Webbs? What's that?

JL...just curious...do you know what Evac Zone Brooker Creek is in compared to where The Tropicana is? I am just guessing, but I bet The Trop is in an Evac Zone 3 or 4...doubtfully a 5 or not in one at all. Just the name of Brooker Creek implies it sounds like an Evac Zone 1. There is a ''big'' difference between a Evac Zone 1 and a Evac Zone 3 or above. I am not saying your suggestion is bad, I am just bringing up this question. I personally do not know what the Evac Zones are for either area.

Babak. Your suggestion was interesting. We're new and recently moved here from Kansas, near the KC area. We enjoy all sports, including Arena Football. From what I have gathered, the Tropicana has been going through a painful period for quite some time now. Losing both The Lightning and The Storm to Tampa in recent years. Correct? That must have hurt...being a St Pete citizen...and losing those teams !! Now we are faced with losing The Rays. This is not a good time for St Pete sports fans. Even I can see that. I mentioned Arena Football. That season is getting ready to start, and I was surprised to see that The KC Brigade was no longer part of Areana Football. They have, instead, joined in a brand new league very similar to Arena Football we all know...but one much less expensive to run and more suitible for smaller markets...much like what The Tropicana seems evitably destined to be. One of these teams along with your idea would be workable for St Pete. It's great how Arena Football is around after the NFL Superbowl. It seems a shame to see The Trop not be used...we like it just fine. The main thing here is to keep The Rays in the area, and not make the owner simply want to move them to another metro area I am sure would be eager to take them from the St Pete/Tampa area. I have often wondered why there has never been any talk of a new, world class Dome...like the New Orleans Superdome, for example...that could house both The Rays ''and'' The Bucs. That would be cool.

I don't think that the Lightning ever planned to stay at the trop. They were at the fairgrounds and then the trop while their venue was being built. Arena football? Who cares. Baseball is America s sport and I like it here and I REALLY like the trop. BUT I don't want tax money per mantle committed to a new stadium. Ticket prices are too high at the trop and the owners are scavengers in the way they increase ticket prices for certain teams which is understandable , BUT they increase the parking prices. They are grabbing you money before you enter the building and want you to leave with spare change. That is the problem, ticket prices are out of Wack for regular people to even think of attending 80+games with their kids. A super dome? We have a dome in the Trop now and mixed venues never have the fan to field link that makes baseball great. Maybe in Kansas they listen to people with dreamy eyes without thinking about cost, but here we want to know how to pay for it. If Kansas is so great then move back instead of referring to it as a comparison we are some backwater town. It's obvious you are not invested in Tampa Bay.

Sparky. How did it refer this area is a backwater town? I think my remarks have been quite the opposite and very complimentary about the area. Frankly, I can tell by your comment I am a better contribution to the area as a resident than you are. It sounds like ''you'' are the one who needs to move and make room for new blood that will help this area keep on keeping on. You evidently having reading comprehension issues, or you would see your comment directed to me are way off. You have taken something I have said completely wrong, evidently. I like most of what you had to say, but what is it I said that makes you feel I am not on your side. It seems to me that we are, but you don't sound like you agree on that. I love The Trop also....and I especially love baseball there. I don't quite understand your problem with Arena Football. Do you realize it's season starts about now? It is very entertaining...''and''...you can buy ''season tickets'' for UNDER $100. Yes...that's what I said. But...you did not know that ...did you? Try doing that for any other sports here in a climate controlled dome like The Trop.

How low do the ticket prices need to be for you? Yes, the better seats can be expensive but they do have seats int he $10 range. Try finding tickets that cheap in a market like NY, Boston, Chicago or LA. You'll spend more money taking your family to the movies (the Rays allow you to bring in outside food). Bottom line is that the Rays want a new stadium and if St Pete won't do it, they will lose the team.

You know we paid between $9-$21 (Yankees game) max last season. More often it was about $12. That is about as cheap as it gets.

You can easily get tickets for under $10. The Rays are not expensive to go see if you take advantage of many of the promotions that are ''always'' offered, plus how cheap you can park. Most other MLB teams have ''much'' higher costs associated with going to see a game. In fact...I think you can even take in some drinks of your own here. THAT is unheard of anywhere else I have ever seen anywhere. It does not get any cheaper than it is here. No way.

You do realize that we taxpayers are still paying for the old dome don't you?

