Comments on: Cleaning up the old place

By: swo

swo — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:42:06 +0000

The Trop has a Cownose Ray touch tank. That makes it OK in my eyes.

By: BryanK

BryanK — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:39:59 +0000

Hell yeah…cigar bar? Sign me up!

By: Mike M

Mike M — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:34:11 +0000

I am osrry the Trop is not the best of stadiums, however spending the money to have a retractable roof is stupid. Yes the weather (temperatures) are not too bad now but by the end of next month you will not even be able to open the roof. I don’t care what time the games starts. To sit in the stands and sweat is not fun. Unless you live here all summer you will never understand. I am not complaining because the weather up north sucks. I’ll take the heat anyday, but not to watch a ball game in. It is very nice and comfortable to have the AC blowing. If the Rays ever win the place will be full….I know ever is a big word. I’ll be at the ‘dump’ tonight sitting in the nice AC and hopefully watching a yankees victory

By: Jason O.

Jason O. — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:30:39 +0000

Hello? the only MLB park with a cigar bar.

The Trop rules.

By: Mike from CT (formerly of DC)

Mike from CT (formerly of DC) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:00:25 +0000

No where was a bigger dump that Olympic Stadium in Montreal… Youpiee was by far the cleanest and nicest part of that stadium.

I have not yet been to Tampa, but it cannot be worse than the Big O.

By: Jay McG

Jay McG — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:56:41 +0000

Been there. The place is still a dump.

By: Eddie da Rican

Eddie da Rican — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:50:14 +0000

As a Yankee fan in central Florida, this is the only place I can catch a game, and it IS a dump.

Traffic is also a nightmare; you MUST plan on being at the stadium at least 2 hours in advance or you will miss the first pitch. That being said, the food isn’t bad, at least…

And they ARE the Devil Rays…would you build THEM a first class stadium?

By: vin

vin — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:49:08 +0000

“I never understood why people going to a baseball game needed party areas or swimming pools or ferris wheels.”

Somewhere Bill Veeck is smiling.

By: Peter Abraham

Peter Abraham — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:44:49 +0000

Jeff: According to the Rays, only they and the Giants have this particular kind of Field Turf.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:43:55 +0000

I was wondering the same thing myself, so I looked it up:

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/tropic.htm

Tampa Bay, for years a popular area for Major League Baseball spring training games, finally got its own team beginning in 1998. It wasn’t easy, however. In fact, the city of St. Petersburg went so far as to build a domed stadium, against the advice of MLB, to lure a major league team. It looked like the White Sox would occupy the new stadium until the people of Chicago voted to build them a new ballpark in 1989. A group of Tampa Bay investors called a press conference in 1992 announcing that the Giants were moving to Tampa Bay, but loopholes in the agreement allowed a local consortium to rescue the team from leaving San Francisco. Several other teams expressed interest in relocating to St. Petersburg, but to no avail. At last, on March 9,1995, MLB granted Tampa Bay a franchise.

Completed in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome, it became the Thunderdome while the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team were tenants. It was renamed Tropicana Field on October 4, 1996 per an agreement with Tropicana Dole Beverages