Diligent work paid off in the end. The move to Sarasota to be in close proximity with the minor league facility shows the significant strides this team has made in recent years in realizing the importance of growing and developing the organization from top to bottom. The facility will be an upgrade...undoubtedly over the decrepit site in Ft. Lauderdale; and the memorandum of understanding underscores the future renovations that will be made to the site. This is a good day for the Orioles organization. And, for all those who always know all with respect to the team's management, take a back seat and shutup for once.

Great, and I just moved away from near the area 2 yrs ago.....dang..... :(.....

I used to watch them when they had spring training in Miami, in the 60's, but that was a few years back.....when the Orioles minor league team there was called the Miami Marlins

Now, in Sarasota, they are within an hour of the Rays, Yanks, Toronto, Phillies and only another 11/2 ride to the Sox spring training facilities further south. All in all, a good move by the birds!

I guess this is good but why did Cincy leave to go to the Phoenix area with 15 other teams? Since I moved out here to Vegas i go every year to see spring training games and can see lots of teams in a confined area. I still think the O's should have returned to this area (they were is Scottsdale in 1958 remember) and join another team for a two team complex. It is a great situation Peter, eh?

They go from having the 30th best facility to the 29 1/2 best..

Baby steps.

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Pete's reply: I don't think that's fair. I've always liked the Sarasota facility, and the stadium and minor league camps are going to be totally renovated next year. They'll be virtually new.

Brad- what dept at the Orioles do you work in?

Don't joke about the franchise moving, that's not funny. They suck but I'll always love the O's.

Peter,
Ever been to the Twin Lakes site? It's the old KC Royals Academy, and looks like it hasn't been updated since the 60's. The work-ou equipment looks like a fitness museum (Seinfeld reference).

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Pete's reply: I sure have. The major league club trained there in 1990 and '91. It is a dump, but the deal is to totally rebuild it and add the Ripken Academy.

GrebB-
Don't work for them bud. Looks like you have a problem looking at things in a positive and optimistic way. Quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of all the fans constantly bashing the team and management. An example of this are the people that think this is barely better than being in Lauderdale. Have a clue, read the basic parameters of the memorandum (I believe you can access this on Sarasota's council and county website) and realize that this is a positive step for the organization. It's pretty sad that even something good is seen through a cynical scope by many.

Furthermore, as I continue to back the franchise and management for recent good doings (and get characterized as a homer that works for the team lol), I will point you and others to the fact that management has allowed the team to spend significant dollars on recent amateur talent that were paid above slot value-as per MLB guidelines-as was the case for Wieters and Arrieta and I believe Matusz as well; they have allowed the trades of Bedard and Tejada two of our most identifiable stars for the betterment of the future; and ultimately, these moves, however delayed they were have finally put the Orioles in a position to win in the not so distant future. I'm sure all of you are intelligent enough to read articles online confirming this.

For those that want to continue the bad mouthing and know essentially zilch aside from a won-loss record, you are proving to be quite ignorant.

So go ahead and bash me because I'm taking the stance in favor of the team, the future and management. And, for goodness sake, at some point drop the preconceived notion that management wants to see the team fail. It's all too old and I'm way too young.

Good night!

"Nightlife," eh? Hehe. College Spring breaks just so happen to occur around that time.

I am pretty impressed with the amount of infrastructure changes Andy's been able to get done under his watch. This may have a lot to do with John Angelos, of course, but it's under Andy's watch.

Basemonkey, I agree with you about he changes that have occurred since Andy took over. You have to believe that Andy said to P.A., in order to evaluate the talent properly, the teams have to be together.

Sounds like a lot of renovations will be done so if it's outdated (haven't been there), it certainly will look different in 2011 which incidentally is the year that the Birds will challenge for the AL East........I HOPE!!!!

Only real question that remains, will the turtle that Pete saved, make the move to Sarasota?

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Pete's reply: Thanks for mentioning the turtle. My colleagues still think I made that story up.

Hey, Brad, you fired the opening salvo by telling people to take a back seat and shut up -- as if nearly 20 years since moving from the 1½ fields of Miami the Orioles finally have a spring training site they can call their own. There are teams that have existed less than that who have done better than that. Oh yeah, they're also the teams who have won World Championships in the last 20 years also -- rather than trying to just win more than they lose.

