The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
By
Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer
In print: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tropicana Field wasn’t always designed as a dome. This original 1983 model is what city and county leaders first thought the ballpark would look like, which is similar to what the Tampa Bay Rays are proposing now for Al Lang Field. Ultimately, city leaders abandoned the “tent” concept, saying they preferred a dome that could host other events, not just baseball.
Outdoor seating. Tented roof. Fountains in center field.
It looks a lot like a new downtown waterfront stadium proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Except the image at top, taken by St. Petersburg Times photographer Fraser Hale in early 1983, is of a model of the original Tropicana design.
A Times reporter unearthed the picture recently while researching the history of Tropicana Field.
In the distance is the old Bayfront Arena, to the right is Interstate 175.
A fabric roof stretches over a boomerang-shaped stadium, anchored to the upper deck on one end, and at the ground on the other.
The design never got past the planning stages, shelved after city leaders pressed for a multipurpose dome that could attract events other than baseball.
The Rays, who will reveal a preliminary financing plan for the $450-million waterfront ballpark at noon Thursday at Tropicana Field, say they had never seen this picture before.
"People were really impressed with it," recalled Cecil Engelbert, 81, former chairman of the Pinellas Sports Authority.
"It would have sure been attractive."
Times staff researcher Mary Mellstrom contributed to this report.
[Last modified: May 17, 2008 11:43 PM]
Comments on this article
by toni
May 17, 2008 11:43 PM
dont waste our taxpayers dollars, id rather see you build homeless shelters,and give some funds to section 8 and coordinated child care
by Richard
May 15, 2008 6:00 PM
I'm surprised by the complaints about the heat - has anyone here been to a summer day game at Busch Stadium? And yet St. Louis has been selling out games for a long time. I could understand if this was 50 miles inland - but it's right on the bay.
by Glen
May 15, 2008 5:24 PM
An open-air stadium didn't make sense 20 years ago and it doesn't make sense now. We can't blow $500M on something so few people want. That no-new-taxes line is nonsense. Nothing is free.
by Murf
May 14, 2008 1:33 PM
As much as I love the Trop, this new stadium is beautiful and should appeal to all the purists who insisted the reason they did not attend games was the domed Trop. I would prefer to see a new stadium on the Al Land site than another condo, please...
by ed
May 14, 2008 1:33 PM
Build the new stadium and a parking garage on the south end of the Trop site - leave the downtown and the waterfront.
by ND
May 13, 2008 4:09 PM
Yea but I wanna watch in comfort
by Sean
May 13, 2008 2:45 PM
The new stadium is going to be so much better to watch a game in. If you want Air Conditioning, stay home and watch the game! Baseball is meant to be outside!
by Dave
May 13, 2008 1:39 PM
The open-air canopy stadium is an aesthetic wonder from the planners, designers and dreamers long distance myopia.The obvious practical reality reveals that a NON climate-controlled baseball facility in the Tampa Bay area is "bait & switch" nonsense!
by Bob
May 13, 2008 12:59 PM
The leadership in this town is looking more foolish everyday.
by roger
May 13, 2008 10:02 AM
Fans will be yearning for the Cool Trop.as they swelter in the humidity,,
by Anthony
May 13, 2008 10:02 AM
I am glad that the city did not vote for that design for the staduim it is not attractive.
by Edward
May 13, 2008 9:31 AM
And now we have a meaningless bowl game at the Trop. Could we all please get our priorities straight here?
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