Letters to the Editors

Turner's the bottom, and Trop's the tops

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

Having been season-ticket holders for three years, we no longer can listen to the constant complaints from the so-called Devil Rays fans.

We were given the opportunity to visit Turner Field for the All-Star festivities. The old saying that "the grass is greener in the other fellow's yard" isn't true. To those who moan about Tropicana's location and parking, the night of the Home Run Derby it took an hour and a half to get a parking space (which was a mile from the entrance and cost $10). For those who think the Trop would draw more fans if it were an outdoor stadium, the temperature in Atlanta was 90 degrees at 8 p.m. with little breeze. Give us our dome at 70 degrees any day.

We were die-hard Braves fans even before they became the winners they are today. Don't forget it took them years to produce. How about showing some support for the team we all wanted while we are still fortunate enough to have it here?
-- Ruth and Jim Mascotti, St. Petersburg

Rays bosses to blame

I used to dread reading the Times' baseball coverage when I moved here from the Boston area eight years ago. I am happy to say congratulations on your growth to one of the best sports sections in the United States. It is a pleasure to read about the Rays and all of major-league baseball. Plus your total sports coverage has improved tremendously.

To the Rays (the owner, general manager and manager): Wake up and smell the cellar. When will management decide to make this a team worth supporting?

Larry Rothschild is lucky he manages the Rays. If he were on any other team in his division he would have been packing his bags a long time ago.

GM Chuck LaMar cannot cut the mustard against his competition in trade talks. Sign a big name or two and hope it will drive the fans into the park. I have been through this time and again with the Red Sox. Unfortunately, the Rays do not have the charm of Fenway Park to attract the crowds.

Finally, Vince Naimoli, if you televise they will not come. We have too many (home) games on TV for anyone other than a dyed-in-the-wool Rays fan to go through the financial and logistical pain to see a game at the dome. The majority of the customers who have to travel from the suburbs won't make the trek unless the game is against the Yankees or the Braves.
-- Marc Mintz, Spring Hill

Minor team should stay

I have been a longtime supporter of minor-league baseball, and the plan of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues to eliminate the St. Petersburg Devil Rays makes me angry. So what if they are a few blocks away from the Trop? I have been to St. Petersburg games when the major-league team has been playing, and there still have been good crowds. In fact, after the big Rays game ends, some of the crowd from the Trop goes to Florida Power Park to catch the rest of the St. Petersburg game.

Baltimore has its Double-A farm team in a Washington suburb. The Red Sox have their Triple-A and short-season A squad within 50 miles of Fenway. Both the Yankees and Mets have short-season A squads within the New York City limits.
-- Scott Levison, via e-mail

Irwin photo offensive

Regarding your coverage of the Kenny Irwin tragedy in the July 8 issue, we were appalled that you chose to publish a gory picture of Irwin having just been removed from his car on the cover of your sports page. We felt that this was tasteless, tabloid journalism as well as extremely disrespectful to Irwin's family and fans. We subscribe to the Times instead of the other paper because of your superior sports (racing) coverage, but this time the other paper did a better job of reporting the news by simply displaying a file photo of Irwin on its sports page. We still like the Times' sports coverage, but next time please use better judgment.
-- Jimmy & Wanda Russ, Zephyrhills

Give 'Huskers their due

'Noles and Gators fans should count their lucky stars their teams did not have to play Nebraska last season. FSU lays claim to beating the Gators in a game that took everything it had. The Gators were beaten by Alabama in the Swamp, then again in the SEC championship. The Gators also lost to Michigan State in the bowl game. How good was Florida?

The best team does not always win the national championship. Give FSU credit for beating everybody it played. But I still think Nebraska would have beaten anybody in a bowl game last season.
-- Mark Rainville, St. Petersburg

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