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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 27, 2006 New park not likely to host pro baseball By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune If you build it, they will come. That notion paid off for Kevin Costner in the movie "Field of Dreams," and it’s a trend that only stands to gather momentum for the city of Medford as the new Harry and David Ballpark nears completion. The West Coast Collegiate Baseball League contacted the city a year ago about the possibility of fielding a team in Medford, and yet another group expressed a similar desire on Thursday. Representatives from the Golden Baseball League met informally with Medford Youth Baseball Society president Gary Miller, parks and recreation director Brian Sjothun and others about the prospects of adding a franchise in Medford. "They’re kind of on a road trip barnstorming through the area to promote interest in their league," said Miller. "They’ve been to Redding, stopped here and are going up to Corvallis and, I think, even going to swing by Klamath Falls just exploring possibilities for expansion. It was pretty preliminary type discussions, certainly nothing to get too excited about." Advertisement While the league officials spoke of the promise of placing a team in Medford, the reality of the situation is the city has already entered into an agreement that mandates the new ballpark be used for amateur baseball and other community events. It won’t be available to house a professional team. "That would be a big hurdle anyone would have to get over," Miller said of altering the agreement. "That’s something that would have to be worked out through the city council, and I can’t even imagine how many public discussions and other steps would be involved in that process." It’s also not a process the local contingent appears eager to enter into. "What we said is was that our priority is youth baseball and we wouldn’t want to compromise that from a scheduling standpoint," said Miller. The Golden Baseball League is a six-team professional baseball league in California, Nevada and Arizona that began play in 2005. The league owns all the teams and uses a salary cap to promote a level playing field for all franchises. "They were sincere and well-prepared and it seems to be a well-financed league," said Miller. "I’m sure we’ll get more and more interest with the ballpark from other professional teams, so I wouldn’t get too excited at this point, especially since all our energy needs to go toward getting the ballpark completed." The field at Harry and David Ballpark is in and getting established, with work ongoing to finish the dugouts and the press box and concession stand, which houses the restrooms. Miller said the ballpark will have 200 seats and 70 parking spaces available for when the spring high school season begins around March 14. "We’ve still got a big mountain to climb as far as raising funds to complete it," added Miller. The MYBS is in the midst of a $2.1 million capital campaign that will go toward the addition of another 1,300 seats and 300 parking spaces, among other amenities. Combined with the $3.2 million already spent, the ballpark stands to be a $5.3 million project. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail New park not likely to host pro baseball ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s