Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg finally addressed the media Monday, June 21, on the topic of a new stadium after meeting with St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster. Anyone who missed the 12:15 p.m. press conference this afternoon can get a good grasp of the goings-on from Creative Loafing’s Mitch Perry or check out the video from ABC Action News on YouTube. See them for the factual stuff; anything after this is pure fan-inspired opinion.
The bare bones of Sternberg’s statement detailed that a winning Rays team did not improve attendance at Tropicana Field and that downtown St. Petersburg is not a viable option for the team’s future. Sternberg said “we must rise above municipal boundaries” – cough “leave St. Petersburg” – and “work together for a common interest.” Speaking in the third person, he added, “Major League Baseball in the region in Tampa Bay does not belong to Stu Sternberg. Just like it doesn’t belong to St. Petersburg, or Tampa, or Pinellas, or Hillsborough. It is a regional asset. It belongs to our fans in the region.” The big man said, in essence, that we must be open to all ideas – except St. Petersburg.
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2010.