Hall Of Famer Barry Larkin Joins Push To Bring MLB To Orlando
Considering it's one of the biggest tourist cities on the planet, with good weather for most of the year, it's a bit of a surprise that there's virtually no pro baseball presence in Orlando.
Sure, there's some in Daytona and nearby Lakeland, but there hasn't been much pro ball to speak of since the Atlanta Braves stopped holding their spring training at Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
So, that's likely one of the reasons a group formed by the late former Orlando Magic president Pat Williams—who also helped bring the NBA to town—is looking to bring a team to the City Beautiful. Now, they've got a Hall of Famer on their side.
The group is known as the Orlando Dreamers, and this week they announced that Hall of Fame Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin has joined the effort as an MLB ambassador.
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"I will work tirelessly, and I'm sure the team will work tirelessly to make this thing happen. It will be a great, great honor to see it come to fruition," Larkin said, per Fox 35 Orlando.
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Hall of Famer Barry Larkin is joining the push to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
It's pretty clear that the simplest path for Orlando to get a team is by convincing the Tampa Bay Rays to move up I-4.
The team's current stadium, Tropicana Field, sustained hurricane damage last fall and will not be ready for this season. Furthermore, the team has until March 31 to figure out a way to fund a proposed new stadium.
So, Dreamers co-founder Jim Schnorf made it clear that they're ready to go all in on a stadium of their own that would lure the Rays or an expansion team to town.
"Looking at our situation, we're prepared to match privately whatever funding is put up by Orange County or other government sources," Schnorf said. "This is a terrific arrangement for taxpayers, for the community, for county government."
There's a long way to go before Big League Ball comes to Central Florida, but it seems like they have a plan, and having a respected figure like Larkin in their corner will certainly be a big help.