* Rays’ worth: According to forbes.com, the Rays’ franchise is now valued at $1.25 billion—or 26th among the 30 MLB teams. Those below Tampa Bay: Kansas City, Cincinnati, Oakland and Miami.
* The New York Mets had a (record) $353.5 million opening day payroll. The Rays were at $73.2 million, the third smallest payroll in baseball. The top four: Mets, Yankees, Padres and Phillies.
* Forget—however briefly—logistics and financials when in comes to St. Pete or Tampa as the location for a Rays stadium. How about Tampa’s deep Hispanic roots—and the Rays largely Latin American line-up?
* “Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball.” –Dartmouth climate scientist Justin Mankin.
* “(Baseball) is like church. Many attend, few understand.”–Leo Durocher.
* Imagine, Final Four finalist FAU was one basket from playing for the national championship. Bit of deja vu for USF? Next year FAU enters the AAC and joins USF. And its trajectory could go beyond that—not unlike that of UCF, a former USF inferior now headed to the Big 12.