Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Lee, Beckham, Romero, Rivero added to 40-man

One of this year's Biscuits, one of last year's Biscuits and two future Biscuits have been added to Tampa Bay's 40-man roster.

Shortstops Hak-Ju Lee and Tim Beckham and left-handed pitchers Enny Romero and Felipe Rivero are now card-carrying members of the players' union.

Romero was at high-Class A Charlotte and Rivero at low-Class A Bowling Green this year.

Rays release spring training schedule

Here's Tampa Bay's 2013 spring training schedule. Games at 1:05 p.m. Eastern, unless noted.

FEBRUARY
23 Pittsburgh (split squad)
23 at Boston (split squad)
24 at Minnesota
25 Boston
26 Houston
27 at Pittsburgh
28 Detroit

MARCH
1 at Toronto
2 Baltimore
3 Minnesota
4 at Boston
5 at Minnesota
6 off 7 at Pittsburgh
8 Philadelphia
9 at Philadelphia
10 Boston
11 Minnesota, 7:05
12 N.Y. Yankees
13 off
14 at Baltimore
15 Philadelphia
16 Boston
17 at Boston
18 off
19 at Detroit
20 at Minnesota, 7:05
21 Toronto
22 Baltimore (split squad)
22 at Pittsburgh (split squad)
23 Minnesota
24 at N.Y. Yankees
25 Pittsburgh
26 at Philadelphia
27 Toronto
28 at Baltimore, 7:05
29 at Detroit
30 vs. Detroit, 1:10 (at Tropiciana Field)

Single-game ticket prices (for games in Port Charlotte only): $27 (below walkway), $22 (behind/between dugouts and above walkway), $19 (last section above walkway on each side), general admission (everywhere else) $10*.
*--Make that $12 for games with Boston, Detroit, N.Y. Yankees and Philadelphia.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Price latest Biscuit with big honor

David Price's Cy Young Award is the third major honor for a former Biscuit. Jeremy Hellickson and Evan Longoria were the AL rookies of the year in 2011 and 2008, respectively. Since R.A. Dickey won the NL Cy Young, former Tennessee and Vanderbilt stars swept.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Biscuits' rent reveals low revenue for FY 2012

The Biscuits, despite a playoff product on the field, had their worst season at the pocketbook in 2012.
The Biscuits totaled $4.6 million in operating revenue for the fiscal year, according to figures filed with the city for the quarterly rent payment due last week.

The full $4,634,717 is just $6,500 less than 2011, the previous low. Both still are more than $1 million over pro forma projections used by the city council when it approved stadium construction in 2002.

The Biscuits paid $150,984 at the end of October to end the fiscal year. In FY 2012, they paid $363,088 in rent, about $2,000 less than in 2011.

Since Riverwalk Stadium opened in 2004, the team has forked over more than $5 million in rent, which is based on varying percentages of sales and revenue at the stadium. The team has had almost $48 million in operating revenue.

The Biscuits drew an official attendance of 244,976 this season, which was the lowest in team history.