It wasn't all that long ago that the Tampa Bay Rays were pushing a waterfront stadium proposal in downtown St. Petersburg. Though the view would have been nice, the open-air concept would have meant one thing -- games would be played in Florida's sweltering summertime conditions.
Long gone would have been the climate-controlled conditions -- a comfortable 72 degrees -- at the Rays' current home, Tropicana Field. In its place, fans would have to face 90-plus degree matinees, stifling humidity and exposure to other elements that a planned "sail" over the playing field wouldn't subside.
Thankfully, the open-air stadium concept was confronted by the reality of Florida's brutal summers. Though efforts are still under way exploring the possibility of a new stadium for the Rays, this survival-of-the-fittest approach has been scrapped. The latest talk focuses on a retractable roof.
Still, that doesn't mean that Florida's summers won't become a factor sometime in the future. That's why we'll be conducting our own experiment this week, when the St. Lucie Mets travel to Clearwater for a matinee match-up.
In our test, we'll keep inning-by-inning track of the daytime temperatures at Bright House Field, using two sets of readings -- one from seats in the direct sunlight and the other from the comfort of shade. And, at the end of the day, I imagine we'll form the opinion that open-air baseball in Florida isn't the brightest of ideas.
Simply put, it's just too darn hot.
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