A Naples, Fla. Group aiming to lure the Cubs from their spring training site in Mesa, Ariz. has met twice with incoming owner Tom Ricketts and club chairman Crane Kenney.
The Cubs are in the process of selecting a site for a new spring facility, and must decide by next spring whether to exercise a $4.2 million escape clause in their 25-year lease with Mesa. The contract expires in 2016, but the Cubs can leave in 2012 with the buyout.
In a statement to the Naples News, Kenney confirmed the team was exploring potential sites in Naples with Chicago-based Esmark and Naples-based Fifth Avenue Advisors, adding that "Collier County has a number of suitable locations for a world-class spring training facility."
Esmark Vice-Chairman Craig Bouchard told WGN-Ch. 9 they would build a 120-acre facility for the Cubs that included a miniature version of Wrigley Field. The Cubs have also met with Mesa officials, and with representatives from the Gila River Indian Community, outside of Phoenix, about a possible move there.
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Go to Florida...been to both spring training sites....go Florida. BUT FORGET COPYING wrigley field...In my 68 years, I have had enough bricks, ivy, broken mortar, np parking, and everything that goes with Addison,CLark, Waveland and Sheffied!!!...put up something like now MILLER PARK where I now go to watch my CUBBIES..
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you guys could move to the moon you still want be batter than the ST LOUIS CARDS.........
you guys could move to the moon you still want be batter than the ST LOUIS CARDS.........
I like to comment on the guy that says the cubs should stay in AZ cause the weather in FL sucks. First off anyone who possibly lives in Chicago really should not talk about weather that sucks. We are talking about spring training in Feb and Mar, I don't think weather between 70 an 80 degrees is bad. Wake of moron.
Arizona traffic may be heavy,but the bugs and the high humidity,that florida has,i will stick with Arizona. And i doubt if the traffic situation is that much better.And Phoenix has that new light rail system that serves the valley.
Cubs likely to stay in Mesa for spring training
Don't start pricing timeshares in Southwest Florida for Cubs spring training trips yet. While a Collier County, Fla., group may well be serious in its effort to lure the Cubs away from Mesa, Ariz., the chances of the Cubs leaving the greater Phoenix area in the foreseeable future appear to be slim to none, based on the logistical headaches already driving major league teams away from Florida, the Cubs' centerpiece position in Arizona's Cactus League and common sense. The Cubs are using a looming deadline for opting out of their contract with Mesa to court other offers while seeking upgrades to their existing HoHoKam Stadium and Fitch Park facilities to bring them more in line with newer, grander facilities in the Phoenix area such as the one shared by the White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale. -- Chicago Sun-Times
10/27/2009 per ben maller link-
Nathan, there is nothing to do in naples fla..(rolleyes)
maybe miami or orlando or tampa but we lived in both areas
if not the main citys, id stay in mesa where there is plenty to do & the fan base is the highest for the cubs are in az.
The Cubs dont need a downgrade cause thats what it is going there.
The turnouts in mesa are off the charts & with a new building
will break records for spring training, check the stats before you dive in here dude. Main city upgrade for Cubs
or stay put with the new land proposal at the GM proving (mesa)grounds that just closed the land is wide open & parking will
be easy for the patrons really a no brainer here + the new
gaylord hotel is going in there in 2012 that fact would
be a solid place to stay for fans/chicagoins that want a true vaca place as well.
peace!
Nathan, there is nothing to do in naples fla..(rolleyes)
maybe miami or orlando or tampa but we lived in both areas
if not the main citys, id stay in mesa where there is plenty to do & the fan base is the highest for the cubs are in az.
The Cubs dont need a downgrade cause thats what it is going there.
The turnouts in mesa are off the charts & with a new building
will break records for spring training, check the stats before you dive in here dude. Main city upgrade for Cubs
or stay put with the new land proposal at the GM proving (mesa)grounds that just closed the land is wide open & parking will
be easy for the patrons really a no brainer here + the new
gaylord hotel is going in there in 2012 that fact would
be a solid place to stay for fans/chicagoins that want a true vaca place as well.
peace!
first of all AZ traffic is terrible, move to FL they'll have the twins,red sox, rays, yankees to play against, not the always terrible a's,padres,mariners and some other below average teams to compete against. there is more to do down if s.florida then there is in AZ, the weather is alot better in s.florida then it is in AZ in spring time.Maybe with the move they could produce a winning team.
The Cubs would be absolutely crazy to move out of Mesa. There is a reason all of the teams are running as fast as they can from Florida. The weather sucks, and the driving is horrible.
The funniest thing about it all is that the Cubs will go from being #1 to second or third fiddle behind the Yankees and Red Sox. The Red Sox have already reduced their stadium size and it's 2,000 less then what the Cubs will get in AZ.
Ha ha, cant wait for the Chubs to move out of Florida. Figures everyone else is moving to AZ, like the Dodgers recently and they are behind the times. Ha!
The Cubs in South Florida would be a dream come true! I would be at every game!
