Tribe moving Spring Training Facility back to Arizona??

[Ninersrule]

For those of you that have not heard the Tribe has made it's intentions
known , that it wants to move back to Arizona in 2009, to Goodyear.

However, the funding for the project has hit a snag, but the deal at the beginning was supposed to have two teams for the complex- not just one.

At first it was rumored that perhaps the Birds of Baltimore might move,
and then it was Dodgers... who are planning a move, but now it is too
Glendale, along with the White Sox, who are looking to move out
of Tucson' Electric Park.

The sticking point is that it will cost around $55 million to build a complex for one team, and 77.5 millon for 2 teams. The state has agreed to fund 66.7%
of a new ballpark as opposed to just 50% for 1 team. In my thinking this comes to a difference of only 2 million, but the Indians may be reluctant
to come up with the difference. We'll see.

Here is a link to the story:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...eballON17.html

[Ninersrule]

This move was officially approved by the Arizona Sports Authority last week,
the move should happen in 2009.

The White Sox have for the last three years attempted to get the
Indians to move to Tucson, and in the last two month alone have tried
unsuccessfully to get the Tribe to move. The Tribe has decided against the move because of logistics...mainly no direct flights from Cleveland to Tucson,
and having to bus to almost all of the away Cactus League games.

The major reason behind this, the Pale Hose have to pay 28 million to leave
Tucson Electric Park if they don't find a replacement for TEP. By not having
a replacement in place... the CWS in their infinite wisdom... asked the
Arizona Sports Authority to NOT FUND any other Cactus League projects
until a replacement was found. This would have almost forced the Indians
to Tucson, but ASTA refuse. Great now the White Sox are playing games
off the field as well.... as if Indian fans needed another reason to despise
the White Sox.. this just adds icing to the cake.

What this all means is that Tucson most likely end up with no team, and
the Dodgers and White Sox will wind up in a shared facility in Glendale.

Here is a link to story from the Arizona Daily Star;

White Sox approached Indians about Tucson | www.azstarnet.com ®

[TRrrr]

Originally Posted by Ninersrule

What this all means is that Tucson most likely end up with no team, and the Dodgers and White Sox will wind up in a shared facility in Glendale.

The Rockies and Diamondbacks will still be in Tucson.

They make it almost seem like Goodyear is in Phoenix. Truth is, Goodyear is 35-40 minutes from the airport in Phoenix...without traffic. And there is a lot of traffic. And the bus trips from Goodyear to Scottsdale and Mesa during afternoon traffic will be brutal.

As a Tribe fan who used to watch the Indians at Hi-Corbet Field, I would much rather make a connection and fly into uncrowded Tucson, be 10 minutes from the ballpark, than fly into Phoenix and have a to fight the crowds at the airport and drive 35-60 minutes to middle-of-nowhere Goodyear.

That being said, screw the White Sox. I hope they remain in Tucson against their will until the lease expires in 2012.

[slegend]

Problem? I could convince the family to go watch the Tribe if they could go to Disney. That probably will not happen in Zona.

Oh well - watching the spring games had to end some time...