"Rays of Sunshine"? Heh, heh, that's a good one, Mr. Chass.

Actually, one by-product of this would be if Tampa received another franchise (the reconstituted Marlins?), that would instantly set up a rivalry with Miami where none had really existed before.

Well, Murray Chass *is* an expert at losing credibility.

Loria had credibility?

Seems to me this has to happen so that the Cubs can beat the Miami team in the World Series in 2015.

I was wondering which article of the 100's to be written on this subject would finally swing my opinion from Loria is a scumbag to Loria is a genius... i should have guessed it would be CHASS.

.... MISTER PRESIDENT!

Seems to me this has to happen so that the Cubs can beat the Miami team in the World Series in 2015.

That's actually starting to creep me out.

-By the Florida politicians and officeholders whom he conned into approving funds for his new $515 million personal playground

Yeah, right, the politicians and officeholders were "conned."

-By players whom he fraudulently induced to signing Marlins’ contracts with the idea that they would play for the Marlins;

I'm pretty sure they don't want to go back

-By Florida fans, who against their better judgment have invested money and emotion into their support for the Marlins;

All two of them

-By Major League Baseball for fraudulently representing his team as a major league team;

Isn't MLB the one committing fraud here?

-By Major League Baseball for not acting in the best interests of baseball.

Not against the law as far as I know.

Miami Rays of Sunshine.

I actually like this.

That's actually starting to creep me out.

Yeah, I didn't think it had a snowball's chance in Hell until this thread. But the move-the-Rays-to-Miami thing got me thinking.

A couple of times in the past 10 years or so, I have proposed that Major League Baseball should lop Florida off its geographical map.

Edit out everything else you wrote and we've got a deal.

A couple of times in the past 10 years or so, I have proposed that Major League Baseball should lop Florida off its geographical map.

Edit out everything else you wrote and we've got a deal.

....this lopping off doesn't include spring training, I assume?

I AGREE WITH MURRAY CHASS, MR. PRESIDENT!

A couple of times in the past 10 years or so, I have proposed that Major League Baseball should lop Florida off its geographical map.

Edit out everything else you wrote and we've got a deal.

....this lopping off doesn't include spring training, I assume?

Done, but only as long as they keep voting for Democrats in presidential elections. That and Spring Training are about all that state's got going for it, what with hurricanes, geezers, palmetto bugs and tomahawk chop chants.

BTW have Cubs fans noticed that the fall of that once mighty franchise largely coincided with their Spring Training departure from Santa Catalina Island? Why in the hell would they ever wanted to have left a place like that?

Spring Training
William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame, purchased a share in the Chicago Cubs in 1916 and slowly increased his stake in the team. His love of baseball and the team prompted Wrigley to gain controlling interest in 1921. Two years prior he had purchased Santa Catalina Island and was extremely invested in improving the Island as a tourist destination. He decided to combine his two passions, the Cubs and Santa Catalina Island, by bringing his players to the Island for spring training. In 1921, the pitchers and catchers traveled to the Island for training and the entire team made the trip the following year. The Chicago Cubs trained on the Island each spring through 1951, excpt for a few years during World War II.

The players spent 2 to 7 weeks on the Island each spring and stayed at the Hotel St. Catherine in Descanso Bay. Mr. Wrigley built a diamond and ballfield in Avalon Canyon, with the dimensions matching those of Wrigley Field in Chicago and a clubhouse was built adjacent to the field (now the Catalina Island Visitors Country Club).

A typical spring visit for the Cubs began in mid-February, when pitchers, catchers and rookies arrived. The rest of the team followed a week later. In mid-March the club would break camp and sail for Los Angeles for two weeks of exhibition games across the Southwest and then back to Chicago.