“The Rays are Close to a New Place to Call Home” This is Something to Think About 01.19.26

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“The Rays are Close to a New Place to Call Home”

Bill Bunkley’s “This Is Something to Think About”

Air Date Monday, January 19, 2026

Back in the 70’s, the British Invasion led by the Beatles gave the world many memorable songs. One of which was written and composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, entitled “The Long and Winding Road.”

Well, the Tampa Bay Rays know what it’s like to be on a very long and winding road en route to a new place to call home.

And if the Board of Trustees of Tampa’s Hillsborough College approves a land deal for their Dale Mabry campus this week, by 2029, we hope to hear the words “batter up” echoing across Drew Park.

If that comes to pass, Tampa will host its own mega Sports Park showcasing the Rays, the Bucs, and the New York Yankees.  

I think it’s an outstanding locational choice, one that I hope the financing piece will come together.

Bill Bunkley is a 20-year veteran Salem Media talk show host based in Tampa. The Bill Bunkley Show airs on weekdays from 3 to 5 pm across central Florida. Bill is also President of the Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention (Southern Baptist Convention Churches), among other churches and entities. He has served as the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention for the last 30 years at the state capitol in Tallahassee. By the Grace of his Lord Jesus, he is a cancer survivor diagnosed in 2018 with AML Leukemia, having successfully undergone a bone marrow transplant that same year. In 2025, he underwent successful open-heart surgery to repair a heart valve. His wife is Toni, his son is Zac, and he attends Idlewild Baptist Church.

Copyright © William H. (Bill) Bunkley 2026 All Rights Reserved