PORT CHARLOTTE — Entering his — somehow — 13th season running the Rays, principal owner Stuart Sternberg indulged us for an annual Q&A session. Some excerpts:
So this is the 20th anniversary of the team; what was your 20th anniversary with your wife, Lisa, like?
Do you know? It's a touchy anniversary. Let's just say our 20th anniversary was in October of 2008. So it took place while we were in the World Series at Tropicana Field (for Game 2, their only win). So I put an announcement on the board wishing Lisa a happy anniversary, and isn't it great being in the World Series. I get reminded of that quite often. So I tell her maybe 30 will lead to that again. She says if not, we're going to have something nice planned.
You're a bit of a foodie, tried anything new lately?
Lingonberries (kind of a super-food).
Your last great meal?
At the Columbia in Sarasota last night. I love the 1905 Salad, a lot of tapas, and the sangria made it all taste better.
Your latest favorite website?
The Strategist, it's a recommendation site.
New time-killer on your phone?
When the kids are around, it's HQ (the live trivia game app). I've gotten to 10 (of 12 right answers).
Last thing you bought off the Internet?
It's probably something mundane — moth traps.
Last new music you downloaded and liked?
The new Decemberists song Severed.
Last book you read?
Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.
Last movie you saw?
Black Panther. I like Marvel movies. Especially like watching them with my daughter. I saved it because we went to visit her in Nashville (where she goes to college) and went to a theater with the nice comfy recliner seats. What a difference.
Last year you said you were in denial thinking about it, but with all four kids now out of your New York house, how are you and Lisa handling being empty-nesters?
It's odd. I'm still adjusting — and it's probably the third inning, top of the third. … I think the biggest change is when I'm away. My natural predisposition is to get back, but it's like, "Oh wait, I can just stay." The timing has actually worked out well because I have been in Florida like seven of the past eight weeks, and I expect to be (back a lot) with the stadium and everything else. But it's weird.
Recent celebrity sighting?
(Actor) Willem Dafoe, in a restaurant.
Would you rather play pool or pingpong?
I grew up with a pool table in my house, but I'd rather play pingpong.
Card game of choice?
Casino.
Casino game of choice?
I have not been in a casino in 20 some odd years, but it would be blackjack.
Skydive or climb a mountain?
Well I'm not skydiving. It doesn't mean I'll climb a mountain, but I'm not skydiving.
Zip line or bungee jump?
Zip line, if I had to. If I bungee jump, I don't even want it to bounce.
Run a marathon or drive cross country?
I'd probably rather drive cross country. What about you? (As I told my daughter when she ran the New York City Marathon twice, I get tired driving 26 miles.)
Who is your "best friend" among other MLB owners?
I get along with a number of them. Because we were talking about it yesterday (when the Rays played the Pirates), Bob Nutting is a real standup, wonderful guy. But I could give you 10 different names.
What about other sports? Do you hang out or compare notes with owners of other teams?
No, I'm a baseball guy. It's interesting, I'll come across owners in other sports, and it seems that being a sports owner is treated as a club sort of thing, and I don't feel that way about it.
Your investment advice in this current economy?
Right now I would absolutely just buy three-month Treasury bills and when the 10-year rate gets up to near 4 percent, just buy 10-year bills.
Given the site of your planned new stadium, some Ybor City-themed questions: Best cigar you've ever had?
The Cuban cigar in Cuba (during the 2016 spring training trip) that was hand-rolled right there (at the MLB reception event). Definitely that one.
Favorite Cuban food?
Rice and beans.
Which kind of Cuban sandwich do you like?
I've eaten a bunch of different kinds, I just don't know what they are called. I'm just a down-the-middle Cuban sandwich guy. (Told of some options, he said he might like the medianoche style with the sweeter bread.)
What's your coffee shop drink?
I've been in a Starbucks maybe five times in my life. I don't drink coffee; if I do, it's just espresso.
So you probably like Cuban coffee then?
Yes I do, usually straight up.
Be honest. Did you initially know how to pronounce Ybor?
No. It was interesting. Years ago I would hear "Ybor" and people would speak about "Ybor City" and then I saw the words, Y-B-O-R City, and I didn't put the two together. … Not that I ever stopped to think how it would be spelled.
Three singers you'd like to see perform the anthem at the Trop?
I'd go back to Tom Waits, I'd like to see Lucius (an indie pop band from Brooklyn), and David Byrne.
Favorite memory of since-traded franchise player Evan Longoria?
Other than him hitting the homer in Game 162? My favorite Longo memory, and I still keep the picture in my phone, I saw his first pro game (after the 2006 draft) at Hudson Valley. I was up there with the family, and I got a picture of him with all of us. Anytime I think of it, it brings me back to when we were just really getting started and all the good we felt was coming.
Bruce Springsteen song that best sums up last season?
Long Walk Home.
And for this season?
Land of Hope and Dreams.
Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Rays