Wasn't Tropicana developed as a multipurpose?
I think one of the things that baseball fans maybe forget or don't realize is that it was opened in 1990. Camden Yards, which has become the standard for the new era of stadia, opened in 1992. Tropicana should be more comparable to Toronto's Roger's Centre (opened as SkyDome in 1989). But I think that because it didn't have a baseball tenant until 1998, it's sterile/unpleasant nature gets magnified a bit. The Rays were created in the retro park era, but started and have only played in a cookie cutter. And of course, the lack of attendance adds into the perception as well.