Aaron Sharockman of The St. Pete Times spoke with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig about the Tampa Bay Rays' proposed stadium to be built along the downtown St. Pete waterfront. Selig was emphatic that the Rays needed a new stadium and that they need one "expeditiously".

"There's no question that the Rays need a new stadium. There's just no question," Selig said by phone from his offices in Milwaukee. "Look, and I've said this in a lot of other places, I'm grateful they're having a wonderful year this year.

"But their stadium now just can't produce the revenue you need to be competitive on a year-in and year-out basis," Selig said.

More importantly, the Commisioner promised a future all-star game for the new stadium if it is built. This should not come as a surprise, as this is standard practice with new stadiums. But the timing of the comments are important as the city of St. Pete stands to benefit greatly from having an event such as the All-Star game in their city and such a windfall could sway influence over local business leaders.

Previously, we speculated that if the new stadium opened in 2012, St. Pete could host an All-Star game as early as 2014 based on current and past commitments to other stadiums.

Baseball commisioner says Rays must have new ballpark [St. Pete Times]
All-Star Game Could Come To St. Pete As Early As 2014 [Rays Index]