Reds: The other Ohio team

Jessica Coomes, The Arizona Republic
Jan. 18, 2008 10:29 AM

In other baseball news, Cincinnati Reds officials were in the city this week for a tour of Goodyear with Mayor Jim Cavanaugh and Interim City Manager Brian Dalke.

Five Reds representatives were in town Wednesday, including Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini and former Chief Operating Officer John Allen, the city confirmed.

The Reds are considering moving the club's spring training base from Sarasota, Fla. And Goodyear has been trying to attract a second team to share its soon-to-be-built ballpark with the Indians.

Land near the ballpark will be reserved for a second player development complex until February 2009, Dalke said.

"They were very impressed with our community, very impressed with our proactive approach in getting a second team," Dalke said of the Reds visit.

He declined to say whether Goodyear was meeting with other teams.

"We like all teams," he said Thursday.

Indians officials said they have always expected to share the ballpark with another team.

"We are enthusiastically prepared to assist in whatever way we can," Folk said.

DiBiasio had no information about the Reds visit but said, "I'm sure he (Allen) liked what he saw. We did."

As for the Reds, DiBiasio called the other Ohio team "our friends from the south" and said the Indians have a "wonderful working relationship with them."

The Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority has said its funding for ballparks is exhausted, and Goodyear would not get assistance to accommodate a second team.

"That doesn't stop us from asking again," Dalke said this week, saying revenue could be greater than what was forecast, or new revenue options could be created.

Goodyear will wait for the Reds to make the next move, Dalke said.

"The ball's in their court," he said. "The baseball's in their field. That's a better vernacular."