BELTWAY RIVALRY IN SARASOTA?
Members of the Washington Nationals stand outside their dugout for the opening ceremonies of a
game with the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in March 2012. Photo by Norman Schimmel
SARASOTA COUNTY IS EXPLORING WHETHER IT CAN LURE THE
WASHINGTON NATIONALS TO TOWN FOR SHARED SPRING TRAINING
WITH THE ORIOLES
By Rachel Brown Hackney
Editor
If the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago
White Sox do it at Camelback Ranch in Arizona, can the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals do it in Sarasota?
One thing is clear: The Nationals have informed Brevard County officials they will not
be returning to Space Coast Stadium once
their facility lease ends in 2017. That was the
report in ballparkdigest.com on May 16.
It is a possibility — the sharing of Major
League Baseball Spring Training facilities — Barbetta already had talked with County Adthat Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Bar- ministrator Randall Reid a few weeks before
betta wants to explore.
that news appeared, having read rumors that
