If you don’t read the satirical Twitter account New York Times Pitchbot, you should, because it is both hilarious and a pointed critique of the kind of lazy journalism that pervades major news outlets these days, the Times included. One of its signature running gags is tweets beginning “In this Ohio diner…”, playing off the Times’ predilection for finding out what “real people” think by going to some random place in The Heartland and asking people there what they think of the American dream or the presidential election or whatever. They even sell T-shirts now!
Which brings us to this:
Yep, that is indeed an entire story, run on the website of Tampa’s Bay News 9 on Friday, on what a taco truck operator in Ybor City thinks of building a Tampa Bay Rays stadium in the neighborhood. Christopher Rodriguez is “hoping it does happen” because “it would bring so much more money to Ybor, so much more tourism.” In fact, he says the surge in business would mean “we would probably have to re-strategize the way we pump out tacos here,” though he insists he’s not worried, he could just hire more staff.
Okay, so, first of all, sure, running a taco truck across the street from a baseball stadium is probably a lucrative business model, at least assuming the Rays didn’t ban outside food from being brought into games or even outright get food trucks banned from the surrounding streets to avoid competition with its own food offerings. And this guy’s thoughts on this would maybe be worthwhile as part of a larger article on the business impact of the Rays moving to Tampa, though I would have made sure to ask him things like “Would you really hire more staff when there would only be Rays home games 81 days a year?”
That said, this is, at the risk of repeating myself, an entire story just about this one dude, his taco truck, and his thoughts on the complex issue of how consumer spending would be redirected by the construction of a multi-hundred-million-dollar baseball stadium, almost certainly largely at taxpayer expense. Maybe that’s a step up from insisting that only white conservatives can offer homespun wisdom, but it’s still about three steps short of actual journalism that would shed any light on anything beyond the reporter’s desire to wrap up her story and be back in the office by lunch. Or, probably more likely given how thin TV reporters’ time is stretched, the need to shoot an entire story on her own by lunch so she can shoot two more in the afternoon. Either way, it’s … bad? Let’s go with “bad.”
Anyway, I guess this is going to be a further sign of “momentum” for a Rays stadium in Ybor City, to go with the “RaYbor City” lawn signs and whatnot. As a reminder, Rays owner Stu Sternberg’s last proposal was to split the cost of a $700 million stadium with the public, though that was for a stadium would only be in use in April, May, and September, so the price tag will likely be higher for a full-time stadium, and Sternberg’s offer to chip in likely won’t be higher, so we’re still probably talking something like half a billion dollars in taxpayer money here. Tune in to anywhere but Bay News 9 for further investigation!
With all due respect to the taco truck guy, I’m just finding this Tampa Bay Rays situation as a whole more and more amusing by the day. They’re a prime example of strong-arming a market that isn’t known for supporting any pro sports team well at all (this isn’t counting the Buccaneers or Lightning, mind you), and for making some of the poorest business decisions imaginable. Case and point, that infamous Tropicana Field lease that expires in 2027. Confined to the obvious dump out of all MLB stadiums for such a long time, and creating so many excuses to defend their poor business model out of thin air.
The only positive thing the Rays have done in recent times has been the on-field product itself, but when you’re surrounded by a multitude of laughable (and avoidable) problems, it’s impossible to ever truly accept the franchise.
“A market that isn’t known for supporting any pro sports team well at all (this isn’t counting the Buccaneers or Lightning, mind you).”
Those are two of the three major league teams they have and the ones that are in Tampa as opposed to St. Pete.
So it seems that Tampa is, in fact, is known for supporting pro sports teams. Is that the point you’re trying to make?
(Although the NFL is so different than the other sports, it’s not really comparable.)
Tampa doesn’t have an NBA team or an MLS team, probably because Orlando got them first. They had an MLS team, but it didn’t work because they were playing in a football stadium and MLS in general wasn’t doing well back then.
The Trop was built on spec by local businesspeople. Originally the idea was to move the Giants there and Vince Naimoli had a deal to buy the Giants.
But then the other others refused to let the Giants move, sensibly. So Vince Naimoli sued them. The owners didn’t want to risk their books being investigated as part of discovery in that suit, so they just agreed to give Naimoli an expansion team.
Eventually, the Giants figured out a way to stay in SF.
