Spongebob Schnook Sports

Thank you all for reading my new blog. I’m really excited about this. As what a friend would say to me. I do a lot of yap yap bringing a lot of knowledge, but not to a lot of people I really expand to on what I have to say. So I figure for the sport minded even the cultural minded I would give this a shot. Now today is a beautiful Tampa Saturday but very cheap to buy a ticket to the Yankees Spring Opener, but enjoying it on MLB Network. Very nice tribute to GMS before the game, he is very loved in the Tampa Bay Area. He is one of the people that put Tampa on the map which brings me to another contender of in the AL East lets just say “The Panhandler in the AL East.” I’m talking about my local baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays. I have lived in the Tampa Bay Area for almost 11 years and I not only been to plenty of Yankee and Met games back up north but I did make my round to the old Trop in St Pete when they were god awful to after they won the AL Pennant in 2008. Now the reason I call them “panhandlers” is because last year they won the AL East Title and on the last game of the season they had to give away 20,000 tickets and upgrade actual ticket holders in order to fill for bRAYSer night. Now I live in the Tampa area and figure that the Trop is one “too far from fans” and two “stadium not appealing” You have heard it all on the news about the proposal in Downtown St Pete getting turned downed. The Alphabet or (ABC) Coalition seeing if a survey can convince a move to Tampa, and even getting some private groups to get some property in Downtown Tampa in order to build something like if it was PNC Park with the fancy downtown skyline to attract. Well I heard in one columnist on TBT which I will leave the link in my next post is that the departure of the Rays is near when the Trop is paid off which is in 2017. So what to do to get fans into a very nice stadium for the Rays and for them to not go to Las Vegas or Charlotte, NC????

People are going to disagree with my proposal but its might be the best option for the Rays to stay in Florida at least and to attract more fans and corporations, here it is, move the team into Tinker Field in ORLANDO. Here is why……..

Orlando is a much bigger media market and can definitely get some corporate exposure and even getting a lot of huge events if building a retractable roof stadium other than for baseball. Think about it, the team name Rays was originally the “Orlando Rays” back in AA over 10-20 years ago. So why not??? Here is the only con, AGAIN LONG DRIVE FOR TAMPA BAY FANS. But remember we still are willing go to Disney World and Universal, right? There is more reason than that and it would benefit both Tampa and Orlando. Here would be the plan……..

In 2006, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is has proposed a 1.1 billion dollar project to revamp downtown Orlando which built that fancy sold-out arena known as the Amway Center and getting a new performaing arts centers and also contributing $135 million dollars to renovate that ragady 70-year-old Citrus Bowl Stadium. Now here is the idea instead of Orlando contributing to the Citrus Bowl project. Why not tear down the Citrus Bowl and rebuilt from the ground up the site of Tinker Field next door and get the Rays what they are looking for and for the Rays to contribute some and even the county since Orlando is pulling money out at this worse economic time. I will put my next post about what should happen to the Trop after the Rays leave, also I want to check out that new USF baseball stadium for an afternoon game and the best part is admission is free, hope to get some photos out of that visit and continue this topic, off to dinner :-)