Tropicana Field

Address:1 Tropicana Drive
St Petersburg, Florida

Tampa Bay, for years a popular area for Major League Baseball spring training games, finally got its own team beginning in 1998, when the Devil Rays were inaugurated in to the American League. It wasn't easy, however. In fact, the city of St. Petersburg went so far as to build a domed stadium, against the advice of MLB, to lure a major league team. The stadium, built originally as the Florida Suncoast Dome, began construction in 1986, but when the stadium was completed in 1990 it still had no tenants. There were rumors that various franchises would relocate to Tampa Bay, but nothing came of it. The Suncoast Dome did manage to gain 2 tenants in 1993, when the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning and Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm made the stadium their home. In the process, the Suncoast Dome was renamed the Thunderdome. Finally, in 1995, the dome got a baseball team when MLB expanded to the Tampa Bay area, and was then renamed Tropicana Field in 1996. "The Trop" finally found its calling, and the 45,000 people capacity stadium was ready for baseball. Tropicana Field officially opened March 31, 1998, when the "Rays" played their inaugural game against the Detroit Tigers, losing 11-6.

When you come to Tropicana Field, make sure you walk towards the centerfield entrance via the Florida Power Walk, a palm tree lined path tiled with a wonderful multi colored mosaic. This is the largest outdoor tile mosaic in Florida, and the fifth-largest in the United States. It's actually better to see this after dark, as it is lit up in the most splendid array of lights. For those of you who appreciate baseball history, The Ted Williams Museum, on Centerfield Street, is a must. Fans can view an array of different artifacts and pictures of the "Greatest hitter that ever lived." This museum is dedicated to some of the greatest players to ever "lace 'em up," including Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Japanese great Sadaharu Oh.

The park was initially built with an AstroTurf surface, but this was replaced, in 2000, by softer FieldTurf, becoming the first major professional facility to use it. Unlike other AstroTurf fields, the field at Tropicana had a full dirt infield, as opposed to having only dirt sliding areas around the bases. The "Trop" is infamous for its architecture. The stadium features four catwalks that hang from the ceiling. Because the dome is tilted toward the outfield, the catwalks are lower in the outfield. The upper catwalks are Ring A and Ring B. These catwalks are entirely in play, and balls bouncing off them can be caught for outs, or drop for base hits. Ring C and Ring D are out of play. If they are struck between the foul poles, the ball is ruled a home run. There have been hits lost in them which were the cause of various arguments between umpires and managers.

. The Rays have not had much success at Tropicana Field, either on the field or at the box office. MLB has made it known to the team that they must be out of their current facility by 2010. The Rays are in the midst of planning a new stadium. The new stadium's design is planned to have a retro look. The stadium will be an open-air facility, with an option available to cover it with a sail-like material on a cabling system in the event of inclement weather. The stadium is slated to be built on the waterfront, and this will allow home run balls hit to right field to land in the water, similar to the situation that exists at AT&T Park in San Francisco. In addition to baseball, Tropicana Field has hosted various other events, including 1990 Davis Cup tennis matches and the 1999 NCAA Basketball Final Four.

Located near a resurgent downtown St. Petersburg, Tropicana Field is easily accessible from the I-275, and once there, reasonably priced parking is plentiful. Starting in 2008 the Rays are going green, as all vehicles with four or more passengers will get free parking at all home games.