Tampa Bay Rays ticket prices

Hello, It’s me… the guy you folks are fighting over, the OSF.   (Occasional Sports Fan)

The newspapers are full of controversy concerning another major ball team rocking the bank vault again and waiting to see what falls out. They apparently have a contract with the city, but as lawyers are involved, contracts can be broken, repealed, or amended, as the fee structures for their services increases on a somewhat skewed sliding scale.

The owners basically want a brand new stadium someplace else. That apparently will (despite numerous been there done that didn’t work there either with a new stadium) boost ticket sales and increase general revenue. If they move to another venue, with a brand new stadium, the dollars will once again begin to free fall into the franchise’s coffers.

So then, here you go Mr. Multimillionaire decision makers, the view from your target, me.  The average guy’s wallet, the OSF who could go either way on this controversy.

I own a sailboat, fishing poles, scuba gear, underwater metal detectors, and a host of other outdoor type fun stuff. I live on the coast where there is a lot of stuff to do, and we do keep busy. I can park at the beach for a few dollars (some spots still for free) or go fishing/sailing or diving. All at minimal cost after the initial investment.

My grandsons are visiting for the summer, three boys ages 5-12. They live in the middle of the country and are discovering beaches, sand, and how to catch sharks. It’s a great time to grow up, and their is nothing better than a grandpa shark story to take back home and amaze your friends with. They have a sharks tooth necklace now, one that they made themselves, how cool.

Anyhow, we settled in for an evening of TV as a Florida thunderstorm released its energy yesterday evening. Switching on the TV channel we saw it was tuned to some pro baseball game somewhere. The older two grandboy’s  had played ball in school sports and seemed interested in the game. During the conversation I determined that they had not been to a professional ball game before. Perhaps this was the time for that rite of passage.

I grew up with the Milwaukee Braves, which kind of gives away my age. When one of the Braves would hit a home run puffs of white smoke would come out of the top of a Tepee and an Indian would emerge doing a war dance. Not very P.C. anymore~  Anyhow, my team, our team, the Braves, sold out and moved to someplace called Atlanta, which was  a zillion miles away to a 10 year old kid. I grew up a bit that day discovering that baseball was just a business. They were not MY team from MY town anymore. They moved someplace else for more money and a new stadium.

It was then that I became an OSF.

Back to the present…   I immediately logged on to the net and found a Rays game on Sunday. They were playing the Diamondback’s at the Tropicana.

With a few button clicks I had 3 Family Fun Day tickets and we were going to the game. Regular seats, $108. Each ticket was a convenience to some undisclosed entity so I was charged an additional $4 a ticket for said convenience. My lovely wife got out my Rays hat and shirt from the last game we went to.  That was in 2005. I’m not kidding, I truly am an OSF.

I believe they changed the Rays logo and style a couple of years ago. I was slightly out of place, but that’s nothing new. My stuff was green and still had a Devil Ray on it. The logo is now a star looking thing and a gentle  blue kind of color.

Parking $15. Only 20 minutes by car so I’ll not count the gas. The kids got a bobble head figure and a poster as we entered the stadium. The souvenirs included, that was nice.

Since this is a rite of passage for the boys, two small bags of peanuts and two small sodas were mandatory. $20.

During the 7th inning stretch we cashed in our coupons for a free hot dog, cola, and bag of Cracker Jacks. Crummy prizes now in the Cracker Jacks… something to do with lawyers and kids choking on toys.

The game was fun. We had a ‘wave’ that almost made it 4 complete times around the stadium. Our seats were not the best, but for the price, fair enough I suppose. We were out beyond 3rd base behind the foul line up a few levels. When this OSF goes back in a couple of years I’ll have to buy the $75 seats. I guess that’s why I only go once every few years.

Total cost for today, $160 for a little over 4 hours.

Priceless memories were made at the Tropicana today, so the cost is negligible for this occasional event. Is this something most families can afford on a regular basis? Enough to fill the stadium every game?

The multimillionaires seem to think so, particularly if the taxpayers help get them a new stadium.

The boys and I are heading for the beach tomorrow. Parking, $4.

Ahoy~

Filed Under: Travels

Tags: baseball • sports • St. Petersburg Florida • Tampa Bay Rays • Tropicana stadium