Something progressive will come out of stadium site search

Posted Feb 19, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Feb 19, 2010 at 12:21 AM

The pot is being stirred again, this time with vigor, the pot out of which could come a new facility for the Tampa Bay Rays, and other goodies. We are for now listening to the new commentaries ongoing among public officials and forward-thinking citizens.

Remember years ago, when Frank Morsani and the baseball progressives at that time eventually wound up with a franchise and chose to put it in the standing, but ill-suited Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg? It was put there because the field was already there. It has never been a fit. Talk all of these years has been about a more comfortable facility despite the fact that the Rays have experienced success and prosperity. They won.

But, no one has ever seemed to be satisfied with Tropicana Field. St. Petersburg recently appointed a committee to search for other locations for the Rays. Now once more the Rays are restless and growing impatient. They are looking again for a new home. Mike Kalt and his committee have come up with several potential sites, first and foremost being the St. Petersburg Waterfront Park, home now to Al Lang Field. However, residents immediately balked and the committee passed on other inquiries in that area.

Since then, the committee has suggested three potential sites: one at the St. Petersburg gateway area near the Howard Frankland Bridge, and two in the downtown Tampa area, which immediately raised the suggestion that Tampa was trying to steal the Rays again.

Aggressive Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan and some of his colleagues have been involved in these studies. A foremost Tampa site was Channelside downtown, a bit north of the St. Pete Times ForumA. Much of that is city property and surely available at a reasonable price. It is a dandy site suggestion with feeder roads from all directions there now and the port booming along with Channelside and the arena area.

Another site suggestion is near Tampa Stadium, east of Dale Mabry Boulevard, and another just entering the picture with a strong push is the Florida State Fair area near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a hot spot operated by the Seminole tribe, who have gambling rights. Former Mayor Dick Greco this week offered the possibility of a stadium—arena that would be suitable for major league baseball. It is an enticing proposition and Greco is a convincing salesman. The Seminoles already have the traffic.

It all looks pretty inviting now, both the site in downtown Tampa and the Seminole reservation. Look for Chairman Hagan to be impressed. I am. These are good options. The problem is that it causes the same concern among some that Tampa may be once again trying to steal the team. I don’t think that matters.

What they need is the right site and one that would be available. We know Greco has presented the Seminole circumstance as an option and the bet here is that the city property on the port has also been thrown into the hat. There is no rush, and commission chairman Hagan is a level-headed man who can be counted on to make the right decision.

Tampa and St. Petersburg have forever been competitors for events and facilities, which will usually assure the right decision being made, just as the decision to build the Tampa Stadium where it was built. The good people of both sides of this issue are in a great spot to make a good solid decision. It is not going to happen tomorrow but it should happen pretty soon with the Rays so much in need of a good facility and in the right location.