Tampa Bay Devil Rays Question

[Team Sheep]

I'm going to Orlando this Summer and I want to go and watch a baseball game, so I figured that the nearest MLB team from Orlando is the Devil Rays. And the Devil Rays are actually located in St Petersburg right? So does anyone know how long it would take to drive from Orlando to St Petersburg? Thanks.

[Joey Slugs]

it's about a 2 hour drive.

No offense, but is it really that hard to look up Yahoo! Maps and get directions from where you are staying to Tropaicana Field? It will tell you about how long it will take to get there.

[Team Sheep]

Thanks a lot.

[Team Sheep]

Well I'd usually use the AA route finder for stuff like this, but seeing as that only covers Europe, I didn't know where else to look.

[BCWWF]

No offense, but why would you ever go to a game at Troppicana Field?

[Team Sheep]

Looks pretty cool actually.

[Team Sheep]

A ball game's a ball game for me. :D

[RoXer]

Maybe you could attend a Devil Rays/Royals game

[RoXer]

You and about 200 other people.

[Team Sheep]

Gonna go watch them play the Angels.

So why is there no support for baseball what so ever in Florida? I'm watchin the Mets/Marlins game right now, and it seems like there's more Mets fans there than Marlins. :|

[DaveWadding]

because the Florida teams suck ass.

also, http://maps.google.com

[BCWWF]

Tropicana Field is easily the worst stadium in the Majors. The Metrodome is awful, but playing in Minnesota it's not so bad to have a roof come October. Tropicana is small, poorly attended and just looks overall shitty. It would seriously probably be better to go to a minor league game closer to Orlando. There's all kinds of teams down there.

[Joey Slugs]

hey BCWWF...

have you ever actually been to Tropicana Field?

[BCWWF]

I have seen enough of it in those ballpark books and know how shitty it is to see a baseball game inside a dome, so I can only imagine how shitty it would be to do so in Florida.

http://www.30mlbparks.com/images/DSCN0610.JPG

Really, can you imagine watching a game in there on a hot Florida day?

[The Miz]

I've been there. It's air conditioned. It's not good but there are much worse places to see a game

[RoXer]

LIKE SEATTLE :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Joey Slugs]

i've been there a few times (my cousin lives 15 mins away) and it's not a bad place to go at all. if the game sucks, there is a HUGE sports bar behind home plate. the place is air conditioned and the people that do go.. know their baseball (so you might end up in a heated debate).

so BCWWF... if you haven't been there (in this case, you haven't) STFU and let the guy go see a MLB game.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

I am going there in August for a Red Sox/Rays series. I think it just looks shitty on TV because of he GrassTurf they use. For some reason the GrassTurf stuff looks like absolute shit in every baseball stadium, but then when they use it for football it looks sick.

[BCWWF]

I'm just saying that there is no major league stadium I would want to go to less than Tropicana. If you like going to Florida and watching a shitty baseball team play in a shitty dome, be my guest.

[The Miz]

BCWWF if you went to the UK to see your first ever Premiership Football Match would you care what city it was in, what the stadium was like and how good the team was?

[BCWWF]

First of all, I didn't know he was from another country and I didn't know he had never been to a baseball game before. To answer the question posed by Miz, if I got tickets to see Birmingham at Sunderland, I would probably go anyway, but it really probably wouldn't be that cool.

If you're from out of town and have never seen a baseball game, I obviously can't stop you, but you really can't pick a worse team or venue to see a game. If it was me, I would go see a minor league game and wait and see a MLB game at any outdoor park in America, but it's not me, so I'll stop posting.

[YOUR Hero]

I seen a few games in The Big O, Olympic Stadium in Montreal. That stadium sucked, but I wasn't there for the stadium, I was there for the Expos, for the baseball.

[BCWWF]

Are you really denying that the atmosphere of the park doesn't add or take away from a baseball game? Sure, you can still have a good time, but I just remember last summer having Friday night tickets to the Dome when the Yankees were in town. Outside there was all this excitement, a warm summer night with people tailgating, and then you go inside. It's not the same, and that's why Minnesota and Seattle and Houston and all those other domed cities have gotten stadiums. Tampa Bay has the nicest weather of them all, I know I would be disappointed seeing a game there.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Well from what I understand the Stadium was built before the D-Rays ever got there. I agree that it is shitty to have a domed stadium in Florida. Domes are just dumb all around. I realize some places need them due to weather conditions but I still think they create a terrible athmosphere no matter what. Also I think it was pretty dumb to put another baseball team in Florida. Hardly anyone in Florida is from Florida, so a lot of fans really don't care about the "local" teams. Plus with the current way baseball is set up (no salary cap) you cannot win unless you put fans in the seats and you cannot put fans in the seats unless you, win so it is an endless cycle. The Florida Marlins DID win in Florida but nobody cared though, thus why Manny and A-Rod both each make more then the entire 25 man Florida Marlins roster this season.

