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4/10/06 Devil Rays Return to St. Petersburg and Newly Refurbished Tropicana
Field
The Devil Rays’
slate of 81 home games began Monday, April 10th when the Rays
hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Invigorated by new Principal Owner Stuart
Sternberg, the team undertook many changes both on and off the field this
past year.
The Rays have spent more than $10 million in improvements to
Tropicana Field this off-season. The improvements include:
- Major overhaul to all of the bathrooms in the 100
& 200 levels.
- New sound system.
- More than 200 flat screen televisions have been
added within the ballpark.
- New outdoor awnings.
- The Rotunda entrance to Tropicana Field will
feature five 24-foot tall palm trees. On the floor will be a true-to-scale
painted replica of the Tropicana field surface. Between the pillars
will be five flat-screen televisions airing Rays footage.
- Directional banners will be installed in the
parking lots.
- Cinder block walls on the 100 and 200 levels will
be covered with stucco or drywall.
- Approximately 35,000 seats have been scrubbed and
repainted.
- Upgrades to the premium Kane's Club seating area
behind home plate.
- New "Club" along the first base line on
the 200 level will have a major overhaul which will include Mezzanine
dining, oversized leather-style seating, and 22 flat screen
televisions.
- COMING IN JULY: 30 foot by 20 foot Ray touch tank
which can hold up to 30 rays (of the purely aquatic variety).
Additional enhancements to the game day experience include:
Free Parking
There will be free parking at all Rays home games making the Rays the only
Major League Baseball franchise to offer free parking on all team-owned
lots.
Tailgating Allowed for First Time
Tailgating parties will be allowed in the parking lots at Tropicana Field
for the first time.
New Food Policy
For the first time, fans will be permitted to bring food and certain drinks
into Tropicana Field for Rays home games. All food items must be wrapped,
bagged, or contained within a soft-sided container that shall not exceed
16"x16"x8". Patrons are allowed to bring in single serving
juice boxes and sealed plastic water bottles (no larger than one Liter).
Lower Ticket Prices
The Rays restructured their ticket price format and as a result the average
ticket price for individual game tickets will decrease from $22.86 in 2005
to $22.35 in 2006 remaining among the most affordable in all of Major
League Baseball.
Lower Concession Prices
Prices on most concession items at Tropicana Field will be reduced. The
following items have been reduced 25 cents: all hot dogs, popcorn, bottled
water, jumbo soft pretzels and sunflower seeds. The Rays will also offer $1
hot dogs on most Monday home games.
More Free-bies
The Rays' 2006 promotion schedule currently has 20 dates, double the number
of give-away dates from a year ago. The team will also be giving away
triple the number of items from last year on most dates. This year there
will be 15,000 items distributed to all fans and 10,000 items available on
give-away dates specifically for children 14 and under.
Ted Williams Museum
The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame will debut a new location
at Tropicana Field. Fans can view artifacts and pictures of the
"Greatest hitter that ever lived" from not only his playing
career, but his days in the military. The collection is not just limited to
the Splendid Splinter but to the history of the game including artifacts
from some of the greatest players to ever "lace 'em up" including
Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Sadaharu Oh.
New Stuff in Right, Left and Centerfield Street
Interactive baseball themed games will line leftfield and rightfield
streets. In rightfield street, fans can touch Carl Crawford's actual mitt,
feel the Trop turf, or grab a rosin bag. Kids can visit an art center where
they can make their own signs, or tour Raymond's home. The area also
features video pitching and batting cages.
Leftfield street features an old-school video game room (including X-Box
baseball games). Fans can make their own TV/radio calls at the Rays Fan
Cast, or take a swing at the new Mountain Dew Extreme Zone Whiffle
Ballfield. Fans can have their own baseball card printed by Topps cards and
have their own Louisville Slugger bat engraved with their name.
Opening Day will also mark the birth of the Rays Team, the club's
first-ever spirit squad. They will launch t-shirts, lead in-stadium
contests, and spread goodwill.
Great Explorations Museum's "Baseball Magnetic Field": This
exhibit teaches kids the science and physics of baseball, in an interactive
and fun setting. Activities will include a baseball launcher, magnetic ball
and a baseball themed "Light Bright."
MOSI's "Now Playing...": Kids get to perform various
baseball-themed entertainment based activities. Activities will include a
kid broadcaster booth (including a microphone and monitor) and a karaoke
system with baseball songs.
The Art Center's "Bats, Balls, & Brushes" (The Arts Center):
Kids have the opportunity to paint and create various arts and crafts,
which will be themed throughout the season.
"Mom's Rest Area": Area will consist of upscale furniture, tables
and carpet, as it serves as an area for the moms (and dads!) to relax while
their children have fun.
"Raymond's Room": Measuring approximately 30' x 30', the area
will serve as Raymond's living area, where kids can meet Raymond each game
(when he's not performing in the stadium). The area will have a
water-themed look, with various Raymond related items (photos with his
family and friends, a refrigerator, furniture, etc) that may be found in
his home.
"MLB Alumni Office": The Rays are excited to partner with the MLB
Alumni Association to open an East Coast Alumni office at Tropicana Field.
The office will serve two purposes: i) make MLB Alumni Association services
available to Baseball alumni in the area, and ii) raise community awareness
of MLB Alumni Association by providing programs and an interactive area for
fans to stop by while attending games at Tropicana Field. Part of the
program will be former MLB Player autograph sessions for fans.
"Baseball Whiz": Fans are invited to stop by Center Field Street
and meet the Baseball Whiz, the Mayor of Tropicana Field. Say hi to the
Whiz, talk baseball with him, and ask him any trivia question you want, and
if you can stump the Whiz, he will give you a prize!
Come and
root-root-root for the home team all summer long!
For more information, visit the Rays’ website
by clicking here
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