Reds could stay in sarasota

by shortstopv2 on Feb 13, 2008 7:18 PM EST

John Fay reports that sarasota said ok to the reds new plans for their ballpark. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080213/SPT04/302130090/

I really hope the reds stay in sarasota flordia, my parents have a house 5 mins (its closes close to dick vitales house down there) from ed smith statium and we went down there last year and it was awesome. No matter were you sit you have a good seat. I think sarasota is kind of panicing at the reds leaving, i mean with out them its just old people. Anybody else think the reds should stay in sarasota.

Poll

Should the reds stay in sarasota?

No

9 votes

Yes

26 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

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I really don't care

If I want to see a Red's spring training game I can go to Arizona. It makes a lot of sense for the Red's to go to Arizona. The longest bus ride is about an hour, it doesn't rain, not to mention the great deal they are getting. Plus if you traveled to see Cincinnati play in Arizona, you can also see a lot of other teams that are close by, and take in a lot of spring training baseball. That isn't so easy in the Grapefruit League. I understand that Florida is closer than Arizona. If I am traveling at that time of the year I would probably prefer to fly, and I don't think the airfare is all that different.

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 13, 2008 7:39 PM EST reply actions

John Allen is a sly dog

Allen on Sarasota's offer:

Asked if the county's action comes too late, John Allen, the Reds former chief operating officer who is heading the team's spring training talks, said, "Based on where we are today, yes."

Allen added: "But, you know, there's time. We're in this exclusive negotiating period right now, and I really can't comment beyond that."

He later said "we might move, but then again we might not. You know?"

HT to C Trent.

by ken on Feb 13, 2008 7:41 PM EST reply actions

i think the reds are trying to play head games

with sarasota. You'd think that the reds would have already signed to Goodyear if they were so "impressed" by arizona.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us" -1 John 4:10

by shortstopv2 on Feb 13, 2008 8:12 PM EST up reply actions

I demand the opportunity to vote for boobs!

And I don't mean next November, damnit!

On the other hand Florida is kinda scuzzy.But cheaper to get to for me than Arizona.
On the other hand it would be fun to fly out to visit Sedona and Cottonwood and enjoy the crisp, clean,mafiaized Arizona air.

"Men are ruled,this minute by the clock, by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. G.K. Chesterton 1917

by Madville on Feb 13, 2008 7:44 PM EST reply actions

Whatever happened ....

to Plant City? The strawberries were great there.

Frankly, the cost of airfare actually might be cheaper to Phoenix than Tampa. I think Southwest has some direct flights from most Ohio cities.

STOP TALKING ABOUT OPTIONS! YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOW THEY WORK. -Geki

by Lonesome George on Feb 13, 2008 9:24 PM EST reply actions

And speaking of which.....

A little research, using March 2 - 9, roundtrip:

Tampa: nonstop from Columbus, Oh - $299
Tampa: 1 stop from Columbus Oh - $146
Tampa: Southwest Airlines - $209

Phoenix: nonstop from Columbus, Oh - $383
Phoenix: 1 stop from Columbus, Oh - $207
Phoenix: Southwest Airlines - $384

So yeah, it is cheaper to fly to Florida than to fly to Phoenix. It's no doubt cheaper to drive to the Tampa area than to drive to Phoenix from Ohio, too.

But is this move by the Reds meant to accomodate the fans? You make the call!

STOP TALKING ABOUT OPTIONS! YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOW THEY WORK. -Geki

by Lonesome George on Feb 13, 2008 9:36 PM EST up reply actions

It accomodates me

but nobody cases about SoCal reds fans I guess.

'Clutch' to me is the epitome of experimenter's bias.

by TheDude @ Red Reporter on Feb 13, 2008 9:54 PM EST up reply actions

like a crave case?

"Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us" -1 John 4:10

by shortstopv2 on Feb 13, 2008 10:48 PM EST up reply actions

stupid aol search

"Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us" -1 John 4:10

by shortstopv2 on Feb 13, 2008 10:50 PM EST up reply actions

They care about some of those fans

by ken on Feb 14, 2008 8:30 AM EST up reply actions

But!

