MLB no longer believes in tampa bay as baseball locale

[2009mvp]

"Non-baseball market" with crappy attendance but a lot of eyes on their TVs>"baseball market" with a small TV audience. It's why relocation is such tricky business. Nashville seems likes the best suggestion I've heard, but the main point is how hard it is to find a city with the right population/demographics and one that is willing to build a ballpark.

[metswon69]

Expos existed nearly 40 years and made the playoffs once, no wonder they lost support. Montreal is a fine baseball market.

The Marlins win 2 WS in 20 years and they have been near the bottom of attendance in the league perennially as well.

It's not population either, Miami Dade county has over 2.5 million people living there.

So even success doesn't seem to matter in some cities.

[nirvana235]

The Marlins win 2 WS in 20 years and they have been near the bottom of attendance in the league perennially as well.

It's not population either, Miami Dade county has over 2.5 million people living there.

So even success doesn't seem to matter in some cities.

Stop comparing other cities to Miami, or any other city in Florida for that matter.

[metswon69]

Stop comparing other cities to Miami, or any other city in Florida for that matter.

Why?

Just because there is more to do down there?

My point is the evidence says baseball doesn't work in Montreal.

Your point is the team sucked..

There are plenty of teams in baseball that don't win perennially or go through years of losing and still do well attendance wise.

The Cubs, the Mets, the Twins, the Rockies...

[nirvana235]

Why?

Just because there is more to do down there?

My point is the evidence says baseball doesn't work in Montreal.

People can use the excuse about the stadium, the team didn't win etc etc..

There are plenty of teams in baseball that don't win perennially and still get good attendance.

The Cubs, the Mets, the Twins, the Rockies...

Oh so even though they're valid, lets just ignore it to support your argument. Ok bro.

[metswon69]

Oh so even tho they're valid, lets just ignore it to support your argument. Ok bro.

I didn't say they were invalid but how is that gonna all of a sudden change.

A team in Montreal is not going to garner enough interest to generate the revenue it would take to compete on a bigger market scale.

And who is going to build a brand new ballpark for a city who was notoriously known for not supporting a professional baseball team while they were there?

[Quinnsanity]

Vegas vegas vegas vegas vegas vegas vegas!

[nirvana235]

I didn't say they were invalid but how is that gonna all of a sudden change.

A team in Montreal is not going to garner enough interest to generate the revenue it would take to compete on a bigger market scale.

And who is going to build a brand new ballpark for a city who was notoriously known for not supporting a professional baseball team while they were there?

Ok your point is that Montreal didn't work for baseball because no one came out to games. My point is that they sucked so historically bad that no one came out to games. They sucked worse then the rockies (who made the world series in 2009), twins (they were a in the playoffs year after year before the last couple of years), and the mets (who made the playoffs a few times in the last 10 years.) Montreal made the playoffs ONCE, and when they were the best team in 1994, the strike happened.

If they had a team that had average success, they would be an okay market especially now since the CAN dollar is on par with the US.

We'll just agree to disagree.

[ciaban]

The Marlins win 2 WS in 20 years and they have been near the bottom of attendance in the league perennially as well.

It's not population either, Miami Dade county has over 2.5 million people living there.

So even success doesn't seem to matter in some cities.

the reason they don't sell out is because of the ownership situation it's always been the problem, it's hard to get into a team that's always going for cheap and selling off their players, especially if they have won championships, 1 could mean they were lucky, but they won 2 in about 6 years, and had to watch their best players shipped away again. I know mets fans hate their ownership and dodger fans hate McCort, but the marlins really do have the worst ownership in sports.

Why?

Just because there is more to do down there?

My point is the evidence says baseball doesn't work in Montreal.

Your point is the team sucked..

There are plenty of teams in baseball that don't win perennially or go through years of losing and still do well attendance wise.

The Cubs, the Mets, the Twins, the Rockies...

you mean like the A's look at their attendance from 07-11, it's not pretty, no one wants to spend money on a bad product.

[ciaban]

Ok your point is that Montreal didn't work for baseball because no one came out to games. My point is that they sucked so historically bad that no one came out to games. They sucked worse then the rockies (who made the world series in 2009), twins (they were a in the playoffs year after year before the last couple of years), and the mets (who made the playoffs a few times in the last 10 years.) Montreal made the playoffs ONCE, and when they were the best team in 1994, the strike happened.

If they had a team that had average success, they would be an okay market especially now since the CAN dollar is on par with the US.

We'll just agree to disagree.

When the dodgers AAA team was in Montreal they never had problems with attendance, Canadians like baseball and basketball and football as much as we do.

[metswon69]

Ok your point is that Montreal didn't work for baseball because no one came out to games. My point is that they sucked so historically bad that no one came out to games. They sucked worse then the rockies (who made the world series in 2009), twins (they were a in the playoffs year after year before the last couple of years), and the mets (who made the playoffs a few times in the last 10 years.) Montreal made the playoffs ONCE, and when they were the best team in 1994, the strike happened.

If they had a team that had average success, they would be an okay market especially now since the CAN dollar is on par with the US.

We'll just agree to disagree.

That's fair and if the right owner is in place along with the city ponying up the money for a new ballpark it's certainly possible.

I just think baseball will look elsewhere if they relocate the Rays.

Places like Indianapolis, Portland, Vegas, etc etc.

[Pinstripe power]

they should move the team. its clear tampa is not a good market since they arentr drawing fans. they dont have the excuse that the team sucks anymore

[metswon69]

the reason they don't sell out is because of the ownership situation it's always been the problem, it's hard to get into a team that's always going for cheap and selling off their players, especially if they have won championships, 1 could mean they were lucky, but they won 2 in about 6 years, and had to watch their best players shipped away again. I know mets fans hate their ownership and dodger fans hate McCort, but the marlins really do have the worst ownership in sports.

Yes but what was the reason their attendance was 18th in the league last year with a brand new ballpark and a team that just spent 100+ million dollars to improve last offseason?

I won't argue Loria is a terrible owner but how many teams have won 2 WS in their first 20 years of existence in the modern era?

I am sure not many.

you mean like the A's look at their attendance from 07-11, it's not pretty, no one wants to spend money on a bad product

Yeah from 2000 to 2004 (each year winning over 90+ games and 2 over those years winning 100+), they were still in the bottom tier of the league in attendance. They were also 27th last year even during that historical run to the playoffs.

Sometimes in certain cities its hard to get people to come to games regardless of how well the team is doing.

[stipe1280]

Build the team a new stadium. Tropicana not only sucks as a venue, but it's location in St. Petersburg isn't all that great for fans that want to come in to a game. I still think Tampa could be a baseball town, but it all starts with a new stadium.

I can't see the Bay area supporting 3 teams, so moving them to San Jose seems a bit stupid to me. San Antonio, Connecticut and maybe Vegas seem like the most interesting viable options in my opinion, though I wonder how a team in Mexico City or San Juan, PR might do.

[ciaban]

Yes but what was the reason their attendance was 18th in the league last year with a brand new ballpark and a team that just spent 100+ million dollars to improve last offseason?

I won't argue Loria is a terrible owner but how many teams have won 2 WS in their first 20 years of existence in the modern era?

I am sure not many.



Yeah from 2000 to 2004 (each year winning over 90+ games and 2 over those years winning 100+), they were still in the bottom tier of the league in attendance. They were also 27th last year even during that historical run to the playoffs.

Sometimes in certain cities its hard to get people to come to games regardless of how well the team is doing.

Well Ozzie's Castro comments didn't get the people in little Havana to want to go out to these games, also, they were skirting .500 up to the point that they started trading pieces away