Goodyear, Cleveland team near spring training deal

[Bada0Bing]

This would be awesome. The proposed site is 2 miles from my house. It would be so cool to ride our bikes down to the stadium during Spring Training. I’m really hoping the Dodgers don’t move to Goodyear, I just couldn’t bring myself to cheer for them. I guess I could adopt the Indians as my American League team though.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0919indians0919.html

Goodyear, Cleveland team near spring training deal

Lynh Bui
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 19, 2006 12:00 AM


The Cleveland Indians and Goodyear are close to signing a deal that could bring spring training to the southwest Valley.

City officials and developers said Monday that the Major League Baseball team is days away from signing a contract that could move its spring training operations from Florida's Grapefruit League to the Valley's Cactus League.

If the team signs, the city could start requesting a commitment from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority to help fund the proposed $77.5 million facility. Goodyear officials want the stadium completed by February 2009. advertisement




Goodyear has been on the team's radar for some time, said Dennis Lehman, executive vice president of business for the Indians.

"We've always been focused on having a state-of-the-art facility in a growth market," Lehman said. "Both of those criteria fit nicely with the Goodyear opportunity."

But the team also has been in talks with officials in Florida to build a site in Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando. The team has to decide if it wants to stay in Florida by Oct. 2, the deadline to apply for state funding.

The Indians train at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla. Built in 1966, it is one of the oldest ballparks in the Grapefruit League.

Team management faces a difficult decision, Erik Judson of JMI Sports said. Goodyear hired the San Diego-based sports development firm to bring spring training to the city. The team's established Florida fan base is one major factor that could keep the Indians in the Sunshine State, Judson said.

An unscientific poll on the Indians' message board showed that only 18 percent of the survey's nearly 1,300 respondents favored moving spring training to Goodyear.

But the team is "on the verge of making a decision," Judson said, and "is compelled by the growth in the West Valley."

Goodyear had talked to several teams in its efforts to lure a team to the city. Judson said the city also is negotiating with another Florida team, which could potentially mean two ballclubs in Goodyear. Judson said he was not ready to identify the team.

But the Los Angeles Dodgers are known to be interested in moving to the Valley and have said repeatedly that they are open to offers to leave their Florida spring training base.

Estimated costs for the Goodyear stadium shot up about $12.5 million over figures last seen by the city. The City Council on Monday morning approved moving forward with plans for spring training in light of the increased costs.

Mayor Jim Cavanaugh said the council's action sends a "positive message" about the commitment to baseball in the city.

Proposals show that the stadium would anchor a 240-acre Kierland Commons-style development. Officials hope that the stadium will stimulate development in the area and that tourism will boost city revenue.

If the Indians sign, the council would still have to review and approve the deal. The team could become the 13th in the Cactus League.

The deal also hinges on a commitment from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.

Brad Parker, a spokesman for the organization, said its board would still need to see a proposal and financial plan from Goodyear agreeing to help with funding.

The Indians trained in Tucson until 1993.

 

[Phxchris1989]

That's neat, but my AL team is Baltimore...(was born in Hagerstown,MD)

Although, I'd go just too see Travis Haffner.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I didn’t watch baseball until the D’backs showed up. Now, I’m a pretty big fan. I grew up in Oregon, so I have no allegiance to any other team. There is an opening for one AL team in my repertoire.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Good news for the state.

I don't see any advantage for teams to train in FL instead of AZ, especially West Coast teams like the Dodgers.

 

[Stallion]

Very interesting. The Indians were in Tucson for years. I guess they realized the grass isn't greener on the other side of the continent.

 

[HooverDam]

I hope both them and the Dodgers move to AZ. Though I do think its wierd that the Cactus league is so Phoenix area centric. Why not put a team in Prescott, Sedona or Payson(perhaps its too cold, I havent looked up what their weather is like at that time of the year)? Or maybe Wickenburg.