Some of the Orioles are trying to do the right thing like MacPhail, but it will still come down to Peter the Grate in the end and he never makes mistakes. Don't believe it? Ask him.

While we're finally applauding something that may be more than just a financial accomplishment, AJ Burnett beat our journeyman du jour. Thanks goodness we didn't go after him. It's much better to have ten fingers crossed for -- what year is our latest target year again? -- with five maybe's than to actually have a #1 or a #2 pitcher.

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Pete's reply: Do you really think AJ has been worth $90 million to the Yankees. He's 9-4 with a 3.74 ERA, which is quite good, of course, but the O's are the only AL East team he has a winning record against this year. He's 2-4 overall against the other three teams in the division, including 0-2 against the Red Sox. And he's playing for the best offensive team in baseball. If he was pitching for the Orioles right now, I suspect we'd be saying how stupid Peter Angelos was for signing a 7-7 pitcher to a huge contract.

Hey Brad,

It is a great day for the O's and us fans. I am so exuberant, I feel like we won the World Series. It is a lot of hard work to get a minor league facility in Florida. Great accomplishment after 20 quick years. Look out AL East. Here come the O's. The missing piece to a World Series has been found. We have a new facility in Florida. Great piece of work. Now every free agent would want to sign with the O's. We're just unlucky that we did not have it when Burnett and Texeira were available. The lack of adequate spring training facilities must have been the deal breaker for them. But it's all good now. This achievement greatly improves our chances to become a powerhouse in the AL East. I rate it up there with new LED video board. Isn't that thing awesome? The Yankees and the Redsox must be in panic mode right now, since it has probably taken them 30 years to find a spring training facility and still haven't found one like the O's have. We must be the envy of all MLB right about now. Angelos his putting Streinbrenner to shame with the way he is spending those millions. Shame on them who question his commitment to the O's!

I think Brad is true O's fan and his stance to defend the O's organization against negative naysayers , he should be commended .
Pete - I wasnt sure if this day would ever come . I believe Andy MacPhail must have done good selling job to Angelos clan about getting new Spring Training facilites for the O's . That and the revelations of Boston/Tampa teams refusing to play games at Twin Lakes Minor league facility last spring,must have sent shockwaves at O's Warehouse here in Baltimore .
So what is new name for Sarasota ? Birdland anyone ?

For those who blame the O’s for not signing Burnett and Teixeira, I think McPhail has a better grasp of the big picture—the picture that sees the Orioles moving and staying in contention for the longer range. This has been said a thousand times before, but it is true that Teixeira wasn’t coming here under any circumstances. The O’s made a great first offer and let it be known they would discuss it further. Teixeira just wasn’t interested, and Peter has pointed out—above—the fallacy of thinking $90 million for Burnett is a positive step. But the bigger picture is that McPhail realizes that the future extends far beyond the current roster. The future will include some among Berken, Bergesen, Hill and Hernandez—time and continuing performance will tell—and will also include some among Matusz, Arrieta, Tillman, Erbe, Patton, Britton, Snyder, Welty, Joseph and others. Again, time and performance will tell. McPhail knows this and that’s the bigger picture that understandably frustrated and impatient Oriole naysayers fail to grasp.

I live near Twin Lakes Park and my son plays in the little league complex at the Park so I'm familiar with the Orioles complex.

The building, stands, dugouts are all old but there is a grounds crew every day working on the fields. I would be surprised if the fields need to be updated.

I think this a win-win-win situation for the Orioles, their Baltimore fans, and the Sarasota residents.

Waspman-Learn how to write.

Slugger-You are the perfect example of what I was saying earlier. Don't fault yourself...you fall in the majority. But, you, like many others continue looking at positive steps through this perpetually cynical lens. Nothing is acceptable, nothing. Even something as clear as day like moving our major league spring training facility close to our minor league facility is seen with skepticism and jokes. "Oh it's been 20 years" and "Oh we didn't sign Tex or Burnett..." Who the hell cares now. As Pete said, do you really think Burnett-the man that hasn't pitched a recent year without missing significant time-was worth 90 stinkin mil? What does that have to do with anything man? We offered Tex close to 150 mil...if that wasn't enough so be it. He never wanted to be here to begin with.

You all are blowing smoke up the wrong chimney and as I said, it's old, very old. Open the vent and let it out at some point to clear the air and welcome good, positive progress. It will be much easier to be a superficial fan that way, like I'm sure you are as well as Waspman for clearly identifying our loss in the Bronx yesterday...as if that matters in the grand scheme of things.

