ST. PETERSBURG — Alan Balfour has a plan for the Tampa Bay Rays that doesn't include a new ballpark costing hundreds of millions of dollars. • Balfour, chairman of the University of South Florida's Department of Management & Organization, thinks the problems of Tropicana Field can be lessened with a simple coat of paint. • "The outside has the uninviting appearance of a dirigible hangar," says Balfour, 65, who recently wrote the St. Petersburg Times with his idea. "It would look much better in navy and Carolina blue with accents of orange and yellow." • Inside, Balfour says, the interior roof could be painted like a blue sky with "fleecy white clouds and a yellow sun that reprises the logo." • The Times decided to bring Balfour's brainchild to life. Graphic artist Rossie Newson painted the Trop blue and orange and yellow, just like Balfour envisioned. The image accompanies this story. • "The stadium does not have to be as unappealing as it is," says Balfour, who attends a few games a year and follows the team on television. • So, is paint enough?
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