ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays' potential new ballpark got a boost Thursday when the St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve the bonds necessary to finance the $1.3 billion stadium.
This is only part of the deal. The Pinellas County Commission also must decide whether to approve its share, with a vote set later in December. Meanwhile, the Rays will play this season in the New York Yankees’ spring training site, Steinbrenner Field in Tampa because of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field.
The Rays have said it is impossible to play at the Trop next year and maybe not until 2026. The vote Thursday was to issue bonds that could finance a new stadium, perhaps by the 2028 season. It came after the county hedged on the financing deal, while the overall plan was approved by the city and county last summer.
The ballpark is part of a larger $6,5 billion project called the Historic Gas Plant District, which is an urban restoration effort aimed at righting a wrong when Black people were moved out so that Tropicana Field and a highway could be built on prime land in downtown St. Petersburg.
“There’s more to it for me than just baseball. We are upholding our part of the bargain,” said Deborah Figgs-Sanders, chair of the St. Petersburg City Council. “We honored our deal.”
Now it’s up to the Pinellas County Commission to decide to issue bonds that would be paid for by tourist taxes that can’t be spent on such things as hurricane recovery. That meeting is set for Dec. 17.
The Rays have had no comment. The team has previously said they are abiding by the current agreement and intend to stay in St, Petersburg.
The Rays’ home since 1998, the domed Tropicana Field was hit hard by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, with most of its fabric roof shredded and water damage inside. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the Trop, released an assessment of the damage and repair needs that estimated the cost at $55.7 million.
FILE - Members of the Tampa Bay Rays take batting practice at Tropicana Field before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, July 24, 2020, in St. Petersburg, Fla.. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - The roof of the Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund hoped that reaching the Champions League final would lay a platform for further success. Instead, it's gone backward.
Firing coach Nuri Sahin on Wednesday was largely seen as inevitable after one win from the last nine games, but there's no clear path to a turnaround.
Youth coach Mike Tullberg will take charge against Werder Bremen on Saturday in the Bundesliga while Dortmund searches for Sahin's replacement. Reports in Germany identified the favorite as ex-Bayern Munich and Monaco coach Niko Kovac but he told Austrian TV on Wednesday, “No one has spoken to me.”
Whoever does take over will inherit an underperforming squad on course for its worst league placing in years.
Here's a look at what's gone wrong for one of Germany's most storied soccer clubs:
With Dortmund 10th in the Bundesliga, it's on track to miss out on the Champions League next season for the first time in a decade.
Sahin, in charge since June, had rocky patches early in his tenure but things were going from bad to worse with four straight losses to start 2025.
His fan favorite status as an ex-Dortmund player and close relationships with senior players may have bought him time.
Even before Sahin took charge, Dortmund's run to the Champions League final arguably masked underlying issues.
Dortmund placed fifth in the Bundesliga last season under Edin Terzic, who resigned at the end of the season, and was arguably fortunate to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals after PSG repeatedly hit the post and crossbar.
Last Friday, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl pledged Sahin his full support. Five days later, Sahin was gone.
The apparent hesitation as Dortmund slid down the table over the last month was a contrast to the ruthlessness shown to former coaches. Lucien Favre was fired in December 2020 when Dortmund was fifth, and Peter Bosz lasted five months in 2017.
The difficulties also come at a time when Dortmund's long-term strategy is uncertain. Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke is leaving later this year after 20 years.
Dortmund used to develop Europe's best young players such as Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho. Now it's fighting to keep up.
Dortmund's German rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig are competing for the best youngsters and Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is one of the most in-demand players in world soccer.
The 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens is having a strong season with 11 goals from 27 games but Dortmund's youth teams are no longer packed with first-team-ready talent.
When teens have covered for injured first-team players this season they've struggled, and players once considered Dortmund's future haven't developed as planned. Injuries have disrupted 22-year-old U.S. attacking midfielder Gio Reyna, while striker Youssoufa Moukoko has scored only twice all season on loan at Nice.
Money isn't the problem at Dortmund after its lucrative Champions League run last season and the promise of millions more at the Club World Cup in the United States.
The issue has been who to spend it on.
Dortmund has relied heavily on experienced names such as Emre Can, Pascal Gross, Marcel Sabitzer and, until he was injured, Niklas Süle. The squad that reached the Champions League final last season was one of the oldest in the competition, too.
After striker Niclas Füllkrug, signed at 29 and now at West Ham, was a success at Dortmund, the club signed a string of older, late-blooming players based largely on Bundesliga form, with mixed results.
Since the start of last season, Dortmund's only permanent first-team signing from outside the German league is 33-year-old former Brighton midfielder Gross.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Dortmund players run during a training one day ahead of their Champions League soccer match against FC Bologna, in Dortmund, Germany, Monday Jan. 20, 2025. (Federico Gambarini/dpa/dpa via AP)
Borussia's coach Nuri Sahin looks on during the Champions League soccer match between Bologna and Dortmund at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium, in Bologna, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)
Dortmund's players react after the Bundesliga soccer match between Holstein Kiel and Borussia Dortmund at the Holstein Stadium in Kiel, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Gregor Fischer/dpa via AP)