Good day.

Great for the team, but I feel bad for the people in Fort Lauderdale - they're losing baseball. You could tell from being down there that it meant a lot to people.

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Pete's reply: I guess, but they've got the Cardinals and Marlins less than an hour away.

Hmmmm.... maybe being away from the Lauderdale nightlife might actually help the attention to detail on the field, which is officially the main reason the team is supposed to be there. Yeah, I know I'm an old fuddy-duddy, but it's still Florida. "A bad day in Florida beats a good day anyplace else." I'd take six weeks in Sarasota beginning in February over six weeks in Baltimore any time.

I can't see this being anything but at least a huge step in the right direction. At long last the team appears to be making descisions that have a unifying goal of long term betterment of the franchise. For those who lament the loss of the old "Oriole Way", it has to be easier to develop a unified baseball culture when the major and minor league teams are nearby.

I'm with Brad on this one. Instead of griping about "why did it take so long?" or "it's still not as good as X team", I'm at least grateful that they have finally made progress in turning that huge ship around and getting it going in the right direction.

And yes, I expect it to pay off sooner rather than later in improved results on the field, which is the ultimate measure of the actions taken.

We lost the Colts and lived through it.

We will survive losing the Orioles.

Brad,

It's hard to be positive when you see what once a proud franchise envied by many in baseball become everybody's automatic win. For you to get excited over a new training facility is delusional and laughable. I see it more as, it's about time because the facility in FT Lauderdale was ridiculous. All of a sudden, Angelos does what he was supposed to do since day one, and I should look at that as an achievement? Get a grip of yourself. Angelos is a lucky man he is in Baltimore. In a city like New York, Boston or Philadelphia he wouldn't have gotten the pass he has gotten here in Baltimore for so many years. You are a superficial fan who looks at a training facility as some successful move, when it should have been there to begin with. I'll think positive thoughts when I see results on the field. Apparently you are in a state of denial and complacency and are afraid to win.

Pardon the rest of us with opposing views for being vocal against a travesty of 12 years committed on the team we grew up watching and loving.

Now lets get some new players to go with the new facility. Out with the old (sherrill) and in with the new (brandon woood?)

Anything would be better than that dump in Ft. Lauderdale. Visited this past spring after missing a few years, and it went from bad to worse. With the dough it sounds like they are going to plow into the facilities, should be great, and having all the players in close proximity is another upgrade the franchise has sorely missed the last few of years. West Coast of FL is beautiful, but I will miss the visit to South Beach...

Slugger-
Oh how delusional you are. Reading for comprehension and foresight clearly is not your forte. I believe I made the comment that instead of harping on how delayed the progress has been over the last decade, we should worry about the present and future good doings. Is that really that hard to follow?

Additionally, I didn't soley point out management's recent endeavor of signing a long term contract for a Spring Training facility; however, what I did do was couple this positive step along with the other recent progress the organization has made-most notably within its amateur and minor league departments. You do know that signing amateurs to big contracts and guaranteed multi-million dollar signing bonuses well above slot value is a risk right? You do know that the team has expanded its international scouting department and plans on opening facilities outside the states for this purpose right? Do you really want to throw me under the superficial bus, Slugger?

Unfortunately, for you, once you referenced AJ Burnett you lost credibility as anything but "superficial." Oh, man...add a perennial DL stint to our rotation for 90 mil will pay huge dividends. Smart business and organizational decision. In fact, more fans like yourself should run a franchise.

Keep it coming.

I am absolutely estatic at what the orioles are FINALLY doing! it takes time to renovate a house that lost its foundation. The orioles went from the ORIOLE way to the WTF way! signing retreads and rehashes instead of investing in the youth movement. I have said time and time again I would go to many games to see the young players mature than see a team full of 30+ high paid end of shelf life free agents anyday! the only issue i have with them is that THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS YEARS AGO! the rays did it, and now look at them!

The change we can believe in is progressing at a good pace! and this spring training facility is another piece in the rebuilding of the ORIOLE WAY!

GO O"s

I'm a long time O's cynic. I have bought exactly one ticket to a game at Camden Yards in the last ten years because I have had no interest in giving money to the team.