[Team Sheep]

I've seen one MLB game before, I went to watch Dodgers @ Mets last July. Based on what you guys have been saying, I do still want to go, but I realise it will be a totally different experience and atmosphere to what it was like at Shea last year, as it was a Friday night game and the crowd was electric. But to be honest I'm not really bothered by the stadium or whatever, I just want to see a good standard ball game, as it's a rarity for me to see a game.

Thanks for the pros and cons though people, and your arguments have been interesting to read. :D

[BCWWF]

Lol, glad I can help...You'll get to see Vlad and some other cool players.

[The Miz]

Prepare for 8 guys reaching base by bloop hits to deep shortstop and Vlad knocking them in with bombs

[Team Sheep]

Bump

I went to the final game against the Angels last week, Ray's are shit lol. But it was fun. I was sitting just a few rows behind Brian Knobbs and Jimmy Hart, I went down to get their autograghs and the security guy told me to go after the game. But by the time the game had finished, Jimmy was gone, so I didn't bother then. Love the stadium too, although it's not exactly a "traditional" ball park.

[Team Sheep]

http://i7.tinypic.com/21kcfog.jpg

Incase you were interested.

[The Miz]

lol @ them having more fans than the Marlins

[Joey Slugs]

Glad to here that you enjoyed yourself.

[ct2k]

Rocco Baldelli is possibly the only thing the Rays have going for them...Well Fred McGriff USED to play for them, thats pretty cool too:y:

[The Miz]

Scott Kazmir nigga

[ct2k]

Word, forgot about him.

Baldelli, Kazmir and formerly McGriff:y:

[Team Sheep]

We were playing on the Xbox there before the game, and my friend was batting for the Rays and this little fat kid just waddles over and shouts "You're bunting with Travis Lee?!?!" We were like :wtf: Lmao.

[ct2k]

:lol:

[Joey Slugs]

:lol:

[OssMan]

Baldelli Crawford Kazmir Cantu Wiggington BJ Upton Delmon Young and a ton of other prospects

[MVP]

Remember when Wigginton was leading the AL in RBIs in April. :lol:

[OssMan]

Remember when the Mets traded Scott Kazmir for Victor "can be fixed in five minutes" Zambrano because he changed the music in the locker room

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

I'll be there on Friday night

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

And Saturday night too NUKKAS

I know a few of you have to been there, any good places to eat or anything that you recommend? Doubt it could match to up Chicago, I think I gained 15 pounds when I went to Chicago last summer for Red Sox vs Cubs @ Wrigley

[Dragon]

Remember when the Mets traded Scott Kazmir for Victor "can be fixed in five minutes" Zambrano because he changed the music in the locker room

LOL

Al Leiter is one of the Yankees in-game broadcasters and he was talking about this. He said he was working out listening to some music and Kazmir came in and turned it to some rap station.

Leiter got mad and said he just started yelling that he wasn't a mannequin.

[The Miz]

lol Jim Duquette

[ct2k]

To be fair i'd kick off if some young punk turned my music down

[OssMan]

To be fair i'd kick off if some young punk turned my music down

Victor Zambrano 2005: 7-12, 4.17, 166.1 IP, 112 K
Scott Kazmir 2005: 10-9, 3.77, 186.0 IP, 174 K

Victor Zambrano 2006: 1-2, 6.75, 21.1 IP, 15 K, been on the DL since May and won't come back this season
Scott Kazmir 2006: 10-7, 3.36, 128.2 IP, 139 K

Possibly the worst trade of all time.

[ct2k]

I was refering to Al Leiter really but yeha that is a godawful trade, i guess the Mets were hoping Zambrano would be as good as his Chicago namesake

[Avenger]

I went to see the Rays this summer beat the Yankees 6-5. Was visiting Englewood and it was a 2 hour drive. Definately worth it, but I guess thats only cos the Yankees were in town. $20 each for a family ticket and hot dog, pepsi, nuts. Good day out, but very hot in the T Field.