Sports Writer visits NB NK Rotary Club

 Dave Ross, long-time sports writer shared some of his experiences on a recent trip to Arizona for spring training baseball.  “I am very much a Reds fan and baseball fan,” Ross said.  Ross covers the Cincinnati Reds among his various sports writing efforts and this year was a bit different from years past.  Ross explained that the Reds have trained in Sarasota , Florida for many years.  When the organization was unable to find a way to stay in Florida and still get the type of facilities they need in order to field a winning major league team, they decided to move out to Goodyear , Arizona for their annual spring training.  “I was very disappointed to leave Sarasota after all of the years I spent covering the Reds there, and getting to know all of the local people and places,” Ross said.  

Goodyear is a western suburb of Phoenix and is also the springtime home of the Cleveland Indians.  While the Reds and Indians share the Goodyear ball park, they each have their own training facilities.  With the Reds move to Arizona , there are now 15 MLB teams in Florida and 15 in Arizona .  Thirteen of the teams in Arizona are in the Phoenix area, the other two are located in Tucson .  Next year, the two teams in Tucson will move to Phoenix , making travel to games very easy for the teams and fans.  Ross decided that he would “make the most out of the new deal, and it turned out that everything was just great, the facilities, the layout, the people, everything.”  Ross arrived in Goodyear prior to the start of the spring training games so he was able to watch workouts at the ball park and the training facility.   “The facilities are easy to get to, everything in Phoenix is well laid out and all the teams are a lot closer together than they are in Florida ,” Ross said.  “Everything about the experience was just super,” Ross said.  

Ross was able to watch many workouts and practices and was impressed with the leadership exhibited by team leader and third baseman Scott Rolen, acquired last season in a trade.  “Seeing him up front and personal was a really neat thing,” Ross said.  “Rolen was helping to coach batters, leading sprints after practice and everything he did was exceedingly professional.  He brings a calm intensity level to the club.”  Ross got to see Cory Luebke of Marion Local High School and The Ohio State University pitch for the Padres.  “Cory is on the spring roster for the Padres still, but I think he’ll end up starting his big league career in AAA Portland ( Oregon ),” Ross said.  

Ross was optimistic about the fans’ acceptance of the moves to Arizona .  “Everything out there was so good that as fans come back from this year’s spring training and tell other fans about their experience, the fan base for the Reds out there will grow,” Ross said.

Hosting Rotarian: Mark Winner