Scout.com > LA Dodgers Trouble in Paradise? Story URL: http://dodgers.scout.com/2/731134.html Tot Holmes LADugout.com Feb 22, 2008 One of the interesting things about baseball is that the unexpected is always lurking just around the corner. And in one of those Kodak moments the Dodgers issued a very careful statement that they are looking for "alternatives" to the new spring training facility in Glendale, Arizona. Only three months after a celebration to break ground of the proposed $80 million complex took place, when dignitaries armed with glittering shovels turned over a bit of dirt at the site in a Phoenix suburb that the Dodgers and White Sox were to share, there are hints of trouble. The statement read, “The facility-development agreement between the teams and the city of Glendale calls for the parties to develop a ‘scope of work’ that will define the layout, design and construction of this spring-training facility and a firm completion date. While the teams fully expect that scope of work will be completed soon and to everyone’s satisfaction, the Dodgers must have an alternative in the unlikely event that the parties are not able to agree on the scope of work.” The statement came as Dodgers management sought to downplay complaints by a prominent Dodgers official that Glendale was slow in providing the club with the necessary documentation — most notably the official “scope of work” document showing all components of the planned facility — to ensure the club’s specific desires for the facility will be met in full. “The clock continues to tick,” said Craig Callan, the Dodgers vice president for spring-training and minor-league facilities. "We look forward to receiving clarification from them, especially regarding the things that were in our original conceptual program versus the things we are actually getting." The Indian River County (Fla.) Commission recently pointed out they were waiting official word from the Dodgers about plans to leave Dodgertown so they could begin negotiating with a replacement club, believed to be Baltimore. The Dodgers' lease with the county was amended and they ratified a lease- termination agreement. As a result, the Dodgers must notify the county by March 31 if they plan to void the termination agreement and remain at Dodgertown. That would lock the Dodgers into their current lease, which runs through 2021. If the Dodgers still plan to vacate, they must inform the county before July 15 to avoid a $575,000 penalty. Callan is concerned that, after compromising on a number of details, the facility will not be the facility originally promised. The seating has been dropped from 12,000 to 10,000 and ten acres have been cut from the plan (from 151 to 141) plus the elimination of a dugout club behind home plate. "We want a best-in-class, state-of-the-art facility that is above and beyond anything that has been built before, something that would make the Dodgers, the White Sox and Glendale proud," Callan said. "The Dodgers and White Sox have a vision, and have had a vision for quite some time, that includes (those things), but we are not comfortable that we are at that stage right now. "We are anxiously awaiting meeting with Glendale officials to clarify all the details so that we can move to Glendale and exit Vero Beach gracefully." A spokesperson for the city of Glendale did not respond to a request for comment. A White Sox spokesman said his club had no comment beyond the Dodgers' statement. "));?? Copyright © Scout.com and LADugout.com