Tampontreal Ex-Rays news, everybody!
“We’re going to add a sign in the rightfield foul territory with a very simple Tampa Bay Montreal graphic,” [Tampa Bay Rays president] Matt Silverman said. “Especially with the eyes of baseball on us this October, we want that visible symbol of our plan and our excitement for it. It will mark the effort subtly and keep the focus on winning.”
There is a lot going on in that couple of sentences, so let’s break it down:
- Once the Rays start hosting postseason games on Oct. 7, they will add a sign in right-field foul territory (on the “back wall,” which could mean a couple of places) that will somehow portray Tampa Bay and Montreal. I doubt it will be this, but I so hope it is.
- This sign will portray the excitement of Rays owner Stu Sternberg for the plan, somehow.
- It will also be subtle. While conveying excitement. And getting in the eyes of baseball.
- The focus will be on winning, so don’t pay any attention to the sign that Sternberg put there to get your attention. Unless the Rays are losing, I guess? Or should we still focus on winning even if it’s not the Rays doing it? Is this sign going to come with a FAQ, I hope?
The big, subtle sign is not the only progress the two-city solution is making: Le Journal de Montreal reports that “an important announcement concerning the return of Major League Baseball to Montreal” will be made “after the municipal elections of November 7,” which could mean anything, yes, but it’s got your attention now, doesn’t it? (Subtly.) Also, I would be remiss if I did not report that Silverman’s statement sounds much more awesome when translated into French by Le Journal de Montreal and back again by Google Translate:
“In October, the eyes of the region will be on baseball, so we want to make our plan visible and show that we are feverish,” he added. This subtly shows our efforts, because, at the same time, we want to keep our focus on winning [on the pitch]. “
The people who run the Rays have got a fever for playing home game in two different countries depending on the time of year! Now forget all about that, and focus on the game on the pitch. I mean, the match on the pitch. Go team!
It’s upsetting for the handful of Rays fans that exist. This ownership group is very good at winning at baseball, but terrible at this stadium nonsense.
What are the chances that the two city solution will happen? 0%? 1%?
How are they going to get one city, let alone two, to build a stadium for half a team when they haven’t been able to get either to build a stadium for a whole team?
Who would want to play for a team like that? You need two separate residences in 2 countries?
The closest thing we’ve had to it was when the ex-Spos were sounding their death rattle in the early 2000s, but even then, they only played a handful of games over two or three homestands in PR, as opposed to whatever the Rays are proposing here.
The players will absolutely raise hell if the league tried to include a provision for any timeshare-looking plan in the next CBA
Most of the Jays players rent houses/condos during the season and never really take up residence.
It’s not a “Canada” thing either. Lots of MLB players only have temporary residences in their “home” cities. Spending more than 3 months on the road during the season doesn’t really make living where you play that much of a priority.
Having a home base where your kids and spouse actually live and sending your children to the school of your choice rather than jerking them around whenever you get traded/sign a one year deal with some team is a good idea.
I don’t think this idiotic plan will ever actually be put in action. But if it does, the games played in Montreal would just be another road trip for the Rays players. Practically none of them would take up residence in Montreal.
I kinda admire Sternberg’s commitment to the split-city bit, even though it’s blatantly obvious to anyone who’s paid even the slightest bit of attention that he’s just trying to pit TB and Montreal against each other, and it’s therefore been well past time for him to drop the charade.
As an aside: looking well into the future (i.e. years after this saga is finally resolved), whichever city ends up “losing out” here will probably still be one of the frontrunners for the next round of MLB expansion that Manfred keeps talking about.
Montreal would get the next expansion team if the Rays don’t move there but if the Rays move Tampa won’t get a team for a couple of decades if ever.
Tampa isn’t getting a team. The Ybor location was nixed and is now slated for development. Tampa taxpayers don’t want to cough up another nearly billion dollars. If the Rays stay put – even part-time, it will be in St. Petersburg
The Tampontreal Ex-Rays have fancy plans, and pants to match.
But Tampontreal Ex-Rays has fear? A thousand times no.
This is such an unbelievably crass and idiotic idea, even as MLB ownership cash grabs go, that of course it’s going to happen under Rob Manfred’s watch.
Amen to that.
If somebody doesn’t give Sternberg at least $2Bn to prevent this then, well, I mean…
Pretty soon the Yankees will be playing games in Mexico city and the Cardinals will be playing games in Des Moines and the Angels really, really, really will move to Tustin. But only four times a year.
Come on TSP/Hillsborough taxpayers! Cough up!
Or you’ll be condemning small cities like Council Bluffs or Minot to build Major League stadiums just to use four times a year when the Twins need someplace else to go.