We’ve come to the end of the road of the Tampa Bay Rays “Stadium Saga” … at least that’s what the proselytizers, tasked with helping the team to build leverage in this situation, would lead you to believe. On Tuesday, Stu Sternberg, flanked by team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, will hold a press conference at the Dali Museum, where they will pitch a twin-city proposal wherein the Rays would split their season in St. Petersburg and Montreal ― a surreal proposition befitting the location of the press conference.
The reality, however, is much different than the echo chamber, that is the local media, would lead you to believe. Noah Pransky, a former investigative reporter for WTSP Action 10 News ― who has reported on the “Stadium Saga” for a decade ― was quick to remind everyone that the longshot plan is one of at least a half-dozen major “non-threat threats” Sternberg has delivered over the last nine years.
Pransky detailed five of the most recent “non-threat threats” extending back to June of 2010:
― June 2010 – Sternberg says the only way “for this asset to be preserved” is a new stadium, and if not, there are “five markets” that would be better homes for the team.
― Oct. 2011 – Sternberg says MLB will “vaporize” the Rays within 9-12 years without a new stadium (it hasn’t).
― Jan. 2013 – Sternberg suggests to Hillsborough Co. commissioners the league would move or contract the team if a new stadium wasn’t built.
― Dec. 2014 – Sternberg says team is “doomed to leave” without a new stadium, he was done re-negotiating with St. Pete (alas, he wasn’t), and he’ll sell the team by 2023 if he doesn’t have a new stadium.
― May 2016 – The Rays will have to leave Tampa Bay if businesses don’t step up and spend money on MLB.
He was also quick to note that each non-threat threat resulted in headlines, news reports, opinion columns, and countless hours of sports talk speculation. Sound familiar?
None of the above-mentioned threats produced much to any tangible progress on the situation though, and it would appear that this proposal, in particular, is a lot of sizzle with little steak. After all, Sternberg would need to get permission from the mayor of St. Petersburg in order to play any home games outside of Tropicana Field, per the terms of the Rays stadium use agreement. And that is just one of many hurdles standing in his way.
Hours after news of Sternberg’s proposal was leaked out into the ethereal plane, Mayor Rick Kriseman poured cold water all over the brazen proposal, saying:
I want to be crystal clear: The Rays cannot explore playing any Major League Baseball games in Montreal or anywhere else for that matter prior to 2028, without reaching a formal memorandum of understanding with the City of St. Petersburg. Ultimately, such a decision is up to me. And I have no intention of bringing this latest idea to our city council to consider. In fact, I believe this is getting a bit silly.
― Rick Kriseman
Let it be said and known, if Sternberg’s intent truly is to move the team to Montreal before the 2028 season, at least in part, this idea is dead in the water. Let’s call this what it is: A leverage ploy.
My priority remains the same, I am committed to keeping baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come. I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.
― Stu Sternberg
Expect to hear a lot of vague, general saber-rattling Tuesday afternoon as Sternberg attempts to whip up a frenzy within the Tampa Bay business community. Pay attention to the verbiage in Sternberg’s statement (above), especially “I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.” Exploration of the concept does not an exploration of Montreal make. It is an amorphous comment that can be retracted at such a time he gets what he is looking for; in this case a new stadium for the Rays.
While this is a shot across the bow of the business community and fans, both of which need to step up their support for the team, there are far better, more constructive ways to compel business leaders to step to the proverbial plate. Again, this is a non-threat threat constructed to build leverage.
Joe Henderson (FloridaPolitics.com) is correct, Mayor Kriseman’s quick response to Sternberg’s bizarre arrangement should put this “multinational lunacy in the rearview mirror where it belongs so serious people can work on solving this problem.” As context, Henderson listed the many time’s other club owners (Seattle, San Francisco, Texas, Chicago White Sox, and Minnesota) used St. Petersburg as leverage, much in the same way that Sternberg recently used Tampa and will use Montreal.
However, I don’t agree with Henderson’s assertion that Sternberg only wants a modern stadium in Tampa because it’s the center of the market, and that if he does not get that, the team will move to Montreal, at least partially. Remember, Stu knew of Tampa’s dire financial situation when he proposed the ill-fated $892-million facility in Ybor City. Tampa still doesn’t have the money now. Furthermore, Sternberg still hasn’t approached Mayor Kriseman about an addendum to the use agreement, which would let the team look for a new stadium within the region. Rather Sternberg wants a stadium wherever it can be built with a minimal contribution on his behalf.
So much has changed it seems nothing ever changes.
― A Wishful Puppeteer, by the Lawrence Arms
The quote above hits the nail on the head. While the perception is that we are in a dire situation, the reality is that Sternberg is in a dismal place ― one in which he feels the need to gain leverage in the Stadium Saga.
And So it goes.