Anyway, I hope both those teams come out here, and I hope the StL Cardinals come to the cactus league as well. The Royals and both Chicago teams play in the Cactus league, so their geographical rivals play here. Im sure Spring Training Cubs vs Cardinals games would draw nice crowds too.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

What team plays farthest to the East in the Valley? The Cubs?

 

[HooverDam]

^Yes the Cubs are the furthest east in the valley (mesa), the teams in Tucson are obviously farther east. Why do you ask?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

^Yes the Cubs are the furthest east in the valley (mesa), the teams in Tucson are obviously farther east. Why do you ask?

Oh, I was just thinking about how so many new complexes have gone up on the west side like Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear.

Seems like Gilbert and Chandler should get teams, too.

 

[HooverDam]

^^Yah, hopefully. Downtown Chandler is starting to develop and urbanize, so maybe theyll land a team.

 

[BC867]

It's official. The Indians will return to the Cactus League for Spring Training in 2009. That will bring the quantity of teams to 13.

I'm sure they will try to get one more team to make it an even 14.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0922indians0922-CP.html

 

[Dback Jon]

Awesome!!

The Indians belong in Arizona!!

 

[Bada0Bing]

This makes my day.

"The next step is to apply for public funding from the sports authority to help pay for the proposed $77.5 million facility near Estrella Parkway and Bullard Avenue. "

Last time they were discussing this, they were talking about building it at Estrella Parkway and Yuma rd (about 2 miles south of the I10). There's nothing but farmland there right now, plenty of wide open space for the facilities.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

i would love to see them buy up the dog park and put it there, but the proposed location by the airport would be sweet

they want to blend the peoria sports complex with a kierland commons type vibe - if they pull it off they will be amazing

it would then serve as the SE quadrant of the downtown area - going a little west to cotton & yuma there will be a nice desert ridge type shopping center - go a little to the NE at bullard & mcdowell and there will be a mall like the chandler fashion center - with the 10 being widened i'm excited about the potential of the city - it's just going to take some time, patience and determination

i love making the drive up to surprise and think that stadium is awesome - hopefully goodyear can match up - will be great having spring training within an easy bikeride

 

[Bada0Bing]

I totally forgot about that dog park. I took my dogs there a few times when we first moved to Goodyear and they loved it. I doubt that it will be there too much longer though, all the land along Estrella Parkway is very primo.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

d'oh - i forgot about that dog park - i mean the old abanonded track just off the 10 and cotton - i think they have like an RV park there now - either way it's an eyesore and a waste of space given easy access to both the 303 & 10

 

[Bada0Bing]

Oh, I know what you’re talking about. I asked around about those grandstands before I moved to Goodyear. Apparently they are going to be extremely expensive to tear down because they are full of asbestos. It’s going to have to be done eventually though, that land is becoming too valuable.

 

[Bada0Bing]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/1103swv-indians03Z5.html

Indians commit to ballpark

Lynh Bui
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 3, 2006 12:00 AM


A Major League Baseball team has committed to Arizona, and the land in Goodyear is full of potential.

Those were two key points officials boasted about at a news conference Wednesday with Cleveland Indians President Paul Dolan.

Standing in front of the dirt field where the Indians' new spring training home could rise, Dolan, city leaders and developers said they have almost everything they need to make history in Goodyear. advertisement




"The only thing between us and us playing baseball here in two years is that STA funding," Dolan said, referring to the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.

Dolan was in the Valley this week visiting with board members of the tourism authority. He wanted to assure the board that "the Indians are completely committed" to moving to the Southwest Valley.

City and team officials recently signed a contract that would move the team's spring training home from Winter Haven, Fla., to Goodyear.

"The image and vision that (Goodyear) created for us was unmatched and unsurpassed by anyone else that we talked to," Dolan said. "We became immediately enamored with . . . the opportunity to stake a flag in the Southwest Valley and the city of Goodyear."

Along with the vocal support of the Indians, officials hope plans for a huge urban development surrounding the stadium will woo the authority.