I been a Cubs fans since 1998. So, from that point on that's all I'm worrying about. I don't care if they haven't won a world series from 1908 to 1998. I know the Cubs will win a World Series in between the next 5 years. Write it down, take a picture, I don't give a...:)
Oh, one other thing to think about. The cubs have a Florida State League team (High-A) in Daytona and they will be needing a new stadium very soon(they have the smallest and oldest in the FSL). So moving spring training to Naples can kill 2 stadiums with one stone, not to mention that the Collier County group has already been able to find close to $70-80million.
Recent years have seen a number of MLB teams leaving Florida for Arizona. Reasons I have heard have been better weather, less rain and less travel. Reasons that should make it easier to prepare a team properly for the season ahead. If the Cubs move to Florida, are those reasons invalid? I say not. The only reason to go to Florida would be financial. But how much financially would it help the Cubs? What could they do with extra millions, if they were more? Sign another Soriano? Another Bradley?
Move 'em to Poland...who gives a ****.
"Might as well move to hot, humid, bug-rideen Florida to remind folks about the South Side of Chicago.Unless of course you ,want to remind them of the North Side and stay in AZ"
bobby w, it's guys like you who make this Sox fan smile everyday. Keep up the good work of preserving that illogical Cub Fan Logic that is normally found in my unreasonable little classmates.
Does it really matter where the next 100 years of futilty begins?
i heart ho ho kam.
I agree with Joe , Vero Beach is the only place to move in Florida, the Location is centrally located and many Cub fans already live there. Also the local airport is only minutes away, and Dodgertown is perfect . The onlyn reason the dodgers moved was to be closer to their west coast fans.
YES YES YES there are thousands of fans in south florida ...and t have lived in az as well as fl much nicer place here in spring much more to do and more likely destination for spring vacationers than ho ho hum park ..and for the dummas talking about bugs heat and hurricans in the spring must never have left his chicago basement ...spring is absolutely beautifull in south florida ...wet season starts in june
YES YES YES there are thousands of fans in south florida ...and t have lived in az as well as fl much nicer place here in spring much more to do and more likely destination for spring vacationers than ho ho hum park ..and for the dummas talking about bugs heat and hurricans in the spring must never have left his chicago basement ...spring is absolutely beautifull in south florida ...wet season starts in june
I just moved from Illinois to Arizona earlier this year and one of the main reasons I chose Arizona is because of Cubs Spring Training games in the Phoenix metro area. I would be VERY disapointed if the Cubs move to Florida in 2012 or anytime in the next decade. I say either keep the Cubs in Mesa (build a new facility if you must) or build a new stadium/training facility on the Pima Indian Reservation. Just stay in Arizona please!
I would be surprised and disappointed if the Cubs move their spring training facility to Florida. My husband and I have been to spring training in Arizona, three times in the past five years. We are Cub fans, but huge fans of baseball in general. Having been to spring training in Florida, I have to say Arizona is the best. The baseball complexes are beautiful, but the best part is they are all in such close proximity to each other. With the exception of the Rockies and Diamondbacks being in Tuscon, all of the other teams are clustered around the Phoenix area. It's much easier for a baseball fan who likes to see lots of games at different stadiums and not have to travel throughout the state to do it. I think it would be a huge mistake for the Cubs to move.
move them out of the northside and into a better playin facility cause that place is CURSED!!!
It's the Ricketts team. The family can move them to Timbuktu each spring for all I care. Cynthia Lee had it right earlier. Who gives a ******* as long as they play decent baseball and keep us die hards from being embarrassed year after year after year after year that we're still Cubs' fans.
Might as well move to hot, humid, bug-rideen Florida to remind folks about the South Side of Chicago.Unless of course you ,want to remind them of the North Side and stay in AZ. Florida already has a Disneyworld why add the Cubs to the mockery. Hopefully Tom Ricketts is enough of a savvy businessman to know the difference between huricanes, typhoons and just plain ignorance and what AZ has to offer. Hell has no fury like Florida in the Springtime.
Will the move finally wake the Cubs up and make them play better than they have been playing during these last 101 years? We shall see.
Chitwon [sic], it's guys like you who make this Cubs fan smile everyday. Keep up the good work of preserving that illiterate Sox fan image.
Please leave the Cubs alone. We are fine in Mesa, Az. I moved out here in 97, if anything move the Sox out of here. I have been a Cub fan since 1948 and I like the way it is now. Lets hope "Mr. Ricketts will leave things as they are. Mesa loves their "CUBS". We need to worry about the summer team and thats in Wrigley. Amen to that.
Go to Florida...been to both spring training sites....go Florida. BUT FORGET COPYING wrigley field...In my 68 years, I have had enough bricks, ivy, broken mortar, np parking, and everything that goes with Addison,CLark, Waveland and Sheffied!!!...put up something like now MILLER PARK where I now go to watch my CUBBIES..
Since 1989, I have been to Meza, AZ numerous times for business. I can tell you that the City of Meza has a serious gang problem. It has been isolated to the Westside, but, it is moving its way east. Isn't bad enough that we fans have to put up with the gangs in Chicago. Please move the team spring training to Florida. Naples, FL is beautiful city without the crime that has invaded Meza.
