It is 25 miles one way from my door in Tampa to the Trop.  I go to 2, maybe 3 games a year - tops.  If the Rays played in the Gateway area of Pinellas I would probably go 8, 10 (or more) times a year.  The location IS a problem.  And it is obvious from the sparse attendance that St. Pete can't and won't support the team like they should.  By playing all the way down in St. Pete people from Tampa, Lakeland, East Pasco, Brandon, etc. won't drive that far.  (And people from Manatee and Sarasota are obviously not coming in droves either.)  Location, location, location as they say.

Steve is correct. A Gateway site would make a tremendous difference. I know people in northern PINELLAS that find the trip to downtown SP more trouble than its worth. And by the way, we in Tampa really are happy with the Rays over there. We have plenty of sports teams on this side of the water.

I'd go to more games if a stadium were built at the Gateway.  Driving from north Tampa to the Trop isn't worth the effort to me, even if the Rays are winning.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Rays and they're alot of fun to watch this year, but there are other elements involved other than just hopping in the car and driving over the bridge.  

So until then, I'll continue to attend 1-5 games per year and hope that Pinellas can come up with a better solution for a stadium location other than keeping the Rays at the Trop until 2027.  If they can't, well, perhaps it might be best to relocate the team to Tampa/Hillsborough.      

Leave them where they are!!!! We don't need a new stadium. I am a die hard fan of the Rays and baseball. It isn't the stadium that puts fans in the seat it the team. Fact, our attendance has increased 25% this year. Fact, our apparel is flying off the shelves. Fact, our sweep of the Cubs was the most watched game ever for the Rays. Were doing great and it needs to stay that way stop whining. If the Bucs moved to Orland or ft Lauderdale you'd follow.

Hey bobby,
I'm from Tampa and have made it to three games already this year. It really sounds like your upset that nobody outside the tri-county area even knows where St. Pete is. Lets face facts, your jellous that the Bucs, Lightning and Storm, play in Tampa, and deep down you realize that St. Pete is extremely lame. Thanks to you and all of your blue-haired, bingo and shuffel board playing neighbors "OUR" (our meaning Tampa) team is going to end up in Las Vegas or Carolina. Rays, please come to Hillsborough, St. Pete residents please stay in Pinellas.
ps. bobby, get bent; and as for the rest of pinellas SHUT UP !!!

Shane M, I completely agree with you. I dont know why st. pete even asked for a team if all they were going to do is fall asleep by 4 in the afternoon. MOVE THE RAYS TO TAMPA!

For one thing, I'm not 'jellous'...nor jealous. I live in Tampa. I make the drive. It's not that big of a deal. St. Pete isn't lame. Tampa isn't superior. The team isn't going to move to Hillsborough...face the facts. If the Bucs and Rays swapped locations, you'd STILL drive to see the Bucs play. Stop using the Trop location as your weak reason for not supporting this up-and-coming team. The Rays deserve a REAL commitment from the community...the WHOLE community.

I find it funny that when the location argument comes up, all the Pinellas supports seem to think everyone in Tampa lives at Kennedy and i275.  I, like the many thousands who call the bay area home, live in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. This area has been one of the fastest growing places in Tampa over the last 10 years.  For me it is exactly 100 miles round trip door to door.  I have been to five games this year and the earliest I have gotten home is 11:30.  For one of the Yankees games earlier this year, I wasn't home until well after midnight after sitting in the parking lot at the Trop for 45 min.   So location to me, and for many friends and co-workers with children,  does matter.  And your argument about if the roles were reversed regarding the Bucs we would go, I laugh.  I stopped going to Bucs games years ago once I realized watching them in the comfort of my home in HD beat melting at RayJay!  To that end, thanks to 140+ Rays games being broadcast, I get my fix that way.  

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Wow -- you all need to calm down.  First of all, Pinellas county alone has 925,000 residents.  Of those, only about 60,000 are transient snowbirds.  So get over the impression that this is one big retirment community.  
Second -- when the Bucs stunk, the stadium was empty.  Even after they got good, it was still empty -- AT FIRST.  Then, as they continued to be a a contender, attendance picked up to where it is today.  So if you believe Pinellas fans are lame, than Hillsborough fans were/are equally lame for their lack of support of the bucs for decades.  The Rays have been in the basement for every year of their existance.  This year is the transition year.  Attendance has gone up and will continue to go up.
Third -- It's the economy stupid!!  If this glorious season had happened 5 years ago, you would see attendance at or near sellout levels.  Let's see -- homes foreclosing all over the place, the Tampa Bay region has the highest unemployment in the state, people are walking away from their homes, and Gas is over $4/gallon.  SURPRISE - not as many peope going to a Rays game?  SHOCKER!!!
Fourth - considering we play, what, 81 games or so at home -- even last year's average attendance of 17,500 per game meant that 1.4 million people (mostly from Pinellas apparently because you all can't make it over the bridge) attended a game in a season where we ended in last place.  That's pretty darn good for a team in last.  Attendance this year is now in the 20's.  This is a work in progress.
Fifth - I am not opposed to a gateway stadium at all.  But know this -- for those  who think the Trop is fine -- the Rays have stated it "does not meet our needs".  Translation - no new stadium, no Rays.  And by the way -- it's only 10 minutes from Gateway to the Trop if you leave early enough for the game.