Seems like all anybody wants to talk about today is what the Tampa Bay Rays will do now that their stadium roof blew off and also how insensitive it is to be talking about what the Rays will do when millions of people are still without power, so let’s get right to answering your questions and/or offending your sensibilities:
- Rays management put out a statement yesterday saying “our priority is supporting our community and our staff” and “over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” which is PR for “dunno yet.” Playing without a roof apparently isn’t an option because the stadium doesn’t have a drainage system for when it rains, so it looks like the Rays and the city of St. Petersburg are going to have to look into a rush job of repairing the roof on a stadium that is set to close in three years regardless. Just in case, sportswriters are over are rushing to publish their lists of other places the Rays could play the start of next season, including various minor-league stadiums in Florida, the Oakland Coliseum, the Texas Rangers‘ still-standing old stadium next door to their new one, or, sure, Montreal, maybe its roof will be fixed before Tampa Bay’s is.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ stadium got off without much damage after being flooded during Hurricane Milton, but the first responders using it as a shelter did have to evacuate. All of this should be having people rethink the whole “stadiums can double as emergency shelters” thing, maybe?
- Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren says a Chicago lakefront stadium is still “the focus” but his stadium architects are designing a building that would be “agnostic” with regard to location, which doesn’t really make sense — you have to at least know which direction fans would be arriving from and where the sun would be, for starters — but it’s the kind of thing you do when you’re trying to play off against each other multiple cities that have all shown little interest in throwing money at you.
- If you’ve been wondering what’s up with Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy and its effect on MLB TV rights, Marc Normandin has a good writeup in Baseball Prospectus. Tl;dr: Two more teams have been dropped by Diamond (the Rays and Detroit Tigers) and the Texas Rangers had their contract expire, meaning it’s likely that MLB is going to end up running TV rights for a bunch of teams in 2025. For now it sounds like the league will be paying teams based on what they were getting from Diamond, but if you want to dream on a future where MLB holds NFL-like control over the whole league’s broadcasts and doles out money evenly and market size no longer matters, I’ve got you covered.
The CEO of the Black Desert Resort is walking back their initial request for $2 billion in public funding for an arena in BFE Southern Utah:
https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2024/10/11/black-desert-resort-walks-back/
He’s now claiming the bill was “exploratory” and not at all intended to be a funding bill, which, sure whatever bro. This sounds more like legislators along the Wasatch Front made it clear they had no intention of paying for this thing and they didn’t want to go down in flames. The real kicker, though, is this near the end of the article:
“Smith Entertainment Group also said they had not had any discussions with Black Desert about a G League or NHL minor league moving to Black Desert.”
Reading between the lines and hearing from some old contacts, it sounds like SEG was none too happy that Black Desert spoke on their behalf by claiming that their minor league affiliates’ games and major clubs’ preseason matches would be held at the resort when they’re still figuring out what to do next. (Currently, the Utah Hockey Club’s AHL affiliate is still in Tucson, while the SLC Stars play at the Maverick Center in West Valley City). Black Desert is also, awkwardly enough, a corporate partner with SEG and advertises extensively inside the Delta Center. Methinks SEG told Black Desert to back off and they swing a much bigger bat in the legislature than a brand-new tourist development.
Roof Crisis on Infinite Floridas… sounds like a template for a DC Comics horror miniseries.
As a commenter noted in one of the write-ups you linked to, simply prepping the materials to be used for the construction of the would-be replacement roof at Tropicana Field could be a costly process that takes months and months, well past Opening Day of 2025 — to say nothing of the damage to the rest of the stadium once the holes got ripped.
It’s entirely possible that we’ve already seen the last MLB game ever at the Trop… and there’s even a possibility that this disaster could push back the timeline on getting the *new* ballpark built and opened near the same site in St Pete.
The Rays might be pooched on multiple fronts for the foreseeable future
Push back the timeline on the new stadium because of the location? There aren’t many places in Florida that aren’t in danger of being hit by a major hurricane.
