Going to Goodyear
Goodyear City Council approved the Memorandum of Understanding, the big step in the bringing the Reds to Goodyear.
The vote was 6-0. Joanne Osborne, the council woman who said she was opposed a few weeks ago, was swayed in the last couple of weeks.
The city has stepped forward to fund the $33 million project.
John Allen was at the meetin. He passed out Reds hats to the council members after the vote.
posted by John Fay at 10:28 PM
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Post a Comment*Yes!! and I will be there right with them.
Go West, Go Reds!
It was quite interesting. I discovered, quite by accident, that the council meeting was webcast live so I had it on while watching Memphis/Kansas. Turned out to be quite a lovefest between the council and the Reds. So, we shall see this city grow rapidly as the support infrastructure takes place. Tell "Doc" to get a Kindle so he can get some books to read when he goes to Goodyear as it sounded as if he wasn't too impressed. But it should be good for the Reds to have some new, up to date, facilities along with a different set of teams to play in the spring.
No offense to AZ, because my sister lived near Tuscon for years, and it is a great place to live, but this news blows. In hs tenure in Cincinnati, John Allen delivered us poor GMs, poor managers, poor teams, and a new stadium that is amoung the worst in MLB. Now we have him to thank for driving us out of Sarasota with a complete lack of leadership. The fact is, right now we have the funding in place to remain in Sarasota, the vast majority of Reds fans want them to remain in Sarasota, and even the owner has said he prefers to stay in Sarasota. Obviously the commissioners in Sarasota are to blame for overplaying their hand, but it was Allen's job to sell the plan. In the end they were willing to put up the funding, so the opportunity was there. Thanks John.
And to Mr Castellini: you have severely dissapointed your fans. Granted there may be a few who live out west and are happy, but the vast majority are here. Cincy is a working class town, and most families (including mine) can not afford the plane tickets to fly. Nor do our kids want to go somewhere that they can not play on the beach. Shame on you. But again, the joke is on us.
It's paradise here in the desert. Welcome Reds!
no doubt I'm biased, but this move is a good one, the facilities at sarasota will never compare to what the reds are getting now. the only people I feel sorry for are people with family in FL or reds fan that live there, otherwise the travel really isnt that much worse.
the most important thing for your ST facility is for it to give the team a good ST.
griffey had a quote, something along the lines that he didnt know where to park his boat. I know he was being funny but the players are there to get ready for the season, not mess around on the beach.
oh yeah, plus the fact that we would need to give away $12-13 million to stay in a worse facility. thats a lot of money we could use on either one really good player or 3 good players (i.e. bullpen help, good RH bat, catcher, or a lefty starter maybe)
Cool,now I can drive down to see the reds in about 12 hours & avoid all those shuffle board joints & ole geezer hotels in Sarasota.
People will actually be driving the speed limit instead of 15mph in a 60mph speed zone.That alone is worth it!!!
New facilities paid for,sounds like a smart business move.
See ya later Sarasota,here comes Goodyear. Just like it will be this year & many more to come
I moved to Florida back in August and got to attend my first ST game this year. Obviously, I feel a little cheated. However, I want to root for a winner during the regular season, so I'm willing to give up a few ST games for top-notch facilities and a few more regular season wins.
Another reminder that it is all about money. Let's be clear that this will do nothing to improve the product on the field. The inadequate facilites in Florida have nothing to do with the lack of success. It just means that a generation of fans who have made a trip to Florida in the spring with their families to see the Reds will have to go to Arizona. Sure that will play well with my kids.
Thanks Mr. Castellini!
"Go west young team and grow up with the country"....
Actually, Im REALLY upset about this move, but I couldnt resist the quote
mr. fay,
i was looking to see how the PTBNL (blake johnson) from the salmon dealing was doing, where he got assigned, etc. however, he's isn't on any of the reds' minor leagues rosters. he made one horrible start for KC's AA team. any update to the deal?
