Sunday February 23, 2014 The Great Baseball Abyss

Well it looks like Mayor Rick Kriseman may be back peddling a bit on his approach to the Rays. Check out Noah Pransky's report: St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman focused on Rays' future in St. Petersburg, not Tampa.

 I have no idea what happened, maybe Bill Foster left a passionate note and a baseball in the desk and the new mayor was moved continue the Rays saga.

This seeming change of heart from a regional approach to a more parochial approach is a bit of a surprise. Everyone from the MLB top office to the bottom of Stu Sternberg's organization wants out of St. Petersburg. They have made that perfectly clear.

So why keep beating the old dead horse: let's see if we can keep them here in good old St. Pete.

The Rays are going to play here until they or someone in Major League baseball can buy out lease and then they will leave. That's it, that's the bottom line.

Dealing with baseball and all the emotions and nuances is difficult and time consuming. We have a deal with the Rays, we know it is iron clad or they would have made a move by now.

Let's let the boys down on 16th street play their game, market their team and let's get on with the issues that are really important here in St. Pete.

Kriseman was right on the campaign trail: let's take regional approach and keep major league baseball in the Tampa Bay region, and wrong on let's keep them in St. Pete.

They are leaving Rick; it's just a matter of time.

Meet with Mr. Sternberg, wish him well this season, offer a little marketing help, enjoy lunch and walk away.

Oh and by the way building a 2.5 Billion dollar train from Clearwater to the Trop to help the Rays is just about the dumbest idea on the planet. They will be gone when the train pulls in.

Baseball in St. Pete will not be solved with a new train, the aging GenXers and Millennials or wooing the folks across the bay.

Baseball does not want to be in St. Pete.

Kriseman would do well to focus on his social and development agendas and let baseball be baseball. His legacy lies in South St. Pete, the Pier and economic development, not in the Boys of Summer.

e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb)Friend request. See More of Doc at Bay Post Internet and St.Pete Patch, Gulfport Patch, Clearwater Patch, Palm Harbor Patch, Largo Patch.

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