March 27, 2014: Cincinnati Reds Coming to Pensacola to Play Wahoos in Exhibition Game

http://www.pnj.com/article/20130911/SPORTS/309110015/Reds-agree-to-exhibition-game-in-2014

Lol they suck

Who cares?

The table is being set to bring spring training to Biloxi, Mobile, and Pensacola. Cincinnati is about a 12 hour drive to Pensacola. The hotels are in place in all three communities to handle the spring training crowd, and it would extend the use of the stadium for two more months with significant crowds watching spring training. The Biloxi stadium is the key. I am going over there in two weeks and a friend's company owns a parking lot which they are wanting to be made part of the ball park. Birmingham's new stadium doubled its attendance. The problem with adding other sites is that the further north you go, the colder it can get in early march. Another problem will be the rain totals in the Gulf in March and early April. There will be people working for this goal, and the reds coming to town is just the beginning of the process. The spring training contracts and commitments are out 3-5 years minimum, and this could be the incentive to get some hotel build out and other commercial spill over once spring training for part or all of the spring finds its way to the gulf coast.

People will be spending time at the beach.....the same way they do when most of spring training was in south Florida. I have told stories about going to spring training in Scottsdale, and how amazing the crowds were. I went to a Cub game at the San Francisco stadium in old Scottsdale, it was incredible how folks spilled out and filled the restaurants up. They had amazing choice of vendors who surrounded the stadium, and it was generally almost too many people.

It there was a commitment in three years to a spring training cycle, I am certain that you would get construction closer to the stadium, but people are going to use the existing facilities.

Very exciting prospect, and a great way to see some young players who will eventually play and star.

I would imagine they will stay at Portofino.


I sent you a PM.

Blue Wahoos team president Bruce Baldwin said it cost the team between $90,000 to $100,000 to bring the Reds to Pensacola. Team owners Quint and Rishy Studer gave the approval to make the game happen.

It will be the first time since 1958 that a Major League Baseball team has played in Pensacola.

“If it’s $100,000 or $150,000 I think it is worth it for this community,” Baldwin said. “I think it is just one of those moments you just mark down.”
The game was originally announced for March 27, but a revised spring training schedule has the Reds playing that day in Goodyear, Ariz., their spring training home.

“We’ll fly (charter flight) from Phoenix to PensacoIa and get in late that night (March 27), play the game and then leave after the game for Cincinnati,” Bavasi said.


Hell Yea!!! That's the spirit!! 150,000 dollars aint shit to Pensacola. Woot Woot!! I am ready.

196 days
until Thursday March 27 2014
a Thursday 6 months and 15 days from today

Pensacola Beach has a huge inventory of hotel and condo rooms.