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Thirsty fans pack bars, restaurants By TERESA BURNEY © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 athi Ference is the kind of customer the merchants around Tropicana Field were hoping for. She and a friend drove to St. Petersburg from Tampa, plunked down $10 for a parking spot, claimed prime seats with a view of the dome at the Hot Corner restaurant, then proceeded to knock down some tall cold ones. And she didn't even have tickets to the Devil Ray's opening game. "You couldn't pick a better day to have an opening, even if the game is inside," Ference said. Thousands of Devil Rays fans in a celebrating mood crowded restaurants and bars near Tropicana Field before the game's first pitch Tuesday afternoon. "This is unbelievable," said Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill, where there was standing-room-only before the game. Despite wall-to-wall sweating bodies and sweltering heat, people crowded under Ferg's tent and spilled out onto the railroad tracks, drinking as many $2.50 beers as they could before heading to the stadium where beer cost $4.75 in a souvenir cup. "We had people in our building at 5:30 (a.m.)," Ferguson said. "We were serving breakfast (but not alcohol) at 7 a.m. It was packed by 11:30." Ferguson waited six years for Tuesday. He was one of the first business people to bet on the area. "They said I was crazy, that I would never make it," he said. Some business newcomers near the dome also did well Tuesday. "It's chaos. It's great," said John Lamerson, manager of the Hot Corner. "It's what I expected. I hope it lasts from now on." The Silver King Tavern on Central Avenue had people standing outside before the game, said manager Andy Adams. "It was equal to or slightly better than it was for the NCAA tournament," Adams said. "Hopefully, we will catch people for an hour or two after the game." Business owners were happy to see customers, especially after enduring weeks of sidewalk construction. "Now it's like someone picked us up and moved us to Main Street U.S.A.," said Joseph Gray, owner of Budious Maximus, a nightclub on Central Avenue. Yet not all restaurants near the dome saw a boom in business Tuesday. Before the first pitch, Mai's Cafe was empty. The Vietnamese restaurant, which tends to attract people for business lunches, didn't get much business from the ballgame, said owner Gary Lewis. It could have been busier at The Ritz Club too, said Julie Anderson, manager of the new hotel, restaurant and bar at Seventh Street and Third Avenue S. She expects business will pick up after people find out about the new business. The Ritz's owners hauled a 10-foot-long wooden baseball bat with a sign on it over to Tropicana Field to advertise the business. Rib Master owner Alonza Wade cooked extra ribs and bought extra hamburger and chicken, hoping for more business. Nearby landowners had set up special parking lots for the event, so he figured some ball fans would stop by for dinner before the game. By 6 p.m., he was ready to put it all in the freezer and close. Not one game customer stopped by. The parking lot next door held seven cars. Wade blamed the city maps for the lack of business. The maps covered his neighborhood with the legend. His business is six blocks south of the dome. But the map marked other parking lots as far away as the Pier, 16 blocks away. Business | Citrus | Commentary | Entertainment Hernando | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco | Sports State | Tampa Bay | World & Nation © Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.