I have three sons and we have been to Sarasota 4 out of the last 5 years. We have gone to Sarasota because we could drive and it could be a very cheap (and fun) trip. Unfortunately baseball is quickly going the way of the other professional sports regarding the costs to attend and park and eat at the ballpark. We probably won't make it to Arizona because of the cost. But we may still go to Florida to see the Pirates, Phillies, Blue Jays, etc.
Outstanding! Love Arizona. I went to games in Sarasota this year and they have let the stadium fall completely apart. The bathrooms would be condemed at a state prison.
Don't get me wrong Florida is closer... but I think it will be cool to have the Ohio teams training next door. Probably will push up attendence for both teams in '10 and beyond.
I'm a big fan of this news. I've never been able to make it to spring training before, but since my fiancee is an Indians fan, I think we'll be taking an Arizona vacation in the spring.
The Phoenix area presents an overall spring training experience with most of the teams within an hour's drive. March is generally the best weather month of the year, not to mention all the other recreation the Phoenix area has to offer. If you previously drove to Sarasota, you can drive to Phoenix. It's 28 hours. This is a real step up for the organization. I guarantee everyone will be impressed with the quality of everyone's facilities.
Would be interesting to see if/how Castellini's resort he owns out in AZ benefits because of this move.
When I am going to the desert, it is to Vegas. They will get my entertainment dollar(s) not the Reds in Goodyear. Florida is for spring training unless you are the Dodgers.
ST CSA
CSA: Why don't you start a tour company with Reds, Indians, Vegas pacakges?
It's feeding mayo to tuna fish.
This news is truly devastating to me. I have been to Spring Training every year since 1991(except the strike year). I have three children 7,6, and 4yrs, that have been to every Spring Training that they since they've been alive. They start asking about the trip right after Christmas. We drive down every year due to the cost of flights,rental cars, etc. The cost alone of the flight(for 5) to Arizona would exceed our budget for the annual trip. I treasure the memories that I have of my children meeting the likes of Marty, Joe, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Sean Casey, Adam Dunn, Jose Rijo, et al. in Florida. I fear that we won't have the opportunity to make new ones.
John,
Not a bad idea. Does Goodyear have an airport? LOL.
I am planning on retiring this year. My daughter lives in Florida. My plans were to go to Florida in the spring, see my daughter and see the REDS. Of course, those with the money to fly and those who have their way payed for by the REDS really don't care about the rest of us. Of course we can use the money we saved to make contracts with with more semi-retired players.
Do all vehicles stop after 1000 miles? I will say it again. If you drove to Sarasota you can drive to Phoenix. I don't mean any disrespect but if the 1600 mile round trip difference ($280 based on 20 miles per gallon at $3.50 per gallon) breaks your budget, then you probably shouldn't be looking at taking a trip anyway.
Goodyear does have an airport which can accept small planes. A better alternative would be Sky Harbor as it is only a thirty minute drive. Goodyear is essentially a western Phoenix suburb. Phoenix International Raceway is within 15 minutes. You like NHL hockey? The Coyotes play at the Jobbing.com arena, also 15 minutes from Goodyear. NBA ball? US Airways arena in downtown Phoenix is 25 minutes away. How about golf? Over 200 courses in Maricopa County to choose from. Hiking? Shopping? Sightseeing?The list of things to do in Phoenix and Arizona is endless.
Hey Losing,
The cost of a trip is much more than just gasoline. The current IRS mileage rate is 50.5 cents per mile, which would be over $1800 for the round trip, or about $900 more than Sarasota. That does not include the cost of the extra food and drinks, and does not include the cost of extra days of work missed due to the longer trip.
With current air fares and gas prices, it is cheaper to fly than it is to drive for most families.
Actually driving 3200+ miles round trip does not really appeal to me, even if the gas were free. Why would I go all the way to Phoenix to watch an NHL game? You couldn't pay me to go to Indy to watch the NBA. Plenty of golf in Florida and I can hike anywhere. Downtown Phoenix is about as happening as Cincinnati. NO THANK YOU.
You just talked me out of my spring training junket business. I think I will run it to Vegas only.
ST CSA
d-rod and CSA...You both miss the point.
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