Spring Training Online

The Arizona Diamondbacks confirmed ongoing talks with four potential operators of spring-training sites in the greater Phoenix area, including the Gila River Indian Reservation. (We hinted at this yesterday with a reference to a river running through of the potential spring-training training sites.)

The Diamondbacks have trained at Tucson Electric Park since the team's inception, but the decision by the White Sox to move operations to a Glendale facility triggers an out clause in the team's lease with Pima County, giving them freedom to move should there be only two teams remaining in Tucson. The Colorado Rockies have the same clause in their lease for Hi Corbett Field (which is slated to end in 2011 anyway), and in the past year Rockies officials have openly discussed a spring move to Phoenix as well.

Sarasota officials say they need a little time to review a proposal from the Baltimore Orioles for a $65-million spring-training complex.

As discussed in last night's county commission meeting, the proposal calls for revenues generated from the tourist tax to pay for a renovation of Ed Smith Stadium, currently the spring home of the Cincinnati Reds, as well as an expanded and upgraded spring complex. The Orioles would also work with Ripken Baseball to bring a year-round youth baseball academy to the city as well as provide free advertising for Sarasota tourism on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which reaches television viewers in both Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The new Glendale (Az.) spring home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox will be named Camelback Ranch, as the teams (for now) eschew a naming-rights deal. The announcement was made by Dodger Owner and Chairman Frank McCourt and White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

"Camelback Ranch in Glendale soon will be known as the crown jewel of the Cactus League," said White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. "Starting this spring, baseball fans will be able to enjoy a world-class complex that features the Cactus League's largest ballpark with state-of-the-art amenities and one of the most scenic environments in all of sports and entertainment."

The Baltimore Orioles and Sarasota County have reached an impasse in negotiations for the team's potential move to Sarasota -- and the impasse is very serious, causing the Orioles to send Cal Ripken Jr. to the Gulf Coast city yesterday in an effort to sway some opinions.

The Orioles are proposing a $65-million makeover of the current Cincinnati Reds training complex and adjacent fields now controlled by Sarasota Youth Baseball. A new 7,500-seat ballpark would be built next to Ed Smith Stadium, with a Ripken Youth Baseball Academy nearby. Sarasota Youth Baseball would lose its six-field complex and share a smaller complex with the Ripken academy. Proceeds from the county hotel tax would fund the construction and renovations.

There's the very real chance Lee County and Fort Myers will lose the Boston Red Sox as a tenant, but don't say county commissioners don't think big: they want to bring in a third team along with the BoSox and the Minnesota Twins. That would put four teams in the general region (the Tampa Bay Rays are moving spring-training operations to nearby Port Charlotte next year). It is an interesting strategy: while the Red Sox inch closer to a Sarasota move (both sides have exchanged terms for a move; Sarasota County is slated to make a counteroffer this week). At this point it's all wishful thinking: there doesn't seem to be enough money to building the Red Sox a new facility, never mind the money to build a facility for two. (Plus, we're not quite sure the Red Sox want to share a facility, what with a solid offer from Sarasota already on the table.) The issue isn't whether the market can support three teams -- it can -- the issue is whether Lee County and Fort Myers have at least $100 million for new facilities. More from the Fort Myers News-Press.