To dismay of Dunedin officials, Las Vegas wooing Blue Jays

The team says it is merely exploring its options, but Dunedin sees it as a serious threat on top of the city's other spring training troubles.

By DEBORAH O'NEIL

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 29, 2000

DUNEDIN -- While it's no secret the Toronto Blue Jays have been looking for a new home for spring training, local officials were discouraged Tuesday to hear the team is exploring a move to Las Vegas.

"Anything like this is a threat to us," said City Commissioner Cecil Englebert, who helped bring the Jays to Dunedin in 1977.

The Jays were among six Major League clubs that met Monday with Las Vegas officials, who are trying to create a spring training league by luring four to six teams to the city.

Mayor Tom Anderson said he too was disappointed with Monday's news -- especially since the city gave the team a one-year contract extension until 2001 that allows it to make more money from ticket sales.

"I haven't heard from the Jays, "If you do thus or so, we'll stay,"' Anderson said. "That's what leads me to believe they have something else they're seriously looking at."

Blue Jays officials said the Las Vegas visit was consistent with the team's desire to explore all its options. Jays senior vice president of finance and operations Stu Hutcheson attended the meeting and said talks were only introductory.

"It's a proposal that is in the early stages of development," Hutcheson said. "It was only in the context of saying, "Is this an option?"'

Hutcheson said it is too early to answer that question. The team needs more details from Las Vegas and to consider for itself whether having spring training there would be economically viable.

Las Vegas officials, however, seemed optimistic about their talks this week with the Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. At the forefront of the drive to get spring training there is the Las Vegas Stars, the city's Triple A team affiliated with the San Diego Padres. The Stars are owned by Mandalay Sports Entertainment.

"Our talks were very productive," said Ken Stickney, Mandalay's managing director in a prepared statement. "Each of the teams involved is interested in exploring a variety of options for spring training, and we all feel that Las Vegas presents some very favorable qualities."

Las Vegas would represent a third spring training location for Major League Baseball. Twenty teams play in Florida's Grapefruit League and 10 teams play in Arizona's Cactus League. All six of the teams Nevada are courting practice in Florida.

The Blue Jays have physically outgrown Dunedin's facilities. Moreover, the team has lost about $250,000 per year in Dunedin -- a problem that won't necessarily be fixed with construction.

"Fixing the facility is one thing," Hutcheson said. "We need to discuss the whole arrangement going forward. It's the full package we're trying to figure out."

City officials believe a bill introduced by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Palm Harbor, will be signed into law to provide communities such as Dunedin and Clearwater millions of dollars for improvements to keep their spring training teams. The bill needs the governor's signature to become final, and Jeb Bush has made it clear he would veto any bill that does not benefit the entire state.

Dunedin is hoping to apply for up to $2-million in state money the city would match dollar for dollar to renovate its facilities at the Englebert training complex and at Dunedin Stadium.

If the bill is passed, the deadline to apply for the state dollars this year is Oct. 1, a date that gives some urgency to the question of whether the Jays plan to stay or not. The city cannot get the money unless it has a 15-year agreement with the team.

Hutcheson said the Jays probably will be able to decide by Oct. 1. However, city officials would prefer the team decide soon so they can get a jump on preparing the application.

"We should be moving in that direction now," Anderson said. "If we wait until July or August, we won't get it together for a couple more months, and by then the money may be gone."

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