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Reds' Likely Departure Has Sarasota Scouting Teams
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Published: April 7, 2008
SARASOTA - The Baltimore Orioles may not be very good on the field - they had the third worst record in baseball last year - but in the eyes of several cities, including Sarasota, the O's look like champs.
The Orioles play spring training in Fort Lauderdale, but their contract is up this year and the team has said it will move if the stadium there isn't upgraded.
"Baltimore is the only team that has an open lease," said Kevin Reichard, publisher of Ballpark Digest. "They can leave tomorrow, technically."
The Orioles are one of three teams involved in behind-the-scenes discussions with cities looking for a team. Another is the Cincinnati Reds, who appear poised to move from Sarasota to Goodyear, Ariz. The Milwaukee Brewers, who play in Phoenix, are also rumored to be looking for a new home.
In a field of 30 major league teams, most are anchored in long-term agreements, leaving few chances to keep spring training in Sarasota, a tradition that dates back to 1924.
Reds Decision Set For Today
The Goodyear City Council is set to decide the Cincinnati Reds' fate today when it votes whether to borrow $33 million to bring the team out West. An informal poll of the city council shows that there is enough support for a yes vote. Reds backers in Sarasota are holding out hope that Goodyear votes against the funding plan and the team stays here. The back-up option is the Orioles. And the Milwaukee Brewers are a long shot.
In case the Reds don't head west, Sarasota officials are trying to finalize a $41 million agreement to renovate Ed Smith Stadium in an effort to entice the team to stay.
After four failed attempts, officials are close to sealing the funding package. The city, state and county had $44 million on the table this time last year, but the Reds insisted on a renovation costing $54 million. That idea since has been abandoned and the team, city officials say, would settle for the more modest rehab.
If the Reds leave, Sarasota Mayor Lou Ann Palmer said she wants to start looking for another team immediately.
The Orioles, who have a history here and have been in touch with Sarasota officials, seem to be the most promising alternative.
Built in 1962, their ballpark in Fort Lauderdale is one of the Grapefruit League's most dilapidated. The Orioles took over the facility in 1996 after the New York Yankees left.
Fort Lauderdale promised the team a new facility, including extra space for its minor league team, which plays at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota. But that stadium deal has been at a standstill for a year, held up by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has to sign off on the project because it borders an airport.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle said the city has been waiting on the FAA for nearly a year, and city officials are becoming frustrated.
"If the FAA doesn't sign off on it, I'm sure the Orioles would want to have a place lined up to go," Naugle said.
Orioles Have Options
The Orioles have been discussing a possible move up the coast to Vero Beach to replace the Dodgers, who are moving to Arizona next season. The Orioles, though, want $12 million in improvements to the Vero Beach facility, a potential stumbling block standing in the way of such a move.
Sarasota also has been talking to Orioles officials.
Pat Calhoon, Sarasota's stadium manager, first spoke to the Orioles two months ago after the Reds signed an exclusive negotiating agreement with Goodyear. Since then Calhoon has spoken several times to John Angelos, one of the team's owners. In a recent call Angelos, son of the team's main owner, Peter Angelos, asked about plans to renovate Ed Smith stadium.
"He called and wanted to know about our funding plan," Calhoon said.
Calhoon gave Angelos basic information on Ed Smith Stadium and renovation plans.
Sarasota and the Orioles already have history together.
The Orioles played spring training games here in the 1990s before moving to Fort Lauderdale. And the Reds minor league team plays its regular season games here.
The Brewers, in Phoenix since 1988, also are said to be looking to move. But its lease there doesn't expire until 2012.
Once the lease expires - or even before - the team owners could be eyeing Florida, said Reichard.
Sarasota, Vero Beach and other cities looking to land teams not only are competing against each other, but against a backdrop of difficult economic times.
The money that Arizona used to lure other teams out West, funded primarily by a tax on car rentals, has run dry. In Florida, local and state governments are facing cutbacks because of shrinking revenue.
That puts even more pressure on those cities to get something done now, Reichard said.
"I think once the dust settles on this set of moves, we won't see a lot of changes over the next 10 years," he said.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( Capt_Bill ) on April 7, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
What makes Sarasota (where I live) think that any other team would want to come here for spring training if we don't want the Reds in the first place? That's the problem with Sarasota. No matter what the PEOPLE think, they (the commissioners) keep beating a dead horse in hopes to revive it. Baseball is not an interest worth pursuing any longer. Polls and votes show citizens feel no need for oversized parks, stranglehold tactics from teams, or the meager funds drawn by the teams. We don't want to tear down neighborhoods to build the fields. We don't want to subsidize the construction of the stadium. We don't NEED baseball. The people have spoken (many times) and the powers-that-be need to listen.
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