Rays Colored Glasses » stuart sternberg http://rayscoloredglasses.com A Tampa Bay Rays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Thu, 23 May 2013 00:44:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Rays Notes: Rays Owner Sternberg Talks David Price’s Future in Tampa Bay http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/03/11/rays-notes-rays-owner-sternberg-talks-david-prices-future-in-tampa-bay/ http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/03/11/rays-notes-rays-owner-sternberg-talks-david-prices-future-in-tampa-bay/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:10:44 +0000 Robbie Knopf http://rayscoloredglasses.com/?p=10311 It’s the question that won’t go away- how much longer will David Price last as a Tampa Bay Ray? Is an extension possible? Is a trade inevitable? Rays fans will be on the edge of their seats for next several months and maybe even years seeing what happens to Price, and they’re nervous to see [...]

Rays Notes: Rays Owner Sternberg Talks David Price’s Future in Tampa Bay - Rays Colored Glasses - Rays Colored Glasses - A Tampa Bay Rays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> It’s the question that won’t go away- how much longer will David Price last as a Tampa Bay Ray? Is an extension possible? Is a trade inevitable? Rays fans will be on the edge of their seats for next several months and maybe even years seeing what happens to Price, and they’re nervous to see how things will play out. However, while there’s nothing fans can do but wait, Rays fans had to be feeling a little better about Price’s future with the Rays after hearing owner Stuart Sternberg’s comments to reporters on Sunday.

On the possibility of keeping 2012 American League Cy Young Award pitcher David Price, who will make $10.1125 million in 2013, beyond this season:
“(Executive vice president of baseball Andrew Friedman) said and correctly that there is no question that we can handle a contract like David’s, but what are you able to put around him? But right now, and correctly, David is focused on this season and we’re focused on this season and speculatively it’s way too early for people to be focused on what’s three years from now, four years from now. David is an enormous part of this organization and has been so through all the success from 2008 to 2013.”

On the widely popular belief that the Rays will be forced to trade Price after this season:
“We haven’t had those thoughts. Others have speculated. There’s been speculation but we haven’t had those thoughts at all.”

On whether the Rays can keep Price next year:
“Oh yeah, sure. Absolutely.”

The last comment is the one that has really made the headlines, but that really indicates the fatal flaw in the general baseball public’s view of Price and the Rays that the media (myself included) has been milking and exploiting for a long time: since Price is getting more expensive, the Rays can’t afford him and have to trade him even next year as his salary could approach 15 million dollars. That’s simply not true. The Rays held on Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena for all their seasons of team control despite both of them, like Price, getting their salary into eight figures. Price’s salary will be higher than that, but that doesn’t mean the Rays can’t fit him into their budget for next year. What we have seen the Rays do is seize opportunities to trade players when they get an offer they couldn’t possibly refuse, with the most recent example being when they received Wil Myers and more from the Kansas City Royals for James Shields. If the Texas Rangers give the Rays a ridiculous package of prospects headlined by Jurickson Profar, the Rays would probably pull the trigger on the trade. If the right offer doesn’t come, though, the Rays will raise their payroll a few more million dollars and maybe skimp a little more on the free agent market and keep Price without too much of a problem. In saying that the Rays could “absolutely” keep Price in 2014, Stuart Sternberg was stating something that should be pretty obvious, and the fact that it isn’t a statement of our “talk-show caller” sports mentality where people are generating all sorts of crazy opinions about situations they know far too little about.

The Sternberg comment that was much more interesting was when he said “It’s way too early for people to be focused on what’s three years from now, four years from now.” In the Rays’ minds, their concern about Price’s future in Tampa Bay is not right now, not next year, but in 2015 when Price will be in his last season under team control. Those plans are always subject to change if the right offer comes along, but the Rays are set to have Price as the ace of their rotation and their highest paid player for the next two years almost for sure and they’ll see what happens after that. The Rays aren’t going to trade Price no matter what happens after this season. They’re certainly not trading Price and going into a rebuilding process following the season. There are things up in the air, but money is far from the only consideration for the Rays in regards to keeping David Price. Anything can happen and we can’t be sure what the Rays will do, but assume nothing and realize that the Rays are going to make whatever decision is best for their ballclub, and keeping Price even as his salary gets higher certainly qualifies for that.

]]> http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/03/11/rays-notes-rays-owner-sternberg-talks-david-prices-future-in-tampa-bay/feed/ 0 Rays Notes: Breaking Down the Stadium Talk Between Hillsborough County and the Rays http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/01/26/rays-notes-breaking-down-the-stadium-talk-between-hillsborough-county-and-the-rays/ http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/01/26/rays-notes-breaking-down-the-stadium-talk-between-hillsborough-county-and-the-rays/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:47:43 +0000 Robbie Knopf http://rayscoloredglasses.com/?p=9697 The last four years of the Rays’ Stadium Saga, as it has become known, can be encapsulating up quite effectively in one word: pointless. There has been moments when excitement has bubbled up- most notably in the St. Petersburg Waterfront Proposal back in 2008 and the Carillon Proposal in 2012- but talks always ceased to [...]

