Strike would hurt bar more than city

ST. PETERSBURG -- The city of St. Petersburg derives so little financially from its 7-year-old contract with the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field that a single nearby bar owner stands to lose more income during a baseball strike.

Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill on Central Avenue, estimates he could lose as much as $80,000 in September if players and teams fail to reach an agreement and the Devil Rays skip 16 home games scheduled at Tropicana Field next month. The parties were still negotiating late Thursday.

The city, meanwhile, expects to earn about $96,000 in ticket and parking revenues from baseball in September. But if the games took place, it would have to pay out about $49,000 for traffic control, for a net of $47,000. It would lose that revenue if there is a strike.

"There are leases out there that don't pay anything to cities," said Rick Mussett, city development administrator. "We didn't build this just to generate revenue for the city. It was designed to be an economic engine for the area."

Still, every bit of lost revenue hurts the city, which already faces a $400,000 increase in its insurance bill for Tropicana Field this year because of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Devil Rays give the city 50 cents for every person who attends the games, although revenue from the first 500,000 tickets goes into a fund for repairs and improvements at Tropicana Field.

The city gets $1.02 per vehicle in parking revenue, an estimated $24,000 in lost revenue for September. The city estimates its ticket take would be about $72,000 for September based on the Devil Rays' previous attendance levels, which are the third worst among major-league teams.

"We hope the owners and the players can work this out," said Clay Smith, finance manager for the city's downtown facilities department. "It won't make the city bleed, but we are going to take a hit. It will make it more difficult for us to reimburse our expenses."

St. Petersburg joined eight other publicly owned stadiums around the country late last month in appealing to players and owners to honor their contracts with taxpayers who have invested billions of dollars in the stadiums.

Mussett pointed out that nearby businesses, such as sports bars and restaurants, are not the only ones who stand to lose. Downtown businesses, which often benefit from increased foot traffic before and after games, also stand to see a change in their bottom lines.

The Renaissance Vinoy Resort in downtown St. Petersburg, for example, typically hosts the visiting teams during games. Managers there could not be reached for comment.

"It will have some impact," said Ed Mlotkowski, owner of Extra Inning Ballpark Cafe, a restaurant and bar on Central Avenue. "You can't have 16 games two blocks away and not have an impact some way."

But probably one of the biggest impacts of a potential strike won't be known for years to come.

"We're trying to build support for fans, and what would be the long-range impact for fans next year and their continuing interest in the game all over the country if there's a strike?" said Mayor Rick Baker. "Baseball attendance around the league seems to be low this year. You're trying to build support for the game. You certainly don't want to lose it."

Ferguson, who gets a good crowd before and after games and from Tropicana Field workers on home game nights, said most fans just don't understand why baseball players who make so much money want more.

In the event of a strike he planned to place two toilets in front of his business, one for players and the other for owners so fans can help them out by throwing money "down the toilet." A third container will be available for those who wish to donate to charity.

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