Comments on: As the leaves turn, the “let’s contract the Rays” talk begins anew http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/ Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball. Sat, 18 May 2013 23:30:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: leftywildcat http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209939 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:03:24 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209939 You can’t contract a team and be left with an odd number of teams!

Move the franchise to New Haven, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Charlotte, New Orleans, San Antonio, Las Vegas or Portland.

]]> By: MadDog Rickles http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209697 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 05:08:49 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209697 MLB should vaporize the Yankees!

]]> By: indaburg http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209669 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:39:37 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209669 So that’s how you do it. :) I don’t think the Cuban influence is strong enough in Tampa Bay for it to work.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209485 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:22:16 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209485 Your empathy warms my heart on these cold Macondo fall nights. It’s easy: make a whole bunch of our politicians originally from a large unnamed island about a hundred miles south of here an offer they can’t refuse to come be your very own public servants. Get Sternberg and Bud Light to begin exerting pressure upon, while simultaneously offering candy to, them. Make soft money donations to their campaign funds in large denominations. Search for obtuse rationales to convince the public that it’s not really their tax money you’re about to spend. Be sure to lie through your teeth about the dire economic straits in which your franchise finds itself. And above all, keep reminding people that the place you’re in now is so ugly and depressing that no one wants to come there – and that it behooves real Christians to do the charitable thing and help them escape from it, being careful to draw analogies between Tampa Bay and the Red Sea. Never fails.

]]> By: kiwicricket http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209426 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:24:58 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209426 Most of the cousins live in Vancouver. A wedding coincided with the Hockey, so I made an appearance….Wedding good. Hockey bad. Weather mildly pleasant.

]]> By: unclearnie http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209415 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:13:48 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209415 Great idea.

Move the Rays to Vancouver, leave the Astro’s in Houston and move the Pirates to the AL East. Another option is move the Pirates to the AL Central and the Tigers to the AL East.

]]> By: cur68 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209348 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:22:23 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209348 Kiwi; you were there for the finals, eh? Well that explains the riots, I’m sure. You kiwis, always starting trouble…

Spirit Bears, eh? Has a ring to it, sure. But um, we lose some traction, no? Think of all the headlines you’d miss out on; the Beavers brought some lumber with them last night…The Beavers Getting It Done With the Wood…

Also, think of the logo: bears have been done (See Cubs, Chicago). No one has a mighty beaver on their logo. Also, yesterdays excellent topic of the day was sausage racing. The Beavers could have wood racing; Fir V. Poplar, Ash v Pine, Willow v Aspen, see the jungle rumble…comedy GOLD

]]> By: kiwicricket http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209340 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:07:36 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209340 Count me in the committee. Beavers,Bears, Otters, Orca’s…all viable options.
The uniform color/material are simply too amusing to ignore.

Although in saying that, the last sporting event I attended in Vancouver was the Stanley Cup finals….

]]> By: indaburg http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209324 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:50:31 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209324 Please Old Gator, tell us how the Marlins’ secret for getting a brand new stadium in a state that is among the most economically depressed in the entire country? How can we corrupt and bribe the powers that be into building us a new stadium too? I hate that the Trop is such an eyesore for you.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209316 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:38:35 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209316 That almost makes it sound attractive. It looks more like an enormous plantar’s wart.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209314 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:37:00 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209314 Not true. With the air force base just a few miles across the bay, it makes an excellent target for practice bombing runs. Some day, it still might. One can hope.

]]> By: natstowngreg http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209312 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:35:34 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209312 Yup. Craig’s estimate of vaporization’s impact is too low by half.

Bud tried vaproizing 2 franchises (Twins, Expos) and failed. The Twins got a new ballpark, the Expos were moved to Washington and got a new ballpark.

Unfortunately for Bud and the Rays (but fortunately for baseball fans in the National Capital Area), with Washington off the table, there aren’t a lot of options for moving the Rays. Thus, they have less leverage to extort a new ballpark out of the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

]]> By: JB (the original) http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209310 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:34:51 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209310 “Vaporize” works magnificantly, considering the Trop’s dome looks like the focusing dish of the Death Star’s ‘planet buster’ superweapon.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209309 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:33:24 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209309 I’d call the cheerleaders the Beavers and the team the Spirit Bears.

]]> By: bobdira http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209301 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:24:35 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209301 How about this one. Rubbing it in the noses of the dysfunctional sox and fighting the Yanks with 1/5 the payroll.

]]> By: paperlions http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209282 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:02:48 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209282 So…he’s still bitching because all of the problems/challenges that existed when he bought the team and that he was fully aware of when he bought the team….still exist. Being filthy rich must be hard.

]]> By: kiwicricket http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209271 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:55:32 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209271 Sternberg has probably been out to lunch with a few other owners, and has been feeling slightly inferior this past week or so. Hearing his chum’s talking about printing money would do that.

A savvy businessman posturing.

]]> By: Jonny 5 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209268 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:51:10 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209268 They should have never built “the Trap” to begin with.

]]> By: schlom http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209261 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:46:13 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209261 Translation: Build me a new stadium or you’ll be sorry!

]]> By: cur68 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209259 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:45:27 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209259 Nah, not Montreal again. They’d need a new stadium-igloo, and that East Coast Igloo ice is spoken for; Roger’s Center has it locked up thru 2014…

Vancouver, though. Nice new ice house there. Retractable roof and everything. Safe to insult Aquaman till the cows come home. Rob McEnna could move there and the ball games would still get played. A baseball starved fan base and a friendly American border to attract some West Coast money, to boot. Yes, the Rays to Vancouver could not fail. Need a new name, though. The Vancouver Super Beavers has a certain ring to it, n’cest pas? Go Beavers!

]]> By: nolanwiffle http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209253 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:34:38 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209253 Thre are a billion business reasons not to contract the Rays, but very few baseball reasons.

]]> By: sjs1959 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209252 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:33:54 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209252 They don’t need contraction; they just need to move across the Bay.

]]> By: bucsraysboltsfan http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209251 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:33:35 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209251 Tampa is a good baseball town, we just need a new park, period.

Thumbs down me, I dare you. I’m right and everyone who has actually been to the Trop knows it.

]]> By: Brian Donohue http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209250 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:33:20 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209250 Even “vaporize” falls a little flat. How about: “we are the ML-Borg, resistance is futile. Prepare to be assimilated.”

]]> By: yankeesfanlen http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209247 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:29:45 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209247 Yeah, either of those would make for a great Yanks-Red Sox rivalry!

]]> By: halladaysbicep http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209246 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:29:20 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209246 I just did. Its the greatest city on earth. The only thing I left out was the incest. We will keep the title of “City of Brotherly Love”

]]> By: gammagammahey http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209242 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:24:10 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209242 To be fair, that shitty pizza only exists as an excuse for “pizzerias” to be allowed to sell beer.

]]> By: cowboysoldiertx http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209241 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:23:50 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209241 The team will have to move eventually. The lease is ugly and will cost much to break but the area can not support the Rays. San Antonio prob could, or Vegas.

]]> By: gammagammahey http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209239 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:22:57 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209239 A Montreal team competing in the same division as Toronto would be pretty sweet. If you turned the Rays into a Vancouver team though, some sacrificial lamb would have to be willing to move to the AL East.

]]> By: cowboysoldiertx http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/12/as-the-leaves-turn-the-lets-contract-the-rays-talk-beings-anew/comment-page-1/#comment-209238 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:22:44 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=92132#comment-209238 Tell us how your eally feel!

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