At the news conference, Goodyear-based Rose Properties Southwest announced that RTKL Associates Inc. will join the development team.

RTKL, based in Los Angeles with offices worldwide, will design plans for the site, including a corporate center, plus retail, residential and other uses.

John Ruggieri managing director of Rose Properties, said RTKL will help build a development that would be more than a baseball field.

"We really believe the essence of this is building a community," Ruggieri said. "It's not just bricks and mortar."

Plans call for a 10,000-seat, $77.5 million spring training facility at Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road. Those plans won't come to life unless the sports authority agrees to help fund the project.

It's still unclear when the authority would formally consider Goodyear's proposal, but the city expects to get word on a commitment by year's end.

Mayor Jim Cavanaugh is confident in the city's chances.

"We have the right to be successful," he said, "and we expect to be successful."

 

[Bada0Bing]

I was starting to worry a bit that Glendale would get all the money.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/1219springtraining1219-CP.html

Cash found for pro baseball training sites

Carrie Watters
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 19, 2006 12:00 AM


Valley baseball fans could soon be breaking out their Dodger Blue and Chief Wahoo shirts.

The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority now says the agency has found enough money to fund both Goodyear's and Glendale's requests for spring training facilities that would open in 2009.

A recommendation is expected to go to the eight-member sports authority board on Thursday that would give more than $50 million to Glendale to build a two-team facility for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox, who currently play spring ball in Tucson. advertisement




The recommendation would give Goodyear more than $30 million for a one-team facility for the Cleveland Indians.

"We'll be able to achieve what's good for the Cactus League: the Dodgers and the Indians coming to Arizona," said Larry Landry, chairman of the authority board.

Both teams train in Florida.

Funding both proposals would expand the state's Cactus League to 14 teams, 15 if the White Sox find a replacement team for Pima County, as their contract requires.

For fans, the news of more teams is exciting.

Former Cleveland resident Mark Nichols, now a Tempe resident, said he'd make the trip to Goodyear to watch the Indians. "It's awesome," he said.

The recommendation comes after it had appeared that the two West Valley cities would vie against one another for $48 million the sports authority estimated it would have to fund a new stadium.

The authority was created six years ago to build University of Phoenix Stadium and to support spring training and other sporting and tourism ventures. The authority is largely funded with a Maricopa County rental-car and hotel-bed tax.

Number crunchers with the authority took another look at its projected revenues and upped the number to about $80 million that would be available for new spring training projects from 2017 to 2030.

The increase in the projected funding is not from the rental-car and hotel-bed tax, but rather is because the agency has received higher-than-anticipated revenue from another source of funding, the Maricopa County Stadium District. That district levies a $2.50 surcharge on car rentals and shares some of that funding with the sports authority.

Landry said funding both cities' ballparks would not stretch the sports authority too thin, although "this will completely deplete our bank (for new spring training stadiums)."

The sports authority has set aside enough money to pay off its obligations on the spring training stadium in Surprise and to renovate other already existing stadiums.

Goodyear officials had requested two-thirds funding for a proposed two-team or one-team facility near Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road. Although the city has secured the Indians, it has not yet landed a second team.

The sports authority's policy is to fund two-thirds for two-team facilities but 50 percent for one-team facilities.

The recommendation to the authority board will be to fund more than $30 million toward the construction of Goodyear's proposed $56 million one-team facility, according to a memo that authority President Ted Ferris sent to board members on Monday.

Glendale is recommended to get over $50 million for its proposed $80.7 million two-team stadium on city-owned land in Phoenix near Camelback Road and 107th Avenue, the memo says.

Landry emphasized that Glendale's proposal would hinge on the White Sox coming through with a replacement team for Pima County if they want to head north before 2013 when the team's contract expires. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf has already made that promise. He hasn't said what team it would be.

