Sarasota: Back in the mix

Less than a day after declaring Sarasota pretty much long gone, we now have this development:

Sarasota city officials voted 4-1 today to assemble an interlocal agreement in hopes of bringing the Reds back to the table and possibly staying in Sarasota. If the Reds do accept the offer from Goodyear, AZ, it's all basically moot and Sarasota will go searching for another team to fill the void. Today's vote is a very positive sign from the city that seemed to be willing to let the Reds go without a fight. Read more about the vote and what changed at the sun-herald.com.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is also trying to keep Sarasota and the Reds together. During a stop today in Sarasota, he said that keeping the Reds in Florida is a priority of his. Read more at HeraldTribune.com.

Sayonara Sarasota?

Not terribly in-depth, but here is a column from HearaldTribune.com on what Sarasota stands to lose from the fans if the Reds leave town. It's obvious that the Sarasota community will lose the economic stimulus of the fans that travel south to see the Reds. There are other considerations as well - Reds Fantasy Camp, the Sarasota Reds (The Reds Rookie League Affiliate) and other baseball events such as the State High School Baseball Tournament - they are thinking of moving elsewhere too.

Even more interesting, are some of the comments that the column has generated from locals who are glad to see a pro sports team leave:

Thank goodness. The only people that watch the games are the retirees anyway, and they aren't exactly known for being big spenders in the economy. As they like to complain, while driving from up north in their brand new Cadillacs and Lincolns, to their second homes: "We're on fixed income, we don't have any money for _____." I am sick of my tax dollars being wasted on this nonsense. More money for the schools- what REALLY matters. - toots2375

Local elected officials are FINALLY doing what their constituents want. Taxpayers are tired of paying for sports teams. It wont make a hill of beans of difference here. We have the beaches. We dont need no stinkig baseball team here unless they pay their own way. - srqpilot

All in all, it looks like the Reds already have one foot out of town. While many fans are disappointed with the possibility of the move, there seem to be an awful lot that are excited about Arizona.

While we are talking about Reds' Spring Training and Ed Smith Stadium, there will be three different OMGreds.com team members heading to spring training this year - all at different times. So, we'll have a lot of first-hand spring training action for you right here.