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Aerial Photo

 
 
 
 
"The Beach"

A-Rod Warming Up

 
Entrance
  
 
     
 
Tropicana Logo
View of the Roof
 
Jorge Posada Signing Autographs
 

 

Surface: Field Turf
Capacity: 45,000
Dimensions: Left 315 ft.  Center 404 ft. Right  322 ft.
Stadium Opened: 1990

Food:

There was a wide variety of concessions to chose from.  The Outback Steakhouse and Checkers had concession stands located in the stadium.  You could get a “Bloomin’ Onion” and bring it back to your seat and enjoy the game…..what more could you ask for?  There was also a BBQ concession stand with pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw and baked beans, a Fruschetta Pizza stand, and the usual hot dog, pretzel, Dippin’ Dots stands.  The food was probably one of the most impressive features of the ball park.  Food was very pricey given the usual performance of the Devil Rays.  You’d think the prices would be lower to draw fans into the stadium.  At least you could give fans a cheap hot dog, since their baseball team is terrible.

Parking:

There is one huge lot right next to the stadium that is pre-paid parking which costs $9. There are smaller lots located within a short walking distance, which costs $8, and were actually easier to get out of after the game since there were less cars.  I was there on Opening Day so I am sure on a regular game throughout the season traffic is not an issue.  The area around the stadium seemed clean and safe, so walking to a nearby parking lot didn’t seem to be a problem.

Atmosphere:

I attended two games at Tropicana Field, both against the Yankees  (one game was Opening Day) so my view on the atmosphere may be quite different from someone else who attends a game in September when the Devil Rays are rallying not to lose their 100th game of the season.  So, I’ll start of with that disclaimer. ……


The stadium contained the usual player introduction music clips, and sound effects.  Nothing too original or out of the ordinary in this aspect of the atmosphere.  I do commend the design of the music for Rocco Baldelli’s at bats.  They played a different song before each at-bat that had the word “Rock” in it.  For example, “I Wanna Rock”, ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane”.  The sound system was very clear and played at the appropriate level.  The PA announcer introduced players in a traditional way, with no major difference between the way the Yankees names were announced or the Devil Rays. 


The Devil Ray fans (although minimal compared to the Yankees fans) were into the game.  They spent most of the game combating the “Let’s go Yankees” cheers with “Let’s go Rays”. Overall, I was impressed with this stadium.  It was above and beyond my expectations.  So much effort was put into making fans feel like they are outside, rather than sitting in a domed stadium.  It was very bright inside despite of the dome.  The dome is translucent and daylight shines through.  The dome is a comfortable 72 degrees at all times. The air conditioning felt comfortable and it was not stuffy inside.  The field was also better looking then I expected.  The turf was made to look like real grass.  A full dirt infield instead of just dirt around 4 bases made it also look more like an outdoor stadium. 

Restrooms:

Several restrooms are located throughout the stadium on each level. The restrooms were clean with no lines.
The sections were clearly marked throughout the stadium and followed a logical layout.  The stadium design seemed to be suitable for large crowds, which the Devil Rays do not see.  The exit walk-ways out of the stadium are wide which would help the flow of fans out of the stadium.  You can also exit the stadium in the upper deck without having to go down three levels to exit, so that was nice to have fresh air right away without fighting the crowds.  Not to wear out a broken record, but once again, the Devil Rays don’t attract large amounts of fans anyway….but its nice to know that if it was a sell-out, you could exit quickly.

Interesting Facts/Features:

  • There is a remote control blimp that hovers over the right field stands.  A little strange for a domed stadium.  They chose one lucky youngster per game to operate the blimp.

  • The dome lid was placed on at a slanted angle to save on air conditioning costs.

  • There are strobe lights located on the catwalks that support the dome, that light up occasionally when the Devil Rays are rallying.  Also, from what I have read, (although I didn’t see for myself) the big Tropicana Orange lights up when a Devil Ray hits a homerun.

  • “The Beach” is the bleacher section of the stadium.  It is decorated with beach murals on the walls, Tiki wood, and beach chairs to make fans feel like they are on the beach.

  • Instead of the “Subway race”, there is the water skiing race displayed during the game on the centerfield screen.

  • There is a restaurant (“Batter’s Eye Restaurant” ) in Centerfield where you can watch the game.

  • The 7th inning stretch is called the “7th inning squeeze” (like a Tropicana Orange)

  • The ushers wear tropical/Hawaiian shirts.

  • Most of the contests during the game on the Centerfield scoreboard gave away a gift certificate for 10 free wings at “Hooters” and it mentioned bringing the family to enjoy your prize.  Have people in St. Petersburg not gotten word yet that “Hooters” is not exactly a family restaurant??

 

Overall Rating: 7

Questions? Comments? E-Mail me:amanda@baseballstadiumreviews.com