YEEEAAHHHHHHH COME TO FLORIDA CUBBIES! MAYBE IS ARIZONA THE REAZON THE WE HAVE NOT WIN THE WORLD SERIES IN 1000 YEARS LOL WELL AT LIST IT LOOKS LIKE 1000 YEARS ... MOVE TO FLORIDA LETS GO CUBBIES 2010.
Get the hell out of here and don't come back! If the Cubs leave AZ I'm done with them. They're my favorite team, I've been watching them for years during spring training, and I obviously watch them throughout the regular season. I'm guessing fat boy Piniella is partly behind this as he believes the AZ weather is a problem for gauging the pitching talent. I don't know why the Cubs would listen to that loser as he's going to be gone soon anyway. This is the same guy who for whatever reasons thought the team was too right-handed dominate, so they removed key elements of the team that won 97 games. Everytime he was asked what was wrong with the team this past season he shrugged his shoulders and had no answers. I hope his a$$ is done with the Cubs.
Come on down to south Florida I was a Sox fan and the Aholes deserted us to Arizona. Maybe the curse would end... we have many frienly billy goats in sunny Florida.
Move the cubs from HO-HO-HUM Park? What has Florida done to deserve this disgrace? When does Des Moines get its chance? Aren't there any remote uninhabited islands available?
"that included a miniature version of Wrigley Field"...Great, falling concrete and toilets that haven't been cleaned in 100 years. Although Florida, land of the mullet-headed "Cops" stars would class up the Cub fan base.
Please move to Naples!! Who the heck goes to Arizona anyway..way more people visit Florida!!
Nooooo! Please keep the Cubbies in Mesa, or at least in the Valley. We look forward to Spring Training every year. That is baseball at its finest.
Okay, tons of Chicagoans live in AZ now, retirement went that way because they wanted to remain close to their teams (Sox & Cubs). So, what now? Cubs move to FL, and still stay pathetic WITHOUT their retired fan base! Ricketts looks like a Bill Murray wanna-be. Who's Crane Kenney??? :-))) LOL
Two words - VERO BEACH
Dodgertown would love to become wrigglyville.
For those who have never been there, it's gorgeous and much less crowded and congested than Naples in which you have to plan on a 45 minute drive to the grocery store because of congestion.
As a Chicagoan who retired to the Naples area I can tell you there are thousands of Cub fans here (and we're not millionaires).
For people who actually understand business there's a reason the Red Sox and Twins train here with the possibility of the Orioles as well. There is ample accommodation for northerners who take a "spring break" to see their team and a plethora of restaurants and diversions to satisfy any taste(does Mesa have an ocean?).
Thanks to WGN and the decades, the Chicago Cubs are truly "America's Team," and will find a strong following no matter where they go. Did I mention that the climate down here is ideal?
Welcome Cubs!
Do it! I vacation to Florida every spring and want to see the Cubs there!!
at first, i wasn't sure if this would be a good move since the cubs have had a great relationship with the ho ho kams for such a long time.
but, if the cubs moved to florida, it might...and i stress the word "might" raise their game to a new level because they would have to play the yankees and red sox in spring training. maybe...again, stressing the word "maybe" playing teams of a higher caliber during spring training may push them to play a little more competitive.
it seems like many of the teams in florida win the world series or, at least, get there.
will this help the cubs?....not sure...but they haven't won a world series since leaving spring training in florida, a long time ago.
As a chicagoan who just moved to Naples, please spare me from the Cubs, keep the losers in AZ and near Wrigleyville.
Cubs better ask Milton Bradley if the move is okay, maybe they could hire a few more of his imaginary friends to make him feel better. The location would also be closer to Aramis Ramirez's cock fighting operation.
this team has been losing for over 100 yrs,time to change the culture and start over.what fond memeories do you have of them winning?dont say 1969 that is a joke and only losers will call 1969 a good year,that is a heart breaking year.if ricketts is erious about winning he will have to blow up the present CUBS and build a new team and im going to say it get prepared for it replace wrigley field,just so you know it is the curse the cubs have never ever won anything in that ballpark,they were one of the winnest teams before that ballpark,now look at them.yes its a great place to your children too or grandchildren too just to watch bad baseball,and some drunks swear and cuss at the players.
No...say it ain't so!
Who cares where they train? As long as it's warmer than Chicago in March.
Anything that Crane Kenny is investigating is bound to be a disaster. Maybe the Ricketts just wanted him as far away as possible from the real negotiations in az. Mesa or Gila would both be fine. Know how many cubs fans are in AZ hundreds of thousands, know how many of the rich millionaires in Naples are cubs fans? Who cares.
I hope this only a bargaining ploy to get Mesa and the HoHoKams to spruce up the park a bit. Florida is noting but long BUS RIDES all over the state to play exhibition games. Tons of workout time is spent on the bus. Teams have been leaving Florida and going to Arizona left and right - it figures that the backwards Cubs might do the opposite. What next Ricketts? Moving the Cubs to Omaha?? 'The Omaha TDer's" Has a small town ring to it. Stop the nonsense and don't have us Cub fans start regretting that you got the team before you even have it.