However, this is very good news. First, the spring training situation has been embarassing for 20 years. Don't think free agents and the like don't notice those things. Assuming full renovation, this solves the issue finally.

Second, the spring training situation has undoubtedly made scouting and teaching much harder. Perhaps they can improve both. It can't make scouting of our prospects worse....

Third, it has been obvious to any fan for years that Angelos has looked to scrimp and save whereever possible. The spring training issue was perhaps the clearest manifestation of the problem. There can no longer be any doubt that McPhail has convninced management to spend the money needed to rectify the structural wrongs (spring training, scouting in general, global scouting in particular) and rebuild the organization (not just help the team at the major league level). While the MLB product has not yet improved, this is another sign that the team has committed to rebuilding the franchise (as opposed to just signing some free agents and hoping it will work for a year or two).

This is good news folks.

Great work Brad,

Yeah the Yankees really got screwed when the invested on Burnett. It shows. They got screwed when they gave Texeira all that money. You are right, superficial on my part. I should stand back, take a back seat and shut up.

Jim Palmer during the 8th inning in yesterday's game, called out the entire team, including the manager, for showing lack of effort and hustle. For showing no sense of urgency. He said that they should learn from the Yankees and the effort they put on the field.

Jim Palmer should have his Hall Of Fame honors revoked for those statements. How superficial of him! Does he know we just got a new training facility? Does he know we're paying amateurs millions? Apparently not, because if he did, he would not question the team's effort. It's negative people like him who don't see the positive things the O's are doing that should take a back seat and shut up.

Yours Truly

I'm a long time O's cynic. I have bought exactly one ticket to a game at Camden Yards in the last ten years because I have had no interest in giving money to the team.

However, this is very good news. First, the spring training situation has been embarassing for 20 years. Don't think free agents and the like don't notice those things. Assuming full renovation, this solves the issue finally.

Second, the spring training situation has undoubtedly made scouting and teaching much harder. Perhaps they can improve both. It can't make scouting of our prospects worse....

Third, it has been obvious to any fan for years that Angelos has looked to scrimp and save whereever possible. The spring training issue was perhaps the clearest manifestation of the problem. There can no longer be any doubt that McPhail has convninced management to spend the money needed to rectify the structural wrongs (spring training, scouting in general, global scouting in particular) and rebuild the organization (not just help the team at the major league level). While the MLB product has not yet improved, this is another sign that the team has committed to rebuilding the franchise (as opposed to just signing some free agents and hoping it will work for a year or two).

This is good news folks.

sorry about the move to saratoga. do understand, FAA got greedy. guess a field trip is in order this spring. there is a silver lining.

Pete's reply: Do you really think AJ has been worth $90 million to the Yankees. He's 9-4 with a 3.74 ERA, which is quite good, of course, but the O's are the only AL East team he has a winning record against this year. He's 2-4 overall against the other three teams in the division, including 0-2 against the Red Sox. And he's playing for the best offensive team in baseball. If he was pitching for the Orioles right now, I suspect we'd be saying how stupid Peter Angelos was for signing a 7-7 pitcher to a huge contract.

I disagree. First, Burnett has pitched more inning than any Oriole this year. The two pitchers who are close are Bergesen (6-4) and Guthrie (7-8), and Guthrie's ERA is 1.38 higher then Burnett's.

Burnett hasn't had a losing season with anyone since 2003 (0-2, 4 starts) if you want to count that, or 2001. Furthermore, his ERA is slightly lower than his lifetime ERA which is pretty remarkable given the nature of the new Yankee Stadium.

Most importantly, any good team (or team striving to be good) needs to have a mix of youngsters and veterans. The Oriole veterans are all journeymen. Even if Burnett lacks success, at least he HAD success once upon a time -- something many of the 38 pitchers the Orioles auditioned in March never had and likely will never have.

Oh and Brad, what you said is tantamount to having nothing to say. The Sarasota site is built on a landfill. There were (are) environmental concerns -- enough who paid for what had to be negotiated if those concerns cost more than $1 million.

It is good the Orioles have a centralized site finally, but one wonders if the deal came down to dollars more than what was best for the ballclub. Arizona would have made more sense on that front -- even if it is a longer flight.

Slugger-
Stop responding to yourself. It's an ineffective tactic at getting your point across. You have consistently proven you are dense and incapable of deciphering more than one sentence at a time. I will make it clear for you (maybe CAPS LOCK is easier to read).

