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Something was different from the beginning
of this season. An early clue was when the New York Yankees
complained (whined, even) during a pre-season match-up at Legends
Field in Tampa that the Rays were playing too aggressively! What?
Baseball's richest boys didn't want to get their pinstripes dirty
during an exhibition match? As July began with the Rays in first
place, the league's defending champions, the Boston Red Sox,
arrived for a series in the Trop, where the Rays have dominated all
this season. The first pitch of the first game of the series was
smashed into the stands by Rays' centerfielder B.J. Upton. It was
a reassuring message and the beginning of another series sweep that
has area baseball fans wanting to believe.
Then there is that other matter. A new
stadium. Thankfully St. Petersburg's scramble to give up its
waterfront has been put on a back burner for a time and committees
are being formed to "study" the stadium issue. Perhaps those study
groups can bring a little reality back into the picture before the
second half of the season does something similar to the Rays. St.
Petersburg boldly built Tropicana Field before it had a baseball
team with a fervent belief in the "build it and they will come"
mantra. They did so with minimal consultation or cooperation with
the rest of the metropolitan area and have been surprised to learn
that the mantra may have succeeded in luring a major league team,
but not local attendance. The Rays now are more closely on that
mantra track by building a better team. Attendance records are
being set this year because -- surprise! -- fans prefer to watch a
team that has a chance of winning.
Tropicana Field isn't perfect by any
means. Its location certainly is one of its detriments. It is not
conveniently located for anyone except residents of St. Petersburg.
However, transportation potentially could be one of its strongest
points. It is located precisely at the southern end of the only
active -- but barely used -- railroad line in Pinellas County. The
fact was noted when the dome was designed and was touted as an
asset when light rail last was given serious consideration nearly a
decade ago. Today, as gas prices soar like Upton's home run ball,
there once again is serious discussion of alternatives to
automobiles. The legislature's last session provided funding for
the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority and it has
scheduled community workshops July 23-August 7 at various
locations. Pinellas residents are invited to the Largo Cultural
Center 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7 to offer comment on plans
that already are in motion.
Considering that the Largo Cultural Center
also is located along that single active railroad line, some
logical attendees might note the desirability of overcoming the
largely bureaucratic obstacles to riding the rails from Safety
Harbor, downtown Clearwater, downtown Largo and under U.S. 19 and
I-275 all the way to Tropicana Field. Since this is a regional
plan, it should be noted that the same rail line heads into
Hillsborough County through the Westchase and Carrollwood
neighborhoods. For a tiny fraction of the cost of building a new
stadium, the Rays could be welcoming trainloads of fans. That is
something to believe.
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