New Devil Rays owner making right moves -- and I'm buying in

November 6, 2005
You may not know Stuart Sternberg from Steve Guttenberg, but just know the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner has done something previously considered impossible.Sternberg's accomplishment is more amazing than the Philadelphia Eagles' decision to shut down Terrell Owens.It's more amazing than Coca-Cola's decision to nix Vanilla Coke.It's more amazing than the idea of Allen Iverson having to purchase dress slacks.Sternberg's feat?He has made baseball relevant in Tampa Bay.On Thursday, Sternberg introduced Gerry Hunsicker as the Devil Rays' senior vice president, just one of several perfect strikes the new owner has thrown since taking over a month ago.Sternberg convinced a guy who spent nine seasons with the Astros to join an organization that made the Washington Generals look like the New York Yankees.That should tell you something about Sternberg's charisma and the unbelievable progress he has made in altering the perception of the D-Rays.First, he sweet-talked fans by announcing there would be free parking at D-Rays games, and fans could bring in their own food. And now the 46-year-old principal owner has hired an experienced baseball guy with a solid reputation.For an owner, this is being "in the zone.""Stuart Sternberg is a breath of fresh air," Hunsicker said.Fresh air and Devil Rays?Excuse us if we clutch our chests, a la Fred Sanford, because nobody around here is used to Tampa Bay's baseball team being associated with anything other than futility.It's usually not wise to sip the Kool-Aid that is poured by any new management team. They all promise to spend more money, strengthen community ties and turn the team into a contender. Sternberg is no different.But in this case, I'm sipping it. There is hope and belief in Tampa, which Vince Naimoli destroyed after a horrible eight-year reign.Now, this doesn't mean the D-Rays will appear in the World Series in 2006, but Sternberg already has made Tampa Bay the most improved team in Major League Baseball.Take that, Vince the Grinch."Our goal is to transform the Rays into a premier organization," Sternberg said last month.The only way things were going to change in Tampa Bay is if an owner was daring enough to make decisions without feeling obligated to tradition.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/