Brendan, you pinko-commie bastard. Of course you think the Trop is a bad ballpark. You and your left coast pals think the government should replace everything old with something new. I mean, after all, why enjoy what we have if we can borrow to build more stuff? 
The fact is, the Trop is a good ballpark. No one is going to argue that it is the best ballpark in the league, but it isn’t the worst either. We got so far down the road of wondering whether or not a city in this community would build the Rays a new yard that we just assumed the Trop must be bad without further evaluation.
But, that is ignorant, like you Brendan, you ignorant slut.
The Trop has great sight lines from every seat (I know this personally because one of my many jobs during my 8 summers with the Rays required me to go find specific fans in the ballpark to give them contracts for nice catches and to get them autographs on home run balls), a comfortable fan-friendly environment, and a rocking atmosphere when its filled with fans (which, as I have written extensively, will happen more frequently as the economy turns back around).
At best, you might be able to critique the Trop’s infamaous catwalks. Don’t go there. The catwalks are awesome. Yes, the catwalks interfere with game action. That is what makes them great. If you object to the interference, you are un-American and should pack you things for the next boat to Havanna.
There is simply nothing more American than ballpark quirks that screw with the action. Don’t believe me? What about the Green Monster that sportswriters spill so much ink fawning over trying to convince America that Fenway Park isn’t a gilded era trash heap? Doesn’t the Green Monster turn routine fly balls into doubles every night? The catwalks only do it a half-dozen times a season. Which is worse? Also, don’t forget about the jet-stream at Replica Yankee Stadium, the hill in centerfield in Houston, the huge foul area in Oakland, and all the other quirks in baseball.
If you hate Trop because of the catwalks then you also have to hate Fenway Park and Replica Yankee Stadium.
If you hate Fenway Park and Replica Yankee Stadium, you also have to hate apple pie, the American Revolution, George Washington, and fireworks.
Don’t think I am just going to stand here while you bad mouth apple pie, the American Revolution, George Washington and fireworks you tea-drinking, whig wearing, crown loyalist. Go watch the royal wedding and leave baseball to the Trop and its catwalks. (In case you were wondering, I was totally humming God Bless America while typing this last paragraph).
The Trop really isn’t that big of a dump — but it is a boring place to watch a game. If you attend a day game it’s really bad, the roof makes the sunlight very soft and just makes you sleepy. That along with the place being empty just completely kills the atmosphere, BUT when the place has fans and it’s a night game it can be a fun place to watch games. Which brings me to the point of supporting this article in that if / when the economy recovers people will come out to games. They supported the Lightning there, and while they didn’t play 81 home games they did play 41 home games and never had anything close to attendance problems while they played there. Hell the Storm never had attendance problems when they played there either. I think the fans will show-up at some point but I also think a dome is an awful place to play baseball, there is just something about it that doesn’t work. I would rather watch a game on TV in HD than make the 2 hour drive in rush hour traffic from north Pasco. A stadium in Tampa or the bay side of Clearwater makes more sense than where it is now but because of the weather it would most likely need to be a retractable roof stadium which I doubt this area can afford.
I think the yard certainly isn’t ideal but, I am not sure any park in the bigs is ideal. When pressed, I think we could think of a lot of problems with each yard.
You are right about the restfulness of the environment during day games. I never thought of it before but, you are right, it is kind of sleepy with the soft lighting.
hey man, i gotta work outside all day and it’s freakin hot during baseball season. I don’t think the dome is nessesary for rain outs but the heat and humidity. Also i think that any park built on the west side of tampa would not work. why not build it around State Fairgroungs where Lakeland an Orlando might benifit. just think if it was built somewhere close to I-75 and I-4 exchange all the people that would be within a 30-45 minute drive. bradenton,srq,plant city,lakeland,all of north tampa and all of west tampa and pinellas.
Might have a traffic jam at malfuction junction at game time but nothing like that miserable drive across howard franklin. just a fgew thoughts
The main reason Rays attendance is low, is actually their big money maker. It’s the TV contract. You can watch all 162 games in the comfort of your own living room. The Rays are one of the most watched MLB teams. Their 5.52 TV rating is 7th in MLB (higher than Yankees) and they average about 100,000 households per game.
The fanbase is huge, it just doesn’t appear that way on TV. I say that they only show away games in TV. Fans would have to go out to the Trop to watch. Besides, do we really need all 162 games on TV? Really, all of them?
Yes all the games must be aired. If not baseball turns into the money grubbers that are called football and basketball. I think the NHL and Mlb are to be commended for their policy of fan friendly broadcasting policies.
I agree…at least until we talk about MLB.com, which I would buy if they showed Rays games.
You’re both right. The stadium is fine and a good atmosphere. Where it is located is the problem. If you could plop that stadium in downtown Tampa attendance would go up 5-10 thousand per night
First, compliments to the writer. This was some funny stuff, especially the hyperbole of how un-American it is not to like the stadium. I go to about 5 games a year, and I agree with the guy from Pasco County who won’t go because of location. From Pasco, getting to downtown St. Pete is a nightmare. It’s about 35 miles, but can take two hours! Anywhere in Tampa, and I find two or three other guys to buy season tickets with me, and attend games on a rotating basis. As for the stadium itself, I neither “love it” or “hate it.” One thing not mention is how incredibly cramped it is while walking inside the stadium to concessions (or to get to section). It’s horrible, and you have to hold your beer or popcorn in front of you to avoid someone knocking it from your arms. The ballpark is very “sleepy.” We need an outdoor stadium, and for all those who make the weak point about how many rain-outs there would be, I call BS. First, I don’t think we would have had so much as a rain delay in April. Second, the rain we do get in Summer is typically the 15 minute variety. Also, it is very regional, meaning that Clearwater can get a deluge, while that same evening Tampa gets nothing. We would have no more rain outs than any other city, IMO. Good (and funny) debate!
Maybe the greatest thing about this blog layout that my buddy Justin at H&H created is the “Random Post” section. I always get stoked when someone discovers a random old post and feels compelled to comment. Thanks for reading and responding!