Neither Glendale nor Goodyear officials were ready to talk details Monday. "We'll feel much better when we hear from them officially," Glendale spokeswoman Julie Frisoni said.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

as was I - hopefully they can get both done - the dodgers are the big fish that everyone wants - goodyear could really use the stadium though to springboard a lot of projects

 

[Bada0Bing]

Goodyear OKs deal to host Reds spring training


This is awesome news. I've been watching this really closely and was somewhat pessimistic that Goodyear would pony up the funds for the Reds. I can't flippin wait. They've already broken ground on the Goodyear stadium.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2008/04/08/20080408reds0407-ON.html

Goodyear OKs deal to host Reds spring training

20 comments by Jessica Coomes - Apr. 8, 2008 10:22 AM
The Arizona Republic

Goodyear closed a deal Monday that will bring the Cincinnati Reds' spring training to Arizona in 2010.

The City Council agreed, 6-0, to pay $33 million to build the team's clubhouse and practice fields.

Despite a sour economy, the southwest Valley city officials are confident the city can finance the project - and hopeful the state eventually will reimburse two-thirds of the cost.

Monday's decision means the Cactus League will have 15 teams in 2010, up from the 12 that played this spring.

By snagging the Reds from Florida, Goodyear will have both Ohio professional baseball teams training in its city. The Cleveland Indians will play in Goodyear next spring in a ballpark that is now under construction.

"The Reds complete the picture," Goodyear Mayor Jim Cavanaugh said. "We wanted two teams from the beginning."

Reds CEO Bob Castellini also has signed the agreement, which commits the ballclub to Goodyear for at least 20 years.

Councilwoman Joanne Osborne, who voted for the project Monday, previously said the city should prioritize other projects, including expanding a wastewater-treatment plant and building a new city hall and library.

However, she said she changed her mind after city administrators unveiled a financial plan last week that shows the city can finance all of the projects.

Goodyear officials' vision for the city is what initially attracted the Reds, said John Allen, the team executive who has been leading the search for a spring home. In addition to expanding spring training, Goodyear recently recruited three private universities, pushed for the widening of Interstate 10 and annexed 67 square miles.

"You all have such a plan. It's not just talk," Allen told the City Council. "You know where you are going."

The Reds never intended to leave Florida, Allen said, but negotiations to renovate the team's stadium in Sarasota broke down. That's when the Indians introduced the Reds to Goodyear.

"They dragged us, kicking and screaming," Allen said. But what they found impressed them.

Goodyear agreed to pay for the Reds knowing the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which has helped pay for spring-training projects in Maricopa County, is out of money and can not commit funds for the Reds.

However, the sports authority on Monday approved a financial plan that shows how it intends to split up any money it gets its hands on in the future.

Under the plan, Goodyear would be reimbursed for two-thirds of the Reds' facilities, ballpark and Indians facilities.

In addition to the Reds and Indians, the Cactus League will expand with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will train in Glendale next spring.

 

[PHXSportsFan4]

I wonder if there is any particular reasons why everyone is moving their spring training to AZ or if they are just starting to realize that Florida is an overrated dump

 

[Dback Jon]

Florida is an overrated dump...No money for modern facilities.

For the Dodgers, it actually gives their fans a chance to see them. Their Brooklyn fanbase died off years ago.

 

[Azlen]

I have also read that some teams like Arizona better because they don't have to travel as much. The Cactus league sites are much closer together than they are in Florida.

 

[PHXSportsFan4]

Florida is an overrated dump...No money for modern facilities.

For the Dodgers, it actually gives their fans a chance to see them. Their Brooklyn fanbase died off years ago.

Yep plus the weather in Florida is terrible IMO. Ok, I'll admit it's better than where I'm at now but it's far from perfect like most people think. Most people seem to think it is a tropical paradise when in reality it is far from that. Tons of storms, maximum humidity year-round, lightning (Florida is the lightning capital hence Tampa Bay Lightning), tornadoes, hurricanes... That's not exactly what I call perfect.

Ok my rant on FL is done now. I just think it's funny how sometimes people look at me like I'm crazy when I say I'd never ever live in Florida and it is nowhere near the top of my list for vacation spots.