Running off at the typewriter. …
Can somebody explain this to me?
The Tampa Bay Rays entered this week playing the Cleveland Guardians in the AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, with only four wins needed to reach the World Series.
And, yet, they couldn’t sell out their own ballpark for the first two games of the series?
Are you kidding me?
What exactly does this team have to do to get people to show up? Free beer? A complimentary oil change? A promise that everyone in attendance gets their homeowners insurance renewed?
This isn’t some meaningless Tuesday night game against the Kansas City Royals in June.
THIS IS THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!
And this is the market where the Rays are planning to spend billions on a brand-new stadium?
Look, I’ve heard all the excuses. The Trop is outdated. The location stinks. The traffic is terrible when crossing the bridge from Tampa to St. Pete. The tickets are too expensive.
Fine. I’ll concede every single one. But here’s my question: If you can’t fill the building when you’re playing for a trip to the World Series, why would anybody believe you’ll fill a new stadium in the middle of August?
A new ballpark might solve the stadium problem, but it doesn’t solve the FAN problem.
Which brings me to Orlando.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Rays are making a monumental mistake by staying in Tampa Bay instead of moving to Orlando — a market that is booming, attracts nearly 100 million tourists per year and is hungry for another major-league franchise.
Instead, the Rays are doubling down on a market that has spent nearly three decades treating baseball games like jury duty — something you only show up for when legally mandated.
And here’s the irony: The Rays have done almost everything right on the field. They are one of the most well-run franchises in sports; an organization that does more with less; a low-payroll team that beat the free-spending Yankees and Red Sox to win the AL East.
It’s off the field where they keep striking out. You can build a shiny new ballpark. You can add luxury suites, fancy restaurants and a swimming pool behind home plate.
But you can’t manufacture passion.
The Rays don’t need a new stadium.
They need a new ZIP code.
SHORT STUFF: Florida State coach Mike Norvell is once again on the hot seat after last week’s embarrassing collapse in Louisville, and Saturday he takes his struggling Seminoles into Miami to face the undefeated No. 3 Hurricanes. If this game gets ugly, Norvell may be the first coach in college football history to enter a stadium on the team bus and leave in an Uber. … By the way, Florida State kicked its top recruit, cornerback Chuck Kennon, off the team for conduct detrimental to the program. My question: Hasn’t FSU’s entire defense been guilty of conduct detrimental to the program?… Florida Gators starting quarterback Aaron Philo is injured and may not play Saturday against No. 7 Texas, which means backup Trammell Jones Jr. could make his first career start against the Longhorns. Putting an inexperienced quarterback in against the fierce Texas defense is like throwing a pork chop into a pit bull convention. …
A jury earlier this week returned a mixed verdict in the assault and battery civil trial against Tyreek Hill, finding the former Miami Dolphins wide receiver liable for two counts of battery but not liable for the eight remaining claims made by his estranged wife, Lakeeta Vaccaro. The jury may have returned a mixed verdict, but NFL teams shouldn’t send any mixed signals. Two findings of battery are two too many. Tyreek Hill may still have world-class speed, but every NFL team should run as fast as they can in the opposite direction. … From everything you hear, new coach Sean Sweeney is bringing a whole different level of fire and fury to the Magic. Hey, I’m not saying he’s intense, but this guy doesn’t drink coffee in the morning; coffee drinks Sean Sweeney just to wake up! …
The Eagles traveled all the way to London last weekend and had the game against the Jags won with eight seconds left, but somehow managed to lose. That’s an expensive trip just to visit Big Ben and prove you don’t know how to manage a clock! … Speaking of clock mismanagement, Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels are taking plenty of heat for that unbelievable blunder against the Giants last week. They were in field-goal range, all they had to do was spike the ball to stop the clock, and somehow they mucked it up and walked away with a tie. The last time I saw such poor clock management, I was hungover and hit the snooze button nine times, thinking I could still make that 7:30 a.m. tee time….
The SEC is taking LSU to task again, accusing the Tigers of a complete lack of institutional control. First, LSU was trying to sign football players who had been on NFL rosters. Now they’re going after basketball players who have signed NBA contracts. At this rate, LSU’s next recruiting visit will be to the Pro Football and Basketball Hall of Fame. Somebody better warn Shaq and Peyton Manning that their college careers may not be over. … Major League Baseball executives have to be sweating bullets over the possibility of a Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays/Cleveland Guardians World Series. The ratings could be so low, Nielsen won’t need meters to count the viewers; they’ll just call everybody watching and ask how they’re enjoying the game. …
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says if quarterback Arch Manning’s name were Joe Smith, he’d be getting praised instead of criticized. Coach, if Joe Smith threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, he’d be Joe Smith — backup quarterback! … Mikey likes: Miami over Florida State by 20, Texas over Florida by 12, Jags over Texans by 1, Steelers over Bucs by 4, Bye Week over Dolphins by 10, California Bar Exam over President Trump’s new press secretary by 3 (accusations of impersonating a lawyer.)
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen.