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 When the team, formerly known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, looked to become a more regional entity by playing a three game series against the Texas Rangers last year in May at The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World, Kissimmee, FL, just outside of Orlando, the results were, well… not as best as had been initially planned, at least in terms of pure attendance.
Attendance for the series was as follows: - Game 1 – Tues. 4/15/07: 8,443
- Game 2 – Weds. 5/16/07: 8,839
- Game 3 – Thurs. 5/17/07: 9,635
Still, with the intent of placing the team in a location that would garner the club more regional exposure, the series was deemed a success by Tampa Bay execs. "It was a very successful visit," team president Matt Silverman said after Game 3 of last year’s series. "It was great exposure for the team. ... These games got the attention of the market." Now, the team will look to, once again, play at Disney. The team, now called the Tampa Bay Rays have asked the St. Petersburg City Council for approval to return to Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to play three more games this season. The proposed series against the Toronto Blue Jays would take place April 22-24. The city council must approve all Rays home games played outside of Tropicana Field. The council will vote on the team’s request on January 24. “We were very pleased with every aspect of last year’s series at the Disney Sports Complex, particularly the experience we were able to provide for fans who were attending their first Rays games,” said Silverman on Friday. “This series remains a very important part of our ongoing efforts to expand our fan base throughout the state and further establish St. Petersburg as Florida’s baseball capital.” Sources: The Biz of Baseball, ESPN, Tampa Bay Rays
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