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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:92
Level:All-Star
Since:May 26, 2007
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I have been a Rays fan since the very beginning and have watched the good, bad and the ugly.......Now, under the new ownership, good things have been happening with this franchise.....Finally a team with great pitching, one of the best defenses and good hitting and a future that has no limit.....
So here are the Rays playing exciting baseball, in 2nd place in the AL East ahead of the Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays and creeping up on the Red Sox, but where were the fans tonight?.....We were there and only 12,000 plus show up to see the Rays, what an insult to the Rays.........All this talk about "if they win, the fans will come"......I do NOT want to see them move elsewhere, but maybe some of the "experts" are right that Tampa Bay will not support the Rays ev en if they win........I really would have thought there would be at least 20,000 for the game tonight, and from what I hear the crowds for Saturday and Sunday aren't going to be much better........
This team is playing their hearts out to bring a winner here, so get off your butts people and get out and support our Rays!
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 28, 2006
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Yeah man...I agree with you 100 percent! Like you, I have been a Rays fan since the beginning and have hoped for a winner to come to the bay area in the form of a baseball team. I would be down there my self going to games if it was not for me going to school out of the state, but the fans of the Rays in the bay area need to listen up. This team so far this season has gone night in and night out to win put out a competing product out there for us to watch the first month and now into the first week of May. We all need to go out there and support the Rays, not only the rest of this weekend and this seven game home-stand, but we need to be out there selling out the Trop every chance we get for these guys. I have been hearing people on the radio for years, like you probably have Art, wishing and hoping that Rays management would do something to get the fans in the bay area to become excited about this baseball team. Well people, they have finally done it, and now it is our turn to go out and support our hometown product!
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:55
Level:Pro
Since:May 10, 2008
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I too have been a Rays fan since day one, but I live on the NE side of Orlando. Way too far to make any more than an occasional weekend trip to St. Pete. There is support in Orlando as shown by the 9-10,000 fans at the 3 Jays-Rays games here during the middle of the week(which started this streak, BTW - Rays undefeated in O'Town!).
Any new stadium needs to be on the East side of Tampa to make trips from here easier. Put it in St. Pete and they lose most of the physical Orlando support.
But the season is early. If the Rays are still doing this well near the break, more fans will come in spite of having to watch the Rays in an absolute dump of a stadium - worst in all of MLB.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:73
Level:Pro
Since:May 10, 2008
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The Rays have been the cheapest franchise in baseball so accordingly they have some talented players from always picking so high. A few wins in April in good but not enough to erase all the last place finishes just yet. The fans will come if they prove they are for real and not just a flash in the pan.
I agree with the last poster that any new Stadium should be east along the I75 corridor for the best access from all over.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jun 10, 2007
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The Rays belong in St Pete and that's where they are staying. The Lightning played in the same building years ago and set all types of NHL attendance records. The whole location complaint is just crap. Now about last nights game. We also have the Tampa Bay Storm in town and they played last night. They draw very well and leech some of the Rays attendance every time they play on the same night. Our average home crowd so far this season is 18.4k. That isn't horrible and there are several teams with worse. The biggest thing for the Rays to boost attendance is to win. Trust me if our Rays are in the Playoff hunt come July and August our numbers will increase dramaticly. That is just the way Tampa Bay is. Towards the end of last year St Pete times Forum was getting emptier and emptier as the Lightning bombed the season. The Bucs are even having problems with ticket sales on the season ticket side of things. They couldn't even sell out their playoff game without a ton of Giants fans coming down here and gobbling them up. So don't say the Rays fans suck. It's just how we are. I watch or listen to every Ray game during the season. There is a ton of support in Pinellas County and the buzz is growing.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:95
Level:Superstar
Since:Mar 9, 2008
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The Rays venue is decidedly the worst in all of professional sports. A Tampa location would be much more desirable location. Face it, the Rays will never be able to draw any more than 12-16,000 on a regular basis, even with a winning team.
I agree w/Gator5000e, the stadium needs to be moved to east Tampa to accommodate those fans in central Florida who are loyal Rays supporters. As long as the stadium is located anywhere in St. Petersburg attendance will suffer. When the hockey franchise moved from the Dome to the Ice Palace attendance rose. This will certainly be the case w/baseball.
Go Rays!!
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Feb 21, 2008
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It takes a long time for the fans to start showing up consistently. I am a Tigers fan and it was well into may of 2006 (their cinderella year) before games started getting sold out. When a team is so bad for so many years it takes time to get the fan base. I hope the Rays can keep it going I would love for them to finish ahead of either of the two AL East power houses. All you can do is keep going and keep pushing others to go like with this thread. Good luck.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jun 10, 2007
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The move didn't increase attendance. The Lightning actually fielding a good team that made the playoffs year after year is what makes it go up. In most cities that have ball clubs fans driver farther and longer than in Tampa Bay. Stop freaking crying if you live in Orlando. It takes what an hour and a half to get to the Trop? And have you been to every venue in sports? I think not. You have zero grounds for that statement. How about you bring some real facts to the table than the same crap people say and don't even know if it's true. Boston and New York fans would love the be able to go to a game if it only took them 2 hours or less to get there.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jun 10, 2007
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Well there was over 25,000 people at the game tonight. Not bad for the Rays playing a non division game and in St Pete to boot.
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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Rays Deserve Better Fan Support
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