The Rays are exploring a two-stadium, two-city approach, and they want me to keep an open mind. At risk of being labeled unimaginative, I want to talk about stadium economics.
During the “surrealist” press conference at the Dali Museum yesterday, when asked how the team thought that half a baseball season could justify the price of two new stadiums, principal owner Stuart Sternberg sold the idea with a nod to generating economic activity.
“The cost of building a ballpark here is dramatically less, and as far as the 81 games how do we pay for it, we’re focused here today on what we need to do and what we can do in Tampa Bay and what this means for Tampa Bay is, a smaller commitment because it’s roofless, and ideally, greater economic activity because we’re connecting with another market.