Rays want Fridays at Trop to be 'baseball nightclub'

Officials with the Tampa Bay Rays will turn Tropicana Field into a "baseball nightclub" after Friday home games in hopes of luring 5,000 to 10,000 more fans on a night that historically has had low attendance.

The marketing campaign for the 2010 season focuses on extending the festivities usually offered on Saturdays and Sundays - postgame concerts and family-oriented events - to Fridays, said Mark Fernandez, the Rays' senior vice president.

"We want this to be the place to be," Fernandez said.

Attendance for Friday home games average about 20,000, which is similar to crowds from Tuesday to Thursday, he said. Crowds at weekend games are about 30,000 per game.

The party atmosphere for Fridays throughout the season will include collectible T-shirt giveaways - one shirt tailor-made for women will have a message on the front that reads, "I Heart Longoria" - and indoor fireworks.

That's right: fireworks inside the Trop going off five minutes after the last out.

"We tested it," said Tom Hoof, the Rays' vice president of marketing and community relations. "It's pretty cool. The roof is still on the building."

After the pyrotechnics, fans will be allowed to walk onto the field, toward Batter's Eye Restaurant and Centerfield Street, for an after-party with live bands and DJs, Hoof said.

The two-word pitch batted around during marketing meetings in the offseason was "baseball nightclub," Fernandez said.

The high-energy theme is also evident in the team's first 30-second commercial for the season, featuring a music track performed by a drum line as images of players and fans flash on the screen. The spot will air on local stations beginning Tuesday.

More commercials featuring drum line beats will air soon, Hoof said, but the team is going to need the help of local high schools to complete them.

The Rays are taking submissions from drum lines of area high schools for upcoming television and radio spots, Hoof said. The winners will get a chance to play their original music on the field at Friday home games.

Admissions from public or private high schools in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Sarasota, Charlotte, Hernando and Polk counties will be accepted.

Bands can register at raysbaseball.com/drumline, or submit a DVD, CD or MP3 via mail to: Drum Lines, Tampa Bay Rays, One Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg FL 33705.