CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Philadelphia Phillies' new spring
training stadium is the Grapefruit League's rookie of the year.
Bright House Networks Field features a spacious locker room and
state-of-the-art training facilities, access for autograph hounds
and stargazers, corporate suites, easy highway access and more than
double the parking spaces.
Now the have-nots in the Grapefruit League, such as the
Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota and the Baltimore Orioles in Fort
Lauderdale, want their own fields of dreams.
"We're trying to make sure that spring training as a travel and
tourism destination stays healthy, and teams have good
facilities," said John Allen, chief operating officer for the
Reds, who've played at no-frills Ed White Stadium since 1998.
Consider the Orioles' plight. They not only play in the
Grapefruit League's oldest park -- Fort Lauderdale Stadium opened in
1961 -- but visiting their minor-league camp involves a 3{-hour
drive in Sarasota.
"It's not an optimum situation," Baltimore vice president Jim
Beattie said.
That's why the Reds and Orioles look longingly to Clearwater --
and to Tallahassee, where state lawmakers dispensed the money that
built the $32 million Bright House Networks Field.
The Legislature is expected to consider a measure that would
provide partial financing for refurbishing those teams' stadiums.
Four years ago legislation passed and led to the construction of
the Phillies' ballpark and renovation of four others. A similar
bill is in the works as lawmakers prepare to convene their regular
session on Tuesday.
"There's always that hope," said Nick Gandy, spokesman for the
Florida Sports Foundation, the state's official sports promotion
and development organization. "Since we got the money once..."
Spring training is a big boost to Florida's economy. Almost 1.4
million fans attended 265 games last season, creating an economic
impact of about $450 million.
The Grapefruit League turned to state lawmakers for help in the
late 1990s, after raids by the Cactus League. The Arizona
Legislature's financial commitment to spring training allowed
promises to be made of shiny stadiums and sprawling complexes where
teams could gather their players and coaches on one figurative
field.
The Chicago White Sox were the first club to accept an offer,
departing for Tucson in 1998, allowing the Reds to move from Plant
City into Ed White Stadium. After Phoenix-area voters approved
another round of funding in 2000, the Kansas City Royals and Texas
Rangers moved three years later to the suburb of Surprise. Also,
the Los Angeles Dodgers strongly considered leaving famed
Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
That movement got Florida's attention. In 2000, Gov. Jeb Bush
signed a measure allocating up to $75 million to five
municipalities that wanted to upgrade their stadiums. The money
came with two requirements: Funding had to be matched, and the
teams had to sign leases of at least 15 years.
When the first cry of "Play ball!" was heard in 2003,
renovations were complete at four ballparks: Joker Marchant Stadium
in Lakeland (Detroit Tigers), Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee
(Houston Astros), Knology Park in Dunedin (Toronto Blue Jays) and
Dodgertown.
And with Philadelphia opening its 2004 schedule against the New
York Yankees on Thursday, Florida's first new ballpark in six years
debuts.
Also improved is Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, home of the
New York Mets. But that was done with county money, rather than
state funding.
"It's a win-win situation," Bush spokeswoman Alia Faraj said.
"It's a boost for the city, for the state's economy and attract
thousands and thousands of fans."
But Faraj said the governor could not commit to signing a bill
that hasn't even been introduced. "That is why there is a process
in place," she said.
No detail was overlooked at Bright House, from the 6,800 seats
all angled toward the pitcher's mound to prevent strained necks, to
the playing field's dimensions matching the Phillies' new
major-league stadium, Citizens Bank Park. With a concourse
surrounding the field, the only time fans will miss a pitch is if
they're in the restrooms.
Since 1997 the Phillies had wanted to move out of Jack Russell
Stadium, their home for 48 springs. The park is located in a
declining neighborhood without good road access -- and to put a
point on its decrepit condition, a row of seats collapsed under a
city commissioner's feet in 2001, leaving him injured and dazed
within the stadium's bowels.
But only when the state made its funding commitment did the
team, Clearwater and Pinellas County follow.
"It would not have been done without all four partners," said
Kevin Dunbar, Clearwater's parks and recreation director.
The Phillies and their fans won't be the only beneficiaries of
the new stadium.
Clearwater's team in the Single-A Florida State League hadn't
been drawing well at Jack Russell. There's now a big marketing push
that starts with a new home, new name (Threshers), new logo (a
shark about to devour a baseball) and new manager (Phillies Hall of
Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt).
After listening to Dunbar's litany of the park's features
(cupholders in every seat, architecture matching Clearwater's
Spanish Mediterranean look), followed by speculation that Bright
House would be perfect for the postseason tournaments of the
Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences, it's clear why
Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale want a part of the action.
"I think the uniform reaction is 'Wow," John Timberlake, the
Phillies' director of Florida operations, quietly boasted.
^------=
AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this
story.
^End Advance<