The third day of Spring Training is in the books. RHP Roland Belisario, non-roster INF Juan Francisco and OF Joey Butler arrived at camp Wednesday, bringing the total number of arrivals to 59 out of the 63 players on the spring roster. Alex Colome — who has been delayed by visa issues in the Dominican Republic, Jeff Butler, Boog Powell and Eugenio Velez have yet to arrive, though the first full workout is not until Saturday.
Tag Archives: the trop
Why Sternberg’s “2022” Deadline Comment Means Nothing (Re-post from SOTS)
Here I was prepared to write a diatribe on Stu Sternberg’s heavy handed announcement that he will look for new stadium sites by 2022, with or without St. Pete’s blessing. Then it dawned on me, Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium blog) wrote a short and concise piece on how Sternberg’s 2022 deadline is, essentially, moot — why not re-post that piece in its entirety? After all, it summed things up well, and casted shade on Stu’s glaring attempt to regain leverage in the Stadium Saga.
A Few Questions As Spring Training Opens; Sternberg On the State of the Stadium Saga
As the hours tick down from a very busy offseason to a Spring Training full of hope and optimism, there are a handful of questions that long to be answered over the course of the next 6-½ weeks. Marc Topkin wrote about three of those questions Thursday — How is the middle infield going to be set up, is Steven Souza ready, and can they make their pitch? — though I’d argue another question should be included: who will back up Rene Rivera behind the plate? In an attempt to answer these questions, I am going to piggyback Topkin’s thoughts and add some analysis of my own.
Sites and Sounds From Rays Fan Fest; Kevin Cash Presser
A mere two days before the official start of Spring Training, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted their 20th annual Fan Fest at Tropicana Field. The X-Rays Spex crew was in tow (myself, Ian, and Adam), and we collectively documented some of the sites and sounds from the unofficial kick off to the 2015 season.
City Council Holds First Stadium Workshop
The abstract: Despite an attempt by Mayor Rick Kriseman to stop St. Petersburg city staffers from preparing for a workshop on the subject of building a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Petersburg city council members met Thursday to discuss that very subject, potentially by redeveloping the 85-acre Tropicana Field property. That redevelopment would combine such things as a hotel or a small convention center with a new ball park. Unfortunately the reporting on the first of what promises to be a series of workshops on the subject netted cloudy results.