Don't Discount Sternberg Bailing Out For all the anger Carl Crawford received for going to the Red Sox, fans should wonder about Stuart Sternberg's intentions as the Rays owner.
Sternberg talked about having a fire sale in spring training, and he let everyone know he wasn't kidding. The Rays are having their fire sale by letting all of their free agents walk, and Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and James Shields are going to be traded most likely.
It's not a secret the Rays owner is not happy about the sparse attendance at Tropicana Field. He complained about how he needs a new stadium for the franchise to be successful. He talked about losing money in the last few years.
After letting his players leave the team as free agents, one wonders if he is going to want to do this again in a few years. This couldn't be fun for him. He did not buy the Rays for the sake of selling off his prized players.
When he bought the team in 2005, his intent was to make them a first-class organization. He brought in baseball people. He spent money in refurbishing the Trop. He did all he could to make the organization as fan friendly as possible.
The Rays had success on the field, but for whatever reason, it hasn't translated well in attendance. The franchise only draws well when the Yankees and the Red Sox are in town. That's it. Other than that, it's empty for other games.
This writer befriended a gentleman named Joe Dobrowski on Facebook this summer. At the time, he was trying to get Rays fans from Facebook and Twitter to read his Rays columns on Baseball Digest.com.
Dobrowski suggested Sternberg is out to punish the fans and the public. At first, it was a crazy suggestion, but after this, it's rational thinking. The Rays owner spent all summer talking about how he was not getting what he wants. Now, Rays fans are paying for it in that fire sale.
By letting everyone go, there's no reason for fans to go to the games anytime soon. It's hard to get everyone excited when a franchise can't keep up with the Yankees and the Red Sox long-term. Fans are not going to throw their hard-earned money to an organization that conducts a fire sale every few years.
The Marlins fans have never forgiven the team for having a fire sale in 1997. The Marlins had an opportunity to build a fanbase after they won a championship. They could have created a dynasty, and fans would fill up the place. Unfortunately, Wayne Huizenga was not happy about losing money, so he dumped his well-paid stars to other teams. The franchise suffered at the box office.
That's something for Sternberg to think about it. There's no question he has to run a budget, but when he failed to make an effort to sign Crawford to a long-term extension, there has to be sinister reasons to it. Is he trying to destroy baseball in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area altogether?
It's remarkable fans and the Tampa-St. Petersburg media are not angry at Sternberg. He deserves to be called out for his actions. It was despicable when he complained all year about new stadium and having a fire sale. He never talked about how great the team played.
One wonders if he wants to move the team to Connecticut. After all, he is a New Yorker. He lives in New York. He would like New Yorkers to root for a third team in that area.
By citing the lack of attendance,Sternberg can complain to Bud Selig about wanting to move the team. Don't think that has not crossed his mind.
He can forget getting a new stadium in Tampa or anywhere else. For one thing, he has that long lease at St. Petersburg. It's going to hard to break that up. He would deal with lawsuits if he ever thinks about getting a new stadium in Tampa. If he gets a new stadium, it will have to be in St. Petersburg. But that's wishful thinking now.
There's no reason for politicians to fund him a new stadium. Not when people are out of work. Not when there is no team to field. Not when more players are departing in another few years.
Sternberg knows this. He's not stupid. He did not become a wealthy owner on Wall Street for nothing.
This may sound like a conspiracy theory, but it's interesting how he never made an effort to sign Crawford all year. He did sign David Price and Evan Longoria to extensions few years ago, but that's when he thought he would build momentum for a new stadium.
Don't think Longoria and Price do not know what's going on here. There's no reason for either of them to sign extensions after this. They are not going to want to play for an owner who lost interst.
It's a lost cause. Sternberg knows it. Why else he is not making an effort to reach out to the Rays fanbase? By going after the public, he is not doing himself any favors. He may not do it directly, but his actions are doing it for him.
At some point, people need to take a hint here. Sternberg is not having a fire sale because it's the business of baseball. He's making a profit by collecting revenue sharing from the Yankees and the Red Sox.
He does not feel he should use the profit to keep the players. That's wrong. That's not how an owner should treat his fanbase. Those folks may not go to the games, but at least, they watch the team on television. They travel to places when the Rays are on the road.
The Rays are going to be fine. They have a great management team. They will be competing for the AL East in two or three years, but again, the cycle will continue. Sternberg will continue to moan about attendance and the stadium.
It wouldn't be surprising if the New Yorker has his eyes on owning the Dodgers. After all, that team is having an ownership issues with the McCourts going through a divorce. Neither seems interested in owning the team.
This could get Sternberg in play for that team. Of course, he has to sell the Rays first, but Selig can take care of that. After all, the commissioner arranged Jeffrey Loria to buy the Marlins from John Henry, who bought the Red Sox. It can be done where MLB can own the Rays.
If MLB owns the Rays, say good-bye to baseball in the Tampa-St.Petersburg area. Just ask the fine folks in Montreal. The sport bided its time with the Montreal Expos until they found a city that can support Major League Baseball. The Expos bid adieu to Montreal when they discovered Washington D.C. was the place for that franchise.
As soon as Sternberg gets the Dodgers, look for Andrew Friedman, Matt Silverman and Joe Maddon to join him. Not only they are chums, but they wouldn't want to be part of this mess.
This fire sale should raise questions about the Rays future. It wasn't an accident.
Go ahead and get mad at Crawford, but Sternberg deserves more of the outrage than a player who was in the organization for 10 years.
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