State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, is pushing a change in the law that would allow Sarasota to keep state money while seeking a Major League Baseball team to replace the Cincinnati Reds as a spring training attraction. This is the Reds' final spring training in Sarasota. She said her goal is to "hopefully steal teams from Arizona," where tax breaks have led to six teams leaving Florida since 1998. ...more

March 11, 2009

Sarasota County would get two more years to find a new spring training baseball team to replace the Cincinnati Reds, according to legislation the Florida Senate is expected to take up this afternoon. State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, said she'll propose an amendment to Senate Bill 1308 that would essentially give Sarasota and Sarasota County two more years to build a new stadium. If they don't find a team by the end of two years, the money would go back to the state. ...more

March 10, 2009

Ivan Rodriguez hit three singles, Felipe Lopez drove in two runs and Puerto Rico won its final tuneup for the World Baseball Classic tuneup, beating the Boston Red Sox 9-5 ...more

March 5, 2009

Johnny Gomes hit a grand slam, and Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion added two-run homers to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the Boston Red Sox 9-8 Tuesday. ...more

March 3, 2009

There is little question about Justin Masterson's importance to the Boston Red Sox this season. ...more

March 2, 2009

As is usually the case when the Tampa Bay Rays play the Boston Red Sox, even in spring training, there's a lot of red in the stands at Charlotte Sports Park today, and hearty cheers greeted Boston's hitters as they stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning. Red Sox stalwarts Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and Kevin Youkilis each got a nice hand from a good chunk of the assembled masses. But when the fourth man in Boston's lineup, Rocco Baldelli, stepped to the plate, everyone cheered. ...more

February 27, 2009

You guys know each other, right? They do now. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox play today, provided traffic lets up and the Boston team bus gets through. What's that? Oh, sorry, our fault: The American League champion Rays play the Red Sox today. ...more

February 27, 2009

Josh Beckett pitched two perfect innings in his first outing since struggling in the playoffs with a strained side muscle, and a Boston Red Sox split squad beat Boston College 7-1 Wednesday. ...more

February 25, 2009

Three innings into the Rays' first game at their new spring training home, it seemed just about everything was operating as planned inside the ballpark. ...more

February 25, 2009

On the eve of spring training's exhibition season, when questions must be answered, the Rays have a large one looming. What to do with David Price? ...more

February 24, 2009