Rays Notes: Breaking Down the Stadium Talk Between Hillsborough County and the Rays - Rays Colored Glasses - Rays Colored Glasses - A Tampa Bay Rays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> The last four years of the Rays’ Stadium Saga, as it has become known, can be encapsulating up quite effectively in one word: pointless. There has been moments when excitement has bubbled up- most notably in the St. Petersburg Waterfront Proposal back in 2008 and the Carillon Proposal in 2012- but talks always ceased to a screeching halt as inadequate local support and an unwillingness to compromise made any hope of progress fade away. This year, we hope that things will change, and the Rays and commissioners from Hillsborough tried to get things off on the right track in 2013 as they talked Rays stadium in a public forum on Thursday. Noah Pransky of WTSP, tweeting from the Shadow of the Stadium (@StadiumShadow) Twitter account, had the highlights.

The Rays took this meeting seriously. They sent their big guns to the forum.

Ken Hagan, the head of the Hillsborough County Council, directly responded to St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster’s comments where he said that he expected the Rays to honor the Tropicana Field lease, which runs until 2027. Hagan undoubtedly would want a new Rays stadium based in Hillsborough County, but the bottom line is that something has to happen or the chances are going to get higher and higher that the Rays are eventually going to leave Tampa Bay for another city. These talks have to happen and a plan has to put into place.

There has been some talk that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is planning on selling the team, but Sternberg wholeheartedly denied that and acknowledged that he's in this for the long haul. He wants to find a solution to this problem and set the Rays up for a strong future with a stadium that gets the attendance that the Rays deserve considering just how good they have been the last five years.

"Winning cures a lot of problems"- well, it hasn't for the Rays. The only time the Trop has been full has been Opening Day and the Postseason. That's it. When the Rays are in a situation where they win a ton of games, winning 90 games three years in a row, and still can't draw crowds, there's a serious issue going on.

There may be a serious problem, but that problem is not fans that wouldn't support the team no matter what. The issue, the Rays have always argued, is that fans would come if the stadium was more accessible. The Rays have done great on TV and radio, increasing as much as you would expect a consistently-contending team like them to increase. But Tropicana Field and all its problems, physically and, more importantly, geographically, are what has prevented the Rays from receiving the type of support they should be getting.

This was quite a controversial comment- are the Rays saying that several current Triple-A markets would be better for the team than Tampa Bay? The answer to that question is no. Instead, Kalt is focusing on the point that the Trop is in such a terrible place that it diminishes the potential of Tampa Bay residents to get to it, decreasing the viability of the market and the Rays' ability to draw fans. What the Rays need is not a new location in the US but a new location in Tampa Bay that will give fans exponentially better access to the stadium and get attendance figures up. The Rays believe that there are stadium sites that can do just that.

There's a possible piece of the solution- a bus stop that can help the masses arrive at the Trop. The stadium is just so hard to get to and anything that could facilitate the process of getting people there would be a major improvement. Being a New York guy, I'm sure Sternberg dreams about the way the Yankees have thousands and thousands of fans arrive at Yankee Stadium through the subway, dodging traffic and making the stadium a short ride away. That's not about to happen in Tampa Bay, but when Rays fans are in a situation that driving is pretty much the only way they can get to the Trop, it certainly gives them disincentives to go considering some fans don't have cars and ordinary people fear the price of gas and the possibility of traffic. The Rays' next stadium being centrally-located will certainly help, but finding away to assuage the people who can't or don't want to drive to games is a key factor as well.

This comment is even more controversial- how could Sternberg say something like that? There are several things to gleam from that comment. Sternberg is pitting the Rays and the Tampa Bay area against Major League Baseball, which sounds strange but makes sense if you look at it from the perspective of a classic speech in a sports movie. "It's us versus them. They don't think we have a chance, but I don't care. If we believe in each other and work together it doesn't matter what they say- we can do this." Included as part of that is that Sternberg is implying that even if MLB no longer believes in the Tampa Bay area, the Rays organization still does knowing that the market has unexploited potential and a solution can still be found that benefits everyone involved. Like we mentioned above, MLB looks at the Rays' situation in Tampa Bay and their first thought is "if they're winning so many games, why is their attendance so unbelievably low." Sternberg's response to that would be that their are underlying factors (i.e. the Trop) that are making the Rays' situation in Tampa Bay experience problems like no MLB team before it. But even if Tampa Bay is in a unique situation, the bottom line is that it doesn't mean that it can't be just as good.

