ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays want to go back
to Walt Disney World.
The team plans to ask the St. Petersburg City Council for
permission to play a series against the Toronto Blue Jays from
April 22-24.
If approved, it would be the second consecutive year the Rays
played regular season games at Disney's Wide World of Sports in
Kissimmee, about 95 miles east of Tropicana Field. Last May, the
Rays swept the Texas Rangers in a three-game series at Disney but
drew only a combined 27,000 fans.
Still, the Rays believe the games are needed if they are to
expand their fan base beyond the Tampa Bay area.
The team recently changed its nickname -- dropping the word
'Devil' -- and unveiled a proposal for a $450 million waterfront
stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.
"We were very pleased with every aspect of last year's series
at the Disney Sports Complex, particularly the experience we were
able to provide for fans who were attending their first Rays
games," team president Matt Silverman said in a statement.