Maybe they need to make Foster an offer he can't refuse.

RBL, I do believe you've somehow mastered the "art" of typing with your fingers crossed. Between the quoted post, and the one previous, my belly hurts from laughing. I'll just bet those "two former free agents" were dying to play for the Rays and the nutty professor who seems to enjoy letting the inmates run the asylum, but the horrific threat of turf toe or worse sent them elsewhere. That is fabulous! Not a single mention of money or long-term contracts, and all typed with a straight face, I'm sure. Then you get back on the Foster rant. I'll bet (again) that your operatives swore he personally held a gun to the heads of those duped RFO twits who signed the lease. All the Rays have to do is break ground on their new Tampa "stadium" NOW, and when it's complete, simply void the contract and pay the piper for his trouble. How hard can that be...especially when keeping all 15 thousand TB fans happy, and the Rays in the area (contenders of course) is the life blood flowing through the owner's veins. All good!!!

Well I do know for a fact that one of them could have been had and the money part of it worked out, but Minnesota's gain was Tampa Bays loss......Think what you want but turf, over the years, has shortened a lot of careers and as long as the Rays stay at the Trop playing on that surface, we will continue to see physical problems.......As for the "Foster rant", what I get told and hear comes from someone in City Hall.....Buckhorn wants the Rays in Tampa, but he is keeping out of the action until something gets done......No need for a big political war between the two cities.....

But, what you said about "breaking ground" on a new stadium in Tampa could hold a lot of truth and it may well come to that......I will tell you this, and it is just my own personal opinion based on the things I have heard in recent weeks.....If the Rays are not in a new stadium in Tampa Bay by 2016-2017, they will leave the area completely!

Their is nothing wrong with the surface at the Trop. I think this is just an excuse for a new ballpark. I have never heard Crawford complain about the surface. The team plays 81 games there each year. If a player played a average of 5 hours each game day(including practice), it would only total 405 hours. Many older and in worse shape people work 2080 hours a year (40 hour week) and stand the whole time. They also do it for 10 to 45 years without their legs being tired. I believe the team needs a new strength and conditioning coach. Prior to a home game watch the lamb workout behind 1st base. Senior centers conduct better workouts. It also seems to be voluntary. The team needs to buck up.

Crawford never complained about when he was here because nothing could be done about it.....But he sure had a lot to say about how bad it was on his legs and body after he left, and how he was glad to be on natural grass!........10 of the 32 NFL teams play on field turf an artificial surface and the NFLPA did a survey that said more leg injuries happen on turf than on real grass.......In baseball players are not constantly on the move as they are in the NFL, especially OF standing on the artificial surface between hitters, between pitches, etc.......The simple fact is that playing on an artificial surface is not good for the legs and back and can shorten a career, and has for many players in MLB.......Besides, because of the style of game the NFL is the "cushion" beneath the artificial surface in NFL stadiums is double what it is in baseball which allows for more "give"!

A NFL season is only 20 games total including 4 pre-season. A game is only 1hour and actual banging around is less than 10 minutes(it has been timed and written about). Let's say a game lasts 3 hours and all games are on turf, wow a total of 80 hours over 5 months. What a bunch of cry babies. Some get tuckerd out running to the sidelines.