If MLB had had more foresight, it could have found a better owner and seen that Tampa, rather than St Pete, was where the stadium should go and then try to guide that process. Instead, the way things worked out, it was forced to accept a suboptimal stadium led by a terrible owner.
All that is very well put, but I do want to make clear that the Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field) wasn’t built with the Giants in mind — construction began in 1986, at which point Bob Lurie was still trying to extract stadium subsidies from either San Francisco or San Jose. Naimoli’s plan to buy the Giants came well after that, in 1992.
Weren’t the White Sox the original targets/potential victims of the Sun Coast Dome?
They were the first, but the dome wasn’t built specifically for them. Orioles, Indians, and Rangers were among those targeted after the White Sox and before the Giants (or at least who pretended to be targeted to get stadiums built back at home).
Right, yes. Sorry I made that seem to be causal when they were separate.
The stadium came first. The Lightning were among its original tenants.
Indeed, the White Sox were considering going there before they got state money for New Comiskey or whatever it’s called now.
You misinterpreted my point, Reed. St. Pete is not the exact same as Tampa, therefore it is a market not known for supporting any pro sports team well at all. I made that clear when I added “this isn’t counting the Buccaneers or Lightning”…
“If MLB had had more foresight, it could have found a better owner and seen that Tampa, rather than St Pete, was where the stadium should go and then try to guide that process. Instead, the way things worked out, it was forced to accept a suboptimal stadium led by a terrible owner.”
^ You nailed it though in your last paragraph, Reed. If the Rays (just as the Rays, minus the D-) entered MLB in 1998 in Tampa and not St. Pete playing at a stadium far more adequate than Tropicana Field, there wouldn’t be any need for jokes about the franchise.
Oh, I see what you mean. That makes way more sense.
Yeah, St Pete is nice, but putting a major league team there would be like the Red Sox moving to Lexington, more or less.
I’ve been to the Trop and don’t think it’s really that bad, TBH.
Too bad they didn’t reach out to a real economist like Chauncey Gardiner.
“In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.”
Hmm, so what you’re saying Mr Gardiner is, our city, should build a spring training garden, and then a domed garden for the other three seasons?
The Chicago White Sox used the stadium to get their city to build them a new stadium in 1988 or 1989 and had actually had a prepared statement they were moving to St.Pete when the governor froze the clock at 11:59 pm and strong armed a couple of voters to change their votes and a new stadium was approved by the state 61 to 60, The deadline had actually been midnight for approval and wasn’t done till about 12:30am when the clock was restarted. An amazing night that was broadcasted live by Tampa networks.
Yup, June 30, 1998. The night about which White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf later said, “A savvy negotiator creates leverage.”
https://www.fieldofschemes.com/2020/05/12/16111/a-savvy-negotiator-creates-leverage-that-time-the-white-sox-pretended-to-move-to-florida-to-get-stadium-money-from-illinois/
I remember following the story at the time. A new lowlight for Chicago politics…..
Okay, great. But seriously, are Los Chapos Tacos any good? How can Tampa Bay News 9 do an in-depth analysis of the Rays playing at YBor City site, without trying Rodriguez’s tacos? I mean, I not going to a Ray’s baseball game if I end up with Taco Bell at Los Chapos Tacos. That’s a dead breaker!
Welcome back, Tim.
I think Mr. Rodriguez (if that’s his real name) should probably have a chat with Taco truck owner/operators near the Trop to find out just how much business will boom if the Rays build a new stadium near where his taco truck is parked.
You know, when you just write it out simply it sounds really stupid… Call me crazy, but Mr. Rodriguez’ taco truck could just be driven over to the Trop and he could find out first hand. Wouldn’t that be cheaper than building a new stadium near to where Mr. Rodriguez’ taco truck is parked???? Maybe I don’t understand the logistics of taco truck operation.
I’ve never worked in a taco truck, but I have worked (a loooong time ago) in food service.
I hate to, you know, rain on Mr. Rodriguez parade… but unless he has an unusual taco truck, it is a physical impossibility for him to hire many more employees to work in the taco truck. Food trucks have quite severe practical limits to how many people can work in them.
… And I made it thru the entire post without deploying the obvious pun about Yborritos…. Dammit no I didn’t…
LOL!