* Decided to cross the “water divide” last week and take in the final game of the Rays-Red Sox series. We were part of a crowd of 23,495. The previous night it was less than 20,000. For the RED SOX! Apparently even fewer Boston fans are now turning up at the Trop when the Bosox are in town.
One person’s unofficial count of most popular jerseys seen at that Rays-Sox game: “Longoria” and “Crawford” (both kinds) by far. Then “Ramirez” (both kinds). Plus one–and likely the only one–“Welcome to the Pit”/”Maddon’s Maniacs.” Obviously, it never caught on.
Given that the Rays lost, 4-2, hometown highlights were few. So the batting practice home run of Lightning back-up goalie Mike Smith qualified.
The Rays are currently 29th (among 30) in Major League Baseball attendance. And 30th? The Florida Marlins, who move into their new retractable-roof stadium next season near downtown Miami–where the Orange Bowl used to be. Honest.
* Among the topics broached by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in his recent Tampa visit, was the prospect of the NFL playing 18 league games (up from16) and the reduction to two (from four) in pre-season games. It has obvious implications for season-ticket holders who currently have to buy a package that includes full price for the pre-season. Playing more games that count, reasons Goodell, would create better value for season-ticket holders.
Apparently not up for discussion: dramatically discounting meaningless exhibition games that feature cameo appearances by the players who will actually be counted on to play those 16–or 18–regular-season games.
* The Bucs have re-signed longtime radio play-by-play announcer Gene Deckerhoff, who has been calling Buc games since 1989. The Bucs actually extended the well-regarded Deckerhoff’s contract two years. Just wondering: Couldn’t the Bucs have included a clause that requires Deckerhoff to refrain from saying “we” when referring to the Bucs? As in “We score!” Even for a guy with a dozen Florida Sportscaster of the Year awards, such first-person plural identification is bush league.
* Nice accolade for the Lightning the other day. ESPN the Magazine’s “Ultimate Standings” ranked the Bolts second among all professional sports franchises. All 122 of them. Key criteria: winning, keeping core players, discounting tickets and investing in their community. The Bolts ranked 70th last year.
And not coincidentally, the $35-million face lift of the St. Pete Times Forum is well underway and should be completed in time for the Bolts’ October home opener. Funding for the project, which should play well at next summer’s GOP National Convention, is being advanced by Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.
* Among the post-mortems we haven’t seen in the aftermath of the Miami Heat’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks: The Heat were beaten by a team whose best player is a tattoo-free European. Trash talk that away, LeBron.
* Once again college football talk has turned to compensating players beyond scholarships. Once again it is prompted by a scandal, this time the one at Ohio State that cost coach Jim Tressel his job. Steve Spurrier, for one, is on record saying he would be willing to dig into his own deep pockets to give players “a piece of the pie.”
Once again, nothing will happen because it would be too complicated. What with Title IX and all those non-revenue sports, for openers. And would you pay for performance–with prominent players and second-stringers paid accordingly?
But here’s a reform suggestion, one that wouldn’t involve any “stipends “or Title IX subplots or non-revenue scenarios: Only allow legitimate “student-athletes” to participate. No remedials. That’s what high school and community college is for. No rap sheets. No “student-athlete” oxymorons. Everyone playing by the same (meaningfully minimum) eligibility rules. That’s arguably more important to the integrity and fairness of big-time college sports than the issue of compensation. Scholarships these days are already worth plenty.
There will always be Princetons and Kentuckys (who played each other in the NCAA basketball tournament in Tampa this winter). So, of course, you could lower the bar from Ivy League standards, but, no, you couldn’t bury it.