The bottom line is that if the Rays are still playing in Tropicana Field in 2027, that would mean that everything failed in the Tampa Bay market and the Rays would be preparing to move to another city. No one wants that. This is a horrific situation right now, but there's still time to fix it as long as the parties involved stop being stubborn and are willing to make concessions to break the stalemate. That has to happen.

Overall, the parties involved emphasized their dissatisfaction at the current stadium situation for the Rays and their desire to get to the bargaining table and figure out a solution. No specific stadium sites where allowed to be mentioned at the meeting per the Rays' contract with the city of St. Petersburg (Hagan said that straight-out), but Hillsborough County and the Rays have the right mindset and are ready to make something happen to end the never-ending cycle of futility that has undermined these stadium talks. Now we need to see how Pinellas County will respond next week and see how everyone responds once the cards are on the table and decisions will need to start being made.

]]> http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2013/01/26/rays-notes-breaking-down-the-stadium-talk-between-hillsborough-county-and-the-rays/feed/ 0 Ticket To The Trop: Cowbell Craziness http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2012/10/26/ticket-to-the-trop-cowbell-craziness/ http://rayscoloredglasses.com/2012/10/26/ticket-to-the-trop-cowbell-craziness/#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:47:03 +0000 Jenna West http://rayscoloredglasses.com/?p=8625 It’s exciting, it raises the energy level in Tropicana Field, it can even bring the crowd to their feet, it’s two of the most important words Rays fans will ever hear: “More Cowbell!” Anyone who attends a game at Tropicana Field cannot miss the distinct sound of thousands of cowbells ringing in unison, as Rays [...]

Ticket To The Trop: Cowbell Craziness - Rays Colored Glasses - Rays Colored Glasses - A Tampa Bay Rays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> It’s exciting, it raises the energy level in Tropicana Field, it can even bring the crowd to their feet, it’s two of the most important words Rays fans will ever hear: “More Cowbell!”

The cowbell has become the favored noisemakers for Rays fans. Credit: Jenna West

Anyone who attends a game at Tropicana Field cannot miss the distinct sound of thousands of cowbells ringing in unison, as Rays fans love to support their team by ringing their cowbells. Rays players love the bells, while opposing teams hate them. Because of this, fans ring their cowbells as much as possible, especially during playoff games.

During the 2008 ALDS, the Chicago White Sox took batting practice with the sound of cowbells playing to prepare for the noise factor they would encounter at Tropicana Field.

In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times before Game 3 of the 2011 ALDS against the Texas Rangers, relief pitcher J.P. Howell said, “I was just telling some of the younger guys, they’re going to see the ‘Real Trop’ and how it can really get. This is what it’s known for here (tonight)… coming here can be pretty rough for the opponents, when they get the (cowbells). The more bells the better.”

Cary Strukel, a devoted Rays fan who sits in right field, has became the infamous “Cowbell Kid” because of his antics to excite fellow fans. He wears a blue afro wig and rings his oversized cowbell with a bat to pester opposing teams’ fans. He told the St. Petersburg Times, “It’s spectacular because it annoys Red Sox and Yankees fans…When you’re beating (the cowbell) for absolutely no reason, that’s not good, but if it’s in the ear of a Yankees fan, that’s okay in my eyes.”

While ringing cowbells is a normal occurrence for Rays fans these days, how did the tradition begin?

In 2000, Saturday Night Live featured a skit called “More Cowbell” as a spoof of the rock band Blue Oyster Cult. While playing the band’s hit song “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” Will Ferrell begins banging a cowbell. However, music producer Bruce Dickinson, played by Christopher Walken, walks in during their rehearsal and demands “more cowbell.”

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg loves the skit and decided to give cowbells to fans as the 2006 season’s opening series promotional giveaway. Fans loved the cowbells and turned it into their signature sound at Tropicana Field.

The organization even created the video “Cowbell Etiquette,” which plays before every home game, instructing fans of certain times when they should always ring their bells. These rules include ringing cowbells when a Rays player reaches base or scores a run, the opposing team’s hitter has two strikes, or when the words “More Cowbell” flash across the jumbotron.

Every season, the organization includes cowbells in their promotional giveaways, and cowbells can also be bought in various sizes and colors at the Team Store or other novelty kiosks throughout the stadium.

The media likes to focus on poor attendance at Tropicana Field, blaming fans for not caring enough about the Rays to come to their games. However, fans that do come to Tropicana Field and support the Rays know how to turn up the noise during exciting plays. I think these fans could agree with Christopher Walken’s famous line in the SNL skit, “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!”

 

 

 

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