John Romano talks to Stuart Sternberg and offers analysis of why the Devil Rays are playing in Orlando this week:

"We can survive barely and we can do okay if we get the support of St. Pete and Tampa, " Sternberg said. "We can thrive - which is what everybody in St. Pete and Tampa wants - if I do my job expanding to become a regional franchise. From Port Charlotte up, and Orlando in.

"We have to be a regional franchise."

Look, the man is not a fool. He does not expect three games against Texas in the middle of May to turn the fortunes of a franchise forever stuck in neutral. Attendance will not be goosed at Tropicana Field because Orlando, Lakeland or Kissimmee suddenly became Rays towns.

But, really, that was not the purpose of this series. Sternberg's plan is grander. He sees advertising dollars. He sees demographics. He sees marketing.

And he sees lots and lots of television sets.

Before the Rays moved into Orlando's ballpark, they invaded Central Florida's airwaves. The Rays increased their TV package from around 25 to 67 games.

This means a market that was the 27th largest in the United States, according to the latest census, has Rays games on TV several nights a week all summer long.

"Would I rather have 30, 000 people in the stadium or 1-million watching on TV?" Sternberg said. "I think I would probably rather have 1-million people watching on TV. It's more important to know that 1-million people do care. And, from a money standpoint and the advertising, there's more revenue derived there.

Sternberg is not making the mistake baseball made in the early 1950s, when television hurt attendance. Television gets people interested in the team, so when the team gets good, the fan base is there to come to the ballpark. From a marketing perspective at least, the Devil Rays are in good hands.

And providing an exciting win sure helps.