Sorry for the delay on the postings. I'm in lovely Sarasota, Florida, home of the early bird specials, 'blue hairs' in running suits (who never run) and the spring home (for at least one more spring) of the Cincinnati Reds.

I'm just back from Clearwater, Florida, where tonight I saw the future and the future will be astounding, so long as Johnny Cueto keeps it up. He worked four innings tonight of scoreless baseball and if he doesn't make the Reds starting rotation this year, it will only be because Wayne Krivsky will have acquired Roy Oswalt, Josh Beckett and Dice-K before opening day. Cueto is the buzz of this camp. Bronson Arroyo started tonight and tossed five solid innings, allowing only a run. Put that with what Aaron Harang did against the Astros Tuesday and the Reds rotation is off to a flying start. But remember, it's only March.

Check out the latest Broo View Podcast. Its on the front page of my web site, www.kenbroo.com. In this latest edition, I have an extensive interview with Harang. Another podcast is coming Thursday.

Back with more Thursday.

The Reds and Goodyear, Arizona, have signed a deal that will give both 75-days to hammer out a deal to move the reds spring training facility from Sarasota, Florida.75-days where both sides can negotiate with no one else.

Here are some of the things you can find in Goodyear, Arizona: Peter Piper Pizza, a shuttered up horse track that went under because it was inaccessible and the Arizona State Pen.

If I’m Sarasota, I’m talking up my very viable dog track today. And the low crime rate.

The Reds have been trying to get the Sarasota county government to pony up about 15 million to help renovated Ed Smith Stadium. The total bill is about 40-million, but the state of Florida and the Reds are willing to toss in some dough.

Last week, the the Sarasota county commission essentially voted the tax deal down. Not surprising. I lived in Florida for seven years. If the second coming was a tax issue down there, trust me, it would be voted down.

Ed Smith Stadium isn’t delapitated. It’s certainly not new. But as spring training venues go, it’s not bad. It’s not handicap access friendly. But it won’t take 40-million to fix that. Some of the baseball field flood when it rains. Just about every field in Florida floods when it rains.

Bob Castellini doesn’t really want to go to Goodyear Arizona. And really, has anyone ever said to you they want to go to Goodyear, Arizona? He’s willing to pitch in $9 million to the 40-million dollar project to make it work in Sarasota. In Goodyear, all Castellini would have to do is show up. Maybe bring a nice bottle of Merlot as a calling card. But that’s about it. He could, presumably, take that $9 million he was going to give Sarasota and go out and buy a decent pitcher.

But if Castellini takes his team to Goodyear, Arizona, here’s what he won’t get. Fans from Cincinnati to spend a spring vacation watching his team. How many of your friends are gonna hop in a car and drive three days to watch spring training games? You can make Sarasota in about 13 hours.

You’ll hear some boasting on message boards from people who’ll say they’ll have no problem making the trip to Goodyear, Arizona, to watch Reds baseball. But mostly, those people live in their parents’ basement.

If Castellini takes his team west, here’s what he won’t get. Complete coverage on TV and in the Enquirer and Dayton Daily News. Afternoon games won’t be over in time for the 6p news. Night games won’t be over in time to get in the morning editions of the paper. Maybe he doesn’t care about that. But he should.

If Castellini takes his team west, here’s what Sarasota loses: a newspaper by line everyday, nationwide. Proof that there’s life beyond early bird specials at the local cafeterias. Admit it, when someone mentioned the city of Sarasota to you before the Reds landed there in the late 90’s, what did you think of? Right, grandma. Sarasota was then, and is now, a pretty neat place. Art, dining, the beach. But the thing that city has fought, forever, is the image of retirement haven, a slow moving burb with every bad driver from the north.

Hello from sunny and warm Sarasota, Florida. I'm spending the week at the Reds spring training facility. Check in at www.kenbroo.com mid day Wednesday. I'll have my latest "Broo View" podcast up and running with some thoughts from Reds' ace, Aaron Harang.

I've caught part of one game and most of another since arriving on Monday. The Reds beat the Phillies Monday, 9-8 on a suicide squeeze expertly executed by relief pitcher Brian Meadows.

Tuesday some of the Reds regulars and a couple of their big league pitchers took a short bus trip up to St Petersburg and beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Adam Dunn and Scott Hatteberg each went two for three. And after a not so hot spring start, pitcher Eric Milton rebounded with a decent three inning one run effort.

They play the Yankees Wednesday night in Tampa. I'll have more before that game, on www.kenbroo.com.