Mayor Foster defends Tropicana Field, roof and all

Tropicana Field's self-proclaimed champion is smarting from the complaint by Manager Joe Maddon that the stadium's ceiling is hurting the Rays pursuit of the American League championship.

"To lose a game like this in a pennant situation because of a roof truly indicates why there's a crying need for a new baseball park," Maddon said after Thursday's 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

He was speaking of the infield fly that bounced off the domed roof's metal support, or A Ring, and dropped onto the field instead of into a glove.

"You win some you lose some," St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said, in his own post-game assessment Friday. "That's not why they lost the game Thursday."

Foster is engaged in a slugfest of his own against the Rays as owner Stu Sternberg keeps the pressure on to build a new ballpark somewhere else, long before the expiration date on the team's contract with the city to play at Tropicana Field.

"They had eight other innings to score runs and they didn't, and the fact that you're going to point to that and say that's why we lost the game, I don't buy it," Foster said.

The mayor said every major league ballpark has its quirks and he ticked off a list: The Cubs' Wrigley Field with the ivy that snags long-hit balls, the Red Sox Fenway Park and "The Monster," The Rockies' Coors Field with its wind tunnel.

During the 2007 season, Rays slugger Carlos Peña struck the Tropicana catwalks a record five times without complaint from the Rays.

Rays fan Helen Ames says the only difference this week is the roof rings worked against the home team.

"When I saw it happen yesterday, I said, 'Well, it finally happened, it went against us,'" Ames said.

Foster said he remains Tropicana Field's most outspoken supporter.

"It's a great baseball facility and quite frankly, I get discouraged when people knock it."