Tampa's 40-year quest for baseball comes to a vote
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The Rays' search for a new home may end where Tampa leaders first tried to bring Major League Baseball four decades ago.
Why it matters: The city's quest for a professional baseball team looked all but dead 28 years ago, when the Rays debuted in St. Petersburg. This week, two votes could bring this side of the Bay closer than ever to that goal.
Driving the news: The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners will vote Wednesday on a non-binding memorandum of understanding, which lays out the framework for a stadium deal.
- The Tampa City Council will follow on Thursday. Neither vote will guarantee a ballpark gets built (look no further than the $1.3 billion stadium deal in St. Petersburg), but they're a step in that direction.
- Politicians on both sides of the aisle have come out for and against the deal, which would funnel nearly $1 billion in tax dollars between the county and city toward a new stadium.
Flashback: In the 1980s, local businessman and philanthropist Frank Morsani tried to purchase and relocate the Minnesota Twins, the then-Oakland A's, and the Texas Rangers; each attempt failed.
- He envisioned a stadium beside Tampa Stadium, not far from where the Rays are now proposing to build. But he would only build it once he had assurances that he would be awarded a franchise.
In St. Petersburg, the plan was to construct a stadium (what would become Tropicana Field) using government-backed bonds and tax dollars, without any guarantee of a team.
- It was a huge gamble, but it paid off, giving the city an edge over Tampa. And once Morsani joined the St. Petersburg effort, a stadium in Tampa was a moot point. The Trop opened in 1990.
- Ultimately, Morsani never won a franchise, and it was businessman Vince Naimoli who brought Tropicana Field its current tenant in 1998.
The big picture: If the deal moves forward, the franchise would leave St. Petersburg, and the Trop would be as it began: without a permanent tenant. (The city has already shortlisted developers to reimagine the site.)
- But it's not a total loss for St. Petersburg. The team has always represented (and will continue to represent) the entire region.
The bottom line: Four decades ago, Tampa lost the fight for a baseball team to its neighbor across the Bay. This week, it gets another shot.