Yet another nail in the coffin as far as I see it. How many nails does it take to bury Sarasota?
Maybe the Reds finally realize there's no need to appease fans who themselves will be six feet under by the time the Reds move to AZ. The future is bright. You may even see a fan under 30 in AZ. ;-)
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Still dressed in long sleeves more befitting for chilly Ohio weather on Wednesday, Reds president and chief executive officer Bob Castellini made a beeline straight to the team facility upon touching down in Florida.
Castellini roved the practice fields, stopped to talk with rotation ace Aaron Harang and lavished praise upon a member of the grounds crew for upgrading the outfield grass this past winter.
Most of all, Castellini had good vibes to spread about the makeup of his ballclub.
"I can say I'm more cautiously optimistic, with the emphasis on the optimistic, than I've been the previous two Spring Trainings," said Castellini, whose ownership group finalized the Reds' purchase in January 2006.
"We made some good moves, two predominant ones with [manager] Dusty [Baker] and Francisco Cordero," Castellini said. "We have an emphasis on youth here to pick up the ballclub. There's nothing more optimistic than youthful enthusiasm and exuberance and that's what we have here."
Did the team's boss feel that the Reds could contend with what they have on the field?
"We all know we have to round out the rotation," Castellini said. "We're going to see what we have going. I think you all realize we have good potential here. Over the winter I was told by Texas' people that they didn't want to give up [Edinson] Volquez. We heard from Philadelphia how they wanted to keep [Matt] Maloney. Homer [Bailey] and Johnny [Cueto] are our own and we know them to be outstanding. They will prove whether they are ready for a rotation spot."
Was it Castellini's preference to make improvements without dealing the team's elite prospects?
"Absolutely," he responded.
One of Castellini's favorites, left fielder Adam Dunn, is playing out a $13 million option this season with no imminent sign of a contract extension being worked out. Castellini was asked if he was optimistic something could get done.
"You know how much I like Adam Dunn," he responded. "You take those things one day at a time. That's on nobody's mind right now, least of all, Adam's."While the Reds worked out under the Florida sun, the realization is they could be under an Arizona desert sky holding Spring Training by 2010. Exploring a move of camp with a deal in Sarasota stalled, the club is currently in a 75-day exclusive negotiating period with the city of Goodyear, Ariz., that expires on April 15.
Goodyear is building a $75 million facility for the Indians that will open next spring but is looking for a second team to share the place for the following year.
After weeks of foot-dragging, the Sarasota County Commission approved $17.6 million towards funding the renovation of Ed Smith Stadium. It could be a fall-back scenario for the Reds to stay if a deal with Goodyear can't be forged.
"I'm pleased that Sarasota is making an effort to keep us," Castellini said. "The most important thing about all of this is not the convenience of it all. The fans are extremely important, but that's not as important as [having] the best Spring Training possible."
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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