{"id":45698,"date":"2025-11-13T22:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T22:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/45698\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T22:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T22:09:10","slug":"new-rays-ceo-wins-over-fans-in-st-petersburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/45698\/","title":{"rendered":"New Rays CEO wins over fans in St. Petersburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ken Babby, co-owner and CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>, is wasting no time ingratiating himself into the St. Petersburg community.<\/p>\n

Babby schmoozed with city stakeholders during a VIP meet-and-greet Wednesday night at Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar and Grill before addressing hundreds of fans. He concluded a rousing message by saying the new ownership group<\/a> wanted to buy everyone a beer.<\/p>\n

Like many baseball fans, Babby and his wife, Liz, stopped by Ferg\u2019s<\/a> after watching their first Rays game in June 2024. \u201cAnd we said, boy, this is a pretty special place. It would be pretty special to call Tampa Bay home,\u201d he told the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cTampa Bay Rays fans \u2013 the best is yet ahead,\u201d Babby pledged. \u201cAnd we cannot wait to get started. We love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The hundreds of people who attended the event received a free beer.<\/p>\n

Babby thanked Mayor Ken Welch and the workers installing Tropicana Field\u2019s new roof<\/a>. He also credited Ferg\u2019s owner Mark Ferguson for creating a haven for St. Petersburg sports fans that connects to the stadium via a tunnel.<\/p>\n

A beaming Ferguson, who repeatedly called on attendees to buy season tickets, said he wants the new ownership group to feel \u201cwarm, fuzzy\u201d and \u201cwelcome here.\u201d He believes the April 6 home opener will be \u201coff the charts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was unbelievable that he (Babby) would come out here and spend this time to meet some new fans and the media,\u201d Ferguson added. \u201cIt\u2019s just a great day in St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Babby echoed that sentiment in subsequent interviews. He said the new owners are proud to be in St. Petersburg and recognize the impact<\/a> that losing Major League Baseball for a year had on the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is really about celebrating all the great work that\u2019s happening here,\u201d Babby said. \u201cThe home of the Tampa Bay Rays is right here at Tropicana Field.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that crews installed the 21st of the Trop\u2019s 24 roof panels Wednesday. Babby also pledged that the storm-damaged stadium \u201cwould look better than it ever has\u201d when the team takes the field in 145 days.<\/p>\n

The Rays are still \u201cworking on\u201d a cost estimate for myriad stadium improvements. Fans will see an expanded video board, renovated suites, new premium seating options and an upgraded audio system.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I walk into the Trop, there\u2019s something else we want to do,\u201d Babby said. \u201cWe really want to make the experience terrific for our fans, and we\u2019ll talk more about that as we get closer to the start of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dozens of local stakeholders met with Rays CEO Ken Babby in a VIP area.<\/p>\n

Babby was reluctant to discuss the team\u2019s long-term future. Returning home<\/a> was the theme of the night.<\/p>\n

There is \u201ca lot of work\u201d ahead for the new owners, who Babby said are conducting stadium feasibility studies on several sites throughout the region. When asked if they would submit a redevelopment proposal<\/a> for the 86 acres surrounding Tropicana Field, he said they are watching the process \u201cjust like everybody else is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see what the future brings,\u201d Babby continued. \u201cObviously, this is an important site. We\u2019re working alongside and understanding all the aspects that go along with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ownership group\u2019s immediate focus is on the \u201ctwo things that fans want to see: Winning baseball and a world-class fan experience,\u201d Babby said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re really committed to doing both of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Steinocher, CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, said the owners are \u201ceverything we could hope for.\u201d He said they are \u201cshowing they care\u201d and \u201cinvesting in our community in every which way we\u2019ve asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steinocher said the team is putting more money into revamping the Trop than previously expected. He believes fans should show up for opening day \u201cbecause these guys are showing up right now for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chris Steinocher (left,), CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mark Ferguson (center), owner of Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar and Grill, look on as Rays CEO Ken Babby addressed the crowd.<\/p>\n

Local restaurateur Pete Boland handed out shirts that read \u201cKeep the Rays in St. Pete.\u201d\u00a0He acknowledged the \u201cgreat turnout\u201d and the city\u2019s passionate fan base.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a special connection between the City of St. Pete and the Rays, and there\u2019s a lot of optimism here,\u201d Boland added. \u201cWe know Tampa has taken many swings at this thing before, so I think us being here and welcoming them in Fergs \u2013 the greatest sports bar in America<\/a> \u2013 is off to a great start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Babby was a ball boy during Al Lang Stadium\u2019s days as a spring training facility. Boland appreciates that Babby is a \u201cbaseball guy\u201d who is familiar with and fond of the city.<\/p>\n

Boland believes Babby\u2019s experience owning a minor league team will help identify creative ways to increase attendance at the Trop. He said the stadium \u201cis going to be rocking\u201d on opening day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to blow the roof off of that thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Babby also noted that he \u201cgrew up loving\u201d the game. \u201cIf you told my 10-year-old self that I\u2019d ever be in a position to be part of an ownership group to buy a Major League Baseball team, I wouldn\u2019t believe you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I always said, if we could do this and we could do it right, the first thing we were going to do from the moment we got here was \u2026 say thank you, buy everybody a beer and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ken Babby, co-owner and CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays, is wasting no time ingratiating himself into the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-45698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}