One thing I’m trying to figure out: What would the roof of the new stadium be made of? It looks like similar translucent fabric panels from the renderings, but I don’t know if they would hold up better under Cat 3 winds.
I guess they’re just gonna gamble and hope they don’t get another hurricane between now and when the new stadium opens? Seems risky
The groundbreaking was scheduled for this upcoming January. Pure speculation on my part, but I’m thinking that will get pushed back — and it’s also worth remembering that hurricane season isn’t over for another month and a half.
It would be grievous malpractice if they don’t design the new ballpark to hold up to Cat 5 winds. There’s still time to revise the design to reflect the upgraded standards if they haven’t… the flipside of which, of course, is that it would mean further delays in the project schedule.
“The ballpark would feature extensive glass paneling, and Gabbard asked for its storm rating. Byron Chambers, senior principal for stadium design firm Populous, said the glazing could withstand a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds between 130 and 156 mph.”
https://stpetecatalyst.com/rays-stadium-resiliency-takes-center-stage/
When the dolphins got a dome practice field at their old training site, I got a tour and an explanation.
It was a fabric dome that was held in place by air pressure (your ears popped when you went through the revolving doors).
The concept was that they could overinflate it to stand up to somewhere around 150 mile an hour winds.
Or if necessary, they could deflate it in higher winds, and let it fall to the ground.
And that was built 12 or so years ago. I have to imagine they have improved on the idea since then.
Just a thought that there are options.
Yeah the people insistent that it’s a quick fix cuz the Metrodome got fixed quickly are delusional.
It’s certainly possible they’re back in the Trop for opening day 2025, but I’d lean toward unlikely for all the reasons you’ve shared.
The Metrodome roof was about all that was damaged in Minneapolis from the heavy snowfall. Florida is a shambles from multiple hurricane hits in recent years. Construction schedules and costs have escalated dramatically since the Metrodome roof collapsed. The best option might be to nuke Tropicana Field and hope the new stadium stays on schedule for 2028. Pouring engineering and construction resources, and the Tropicana site might slow construction of the new stadium.
Supposedly the roof panels had an intended lifespan of 25 years and are now 34 years old? Even had they replaced them 8 or 9 years ago, they’d have gotten ripped up the other night.
I guess it makes sense that you can’t just order those roof panels on Amazon and get them here by Monday.
Maybe they’ll put a tarp over the top and the Trop Tarp will be another part of the stadium’s lore, along with the catwalks and marine animal tank.
I managed to dig up the original comment about prepping the materials, which was on another article, on MLB Trade Rumors:
“The roof of Tropicana Field was made of Teflon coated fiberglass, a process that would no longer pass code.
“The company that makes Fluon ETFE that is being used on soccer stadium’s to allow them to have a roof and still have natural grass is saying that it will cost between $60-70 million and take 9-12 months to produce the materials for the roof and to install it. That does not include the cost of engineering assessments to make sure the facility is structurally sound, repairs to the structure of the roof, and the time and associated costs since its a municipally owned facility.
“Geiger Engineers, the group that originally installed the roof, said that they estimated putting a new roof on with technology that meets current building codes would cost $150-170 million, but that any estimates were premature since there had been no engineering assessment of the damage yet.”
Huge if true!
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/rays-assessing-hurricane-damage-to-tropicana-field.html#:~:text=outinleftfield-,18%20hours%20ago,-The%20roof%20of
Ooooh, that does make it bad. Yeah.
Remember when the Big Owe was designed with that Kevlar membrane that was supposed to open and close and didn’t actually work?
Maybe the World’s Largest umbrella?
I wonder if figuring out a stopgap way to drain rainwater for three seasons is even do-able.
Woof! You get into the hundreds of millions to fix something and you probably have to start considering to scrap the building completely.
Would it be ideal for them to take over a spring training facility for 3 years? No, but the A’s have set a precedent that a minor league park is ok “temporarily”.
