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BASEBALL
BREAKING NEWS! 5/22/09
LETTER FROM ORIOLES


Dear County Administrator Ley:

On behalf of the Baltimore Orioles, thank you for communicating Sarasota County's gracious written offer to have the Club's year-round major and minor league spring training operations located in Sarasota. The Orioles have maintained the Club's minor league spring training operations in Sarasota for many years and we are both familiar with and fond of the entire Greater Sarasota region.


As you know, the Orioles responded to your written offer on May 18, 2009 via e-mail with various questions as to material elements of that offer. The answers to those questions are significant to the Club's final determination as to this important long-term decision. As I am certain you are aware, Dave Bullock and I have spoken several times since the County's offer was presented to the Orioles. Dave informed me, as late as Wednesday of this week, that he is still working on the answers to certain of the Club's questions.

While a number of those issues remain unresolved, we have been informed that the County intends to restore and contribute an additional $3 million to the proposed County capital funds available for the project, thus bringing the total of all governmental sources of funds to approximately $31.2 million (inclusive of the State OTTED funds available as a result of the Orioles). Needless to say, the Orioles consider the restoration and availability of the additional $3 million to be a productive development. Having said that, there is still a significant funding delta between the anticipated project costs of approximately $42 million and the presently available fund . The magnitude of that funding delta and the related project financing issues are, obviously, considerable and of present concern to the Club.

The Orioles respectfully believe that it is in everyone's interest to maintain a productive dialogue. Like you, we believe that these matters and all of the material open issues need to brought to a final resolution -one way or another -on an expedited basis. To that end, we remain available to discuss these matters with you and Dave, which hopefully will result in the kind of clarification necessary for the Orioles to fully assess and respond to the County's offer. Again, we thank you, the County Commissioners and the County's staff for your tireless efforts related to these matters and we look forward to furthering these discussions.

Very truly yours,

A. Rifkin
Counsel for the Baltimore Orioles