BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
National League President Leonard S. Coleman Jr. has spurned a Hamilton County commissioner's call to intervene in stadium negotiations between the Reds and county.
In a cordial but terse letter to Commissioner John Dowlin, Mr. Coleman supported the club's bid for a riverfront ballpark. Mr. Dowlin backs Broadway Commons.
Mr. Coleman also took exception to Mr. Dowlin's claim that the county's stadium proposal to the Reds is the best financial deal in Major League Baseball history.
"That statement simply is not accurate," Mr. Coleman said in his letter, dated Monday.
"If the Reds could unilaterally copy some other existing stadium deals, the negotiators could terminate their discussions immediately: A new stadium would be under construction," he said.
Mr. Dowlin, who in an Aug. 22 letter asked Mr. Coleman to back Broadway Commons, said the response is not a death knell for Broadway's grass-roots effort.
"I'm just hopeful that he's privately telling the Reds, 'C'mon, let's get on with it.'
"I'm surprised neither he or the Reds has a real sense of urgency about the Reds' financial situation," Mr. Dowlin said. "They're not in good shape, and they act like it's ho-hum."
Reds managing executive John Allen said Mr. Coleman's letter confirmed to the club that it had taken the right stance in negotiations.
"We didn't believe it was the best baseball package, and Len Coleman certainly has much more intimate knowledge of these deals," Mr. Allen said. "The sentiment of vocal pro Broadway Commons people has been that Len would come in for them, but it confirms what Len has been telling us. He'll support us."
Mr. Allen acknowledged the team and county remain at an impasse dating to the last negotiating session the first week in July. Since then, Mr. Allen said, he's had informal talks with county officials.
"What do you do when there's been a line drawn in the sand?" Mr. Allen asked. "You bang your head on the wall to see if you can come up with something else."
Mr. Allen said a ballpark built between Cinergy Field and Riverfront Coliseum should cost less than the $400 million estimated for the Bengals' stadium.
"The league considers site selection to be a local matter," Mr. Coleman wrote to Mr. Dowlin. "However, the Reds have a strong preference for the riverfront site. We fully support the Reds' position."
REDS PAGE
Previous stadium stories
ANALYSIS: NO NEED TO RUSH REDS BALLPARK August 31, 1997
DOWLIN ASKS FOR NL'S HELP ON STADIUM August 29, 1997
ALLEN VISITS ATLANTA SEEKING STADIUM IDEAS August 23, 1997
BIG STADIUM ROADBLOCK REMOVED July 25, 1997
STADIUM SIDES DEFINED July 11, 1997
STADIUM STANCES July 11, 1997
STADIUM MEETING TONE UPBEAT July 11, 1997
REDS PLAY DOWN SEAT LICENSES July 9, 1997
REDS CALL FOR SEAT LICENSES, RIVERFRONT SITE July 8, 1997
HIGHLIGHTS OF REDS' PROPOSAL July 8, 1997
REDS WANT GUARANTEE ON 2002 July 5, 1997
REDS SAY THEY NEED GOOD STADIUM DEAL TO COMPETE July 4, 1997
CITY, COUNTY FEUD OVER CONSULTANT July 4, 1997
REDS ASKED FOR $235M STADIUM July 3, 1997
'WEDGE' FOES DEMAND STADIUM STUDY July 2, 1997
'WEDGE' TO BE PUT TO THE TEST July 1, 1997
REDS UNMOVED BY PRICE GAP June 20, 1997
DOWLIN SAYS BROADWAY CAN SAVE $62 MILLION June 19, 1997
BALLPARK ESTIMATE: $230 MILLION June 11, 1997
RIVERFRONT SITE BETTER BET June 6, 1997
BROADWAY, 'WEDGE' ONLY OPTIONS LEFT? June 4, 1997
REDS RELENT ON WEST SITE June 3, 1997
NOTHING WILL DISLODGE REDS FROM RIVERFRONT Tim Sullivan column, June 3, 1997
REDS TO KENTUCKY? WHISPERS PERSIST May 31, 1997
NO DEAL WITH REDS SEEN BY JUNE 1 May 23, 1997
REDS EASE STANCE ON 'WEDGE' May 16, 1997
REDS MIGHT HAVE TO WAITMay 5, 1997
COSTS GOING UPMay 5, 1997
SCHOTT SAYS 'NO WAY' TO WEDGE April 12, 1997
SULLIVAN COLUMN April 12, 1997
CITY COULD PAY TO DELAY STADIUM April 10, 1997
BENGALS LEERY OF 'WEDGE' April 9, 1997
THE GREAT STADIUM DEBATE
BALLPARK DEBATE LINGERS ON April 6, 1997
NEIGHBORHOOD A BIG PART OF BALLPARK April 6, 1997
BALLPARK, FANS' HONEYMOON SHORT April 6, 1997
REDS HAVE HURDLES, HELP IN SITE HUNT April 6, 1997
KENTUCKY DESERVES REDS, TOOApril 6, 1997
BORGMAN CARTOON
April 6, 1997
REDS PLAN SEAT LICENSING March 14, 1997
REDS TOLD BENGALS NOT PICKING SITE March 12, 1997
MAYOR SUPPORTS BROADWAY March 5, 1997
DESPITE FLOOD, REDS DON'T WAVER FROM RIVER March 5, 1997
BASEBALL ON MAIN PROPOSED Feb. 26, 1997
WEDGE SITE GETS BOOST FROM COUNTY Feb. 22, 1997
REDS, COUNTY RESUME STADIUM TALKS Feb. 19, 1997
ONLY CRIME IS NOT CONSIDERING BROADWAY Feb. 18, 1997
RIVER SITE OR LAWSUIT Feb. 15, 1997
REDS ARE READY TO PLAY HARDBALL Feb. 15, 1997
SCHOTT THREATENS TO MOVE IF REDS AREN'T ON RIVER Feb. 14, 1997
