Back in the olden days, we covered Orlando's bid-that-didn't-happen very thoroughly. The only reason St. Pete got the team was because the stadium was built and baseball felt guilty about Carl Pohlad's Twins tease. The decision was ridiculous. Tampa was the better option in the area, but Orlando was the long-range bet. If ownership is in place, the timing might be right. We can dream.
When I wrote in Miami in the eighties, I did series about when Florida would get a team, and where, and if ever. I'd covered spring training all over the state enough to know, when Miami and Tampa finally arrived, they were misbegotten. The ethnic baseball lovers in Miami, it turned out, loved baseball, yes, but not the American pro version; their own. And to the north, travelling all over the state every spring I came to believe that Floridians loved their month of exhibition games, but definitely weren't the kind of people who'd commit on the MLB level for five months. It's a football state. Nashville, yes! Portland!
Here's hoping that someone buys them that will spend money and allow them to beat the Yankees consistently. Not sure why anyone is still considering Florida a home for baseball.
Back in the olden days, we covered Orlando's bid-that-didn't-happen very thoroughly. The only reason St. Pete got the team was because the stadium was built and baseball felt guilty about Carl Pohlad's Twins tease. The decision was ridiculous. Tampa was the better option in the area, but Orlando was the long-range bet. If ownership is in place, the timing might be right. We can dream.
When I wrote in Miami in the eighties, I did series about when Florida would get a team, and where, and if ever. I'd covered spring training all over the state enough to know, when Miami and Tampa finally arrived, they were misbegotten. The ethnic baseball lovers in Miami, it turned out, loved baseball, yes, but not the American pro version; their own. And to the north, travelling all over the state every spring I came to believe that Floridians loved their month of exhibition games, but definitely weren't the kind of people who'd commit on the MLB level for five months. It's a football state. Nashville, yes! Portland!
ORL would be interesting, just because they have 12-month-a-year tourism, and it's still a fairly under-served sports market. But I'd pick Nashville.
Here's hoping that someone buys them that will spend money and allow them to beat the Yankees consistently. Not sure why anyone is still considering Florida a home for baseball.
The DeSantis line was great