You can also fly on the as-luxurious-as-it-sounds Skybus from Columbus to Fort Myers...for as little as $10 each way!

And really, what could be better than a flying bus?

by Gray on Feb 14, 2008 9:05 AM EST up reply actions

Flying in a Winnebago, of course

I'm not superstitious...but I am a little stitious.

by Slyde on Feb 14, 2008 9:07 AM EST up reply actions

we bought ours

from mar 3-9 for $250 RT from dayton to sarasota with a stop in atlanta. guess that's a pretty good deal.

2008 NL Central Champs!

by Daedalus on Feb 14, 2008 9:49 PM EST up reply actions

Airtran or Delta?

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 14, 2008 11:03 PM EST up reply actions

stop in Atlanta

I'm guessing Delta. If you fly Delta from Portland to Seattle you'll have to make a stopover in Atlanta.

by Red Menace on Feb 15, 2008 3:33 AM EST up reply actions

Same thing with Airtran...

Raleigh to Boston? Go to Atlanta first.

by Gray on Feb 15, 2008 8:57 AM EST up reply actions

Airtran's hub is in Atlanta too

The two airlines are doing their best to undercut eachother in markets Airtran serves.

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 15, 2008 11:30 AM EST up reply actions

that's what he said

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Feb 15, 2008 2:31 PM EST up reply actions

actually

you'd probably make a stopover in Salt Lake, or L.A.

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 15, 2008 11:31 AM EST up reply actions

There's an old joke in the South

"I don't know if I'm going to Heaven or Hell, but I know I'm going through Atlanta"

I imagine there are some regional variations of that.

Superbike World Championship is the worldwide superbike championship.

by Man Mountain on Feb 15, 2008 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

My dad used to travel a lot...

..and I remember that joke being told about St. Louis. I think St. Louis used to be the country's "half-way hub" back before Delta beat TWA down like the poorly managed governmet-subsidized Eisenhower Era airline that it was.

Take a look around this dump. You're just a tourist with a typewriter. I live here.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Feb 15, 2008 2:55 PM EST up reply actions

I think they should stay in Sarasota

As someone pointed out over at Trent's blog awhile back, baseball's economic model is built around the "family of four." As it is now, a family can drive down to Florida for maybe a long weekend, see several games, and drive home again. Very affordable.

Driving to Arizona is not going to be so easy. The trip will be longer, and hence more expensive. If they choose to fly, that will make it even more expensive.

Plus Florida has a lot of other things that appeal to families, like beaches and amusement parks.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Feb 14, 2008 12:16 AM EST reply actions

Lack of Reds fans in Sarasota

The Reds have very poor ST attendance in Sarasota so I don't see what they are losing exactly.

And I see lots of Reds fans making this argument, but I didn't see or hear of any Indians fans griping about this. Probably the culture of the Cleveland fans - they were just in AZ a decade or so ago, while the Reds have been in Florida for eternity.

But Cleveland is farther than Cincy folks.

This move to AZ makes nothing but sense.

Sarasota has done anything but show interest in the keeping the Reds - at least until someone else showed interest. Now they are the crazy ex girlfriend - you know, the one that punked you in front of all your friends. Now that you have another girl on the frontier, suddenly it's the late night calls...."I promise things will be different this time baby....I've changed. I promise..."

by jmcclain19 on Feb 14, 2008 12:48 AM EST up reply actions

Not that you'd be biased or anything

I don't have any real strong feelings about where they end up, though I might lean towards Sarasota (tradition, not sharing a venue). I've never been to spring training, and don't plan to go any time soon.

by Brendanukkah on Feb 14, 2008 7:33 AM EST up reply actions

fair enough

I don't make any statements that I'm not horribly bias against wanting the Reds to be in AZ or Florida. But I don't think any fan can look reasonably at the two situations and not think that Sarasota has done everything possible to make the Reds move and Goodyear has done everything possible to make them want to come.

Plus we're talking about the Reds having a fixer upper or a top of the line facility. Given all that it's an easy choice.

by jmcclain19 on Feb 17, 2008 10:55 PM EST up reply actions

I get the feeling that..

