How did Tampa get to be such a backward sort of place?

When was it ever anything else?

I hope Tampa can afford to keep all their young stars. Not sure that Boston or New York can keep up with them in a year or two.

How does Trace Adkins (I haven't even the slightest "I've heard of him" in me) draw more people than a young exciting good upstart Rays team?

The game with the Commodores concert drew 30,000, also.

EDIT: Tampa Tribune - Even When On Top, It's Lonely At The Trop

Thanks to a postgame concert by the country music star and a giveaway of the aforementioned trucker hats, a sold-out crowd made its way to Tropicana Field on Saturday night where, by the way, the warm-up act was a baseball game between the Rays and Chicago White Sox.

Clearly the Rays are on to something with the convergence of concerts and curveballs. Last weekend, a crowd on the north side of 30,000 took the bait of a postgame Commodores concert and found its way to the Trop.

Of course, the Marlins are in first, too, and they're not burning up the turnstiles themselves.

Never heard of Trace Adkins? That's like not knowing Mickey Mouse! Why, Trace Adkins came in second in Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice," for God's sake! I think he did, anyway! It's entirely possible! Exclamation point!

Well, he IS that rarity in the 21st Century - a platinum-selling artist.

Soon, with the balkanization of genres and the disappearance of traditional distribution methods, that's going to be a relic of a past time like the 8-track. :P

The game with the Commodores concert drew 30,000, also.

Isn't this even more surprising? I strongly suspect I'd rather see a concert with the Commodores than Trace Adkins (I can only imagine, since I wouldn't be able to pick out a Trace Adkins song from any of the other cowboy-hat-wearing, moustachioed-country music set), but at least he's a current act. The Commodores haven't recorded anything new for 20 years, and I'd have thought they'd be on the state or county fair circuit by now.

And I love Ozzie's "They should have cowboy night every night" quote.

The Commodores haven't recorded anything new for 20 years

It is Florida.

I'd be more drawn to the Commodores than Grace Atkins. But I've heard of the Commodores.

Last year, you could have made the "I'd rather see the Commodores play than the Rays - at least they have Pedro Alvarez and David Price!" Soon the opposite will be true (and we'd all rather watch the Rays now).

I't a new pet project for every announcer everywhere to get all I CAN'T BELIEVE NO ONE'S SHOWING UP TO THESE GAMES LET'S NUKE THOSE UNGRATEFUL BlTCHES IN TAMPA.

Of all people it was Kay's partner on YES I think last night who realized that the stadium was in a bad place, and the team has never won, so it will take a little bit, eh?

Cohen especially got on his high horse about the lack of attendance. I can't believe how much I can't stand him anymore. Maybe he could get promoted to FOX or something?

Where's Zambrano these days?

Looks like a good crowd today, they said there was a huge walkup for it. No concert bring them in this time.

Long term I'm not worried about it at all. They were terrible for 10 years and for most of those years had an owner that didn't care about winning or marketing the team and just sat around being an ass and blaming the fans for not coming to see a bad team. It's the double whammy of bad product and actively doing things that erode any goodwill from the potential fanbase. Takes more than 2 months to erase that, especially for a team that has no previous winning tradition to draw people back from. Plus it's often the next season that attendance really spikes for bad teams that suddenly become good.

The Commodores haven't recorded anything new for 20 years, and I'd have thought they'd be on the state or county fair circuit by now.

They have an upcoming show at a casino here, which is the 21st Century equivalent of the state fair circuit.

Adkins is no Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw, but he's a pretty big country star. And why does liking country music imply that it's a "backwards" town?

And why does liking country music imply that it's a "backwards" town?

Reality (& I post this as someone who'll give up my Porter Wagoner albums when they pry them out of my cold, dead hands)?

Where's Zambrano these days?

Victor is in Colorado Springs, knocked out of the rotation, being beaten like a rented mule (9.71 ERA), and worse at finding the strike zone than usual (30 BB/38 IP).

Carlos is doing well.

I'd stick around for the Commodores' ode to Jack Brickhouse.

I really like Robert Earl Keen. A lot.

Sounds like Victor could use 10 minutes with Rick Peterson. Could the Rockies use, say, Pelfrey?

Well, he IS that rarity in the 21st Century - a platinum-selling artist.

And luckily for him and the record label. Country music fans are still getting into the new fangled and shiny techno gizmo: compact disc players.

And why does liking country music imply that it's a "backwards" town?

Probably cause it's easy.

I do like country music.

It's a combination of the country music and the religious fundamentalists forcing the name change. I should have asked "since when is Tampa in the midwest?"

"since when is Tampa in the midwest?"

Since midwestern retirees started having a Harvey (Illinois, the birthplace of Lou Boudreau!) Days Festival in New Port Ritchie.

I hope Tampa can afford to keep all their young stars.

You mean BJ Upton or Trace Adkins?

I should have asked "since when is Tampa in the midwest?"

I've heard it a few times, particularly when talking about politics: Northern Florida is the Deep South, Tampa is the midwest, and Miami is the sixth borough of New York City.