Joanne. I think you have touched on what is going on here. I think the Mayor ''knows'' he is ''not'' going to stop The Rays from leaving The Trop...but he certainly wants to try and get something out of the deal. Even if they go to N Pinellas instead of Tampa. The Mayor is playing this right...and let's hope he can get The Trop paid for if The Rays leave. I look at it this way. When we knew we were moving here...we thought we would be going to Tampa a lot. Well...it has turned out that St Pete is so much fun, we quickly found out it was hardly necessary to go to Tampa. ''That'' in itself is a big part of why The Rays can't get enough people to the games...there is too many other cool things to do virtually every night...24/7/365 here. My guess is that even the Tampa people like it better over here...lol. This is a fun place to live. That said...we ''do'' enjoy an excuse to go to Tampa...and if The Rays go there...then we will then have an excellent excuse to make the drive over there and plan on doing something else over there at the same time. A two birds with one stone sort of a thing. It's not all bad if they move there, is my point.

Steve. I agree largely with you, and feel The Mayor is playing this out to keep from getting nothing if The Rays leave The Trop. And so he should. If they want to move from The Trop, then Tampa or the owner ''or BOTH'' need to ''show St Pete the money''. Right? I think most of us can see the need for a change here, but the business aspect of it can't be ignored. Baseball fans or not. I read somewhere the argument that since Tampa can't sell enough ticket's for The Bucs...then how can anyone think they will do any better filling a Tampa stadium up with Rays fans? It's a good argument, I think. I also read that The Rays owner does not expect to sell a ''hugh'' amount more of tickets in Tampa than he does in St Pete...but he would simply like to see an increase of at least 1000 more people per game and then he could live with that. Like many other MLB team cities do. Seems reasonable of him to me. Many markets do fine without sellouts. It's just the simple fact that The Trop's average is simply is too low. Considering 1000 more fans is not really that big of an increase that he is looking for....it seems a real shame that St Pete and Tampa ''both'' can't come up with an idea to make this work right where they are...at The Trop. I have to question the ''Marketing Department'' of The Rays...surely they can be expected to have better ticket sales??? For just 1000 more fans??? Come on...

If Ihad built that home in 2008 or so, then I'd feel real bad...because even in this thriving or ''recovering'' housing market that Obama claims (ha ha) is present...it would ''still''' only be worth about 1/3 of the the money I paid for it...but in ''today's'' world I would still owe the full 2008 value of the house to the bank. It's called being upside down on a house loan and many are in that shape. It's now likely most of us will never see our homes return to their value in the forseeable future. Oh...and I personally ''do'' get your analogy and have basically lived it ...except I still have my wife...lol. Divorced or not...the situtaion you describe is ''very bad''...but if the house was built in about 2008...then it's a ''nightmare''. Nightmare trumps very bad by a great deal...lol.

Also...again about ''the stream of traffic rushing to get out''. Not all those people are getting on the interstate to rush back to Tampa. Many are leaving because they don't want to leave their cars there..I don't think you can do that anyway. They get everyone out and close it up after the games. Many are simply going to the ''multitude'' of different areas to go visit for after game fun. The Gulf Beach areas...Clearwater...Passe-A-Grill...even south ove the Skyway...the list is endless. Many games are evening games and the kids have to get home, etc....often for school or simply because going to a game is just about as much entertainment for onw day that most people need. I am not onw of those. I like to do things before and/or after the game...and there is ''plenty'' to do. We just don't park at The Trop. Not to save parking money, but to have our car someplace where we don't have to move it. You just sound like you don't like it here. I don't think they are going to another city, though. That's just talk. Tampa maybe...and probably...but no farther than that. i don't see it.

Only 300 people buy season tickets for 80+ games! How many home Bucs games? How many home Lightning games? How many people in Pinellas buy partial packages for one game per series?

Let them go after they pay up under the contract, just like if you rented an apartment and then moved out.

JR...Ok...I can see that better now and agree with you more. Sorry if I spun your comment, but my points are valid also. The corporate sponsorship issue seems like an issue that could be fixed with better marketing and better sales teams. I based my comment on an interview with the team owner I read. I have mentioned I am new here and still learning about local issues. I have to say...I am puzzeled how St Pete ever got the team and The Trop here...and how it was never in Tampa all along. It seems like they are showing an interest a little late. Was Tampa not interested in the team before? My main argument with you was about how The Trop is only located near bad areas...and your comment about the rush of traffic to leave the game. I gave you valid replies about that...but I guess you are not reading what i am sriting either. I was defending teh vibrant entertainment areas near The Trop. You were way wrong about all that. But...that said....I do agree that the Carillion could be a winner. Even if it goes there, I still can see why the mayor is fighting to get excellent compensation for leaving The Trop. And the walk to The Pier from The Trop is fine...are you serious...have you been down there in the last 5 years? Central, from The Trop all the way to The Pier is a ''very fun'' stretch of nightlife. You need to get out more...but it ''is'' a bit of a walk, though...lol. The area over by Ferg's has numerous places already right there, though. What do you want, Disneyworld?

