Rays expand search for new stadium

Rays' owner Stewart Sternburg had an announcement last monday. The Rays' principal owner asked that all potential new ballpark options within the Tampa Bay area, including those outside St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, be explored. "The future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay depends on finding the optimal site for a new ballpark," Sternberg said.

Basically what that means is, it'll be in Tampa. Though, there are some premo areas on the St. Pete side. There is a location less than a mile off of the bridge that connects Tampa and St. Pete. People on the Tampa side complain the drive would be long, when you can actually hit that highway and be across in about 5. Stupid Tampa people.


Here's just a quick mock up of what I was thinking. It could be cleaned up, and provide a boost in that area for business. The problem with the Tropicana Field is that it is in a pretty bad part of St. Pete.

BACK!

So, I'm bringing this blog back, just for future operations. I will do more report cards, give more news, and try to get this blog kickin'.

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Stadium Report Cards: Turner Field

Team: Atlanta Braves

Location: Atlanta, GA
League: Major League Baseball(NL)
Built: 1996
Capacity: 50,096
My event: Regular season game, vs Philadelphia Phillies

1. Outdoor Design
Built for the Olympics, this was one of the better stadiums I've seen. A basic 90s ballpark made of brick.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

So very cool. Behind the scoreboard, there was a big plaza with the team shop, a kids park, bands, and other fun stuff. There was stuff all along the inside part under the seats.
10/10

3. Prices
I'm use to cheap Tropicana field tickets, so this was a little pricey. We sat first row, upper deck, on the first base side. It cost(I think) about 20 dollars. But on the lower part, it's up there in price.
6/10

4. Food
Meh, average ballpark foods. Got your hotdogs, burgers, ect.
6/10

5. Staff
From what I remember, the staff was pretty good. The mascot was fun, and the people checking tickets were too.
7/10

6. Cleanliness
No problems at Turner.
7/10

7. Parking
Before Turner, the Braves played at Fulton County Stadium, which was right next door. When they finished Turner, they demolished it, leaving a HUGE parking lot.
10/10

8. Atmosphere

The game I went to was a big division rivalry with the Phillies. It was a FOX Saturday game too, so that added to it. Everyone stayed till the very end, where we saw the Braves beat the Phillies on a walk-off single. A lot better than what I'm use to in Tampa
9/10

9. Playing Surface.
It was amazing. The crew got it clean fast, and it was mowed fantastically.
9/10

10. Scoreboard

It was huge, and HD. Very nice.
8/10

New high score! A score of 80/100 is what Turner Field receives. It'll be hard to beat.

Stadium Report Cards: Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium

Team: Montgomery Biscuits
Location: Montgomery, AL
League: Southern League(AA)
Built: 2004
Capacity: 7,000
My event: Regular season game, vs Mississippi Braves

1. Outdoor Design

This was really cool. Driving up, I had no clue where the stadium was. Fact is, the stadium is built from an old train station! I thought that was so cool. A train track runs along the outside of the stadium behind left field.
8/10

2. Indoor Design

How cool is that? Right field, there is an indent where a flag pole is. I random quirk to the field that makes it hard. Along the seat area, there wasn't much. Just seats, and stores. There was a playground in the left field corner.
9/10

3. Prices
Average prices for a minor league park.
6/10

4. Food
Yummy ballpark food, with chicken sandwiches, with biscuits! How fitting!
8/10

5. Staff
Really nice staff. Talked to a worker in the team store about the Rays(I was in Rays gear). No one stopped us moving around, and the people who got the fans into the game, with the little games were a lot of fun.
9/10

6. Cleanliness
From what I remember, there wasn't any problems with the trash.
6/10

7. Parking
There wasn't any lot for the stadium. You'd just park on the curbs in the area around the stadium. We parked about a quarter mile away. But it makes sense, because the stadium is near a river, downtown.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
Friday night, which was firework night, was pretty wild. There was a section in the outfield for the hunters convention in Montgomery that weekend. Lots of college kids were there too.
8/10

9. Playing Surface.
It was actually really good. A nice simple pattern on the outfield, and the infield was ideal.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

Pretty cool. The more biscuits the better. But pretty average talking about the minor league parks I've been to.
7/10

A final of 76/100. Out of 2, that's the best yet!

Stadium Report Cards: Sun Dome

Team: USF Bulls indoor sports
Location: Tampa, FL (USF Campus)
League: Big East
Built: 1980
Capacity: 10,411
My event: NIT Tournament NC State vs USF

1. Outdoor Design
It is pretty much a dome, one from the 1980s. Nothing really that special. Kinda bland.
4/10

2. Indoor Design

It seemed pretty hollow, there wasn't a hanging scoreboard or anything. The press boxes were located at the top of the dome, along the sideline. With banners along the sides.
4/10

3. Prices
The ticket prices were very good. It was like 10 dollars for adults, 4 for people under 18. The food was normal, so it was pretty good.
9/10

4. Food
Have you ever been to Chic-Fil-A? Well it's delicious, and they had a stand there. There was hot dog, and pizza stands. Very good for an arena
7/10

5. Staff
Staff was pretty good. Only a few Ticket Nazis(people who check your tickets). The vendors were nice.
6/10

6. Cleanliness
When we got to our seats, there was some garbage from before. Not so shabby. Some other things from here and there.
4/10

7. Parking
Big lot in front of the arena. Real simple. Easy to get in and out.
7/10

8. Atmosphere
When the game was close, at the end, the student section was going wild. But it was pretty empty that night. Average.
7/10

9. Playing Surface.

I actually really liked the court design. Simple, and clean.
8/10

10. Scoreboard

Never seen this, but above each exit, in each corner, there was a separate scoreboard. Simple ones, that got the job done. The video screens had stats, sometimes video. Pretty neat.
7/10

Added up, I got 63 out of 100. I'll post some more int he following days, and see how it adds up! Comment!

Stadium Report Cards

Kay guys, here's one of my favorite ideas. I go to stadiums, take pictures, and rate them. I have a few pictures, and will start tonight. There will be 10 categories, 10 points each. You add up the points at the end, and keep score. I will grade them on a scale from bad/poor/average/good/great. The 10 categories are the following.

1. Outside Design
2. Inside Design
3. Prices
4. Food
5. Staff
6. Cleanliness
7. Parking
8. Atmosphere
9. Playing surface
10. Scoreboard design