Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Rays

Root, root, root for your own snacks

By TOM ZUCCO
Published October 27, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Next up - Free Bleacher Seat Fridays.

Well, not exactly. But the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took another step Wednesday to lure fans by lessening the financial bite of attending games at Tropicana Field.

Next season, fans will be allowed to bring food and drinks into the Trop as long as the items are in soft, collapsible coolers or containers small enough to fit under their seat. According to the team, fans can bring food in clear plastic bags, snacks for children, soft-sided juice containers and nonalcoholic beverages.

Fans won't be allowed to bring in cans, thermoses, ice chests, glass bottles or containers and any alcoholic beverages. Any object deemed hazardous by the Devil Rays also won't be allowed.

The relatively high price of food and beverages has long been a complaint at the Trop, especially among adults who take children to the games.

Now they can pack a lunch.

"It's the baloney sandwich in the Ziploc bag," said Devil Rays president Matt Silverman.

Silverman said the team surveyed Major League baseball stadiums and found almost every team allows fans to bring some food and beverages to games. In an agreement with Centerplate, the South Carolina company that provides the concession service, the team decided to do the same.

"We felt it was important to make this change to make the Trop even more friendly for our fans," Silverman said. "We want the kids and the families happy."

Neither the Buccaneers nor the Lightning allow fans to bring food or beverages to home games.

But the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2003, the Lightning are the defending Stanley Cup champions, and both teams have no trouble filling seats.

The Devil Rays do. The club drew the smallest home crowds of any team in Major League baseball last season, averaging only 14,000 fans per game. On any given home date, two-thirds of the seats in Tropicana Field were empty.

Part of the reason was on the field; the Rays' 67-95 record was tied for the second-worst in baseball.

And part of the reason was in the food courts, where a small Pepsi and a hot dog cost $8.

Earlier this month, when Stuart Sternberg took over as principal owner of the Devil Rays, the team announced fans could park at the Trop for free next season.

Now another obstacle to attendance has been addressed.

So buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack. Or save about $7 and bring your own.

Now you can bring your own goodies to feast on while you watch the Devil Rays. But there are rules. For example, a can of soda is a no-no, and so is beer. But a plastic bottle of soda is fine as are sandwiches in plastic baggies or a candy bar. And here are a few other suggestions if you want to really make your row mates jealous:

Roast beef slices rolled with horseradish sauce

Ham slices with coarse grain mustard

Turkey slices with chunky pesto spread

Cubes of hard cheeses such as Havarti, Gouda or Dubliner cheddar

Crispy breadsticks

Strawberries (or other fruit in season)

Warmed cashews spiked with cumin and cayenne

Frosted bakery brownies or Pepperidge Farm Sausalito cookies

Boxes of lemonade

- JANET K. KEELER, Times food editor

Readers have suggested this and other ideas to build attendance at Devil Rays games. Visit www.itsyourtimes.com to post your suggestions.

[Last modified October 27, 2005, 01:29:09]