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The Connecticut Devil Rays

There are smart people in the Major League Baseball offices wondering if there's hope of even discussing a potential move of the Rays to New Jersey or Southern Connecticut over certain protests from the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Phillies. [Peter Gammons article on the Rays]

I caught wind of this thanks to a post by Matt at Fack Youk, who went over the potential landing spots city by city rebuffing all CT cities, but I'd like to put my 2 cents in as well. Frankly this is possibly one of the least likely things ever uttered by Peter Gammons.

As Matt at points out in much longer analysis, Connecticut has just 3.5 million people, no viable Major League city, has essentially failed everytime a pro team was in the state and barely supports it's minor league teams. To think that Southern Connecticut could even really support a team if we had no other options would likely be questionable. But we do have options and this is the biggest issue.

I now live in Southern New Haven County. In order for me to go to a Yankee game I don't have to do anything different in my daily routine. I can live work at 5 or 5:30 drive an hour+ and be at Yankee stadium. I can leave the game when it's over and get home at around 11:30. I could do the same thing for a Mets game if my heart was content. And this is in northern Fairfield County/New Haven County, never mind Southern Fairfield County. For people in Stamford, the most viable city in CT for a sports team (thanks to a shit load of financial business) getting to NYC is even easier. Right now you can take a train from Stamford and get to Yankee stadium in maybe 45 minutes. If you are a fan of the Yankees or Mets which essentially everyone is in Southern CT, how often would you go see the "home team" when you can just drive 45 minutes and watch the team you actually like?

The Red Sox fans in Northern CT have a bit longer of a trip to Boston but still on the weekend would these people go to Fenway or go to the "Connecticut team" when the drive would likely be just an hour shorter. I'm pretty sure they're going to go with Fenway.

Connecticut is not a major league state. Neither is Rhode Island or Vermont or New Hampshire or Maine but frankly we're fine with it.

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Anonymous said…
I for one am not fine with it. The Patriots would have worked well. Short season, already present fan base. I also still think that the Whalers could be successful in a arena. Baseball though, with it's large stadiums and 81 home games, no way. Unfortunately. }3
5:15 PM
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