Don't underestimate what I know about this area. I may be still learning, but when you go out nearly every night of the week...you can learn a lot very fast here. You'd be surprised how much I know about the entire State of Florida. Nearly everywhere I go here I feel I often know more than people who wer born here...that is largely because many people take for granted what a paradise this is. My move to Florida took 5 years of planning and a lot of traveling and research. I have already shown you how little you know about how much safer the area from The Trop is to The Pier is compared to even just 3 years ago. I also know that Tampa hardly is a walkin the park everywhere , either...especailly in the Tampa downtown areas where all the sport venues are. I woiuld gladly deal with the St Pete homeless and bums before I'd want to deal with the ones in Tampa. Face it...if we want a sports Stadium that is in a completely safe place...we have to put it over on the barrier islands that have all the beach communities from Passe-a-Grille up to Clearwater, etc. Last I checked, I did not see room there...lol. Get there ''early enough''...again...what are you talking about? St Pete Rocks till 3 am. In fact...''all'' of Piunellas does. I can't hardly believe what you ae saying. You must go to bed by 9 pm and leave the game at the 7th Inning Streatch...lol.

I do like the ''south St Pete'' area...but to clarify...I do like the areas to the east, west, and north of The Trop better...lol. I figured you knew ''that''. If you are hitting the area to ''the south'' of The Trop...then ..yeah...it's bad...but it also means you probably took a wrong turn on the way home...lol. It is ''much'' easier to end up in a bad part of town in Tampa than it is in St Pete. You know...at about 10-11 pm...when the games get out...the fun is just starting around town. I'm near 60 and know that. What..are you about 85? Lighten up on St Pete. Youhave to realize...when I say '' St Pete'' I usually lump virtually all of pinellas into that....and this is a very fun area. This summer , we plan on gettin go know the Tampa to Orlando area better...and looking forward to it.

When it comes to "ticket" sales for professional sports, that is always the issue. They are the ones that purchase the expensive seats.

The article I mentioned was from a conversation with the Rays owner. It was in the Tribune. He said he would not be so disgruntled if he had 1000-1500 more people per game. When I read it, it sounded like his position was reasonable. The fact is...that throughout baseball..obviously most team are not winning teams and come far from filling the stadiums. Those owners have a level of attendance they desire, just as the Rays owner does. here at The Trop...the numbers are not ''that far'' off. Not really. Very few cities fill the seats with a team not in contention...of course that is not the case with the Rays...which makes the whole situation more difficult for the owner. Imagine how empty the seats woiuld be if the Rays were lousy? I don't think moving to Tampa would help that case. But it was a month ago or so when I read this...maybe he has changed his position...which I would not doubt at all. Right now...I think all we are seeing is everybody playing their cards. The right offer, and the right stadium in N Pinellas might just be good enough for the owner. I can see the issue for Tampa fans. Once you get over the Howard Franklin...you still have near 20 miles to go to The Trop. That is a long drive on school nights. If the drive from Tampa was just to N Pinellas area...it would be enough difference to not bother the Tampa fans as much. The Trop has had it's chance, but it just has not worked. Too bad...because it is cool having it there, but not for Tampa.

Ronald. You are the man...lol! That's the spirit! I am with you, brother...but ..come on....a little AC is not all bad...lol.

Build it & they will come? That's the logic that caused Tampa Bay to build the Trop in the first place. Then the logic was, if they win, they will come. It could be like Miami & still people won't go after the novelty wears off. A new stadium would make sure they don't move to another city, but people need to stop supporting teams that play for cities thousands of miles away, where they no longer live. The Stinkin' Yankee
fans are the worst, followed by the Damn Red Sox fans. The Philly fans can also use an adjustment in priorities, or move back to where their heart still lives.
If Tampa Bay people supported the Tampa Bay home team, there would be no issue.

What about Tampa bay holding up our part of the bargain? Major league baseball gave Tampa Bay a team with the understanding that we would supply an adequate stadium for the team to play. When the team was in the basement every year, they didn't have a leg to stand on demanding an adequate & suitable stadium. Now that they are on a par with the Yankees & Red Sox, major league baseball wants Tampa Bay to fulfill it's obligation to supply an adequate place for the team to play.
Tampa Bay owes it to it's citizens to keep our baseball team & not stigmatize our image irreparably as a no count, second rate city.
Then again, if we let them leave, we deserve any stigma we get. If the shoe fits, we must wear it.