Spring Training?

There still is no word yet as to were the Orioles will play their spring training games at this upcoming spring, but there have been several rumors and fierce competition for them. There is at least four cities that are being considered Vero Beach, FT.Myers, Sarsota, and Ft. Lauderdale where the Orioles have been since 1996.

Vero Beach had an exclusivity agreement with the Orioles that expired on Halloween. Vero Beach has reportedly made an offer to the Orioles after two days of meetings in Orlando Florida. Discussions have been going on for over the past year between the team and the city.

In response to the offer that was made Vero Beach mayor Tom White said " We made them our final offer."and "After many hours of discussion and changing this and changing that, I'm hoping that Mr.Angelos and the board of directors will accept it. I think it's a good offer and they'll be happy here."

The Orioles wanted to tear down the 48 year old Ft. Lauderdale stadium and build a new complex to house the orioles major and minor league spring training complex, but the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA)said it would not approve unless the annual payments maid to the airport next to the stadium increased to $1.3million annually

Unless the Orioles make any significant changes in the next couple of months they will probably still be playing in FT. Lauderdale nest spring.