance even with a good team.

Tampa Bay Rays Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors | Baseball-Reference.com

Expos attendance (out of 12 - 14 teams in the NL up until 1995)

2,3,3,4,4,6,6,7,7,8,8,8,9,9,9,9,9,10,10,10,11,11,11,11,12,13

Despite only one playoff appearance, it's pretty clear the Expos draw better than the Rays, both during the good years and the bad years (relative to the rest of the MLB during those periods).

 

[robert terwilliger]

i'm a red sox fan.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I wonder whose genius idea this was in the first place... this is a terrible idea.

 

[robert terwilliger]

i see what they're trying to accomplish, show st pete that they're serious about this and want to look like they're prepared to move if necessary.

 

[viceroy]

i see what they're trying to accomplish, show st pete that they're serious about this and want to look like they're prepared to move if necessary.

Why wouldn't they move? Nobody shows up to their games despite putting in competitive team. There doesn't seem to be any will to actually get a new stadium. I mean if their lease for Tropicana Field ended this year they'd be in another town for sure by next season.

At least that's what I believe.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Hi bud! You a Rays fan? I'll enjoy sharing a fandom with you. I hear The Rays are a very well managed team hoping to learn more about them. Share if you can. Have a nice summer!

p.s. I'd love it if their AAA farm club could move to Quebec City.

That's not how that works. That's not how any of that works.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Why wouldn't they move? Nobody shows up to their games despite putting in competitive team. There doesn't seem to be any will to actually get a new stadium. I mean if their lease for Tropicana Field ended this year they'd be in another town for sure by next season.

At least that's what I believe.

But it doesn't expire till 2027, so they aren't going anywhere soon

 

[robert terwilliger]

Why wouldn't they move? Nobody shows up to their games despite putting in competitive team. There doesn't seem to be any will to actually get a new stadium. I mean if their lease for Tropicana Field ended this year they'd be in another town for sure by next season.

At least that's what I believe.

if their lease ended this year they also might have forced st pete's hand years ago.

 

[John Price]

if their lease ended this year they also might have forced st pete's hand years ago.

sad that rays can't move to a better stadium

 

[John Price]

@robert terwilliger

 

[KevFu]

As I have stated in the past, the Expos drew better in their "good years" (which were far less frequent) than the Rays. Relative to the rest of MLB in the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Expos drew better than Rays as well. After 94, the Expos were basically toast in Montreal and everyone knew it. It was just a matter of finding an appropriate suite which took nearly a decade to find. Attendance was much lower during those decades (60s,70s,80s) than it is in the present.

Rays' attendance (out of 14 or 15 teams in the AL):

7,9,10,11,12,13,13,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,14,15,15,15,15,15,15

-Rays are almost always last in attendance even with a good team.

Tampa Bay Rays Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors | Baseball-Reference.com

Expos attendance (out of 12 - 14 teams in the NL up until 1995)

2,3,3,4,4,6,6,7,7,8,8,8,9,9,9,9,9,10,10,10,11,11,11,11,12,13

Despite only one playoff appearance, it's pretty clear the Expos draw better than the Rays, both during the good years and the bad years (relative to the rest of the MLB during those periods).

Expos are good for baseball. They should be brought back as an expansion team.

Tampa's attendance issues are because of stadium location. Their local TV ratings last year were higher than the Dodgers (and Mets, and Angels).


This is a ploy to get people seriously behind a stadium plan to "save the team"

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Expos are good for baseball. They should be brought back as an expansion team.

Tampa's attendance issues are because of stadium location. Their local TV ratings last year were higher than the Dodgers (and Mets, and Angels).


This is a ploy to get people seriously behind a stadium plan to "save the team"

Agreed - to me it comes off as Sternberg's "Mario Goes to Kansas City" moment. Now, whether the powers that be in Tampa or St. Pete's respond in the same manner as those in Pittsburgh did remains to be seen. Either way, it seems if I want to see some former Durham Bulls playing in the last non-retractable dome in MLB I better get on that.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Why wouldn't they move? Nobody shows up to their games despite putting in competitive team

It's not about attendance #'s, it's about getting governments to subsidize sportsball arenas. If you want that gravy train to keep going, you need to demonstrate repeatedly and irrefutably that the local powers that be would not play ball, and such-and-such locale would.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

 

[Melrose Munch]

 

[Mightygoose]

So it's now the throwing the fans under the bus stage.

Very sad state.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Somebody needs to tell Smith that that's not what Sternberg said - he clearly says "This is not a staged exit."

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]