Rays seem ready to dump Devil

[McCall]

More Uniforms In Rays Future

By MARC LANCASTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2007

It's also possible that the sunburst that appears in the "R" on the new jerseys could become a standalone icon as the team continues to push public perception of the name "Rays" away from the aquatic creature and toward sunlight.

Alternate Hat anyone?

[Survival79]

More Uniforms In Rays Future

By MARC LANCASTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2007

It's also possible that the sunburst that appears in the "R" on the new jerseys could become a standalone icon as the team continues to push public perception of the name "Rays" away from the aquatic creature and toward sunlight.

Alternate Hat anyone?

Let's hope not. How about using the truncated R (with sunburst) from the Tampa Bay Rays wordmark?

[Gothamite]

Okay, they're making less and less sense now.

It's also possible that the sunburst that appears in the "R" on the new jerseys could become a standalone icon as the team continues to push public perception of the name "Rays" away from the aquatic creature and toward sunlight. (emphasis mine)

Right.

Moving away from the aquatic creature.

Suuuuure they are.

This is why the new design is a bad one - trying to have it both ways.

[powersurge]

I think they've finally got the aquatic creature down...now they want to go away from it.

I also think we wouldn't be that critical of this whole mess if:

1. They committed to one type of 'ray'

2. If they incorporated MORE yellow and light blue...maybe even using light blue as the primary with navy as an accent color.

[Survival79]

Okay, they're making less and less sense now.

It's also possible that the sunburst that appears in the "R" on the new jerseys could become a standalone icon as the team continues to push public perception of the name "Rays" away from the aquatic creature and toward sunlight. (emphasis mine)

Right.

Moving away from the aquatic creature.

Suuuuure they are.

This is why the new design is a bad one - trying to have it both ways.

April 2012 St. Petersburg Times headline:

Florida Rays shine in Tropicana Park debut

Anyways, as we've seen, they've pretty much already made a complete shift to Rays of sunshine. Take a look at the new website and merchandise -- the recolored Devil Ray is noticeably absent. All that is left is the sleeve patch, and I'm not really expecting it to show up very often anywhere else.

I hope they keep it on the uniforms. It's the only remaining element from the original uniforms, and I dig it.

[Chazberg]

These uniforms are absolutely atrocious, they do not say "baseball" at all. The logo looks like it should be used for a retirement home or an insurance company. And why the hell did they bother leaving the devil ray on the sleeve if their mascot now is a friggin ray of sunshine? And how gay is that?

I didn't think they could get worse than their old look, but at least that look was unique in its colors and somewhat looked like a baseball team.

[So_Fla]

Tampa/St Pete IS a baseball market, it's just not a RAYS market......yet.

Proof? Check the attendance when the Yankees and Red Sox are in town.

If that's true, it looks even worse for the market, that the pathetic attendance numbers are inflated by games against divisional rivals....

Averages are averages, against division rivals or not. Your point is moot.

Not at all.

The average home attendance is nothing short of terrible. BigShoop made the point that the Red Sox and Yankee fans are padding that terrible attendance figure.

The last five years, Tampa Bay has been either dead last or second-to-last in attendance (over the last seven years, the only ones for which I have numbers readily available, the team hasn't ever climbed higher than 28th out of 30). BigShoop's contention is that Yankee and Red Sox fans are boosting those numbers. Makes one wonder where Tampa Bay would score if it didn't play a higher percentage of its home games against those two clubs.

That's extremely relevant when discussing the area's status as a baseball market. Far from being moot, it's squarely on point.

So you are saying that you should pick and choose who you should include in the teams average attendance to get the "real" figures?

That's like saying "Well, we are the Reds, and because we have higher attendance against the Cubs and Cardinals, we must take them out of the equation because they inflate and pad our attendance figures."

That is using the logic that you used in the (Devil) Rays scenario. Your point sounds silly now, doesn't it...yes it does.

[leopard88]

And how gay is that?

[So_Fla]

Source

Rays tout Trop site's value

Thousands of jobs, millions in taxes are forecast.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer

Published November 17, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays are selling the prospect of a new waterfront stadium and redeveloped Tropicana Field site as a financial cash cow for the city, according to documents released Friday.

The Rays say the two projects would amount to more than $1-billion in investment to downtown.

The team also believes the redeveloped Tropicana site would generate more than 2,500 permanent jobs and $800-million in state and local tax revenue over the next 35 years.

...

The potential economic impacts were among hundreds of pages of documents related to the stadium negotiations released Friday.

The most sensitive documents - regarding the new stadium and specific plans for the Tropicana Field site - were withheld. The city is citing a confidentiality agreement between the team and the city that was signed in March.

The team said Friday that more information is coming.

Rays president Matt Silverman said at a Tampa Bay Partnership luncheon that the team was targeting Nov. 28 to announce more details.

...

"We have spent almost a year developing a plan which we believe will not only solidify the future of the Rays in St. Petersburg for decades to come, but, more importantly, will also serve as a powerful economic development engine for the continued growth and expansion of the downtown core," wrote Michael Kalt, the team's senior vice president for development and business affairs.

According to the letter, the Rays said they will not ask the city or the county to contribute property tax dollars to either project.