I DO NOT CARE WHAT THE RESULT ON THE FIELD WAS LIKE YESTERDAY, TODAY, 3 DAYS AGO, 1 MONTH AGO. WHAT I DO CARE ABOUT IS: DIRECTION. SITTING HERE TODAY ARE WE BETTER OFF THAN WHERE WE WERE THREE YEARS AGO? HAVE WE MADE POSITIVE PROGRESS? IF YOUR ANSWER IS NO, YOU ARE BLINDED BY YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THIS AND YOUR IMPENETRABLE GRUDGE. LISTEN, I'M SURE YOU ARE OLDER THAN ME. I WAS NOT AROUND DURING THE GLORY DAYS. IN FACT, MY FONDEST MEMORY OF THE TEAM WAS WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG AT THE 2131 GAME. MOST LIKELY, SLUGGER, YOU HAVE BEEN PRIVY TO THE GOOD DAYS. IMAGINE BEING ME AND NOT BEING ABLE TO REMEMBER A .500 SEASON? AND, THE MERE FACT THAT I CAN SEE THE LIGHT MAKES ME SUPERFICIAL? GIVE ME A BREAK.

Just to add on to your Jim Palmer claim: He is paid to analyze the game he is watching. One thing I admire about him as a fan is his ability to tell it like it is. If the team is playing without passion he notes it, if the team is getting screwed by the home plate umpire he notes it, if Rich HilL doesn't have the delivery capable to throw a fastball effectively to both sides of the plate he notes it. But, if you have watched the games this year, you also understand that he has praised the team's young talent (mostly guys in the minors that he has watched and gotten reports on). By the way, for your information, the vote by the county to approve the Spring Training facility in Sarasota commenced around 9:45pm. If you recall, yesterday was a day game, so eluding to the deal being done would have been unprofessional considering the team hadn't released a statement.

Anything else?

(I hope the Caps Lock helped you follow this time...)

Brad,

Glad to see that a taste of your own medicine is getting you ticked off. Me picking your sentences apart as you did with my post got your panties in the bunch, didn't it?

Stop reacting as a pimple-faced teenager. Doesn't make you sound smarter because you feel so empowered behind your keyboard throwing insults around. Speaking of which. What village are you from? They're missing their idiot right now.

Keep it up Brad!

A few more posts like those and you'll move to the first row of parking spots at the warehouse.

You write as if the Orioles are at the forefront with this ST facility, investing in general scouting, and investing in global scouting.

They are so late to the party that it's laughable. You want people to laud them for doing what they should have been doing for years?

Please.

I'd like to know when us fans are allowed to start caring about winning on the field.

2010? 2011? 2012?

You see, you are still eating up what the organization is feeding you. You seem to enjoy it. Others can see through a whole lot of it.

Have they got some young, promising pitchers? Sure. So do alot of teams. They also have very little in the way of legit position player prospects.

As far as the team now? Well, they are flat out pathetic. And much of that has nothing to do with have lesser talent.

It has to do with poor fundamentals, lack of hustle, and complete lack of leadership staring with the manager on down.

So you can keep preaching your "direction" rhetoric all you want.

All I know is Andy McPhail's plan better be pure genius because the mess he's got now isn't gonna be fixed with a few pitchers.

Great! The Orioles have a new spring training site and their minor league facilities are nearby.

I guess that means they'll be winning the AL East next year, huh?

Appears I have ruffled your feathers behind my empowering keyboard. Glad you see such a bleak future for this team...it does wonders for the franchise. Nothing like constantly reaffirming a problematic past.

For the poster that mentioned our lack of position talent...Brandon Snyder isn't too shabby...Oh yeah we brought up Reimold this year...he's off to a better start than Markakis was at his first 50 game plateu (I think better stats than Cal too). We have a great young OF. We have a catcher that with time will prove to be the class of the American League. Yeah we clearly don't have much talent. Whatever, I'm done.

And for the record, I have no pimples. At your age, Slugger, I'm sure you have a few.

Toodles.

Andy MacPhail should get MLB Exec of the Year Award! 2yrs running!

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Pete's reply: I think he pushed hard for this, but you have to give credit to the guys who did the deal -- John Angelos and attorney Alan Rifken. And, of course, the owner.

