Food
Stacey's nachos were great - they had a ton of topping options (nacho cheese, shredded cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, taco sauce, onions, beef, chicken, beans, guacamole, sour cream, etc.). They looked great, which was impressive because the stand was run by non-profit volunteers. The featured item in Tampa Bay is the Cuban sandwich - it was so popular, they made it available at every major concession stand. It was a reasonable $5 for one half and $9 for the full. The bread may look burnt, but trust me, it was very crispy and was a good blend of flavors. Though the quality has probably diminished when they began mass producing them. We also bought a special souvenier "all you can drink" soda for $9, a value considering the regular soda was $7. They also featured name-brand locations like Papa Johns and Outback. The food was good, but the prices were a little high, but the concession lines were extremely quick, but...Stadium
The drive to St. Petersburg from Tampa requires you to cross a land bridge for several miles. The view is unparalleled. It sure beats passing burnt down buildings and empty lots on the way to Comerica Park.
The walk up to the stadium was lined with palm trees and the opening rotunda was pretty cool. Once you start walking through the stadium, however, the negatives of the Trop become evident.
One of the main arteries was a small hallway that seemed to be circus themed. They also had a few carnival games that NOBODY was playing. You have to give them credit for trying to make the stadium engaging, but it didn't work. Does this look like a major league park to you?
The most famous feature of Tropicana Field is the Ray tank in the right field just beyond the fence. We waited in line to pet the rays for a few minutes, but gave up quickly since we had just pet rays at the Tampa zoo two hours earlier. I am glad we didn't wait any longer because we were able to get to the tank another way and, unbeknownst to the people in line, they weren't letting people touch the rays at the time so they could rest. It is a fun idea, but they were being far too protective of the tank and not enough people get to experience it. The Tampa Zoo and the Georgia Aquarium were both letting groups of 10-20 people at a time touch their rays. Putting the tank in the main entrance would have been much more effective, even if they didn't allow fans to touch the rays.
This was my first experience in a dome for a baseball game and I can't imagine a better environment for a game. The air conditioning blew right down on us. The upper deck sits pretty low, so you feel a little closer to the game. The astroturf field looks fine, but the warning track really looks like carpet. Fan Experience
I've got to give it to the Tampa fans - the ones that showed up were among the best in baseball. Again - the ones that showed up. The attendance was 16,800 for a Friday night game, which is 47% full. The Tigers game against the Red Sox that same night had 34,000 fans and was 83% full. My favorite pre-game feature was the "Oblivious Cam" - they would put someone on the scoreboard and wait until they noticed. The longest was over 40 seconds (and they still didn't notice). Once the game began, though, the fans were great. A lot of people brought cow bells and a "public service announcement" was played to instruct fans when to ring them. Surprisingly, the answer wasn't "always". They were pretty loud every time David Price had two strikes against someone and didn't need prodding during key moments. Everyone at the game got "Big Game #33" t-shirts, although few people wore them. I had to look up that this was James Shields. They had the typical "costumed person race", "hat shuffle", etc., but they also had a unique game by Chick-fil-a. They let a fan control one of the stadium cameras and gave them 15 seconds to spot a Chick-fil-a cow mascot in the stands. Although it didn't always work, it was obvious that the front office staff were devoted to trying anything they could to entertain the fans.
Overall
It's a shame that more people don't go to Rays games because it is an enjoyable environment and they have some players you can get behind (Price, Longoria, Damon, Upton, etc.) The stadium had some very odd quirks, but I think it is one of the more memorable stadiums in the league (now the only non-retractable domed stadium in the league now that the Metrodome is out).
8 comments:
When I went to the Diamondback's stadium in Arizona, they had the roof closed and the AC on. It was really quite pleasant to be in the stands, but the controlled environment...I don't know, I felt like it took something away from the overall experience. What do you think? Would the game have been better in the St. Petersburg sun? Looked like it was a gorgeous day.
It is sad the Ray's are trying so hard and yet not many fans are showing up. And it's not even like their team sucks- they should come out to the park regardless of the "attractions".
Thanks for posting the pictures! I love seeing those.
No, it took absolutely nothing away. The crowd was largely retirees and the humidity would have kept most of them away if the stadium was open.
I agree with Colin Cowherd's argument that warm weather teams are going to struggle attracting fans to non-football sports because there is much more to enjoy.
Yeah, I've heard him make that point for years, and it makes sense, too. Just look at the Heat. 2 (3?) of the top NBA players in the league, and they couldn't even sell out the place during the regular season.
If you could relocate the Rays, where would you move them? I've always thought that the Boston area deserved another team. New York has two. Chicago has two. Los Angeles has two. Boston is a great sports town. Why not? You could have the Boston Red Sox, and the New England __________. Can't be worse than what Tampa is drawing, can it?
No way - leave it in Tampa. The fans will show up when it matters. But if you have to move it somewhere, it needs to go in Charlotte, North Carolina. They have a football, hockey, and basketball team. They also have 8 minor league baseball teams (none in Charlotte).
One other feature of Tropicana Field that I hate was the on-field bullpens. It is too bush-league, especially for a newer stadium. Wrigley gets a pass because of tradition, but other stadiums should have their own bullpens.
The following day's game, a 4:10 start, was 69% full. On the season, they are averaging 53%. Tampa Bay Lightning's game 7 may have been keeping some people home. Oakland, Tampa Bay, and Florida are the bottom three teams in MLB attendance. Tampa Bay and Oakland are 31 & 32 in NFL attendance. The Lightning, however, rank 18th in NHL attendance.
If the only time it matters is the postseason, is it worth it for ownership to stay there? What if they go through another lull like they did in the 90's-early 00's? The North Carolina area definitely makes sense, they do have everything else.
Now that's interesting! I would never have guessed the Lightning would have drawn so well. They are right in the middle of NHL attendance! Either the NHL has piss-poor attendance figures, or the Lightning are doing alright for themselves.
One other thing that I loved and another thing I hated:
They allowed fans to exit the stadium by walking the bases and then leaving in the outfield. They also had on-field bullpens - nobody should have on-field bullpens unless the stadium is 70 years old.
I've never spent any time in Florida, but I can imagine it would be pretty miserable playing in intense heat/humidity.
But that being said, I think sports like baseball/football etc. are missing a part of the game when they move indoors. I think I will always like open-air stadiums more, even if the dome is more comfortable.
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