I had a thought the other day, a thought I actually intended to pitch to Brendan for a revival of Point-Counterpoint, but I couldn’t get my stuff together in enough time to make it happen.
So, rather than P-CP, I’ll open it for discussion here. Hey, it’s Friday, and no one wants to think about the stink bombs the Rays keep putting up…right?
The Rays minor-league system includes some of the best stops in pro baseball. In almost every league, we have a new or relatively new stadium, and we have an active fan base that packs the house every night. So, putting financial considerations aside, is it possible that Rays’ prospects are a little disappointed about a promotion to the big leagues?
Here’s my argument. Durham is in a good college town that has to be more fun than St. Petersburg (I am limiting this to St. Pete because prospects generally live in a hotel when they are first called up so, I presume that limits their access to Tampa). Durham has a nice new park, just like Montgomery, that is jammed every night. So, is Desmond Jennings a little disappointed by the sparse crowds for Seattle and Detroit? Does it actually make him miss Durham a little?
I know, the obvious counter is the money. There is simply no comparison. But I took that off-limits to make this more interesting. Remember? Play the rules I make or don’t play.
So, I put it to you, is any part of a prospect disappointed by a call to an empty Trop?
This might be an interesting thing to put out on Twitter to see if anyone responded. Hey the Rays WERE just recognized by some college for being the best example of Social Media in sports, weren’t they? Why not use it?
We have Price, Longo, Shoppach, Jennings (teeny bit), Russell, Ramos, Hayhurst, Zobrist (hardly ever), Maddon, most of the broadcast teams (tv and radio), Rays Republic, tons of bloggers, and probably some more I’m leaving out.
As for my own opinion…well…I guess the 1% of baseball purists that love the game (and play it) would probably think there is something to this…but the other 99% that had to fight tooth and nail up through the system (and this IS the Rays system so no free passes) they are probably more likely to be happy about the paycheck and the comfort of being in the majors. That’s what I think. Plus, I can’t help but feel that they seem to play better in front of smaller crowds, maybe they are more loose, but it always seems they have awesome games (which of course bring smore scrutiny) when the Trop is less than %50 full.
Um, no.
As you know, I would usually leave it there. But it is Saturday and I am tired of working on a brief so… Ignoring the obvious reasons (dream come true, $$$, planes instead of bus rides, all the dip and seeds you could ever want, Evian showers, etc.), St. Pete is surprisingly cool now. Shocking, I know. I have always thought of St. Pete as where mid-westerners go to die, but that really isn’t the case anymore, at least in the downtown and old NE areas. It is a lot different now then it was just a few years ago. Beach drive is really pretty cool, first Fridays are great, and there are actually tons of younger people living there now. Jannus has been having a lot of good shows recently too. Don’t worry, I still think nothing good happens north of Kennedy and won’t go SOG.
Also, the trop is awesome. I am sure the new stadium in Durham is nice and all, but is it always 72 degrees? I think not. Does it have all the amenities in the locker room that they have at the trop? No. Who is hotter, the player chasers hanging around the bars in Montgomery or the Swashbucklers that always seem to be around Longo? Plus, staying at the Vinoy beats the shit out of sharing a 2 bedroom apartment in Durham with two other ballplayers and their lady friends.
When is BSPN opening up the tab at FGF?
The improvement of St. Pete and the clubhouse conditions were two factors I didn’t consider. Although, like you, I cannot cede the point on St. Pete even though I enjoy hanging out there.
that’s like saying a guy would rather stay on the Nike tour because the PGA event coming up is in Houston. Sure Houston sucks out loud, but for people who play a game or a sport their whole life, you have to try to reach the highest level possible. If any of our players would rather stay in durham than play for the big ball club in St. pete, then i don’t want them up.
Is it the Nike tour now? Wasn’t it the Hooters tour before? I used to always think that people would want to stay on the Hooters tour just because.