Counterpoint: One of the engineers who built the roof says new roof panels could be manufactured and installed by April:
“Replacing the Metrodome roof took five months and cost $23 million. Campbell said that Tropicana Field has a similar size but fewer panels. That could make for a quicker installation, though that’s not guaranteed.
“‘It could be done, if the primary structure is serviceable,’ Campbell said. ‘We could have the dome re-enclosed in five or six months.’”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5834270/2024/10/10/tropicana-field-roof-damage-hurricane-milton-engineer/
The speed of the Metrodome is cuz it was supported by air pressure. The actually roof didn’t have much by way of actual structure to it.
This seems a lot more complicated.
Third NY team.
16,600 seats in buffalo!
or they can play at citifield with the mets.
Meanwhile Dak Prescott is trying to keep up with the Joneses by tearing down his $5 million, 9,000 square foot 10 year old mansion in Prosper. When a shower of $200 million falls on your head you do stupid things. His career as a Cowboys quarterback may very well be over before his new mansion is finished, especially given the way Jerry Jones cuts players that don’t meet his expectations. By the way Dak, a famous basketball player has been trying to unload his Chicago mansion for longer than your mansion was old. If you are looking for someone who can blow money faster than Brewsters Millions, just look at professional sports.
I think you mean Jordan in Chicago?
This look at where the rays could play amused me.
Of course Oakland and Montreal made the list. As did several football and soccer stadiums that aren’t configured that way.
Enjoy! https://www.news-press.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/10/10/tampa-bay-rays-stadium-options-tropicana-field-roof-damage-hurricane-milton/75610292007/
Yep, that’s the same one linked above. USA Today continues to live up to its “We’re eating more beets!” reputation for barely scratching the surface of journalism.
Oops. I was thinking it was “new” in rehashing the same locations.
The entire CPS board resigned because there isn’t enough money in the bank to pay teachers and Brandon Johnson wants to put teacher pay on a credit card. Brandon Johnson can’t figure out what to do with 500,000 bus passengers who will be waiting on the frozen sidewalk outside Union Station this winter. Meanwhile Brandon Johnson gets all warm and fuzzy when it comes to giving a 102 year old hag and Jerry Reinsdorf $$$billions$$$ to replace their 20 and 30 year old stadiums.
If the Rays are forced into a minor league facility for some or all of 2025, I can imagine the MLBPA is going to be thrilled having 2 major league teams playing in minor league stadiums. Florida’s hot and humid rainy season is going to be mild compared to the intense heat and artificial turf in Sacramento.
The Rays situation might not be as dire from the POV of heat and playing conditions. The daily summer thunderstorms might still wreak major havoc on their (and their opponents’) schedules no matter where they play in-state.
The Marlins managed to play outdoors for almost 20 years, and Miami is slightly rainier than Tampa. It won’t be ideal if it comes to that, but it’ll still probably be preferable to Sacramento’s heat.
First member of the media to throw out the phrase “Nine figures” relating to the cost of a new roof.
The logistics of it getting done seems pretty daunting to me.
https://x.com/JimBowdenGM/status/1846267085212864794
I don’t know that I would call Jim Bowden a member of the media. Certainly not the news media.
He gets paid by a media outlet. By bar is pretty low.
Pretty difficult to confirm, or believe in, the figure he provided absent any sources, but the other part of what he said — how unlikely it is that they’ll play games at the Trop in 2025 — tracks with what I’m predicting will play out. The Rays are just now in the early stages of assessing the damage to the stadium, which apparently extends well beyond the tattered roof.
They really might have to make it work in minor league venues across Florida for the foreseeable future… assuming they don’t also get hit by Cat 3’s and 4’s themselves over that span.
Another entity is confirming it- what a mess.
https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1846336814346567713
More details
https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2024/10/15/where-rays-will-play-2025-one-many-questions-after-trop-damage/