It was a rough weekend for Tampa Bay Ray fans. In addition to being swept at home by the underrated Balitmore Orioles, their best everyday player, Evan Longoria, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list for a strained left oblique, which is a muscle I wasn't that aware of until the other day.
Meanwhile, you had St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster making headlines as well regarding the Rays. In both morning dailies on Saturday, Foster said that Rays ownership may want to look at themselves when complaining about poor attendance, and said he's more than ready for the "tricks" that he expects Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to come up with later this year about the need for the Rays to get a new ballpark.
Foster made his comments in reaction to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg saying that it's "imperative" that talks on a new stadium progress because MLB will soon press the issue.
The actual quote that Sternberg said was:
"It's imperative that we get this thing moving. The can has been kicked down the road and the road is not much longer … but there needs to be some progress … And I think my patience is greater than Major League Baseball."
Foster is maintaining that he has no fears about the team leaving, not with the Rays contracted to play in St. Petersburg until 2027 at Tropicana Field, even though nobody believes the Rays will ever stay that long in the park.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.