...

And a series of documents detailed what would happen if the new stadium isn't built.

In that case, the city demanded - and the Rays agreed - that the team's current lease would remain in effect.

That has them playing at Tropicana Field until 2027.

At least it seems like the S&S Boys want to stay in St. Petersburg.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Leaving the Devil Ray on the sleeve isn't the worst thing in the world. Reminds me of when NBA teams recolor their logo and introduce a new secondary that they really wanted to be the new primary (and treat it as such in all but "official" ways). Just trying to bridge the gap, I suppose. Maybe they'll phase the D-Ray out eventually.

[BallWonk]

Leaving the Devil Ray on the sleeve isn't the worst thing in the world. Reminds me of when NBA teams recolor their logo and introduce a new secondary that they really wanted to be the new primary (and treat it as such in all but "official" ways). Just trying to bridge the gap, I suppose. Maybe they'll phase the D-Ray out eventually.

Exactly. Plus, anyone who bemoans the use of the fish on the sleeve needs to address the exceedingly strong likelihood that the alternative to the fish on the sleeve isn't some beautiful sleeve-patch logo we haven't yet seen, and it's not a blank, patch-free sleeve, it's the Rays' new official logo on the sleeve. And as far as I'm concerned, if putting that crappy big-white-diamond logo -- the single worst element of this redesign -- on the sleeve is the only choice other than the fish, I say "welcome, fish, make yourself at home."

[Survival79]

From today's Uni Watch:

Cork Gaines has spotted Rays skipper Joe Maddon (whose continued employment remains a deep mystery, but that?s another matter) wearing what appears to an alternate cap. Upon close inspection of the brim, this looks like a BP or fashion cap to me, but we?ll see.

Here is an additional photo.

Also, I think this is the first appearance of the BP cap (or perhaps a replica) with the "Bonnie Blue" bill.

[Artmanc3po]

Blend the two caps somehow, and I don't think I'd be complaining as much about the new unis.

[Gothamite]

So you are saying that you should pick and choose who you should include in the teams average attendance to get the "real" figures?

That's like saying "Well, we are the Reds, and because we have higher attendance against the Cubs and Cardinals, we must take them out of the equation because they inflate and pad our attendance figures."

That is using the logic that you used in the (Devil) Rays scenario. Your point sounds silly now, doesn't it...yes it does.

No it doesn't, actually. Since you asked.

The Rays' attendance is terrible. Terrible. By any measure. And it's been terrible since Day Two.

I'm just amazed that even when you factor in the lopsided schedule, playing extra home games against the best road draws in baseball, you can't elevate that sorry franchise higher than the cellar.

[hawk36]

From today's Uni Watch:

The alt cap ooks a lot like a poor sister to the Mariners' batting practice cap.

[TrueYankee26]

From today's Uni Watch:

The alt cap ooks a lot like a poor sister to the Mariners' batting practice cap.

They look similar alright. Just a lighter blue and yellow replaced the green

[TBGKon]

From today's Uni Watch:

Cork Gaines has spotted Rays skipper Joe Maddon (whose continued employment remains a deep mystery, but that?s another matter) wearing what appears to an alternate cap. Upon close inspection of the brim, this looks like a BP or fashion cap to me, but we?ll see.

Here is an additional photo.

Also, I think this is the first appearance of the BP cap (or perhaps a replica) with the "Bonnie Blue" bill.

I had caught this last night on the local news, I was very intrigued that I may have been seeing something new, we'll see soon enough.

[Survival79]

Rays' skipper Maddon shares optimism

Rainy skies can't thwart Tampa Bay's sunny outlook for '08

02/12/2008 3:46 PM ET

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

Matt Silverman spoke first Tuesday afternoon and, among other things, the team president addressed the change of uniforms and team name from Devil Rays to Rays, which he believes has a parallel to changes the organization has made since principal owner Stuart Sternberg's group took over in the fall of 2005.

"We're no longer the bottom feeding fish," Silverman said. "We're much more about the energy of the sun."

[McCall]

Rays' skipper Maddon shares optimism

Rainy skies can't thwart Tampa Bay's sunny outlook for '08

02/12/2008 3:46 PM ET

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

Matt Silverman spoke first Tuesday afternoon and, among other things, the team president addressed the change of uniforms and team name from Devil Rays to Rays, which he believes has a parallel to changes the organization has made since principal owner Stuart Sternberg's group took over in the fall of 2005.

"We're no longer the bottom feeding fish," Silverman said. "We're much more about the energy of the sun."

They will always be the bottom feeding fish of the AL East.

[rams80]

Rays' skipper Maddon shares optimism

Rainy skies can't thwart Tampa Bay's sunny outlook for '08

02/12/2008 3:46 PM ET

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

Matt Silverman spoke first Tuesday afternoon and, among other things, the team president addressed the change of uniforms and team name from Devil Rays to Rays, which he believes has a parallel to changes the organization has made since principal owner Stuart Sternberg's group took over in the fall of 2005.

"We're no longer the bottom feeding fish," Silverman said. "We're much more about the energy of the sun."

They will always be the bottom feeding fish of the AL East.

I thought that honor was reserved for Baltimore.