"Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said baseball commissioner Bud Selig and the owners of the 29 other teams have turned up the volume this offseason concerning the club's stadium issue.

"There was a lot to deal with (this offseason) with Major League Baseball questioning how we're going about things here; not so much running it but just what the future holds," Sternberg said. "And I anticipated that to be an issue."

During a radio interview in October, Selig had this to say about the Rays' attendance: "They are a wonderful organization, produced a terrific team this year and finished last in the American League in attendance.

"I'll let you draw your own conclusion. That's bad."

When asked by host Chris Russo if the prospect of the Rays getting a new stadium in the Bay area was a "lost cause," Selig replied, "I can't answer that yet, but I'm usually an optimist, and I don't have any reason to be too optimistic."

Sternberg said he remains optimistic.

Sternberg took time from his chores Saturday while he and an army of volunteers from the Rays and the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA built a playground at Layla's House, an early childhood and parent community learning center in Sulfur Springs, to talk about his Jan. 17 meeting with St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, the prospects of getting a new stadium and the concerns of Selig and his fellow owners.

"There's a lot going on. They're wondering. What do we do?" Sternberg said.

And what can Sternberg do?

"We're going to keep winning baseball games, and we've got a lot fans who love what we do and follow us," he said."