By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Thursday, June 2, 2011
TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Sports Commission's inaugural Sneaker Soiree on Thursday night was a nicely scripted celebration of excellence in sports business.
The speeches were on target, the tributes were moving, and the awards were deserving. Even so, the event's best moment may have been the one time it went off cue.
During a mostly benign 20-minute roundtable with Bryan Glazer, Stuart Sternberg and Jeff Vinik, host Rock Riley asked the Rays owner what he has learned about Tampa Bay that he did not know when he bought the Rays.
You could almost see Sternberg debating the virtues of decorum and honesty before finally answering:
"Water is a big divide."
After 16 seconds of laughter and applause, Sternberg added a deadpan kicker:
"The rest of it, I got cold."
Sternberg's response seemed to indicate his disappointment with the number of fans who come from Hillsborough County to Tropicana Field.
He went on to say the community has been wonderful since his purchase of the Rays six years ago, before returning to the issue of fans making the trek to St. Petersburg.
"You know, we've learned really lots about what — I would say — (are) the driving habits of people," Sternberg said. "And their … ability to sort of navigate bridges."