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Rays: St. Pete won't work for stadium
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (UPI) -- Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said Monday he should be allowed to consider a new stadium outside St. Petersburg, Fla., the team's current home.
Breaking two years of silence on the stadium issue, Sternberg told reporters he is disinclined to abide by a threat from St. Petersburg officials to sue the Rays or anyone who talks to them about a new stadium in neighboring Tampa, or elsewhere, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
St. Petersburg has a lease with the team to play through 2027 at Tropicana Field in the city's downtown, but stadium supporters are urging officials to renegotiate it.
The Rays owner said possible sites in Tampa and Hillsborough County ought to be on the table, asserting baseball "will not work in downtown St. Petersburg."
"We will consider any potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay but only as part of a process that considers every potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay," he said.
The Rays rank 23rd among the 30 major league teams in attendance.
A community coalition has identified potential sites in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, but St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster wants a new stadium on the Tropicana Field site, the Times said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (UPI) -- Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said Monday he should be allowed to consider a new stadium outside St. Petersburg, Fla., the team's current home.
Breaking two years of silence on the stadium issue, Sternberg told reporters he is disinclined to abide by a threat from St. Petersburg officials to sue the Rays or anyone who talks to them about a new stadium in neighboring Tampa, or elsewhere, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
St. Petersburg has a lease with the team to play through 2027 at Tropicana Field in the city's downtown, but stadium supporters are urging officials to renegotiate it.
The Rays owner said possible sites in Tampa and Hillsborough County ought to be on the table, asserting baseball "will not work in downtown St. Petersburg."
"We will consider any potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay but only as part of a process that considers every potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay," he said.
The Rays rank 23rd among the 30 major league teams in attendance.
A community coalition has identified potential sites in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, but St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster wants a new stadium on the Tropicana Field site, the Times said.
