The Rays are "tweaking a pitch to corporate and civic groups, asking them for ideas for a next-generation ballpark that will lure casual fans and satisfy hard-core aficionados," according to Charlie Frago of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. Team execs are "exploring ways to draw casual or nonbaseball fans to the park and make money off them all year long -- not just 81 days a year." Cooking classes in the concession kitchens, and "opening up parts of the clubhouse and training areas to the public" are just some ideas. A presentation led by Rays Senior VP/Strategy & Development Melanie Lenz and VP/Strategy & Development Bill Walsh revealed "some familiar ideas -- a stadium that might have removable walls, maybe an aquarium or water slide, more local food and a high-tech roof." The team is "investigating new types of turf that may treat players' knees better than grass." The Rays are also "considering a new kind of ticket that allows the fan to roam," and there might not "be an upper deck." But as the Rays "hone their pitch" for a new ballpark, the Baseball Forever campaign -- a committee of civic, business and public officials -- "met behind closed doors last week." Baseball Forever is adamant that Tropicana Field "is the best place for the Rays" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/7).
EYES WIDE SHUT? A TAMPA BAY TIMES editorial notes reporters and the public were "shut out" from Friday's Baseball Forever meeting. St. Petersburg residents "could have learned something from an update on the master plan for the 85 acres at Tropicana Field." Meeting in secret "is hardly the way to generate public support for a signature civic project or a regional asset like the Rays." The meetings "should be played in the sunshine, not under the cover of darkness" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/7).
