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Wednesday, 23 August 2006 01:00

Cape Coral Baseball Regroups

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The city of Cape Coral is renewing its efforts to attract a Major League Baseball team for Spring Training. The Cleveland Indians have said they’re NOT interested in the Cape. Cape Coral is the largest city in Southwest Florida and the mayor is making more pitches to score a team. Mayor Eric Feichthaler has written letters to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Cincinnati Reds. He’s encouraging the teams to consider Cape Coral. But the catch is: the team and the state would foot most of the bill for a stadium.

“A spring training facility that the city has to pay for in full and not have use of—that’s not a deal we’re going to support. But I think a great deal for our people is something we’re always looking for. And one can be obtained, I believe, from the right teams. It’s just a matter of getting that right match and the right dedication for that team to be part of our community.”

Cleveland Indian officials say they have great interest in Southwest Florida but are already in advanced negotiations with a city in Arizona and another in Florida. Two teams hold spring training in the Fort Myers area: the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox.

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Cape Coral’s Mayor sent letters to the Cincinnati Reds and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Tuesday. Mayor Eric Feichthaler wants the teams to consider moving to the city for their spring training games. The Cleveland Indians have already said NO. Feichthaler says he plans to try to keep generating interest in Cape Coral.

“I just want to make sure that everyone throughout the state knows that we’re the largest city between Miami and Tampa and we do have a major economic force here that can really benefit businesses, sports teams [and] anybody who wants to relocate here.”

Feichthaler says he’d only consider the ‘right’ proposal with the team and the state footing most of the stadium’s construction cost. He says if Cape Coral’s residents are asked to pay for a team, the most he’d support would be about 8-dollars per homeowner a year.