Do you think TB should move to Portland, OR?

Question

I feel bad for Tampa Bay fans. They will never win in that division.
Not with NY, BOS, and TOR there.
Do you think TB would have a better chance in the West Division?
And move Detroit back to the East Division, just like the good old days.

Just curious on what your thoughts were.

All these answers are great (except one, and he's jealous). I know that moving wont bring any "better" players. Just curious that maybe they would win a few more games each year because they wouldnt have to face those other teams as much. Maybe even reach .500 at some point?

I was just curious.

Answer 1

Did the White Sox fan even answer the question??? And how can he say the Central division is soooo tough when last year was the first year the wild card came from somewhere other than the East.

I think he wants Detroit out so his team might have a chance again. But to answer your question, I think Tampa Bay should either stay put or lose their team. The Expos moving the D.C. hasn't done wonders for that club yet, so how can it help the Devil Rays to move?

Answer 2

Would Portland be a good baseball town? I suppose if it was the AL West would then have 5 teams, and the AL East would be reduced to 4 teams. Nice rivalry for Seattle and Oakland perhaps.
If Tampa/St. Pete doesn't work out, I wonder if some other eastern city might work better instead. Like Charlotte or Buffalo.
It's a shame that we have no evidence if Tampa is a good baseball team or not. No city would support a MLB team of the Devil Rays quality over the decade any better than the Bay area has.

Answer 3

Actually I'm hearing rumors that they may move to Orlando. The Rays play in St. Pete and the ballpark is miles from anything. People in Tampa have to cross Tampa Bay just to get to the ballpark. It's turning a lot of baseball fans off. Not to mention the Rays don't have a very good product to sell. The Yankees spring training facility is right across the street from where the Bucs play football and they sell out for the entire spring.

The thought was for several regular season games to be played at Walt Disney's ballpark this year just to get a feel for the area and see if the locals are willing to attend. I know because I live close to Orlando and it's a hot bed for baseball.

Answer 4

Changing cities doesn't bring in new players. Portland is still a pretty small market and may not bring in the extra revenues to get an A-Rod or Soriano - or even 3 or 4 Vernon Wells. So they are stuck in a division with NYY, BOS and TOR and challenged to win. Should they just give up? If they move and there is a re-alignment, who goes into that division to become the next Tampa Bay? White Sox, Detroit or Minn? Then TB gets put in the AL West with Oakland and the Angels. Maybe we should further segregate the teams by caliber similar to minor league AAA, AA and A ball. Stuart Sternberg needs to learn how to make money by marketing a team outside of his market. They have constantly blaimed their small market for not supporting them but the Large Market teams like NYY and BOS rely on fan bases out of their primary market as well. Some of that has to do with deep pockets that allows them to pay large contracts for D-Mat and hyping him up so crowds pour into a Red Sox game at any park they visit, networks lineup to show their games etc. But none of these teams started by hiring every free agent they could, it all started with one. TB has a good start at building a brand name with Crawford, Baldelli and now Delmon Young. And they have already announced they are changing the name of the team.
If you can't win, change your name and claim it wasn't you.
If they can build a small amount of success and market those names they will create revenue in small amounts that will allow them to get one or two more players to support those three. You can't build it overnight but you can tear it down by trading players away and losing names like Aubrey Huff.

Until TB gets better at the business of baseball and understands that it takes more than hotdog and beer sales revenue to fund a winning team, the location of the market won't make a difference. They will still be a farm team for the real Major League Baseball.

Answer 5

I'm not going to look at everyone else's answers. TB should move to Vegas and join the AL West, a small division that is too freaking tough to begin with. Tampa would probably have a better chance there, but they'll struggle until ownership invests a few bucks at the trade deadline. You gotta like the look of their lineup though - I'm a fan because they are farming their own stars.

Answer 6

Seriuosley Georgie . I think that MLB needs to contract by about four teams. Miami, Tampa, Washington, and maybe Seattle, Phoenix, or Denver.
Expansion cannot happen in perpetuity. There must inevitably come a point where the market cannot sustain the expansion.
The fact of the matter is that not all cities are maor league cities and not all players are major league players.
By eliminating 100 players from the game , the quality of play will improve and of course the game will be better for it.

Answer 7

Wow if the Tigers were to be in the AL East then that would be one crazy division. Tampa Bay has to go somewhere where they would have a better chance of competing. The divison that they are in is too tough for them.

Answer 8

I think that after having your first winning season in 14 years last year, you realize that the AL Central is tough, and you are sickened by the fact that the White Sox will be in the playoffs this year, and your Tigers will once again maintain their typical position of watching the post-season from their favorite easychairs. So you are stumping for TB to move out west, so you don't have to witness the Sox finishing higher in the standings every year (except for last years fluke season).
That is a good idea! Seeing that no one in Chicago cares at all about Detroit (other than making the jokes about "how many losses"), why not.

Answer 9

hi, final summer season I made the flow from L.A. to Portland and that i could no longer be happier. As for wheather you may desire to flow or no longer, properly i assume it relies upon what component to L.A. you like. in case you like Larchmont, Los Feliz/Silverlake, Hollywood, then you fairly'll like it. in case you're greater of a Westsider and enjoy Montana, Rodeo, Beverly midsection, then perhaps no longer. Portland has a real village style of expertise to it. From my domicile i will walk to multiple great eating places, bars, espresso shops, and markets. it fairly is spectacular and intensely un-L.A. the factors...yeah it rains. yet i discover that persons make a much bigger deal of it than it rather is. i in my view like it and so a good distance have not had an issue in any respect. of direction, i replaced into on no account one to tan in any case. Yeah, the interest industry isn't so warm reckoning on your profession. i'm a instructor and had distinctive interest grants when I moved up, yet some acquaintances in different fields have not been so fortunate. As for the fee of residing. Yeah, it fairly is greater low fee, yet no longer ridiculously so. All of my utilities are significanly greater than in L.A., gasoline is the comparable, nutrition the comparable (nevertheless greater advantageous high quality). nevertheless housing is plenty greater low fee and plenty nicer. there are a number of lovable residences and homes with character to go with between. Come on up and verify it out. I visited in the time of spring smash final year and ended paying for a house. Oh, and that i've got got here upon people to be rather friendly. So, looking compatible those with the comparable interest should not be too stressful. good success

Answer 10

I think they should move to the National League. They're the minors anyway or let them create a new division called the "Losers" division. We can put TB KC T Fl Pitt Colo and a few more there.