Amidst the all the excitement of the Rays new stadium, I’d like to say a kind word about the Trop.
Hey, somebody has to.
Every year for the past 22 years, I have a tradition of going to see a Kansas City Royal game. Spring Training, regular season, didn’t matter as long as I got to see at least one game. It is the one day when I set aside my professional bias and reconnect with just being a fan - buying a scalped ticket, getting loaded on overpriced beer, eating ballpark food and screaming at the opposing team. (Even if it is against the “Devil” Rays that I am supposed to remain objective about the rest of the year.)
This year, I was able to keep that streak going solely because of that orange-capped cement behemoth with the slight mildew and urine smell. Thank you Tropicana.
The Kansas City Royals came to Tampa for their lone appearance on June 1st this year; Something that I had looked forward to since the teams had released their regular season schedule. Armed with a Publix sub and a sixpack of Leinenkugels I pulled up to the Trop a little after 5:00 pm. wearing a powder blue KC jersey that was the same color as the Florida sky thinking that it was a beautiful day for baseball.
15 minutes later it was raining, as my grandfather used to say, “like a cow p!$$!#& on a flat rock.” It rained for the next two days.
For those inside, the rain didn’t matter. Brian Bannister pitched a gem for the Royals and it turned out to be a great day for baseball after all. The next day was, too.
Rays Stadium Special ReportI remembered that series when I first heard about the proposed plan for a outdoor stadium. My next reaction was is it really wise to spend the millions of dollars that it would take to build a new park for the Rays? Or at least, one without a roof. This is Florida after all and you don’t need to be a meteorologist to know that there is a summertime trend for late afternoon thunderstorms. And baseball and rain don’t mix that well.
So I got to thinking. How much would weather have affected the season if it wasn’t for the dry confines of the Trop?
According to weather measurements taken from Albert Whitted Airport, which is adjacent to the proposed site of the new ballpark, almost one out of nine Rays home games in 2007 would have been directly affected by rain had they been played in an open-air stadium and not in the weather neutral atmosphere of Tropicana Field.
For the inclement weather to be judged to have a direct impact on the game play, the rainfall total must have been measured at 1cm or more in a one hour period during the game including the hour preceding the fist pitch, rainfall that was deemed “heavy” for 30 minutes or more after the first pitch, or the presence of significant thunderstorm activity in the vicinity.
Results:
Date Opponent Rainfall Rain Start Time Game Time Notes
17-Apr Baltimore Orioles .04 in/.10cm 8:53pm 7:10pm Light shower throughout evening
1-Jun Kansas City Royals .60in/1.52cm 1:53:00pm 7:10pm Heavy rain begins at 5:38pm
2-Jun Kansas City Royals 3.00in/7.62cm 7:53am 7:10pm Intermittent thunderstorms throughout the day
28-Jul Boston Red Sox .11in/.28cm 3:37pm 7:10pm Heavy rain thunderstorms began 4:01pm
31-Jul Toronto Blue Jays .91in/2.31cm 6:53am 7:10pm Thunderstorms continued until 8:03pm
1-Aug Toronto Blue Jays 1.12in/2.84cm 1:30pm 3:10pm Rain continued until 11:14pm
24-Aug Oakland Athletics .07in/.18cm 5:53pm 7:10pm Thunderstorms continued until 8:53pm
3-Sep Baltimore Orioles .19in/.48cm 1:39pm 7:10pm Rain and thunderstorms continued until 3:53pm
23-Sep Boston Red Sox .27in/.69cm 3:53pm 1:40pm 21mph wind gusts reported at 1:53pm
I’ve never been one to be afraid of a little rain. In fact, one of my favorite Florida moments is watching thunderstorms roll onto the horizon while sitting under an umbrella on the beach.
With the new design of the ballpark there will be a baseball game added to that mix as well.
