[外電] Orioles move spring home to Sarasota
http://0rz.tw/jFV6j
Orioles move spring home to Sarasota
Agreement includes renovation of Ed Smith Stadium
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com / 07/22/09 11:30 PM ET
The Orioles ended one era and began another on Wednesday, when they learned
that their deal to relocate to Sarasota from Fort Lauderdale had been
approved.
The Orioles had agreed on Tuesday to a 30-year lease with Sarasota County
that calls for more than $31 million in funds to be provided for the
renovation of Ed Smith Stadium, and the proposal passed a vote of both the
City Council and Sarasota County Commission late on Wednesday night.
The move will happen immediately, starting with Spring Training 2010 and
ending a 14-year landing at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Baltimore will play in
Ed Smith Stadium without renovation for one spring, and then development will
commence sometime after the Orioles fly north for Opening Day.
The City Council voted 3-2 on one issue in the morning, but the matter wasn't
resolved until several hours later, when the County Commission voted 4-1 on
three issues at their discretion. That cinched Baltimore's return to
Sarasota, where it also had spent the spring in 1991 and from 1993-95.
John Angelos, executive vice president of the Orioles and son of managing
partner Peter Angelos, released a statement as part of the team's official
press release.
"It is with great excitement that we announce that Sarasota will be our new
long-term spring training home," it said. "We thank the Sarasota County
Commission, City Commission, local business leaders and our good friends at
the Chamber of Commerce who worked tirelessly to make this partnership a
reality. We look forward with great anticipation to becoming an important
part of the civic fabric of the Sarasota community and to bringing Orioles
baseball to the residents of the Greater Sarasota area."
The contract also calls for renovation to the team's current Minor League
facility at Twin Lakes Park, which also will house a branch of the newly
established Cal Ripken Youth Baseball Academy. In Baltimore's previous
arrangement, the Minor League camp was situated 200 miles from the Major
League team.
Together, Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lakes Park comprise nearly 89 acres of
usable space, and the Orioles will get to spread out after being limited to
three fields in Fort Lauderdale.
Ripken, the Orioles' iconic Hall of Fame shortstop, also released a statement
celebrating the move.
"I am thrilled that the Orioles have found a new comprehensive Spring
Training home and that Ripken Baseball will be a part of the facility in
Sarasota," it said. "I have always liked the idea of the kids playing side by
side with the professional ballplayers as it really enhances their
experience. We are excited to partner with the Orioles and bring our youth
academy model to the Sarasota community."
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 59.115.146.136
Orioles 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