..one of the reasons that the Reds (and other teams) may be relocating is because baseball's economic model has shifted away from that rather quaint "family of four" concept. At least, the family of four with a modest entertainment budget.

I think over the past fifteen years we've seen Major League Baseball as affordable family entertainment go the way of Boy Scout troop campouts, parking lot carnivals, roller rink birthday parties and one-price-per-car drive-in movies.

It happened in many/most MLB cities and now it's happening in the Grapefruit League. Many of Florida's widely dispersed dinky little concrete and aluminum stadiums were built in those quaint times for those quaint times. It's kinda sad to say, but I think it's over.

And by the way, I went to several Spring Training games in three different stadiums three and four seasons ago and I must say that many of the "regulars" I saw at two of the stadiums- Twins and Red Sox- seemed to have wandered over from the Early Bird Special/cataract outpatient surgery/dog track/bus station end of the demographic spectrum. (I think the families must have been at the aforementioned beaches and amusement parks.) The crowd at the Reds game was quite a bit more diverse and dynamic but I think that may have been because it was a night game against the Yankees. There were a lawt of New Yawkas there that night. And more than one sexycute little ponytail in a #2 jersey.

Take a look around this dump. You're just a tourist with a typewriter. I live here.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Feb 14, 2008 1:03 AM EST up reply actions

as far as the family goes

most kids are in school during spring training anyway.

Alan I do agree with you about stadiums. I am happy watching baseball in just about any venue. I can handle a quaint concrete structure, as long as there is a ball game going on inside it.

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 14, 2008 2:13 AM EST up reply actions

Sad, if that's true

Personally, I only like children if they are properly cooked. With a side order of fries. ;-) But kids are the future of baseball. They're the fans of tomorrow. And unlike football, baseball teams play almost every day. Plus there are all the minor league games. That's a lot of seats to fill.

I like going to minor league games. They're just a lot more laid-back than big league games. Minor league parks do seem to be making an effort to lure families, with low ticket prices, free parking, and activities for kids.

And I have to say, the kids I've encountered at minor league games have been extremely well-behaved compared to the kids I've encountered elsewhere. Their parents are often rude and inconsiderate - getting drunk and loud, yakking on their cell phones at the top of their lungs throughout the game, etc. But the kids are almost always glued to the game.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Feb 14, 2008 7:28 AM EST up reply actions

When was the last you drove from Ohio

to Phoenix? Unless you're under 25 and have a pill box full of Dexedrine it takes like 2-3 days. Hell, even a direct flight take most of the day. I would go out to Az. for a vacation and catch the Reds, but I wouldn't (and I don't think the majority of Cinti./Fla.would)go every year.

"Men are ruled,this minute by the clock, by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. G.K. Chesterton 1917

by Madville on Feb 14, 2008 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

a direct flight going there only takes 2 hours

the flight back takes 5. They must use some crazy jets to get there.

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 14, 2008 3:57 PM EST up reply actions

I think.

I think it is the wind actually..

-The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red crayon.

by snohio on Feb 14, 2008 5:00 PM EST up reply actions

And time zones.

by Brendanukkah on Feb 14, 2008 5:13 PM EST up reply actions

and dragons

Superbike World Championship is the worldwide superbike championship.

by Man Mountain on Feb 14, 2008 5:32 PM EST up reply actions

your answer is the most plausible

The Dusty path to the World Series!

by justin0070000 on Feb 14, 2008 7:37 PM EST up reply actions

I still like the idea of "crazy jets."

Take a look around this dump. You're just a tourist with a typewriter. I live here.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Feb 15, 2008 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

A few years ago

We had three drivers and switched off. And spent the night in a hotel in Kansas somewhere. Though we did start from Youngstown, which probably added a few miles.

I'm still disappointed that we missed the world's biggest gopher in Kansas, though. The attraction was closed when stopped by.

That's the kind of fun you don't get if you fly!

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Feb 14, 2008 4:57 PM EST up reply actions

I'm for florida

only because all the Reds I have talked with love the fishing.

"Sure, I'd like to tape a baseball game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball, but that's just not the way it works." -Hank Hill

by jacob brumfield on Feb 14, 2008 8:44 AM EST reply actions