Comments on: The long, sad history of the empty ballpark in Homestead, Florida

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:48:08 +0000

Incidentally, you’ve got a pretty nice minor league ballpark in Jax, right to the west of the Jags’ soupbowl, right? Ever go to the games there?

BTW the chipotle corn chowder at the Mossfire Grill…ummmmmm….

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:46:17 +0000

You don’t sound like you’re senile quite yet, but the mindless repetition of a phrase is a sign of several other types of brain damage. See a specialist.

By: hittfamily

hittfamily — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:46:49 +0000

Jeb dropped one a dozen years ago, then his crook of a buddy dropped another one. I guess they love 4 hour car rides more than we do.

By: hittfamily

hittfamily — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:43:32 +0000

The kiddos are the biggest reason I drive from Jax to St Pete to see a game. It’s a little too early now, but in a few years, you will be taking them to games, big screen be damned.

I don’t think location has anything to do with the Rays woes here in Florida. I think Florida is the problem. There is just soo much to do. Also, THE HEAT! I know it is indoors and air conditioned, but it is hot outside. I think that makes us lazy and complacent when it comes to our recreational activities. When you come home from work, or have on off day, who wants to even venture out for the walk to the car in 98 temps with 100% humidity. The TV and delivery sounds pretty good.

Disney almost gives away tickets for Florida residents, and they still can’t get them to show up (weekday pass is $200 +$10 per month). $ 90 for a 1 day ticket or 320 for the year. Still pricey, but the kids love it, and staying with grandma (the wife likes her family for than I do).

Still sad to see though. A great club with great fans (5th highest TV ratings), but a complacent fan base.

By: blackandbluedivision

blackandbluedivision — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:08:28 +0000

lol @ b7p19. You can’t steal what was already yours…unless you’re OJ.

By: blackandbluedivision

blackandbluedivision — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 22:06:51 +0000

Crap! Now I have it.

By: GoneYickitty

GoneYickitty — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:42:58 +0000

Almost all of the facilities are too far apart. Teams will continue to migrate to AZ where the longest trip is under 90 minutes and there are far few rain-outs. I think within 20 years there will be fewer than 10 teams left in Florida.

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:32:41 +0000

We’d love to do that, but we have a mephitic crook of a governor who hasn’t yet figured out how dropping his opposition to a 21st century transportation might personally profit him or his closest cronies.

By: indaburg

indaburg — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:28:38 +0000

I hear you, hitt. It’s so depressing to watch the games and see rows upon rows of empty blue seats. I know that sooner or later, we’re going to lose the Rays, and that this area isn’t worthy of such a great product. I’m originally from the northeast, where baseball is a religion. It confounds me that more people aren’t excited about them. If they were anywhere north of the Mason-Dixie line, they would be playing to packed houses. I feel bad for the players too. It must be hard to get excited when it seems like no one cares.

Of course, I could be accused of being a hypocrite, as I sit comfortably at home watching the game on a 60 inch plasma when the Trop is a mere 20 minute drive from my house. In my defense, I have a 6 month old and a 3 year old–I was a season ticket holder, but had to give them up, thanks to the kiddos.

By: kalinedrive

kalinedrive — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:04:26 +0000

Homestead is too far away from every other Spring Training facility. Now that Ft. Lauderdale is empty, Jupiter is the furthest South they go, and that’s 2-3 hour bus ride from most of the parks in Central Florida. And it’s another 2 hour bus ride from there to get to Homestead. Millionaires don’t like 4-5 hour bus rides.

Maybe if they put in that multi-billion dollar bullet train from Miami to Orlando to Tampa…

By: delawarephilliesfan

delawarephilliesfan — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:59:39 +0000

Lanley is a fraud; the man cuts corners like nobody’s business! There were no emergency brakes, the shocks were made of matress coils, and the celebrity for their maiden voyage was Gallagher!

By: rcali

rcali — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:59:01 +0000

Surprising, people in Florida love baseball. They always attend games. Can’t we just add another MLB franchise in Homestead?

By: tcostant

tcostant — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:38:43 +0000

The Nationals have been looking for a new spring training home, pretty much every year since they relocated to D.C. I don’t get it.

By: hittfamily

hittfamily — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:08:26 +0000

The Thunderdome, AKA the Trop, sat empty for over a decade. Some might say it sits empty to this day (wildcard vs wildcard drew 11,000 last night).

By: natslady

natslady — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:59:52 +0000

There is a book on spring training stadia messes through the years (including this one).

Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training

By: b7p19

b7p19 — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:51:26 +0000

Are you saying the Indians stole someones land?

By: tmohr

tmohr — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:43:00 +0000

“Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?”

By: willclarkgameface

willclarkgameface — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:31:59 +0000

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Down With Florida Baseball.

By: icu84bs

icu84bs — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:24:51 +0000

+1 for using schadenfreudian in a sentence. There is a Canadian cartoonist with a website based on this word. Odd stuff…

By: kopy

kopy — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:07:26 +0000

The Sprint Center in Kansas City hosts a nice concert once in a while…

By: istillbelieveinblue

istillbelieveinblue — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:57:01 +0000

Indianapolis made a similar gamble by building the Hoosier Dome in the early 80′s. When Bob Irsay couldn’t get a new stadium in Baltimore, then Indy Mayor Bill Hudnut called to say Indy had a shiny new stadium already built they could move into. That was a critical moment for the revitalization of downtown Indianapolis.

By: ajcardsfan

ajcardsfan — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:35:55 +0000

I call the big one Bitey

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:35:04 +0000

PS - they also destroyed several thousand acres of ideal indigo snake and eastern diamondback rattlesnake habitat to build that empty ballpark. For that alone, may the Indians be cast into that pit of snakes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and rot there.

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:33:08 +0000

Haven't seen the article but I do hope it makes a point about how the Cleveland Indians organization strung Homestead and (then just plain) Dade County along about wanting to occupy the new ballpark after Andrew, then did an about-face and jumped for a better deal in central Florida, leaving the new park empty and county taxpayers holding the bag. When the Feesh beat the Indians in '97 it was especially gratifying to those of us who live on the south side of Macondo, and the Indians' record of futility ever since then continues to be a source of schadenfreudian gratification to this day. That no one in positions of authority in Macondo seemed to learn any kind of lesson about dealing with the dharmapalas of baseball when they let Scrooge McLoria and the Chihuahua bribe and snooker them again into the building of Macondo Banana Massacre Field says everything you need to know about how corrupt and clueless our public officials are down here.

By: itsacurse

itsacurse — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:30:15 +0000

I shouldn’t have stopped for that haircut.

By: kopy

kopy — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:25:50 +0000

Thanks, imdb!

[Homer can't stop the monorail]
Marge: Homer, there’s a man here who thinks he can help you.
Homer: Batman?
Marge: No, he’s a scientist.
Homer: Batman’s a scientist.
Marge: It’s NOT Batman.
——————————————————————————–
Homer: Marge, I wanna be a monorail conductor.
Marge: Homer, no.
Homer: It’s my lifelong dream!
Marge: Your lifelong dream was to run out onto the field during a baseball game, and you did it last year, remember?
[Points to a framed newspaper reading "IDIOT RUINS GAME - Springfield forfeits pennant"]

By: Rich Stowe

Rich Stowe — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:18:07 +0000

great…now I have that damn Monorail song stuck in my head! thanks a lot Craig!