Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Paul Tash and Tim Nickens

Recorded March 29, 2018 Archived March 29, 2018 37:19 minutes

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Id: dda002686

Description

Paul Tash (63) reminisces with his colleague and friend Tim Nickens (58) about the quest to get a baseball team for St. Petersburg, their memories of baseball growing up, and their work as journalists.

Subject Log / Time Code

TN on the history of the baseball team in St. Petersburg.

TN on what it was like the evening the St. Petersburg City Council voted to construct the baseball stadium.

TN on how the construction of the stadium changed the neighborhood.

PT on the way St. Petersburg finally got a team, and the excitement it generated in the city.

PT on growing up a Big League baseball fan, but not going to many games.

PT on being "prepared for failure" with the Rays, since he grew up with the White Sox and the Cubs.

PT and TN on one of the most memorable wins for the Rays.

TN on how the "quest for a baseball team in St. Petersburg" has paid off.

TN on how the rivalry between St. Petersburg and Tampa has diminished over time.

Participants

Paul Tash
Tim Nickens

Recording Locations

Tropicana Field

Venue / Recording Kit

Door-to-Door Kit A

Tier

Door-to-Door

Partnership

Tampa Bay Rays (2018)

Partnership Type

Fee for Service

Keywords

Subjects

People

Places

Transcript

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00:02 My name is Paul Tash. I'm with the Tampa Bay Times. I'm 63 years old today's date is March 29th, 2018, which is opening day for the 21st season of the Tampa Bay Rays and we are here at Tropicana Field with my friend Tim nickens.

00:22 I'm 10 seconds. I'm 58 years old. Today's date is March 29th, 2018 and we are here on opening day for the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. And Paul Tash is my friend mentor and colleague at the Tampa Bay Times. So Tim and I go a long way back and were involved in the coverage of the quest to have a Tampa Bay baseball team even before there was a team in to build a stadium and Tim you were the reporter for the then St. Petersburg times at the Momentis meeting of the st. Petersburg City Council to actually take a leap of faith and build the stadium before there was even any promise of the team.

01:12 Well, as you know Saint Petersburg in Tampa Bay or a far different place in the early eighties, and they are now St. Petersburg downtown was basically dead. It was hard to find a place to eat at after dark. It wasn't much to do and the city was desperate to come up with a way to re-energize to sit.