A born Marylander and Sarasota resident of Sarasota for 20 years, I told folks here Baltimore is a great sport city and the Orioles (I saw often in their two previous Baltimore sites)are a storied team. They will be welcome here and they will love Sarasota. Come on down.

The scary thing is that all of these young guys could pan out and we make the move from 5 to 3rd place. I am interested is seeing how many trips to the playoffs Tampa makes over the next 3-4 years.They took 15 years of last place to build the team they have now. They appear to have a lock on third. The Orioles need to continue to work on other ways to get people to come to the ballpark. They should be all over every radio and TV station in town promoting the team. Waiting for "winning" to cure everything could be a long wait.

To all the naysayers:
Whine all you want but come next year, you will not be able to drone on about the O's needing a new training facility, being late to the party, etc. Now, slice it, dice it, and shove it! That's progress!

Go O's!

Appears I have ruffled your feathers behind my empowering keyboard. Glad you see such a bleak future for this team...it does wonders for the franchise. Nothing like constantly reaffirming a problematic past.

For the poster that mentioned our lack of position talent...Brandon Snyder isn't too shabby...Oh yeah we brought up Reimold this year...he's off to a better start than Markakis was at his first 50 game plateu (I think better stats than Cal too). We have a great young OF. We have a catcher that with time will prove to be the class of the American League. Yeah we clearly don't have much talent. Whatever, I'm done.

And for the record, I have no pimples. At your age, Slugger, I'm sure you have a few.

Toodles.

Nah, you're just another in the long line of people blowing smoke and eating what this team is selling you.

I mentioned position players in the minors. That was pretty clear. Guess it wasn't to you.

So you keep on trotting around on your high horse and us lowly folk down here will live in the reality.

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Pete's reply: Hey, guys, try to make it clearer when you're pasting in the post you want to answer. I put this one in italics, but I can't do that all time time. thanks

Brad, while I pretty much agree with you on everything in your little debate with SLUGGER, keep in mind this. Jon Miller pretty much told it like it was too, and he got run out of town on a rail, along with Davey Johnson.Now Palmer and all of his HOF credentials could not fix DCab.He's not going to fix Rich Hill or Berken either. He gets paid for telling war stories, and by God he does a swell job of that!!

Brad, while I pretty much agree with you on everything in your little debate with SLUGGER, keep in mind this. Jon Miller pretty much told it like it was too, and he got run out of town on a rail, along with Davey Johnson.Now Palmer and all of his HOF credentials could not fix DCab.He's not going to fix Rich Hill or Berken either. He gets paid for telling war stories, and by God he does a swell job of that!!

Good move O's.

Aside to Pete: having been to Dodgertown in Vero Beach, what knocked that place out of contention? Seemed big enough to hold both the major and minor leaguers in that facility.

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Pete's reply: I love Dodgertown, but it's old-fashioned and it's not a great location in relation to other teams.

I can't wait to buy season tickets.

For those who don't know,Ft. Myers is building the Red Sox a new place to play.An exact replica of Fenway Park. How cool is that.

Pete:Why expand Ed Smith to almost 9000 cap.They have trouble getting 4000 in Ft. Lauderdale now.

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Pete's reply: Because they are going to be playing the Yankees and Red Sox instead of the Marlins and Nationals. That's one reason. The other reason is that they should be building toward better days and more popularity, rather than having to start expanding after they come.

The O's have finally found the team a perfect home. Sarasota is a great place. I put this request on my Bucket List 10 years ago. My other wish might be a bit harder to attain, but just to be a contender in the AL East would be great after 12 years. O's fans deserve better!

Brad,
That first email really got your panties in a wad.

Send out a press release when the Orioles finish with a winning season.
Good night.

Pete,
will the 2010 spring schedule opponents be changed?? Who will be the usual suspect opponents of the O's next spring? Pirates? Phillies?

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Pete's reply: I think it will be balanced among all the teams on the gulf coast.

As a Sarasota resident I say welcome to all you Oriole fans. You will love our city and our beaches and everything else we have to offer. I will be there watching every game.

Sarasota, wonderful location. St. Armands Key, Lido, DeSoto Circle, Ringling's, The New College, art museums, great restaurants, taverns, and the beaches. Oh, those bikini covered beaches. For you mystery fans, Sarasota was long time home of John D. McDonald, Travis Magee's father. As you drive out the causeway to St. Armands from the mainland, 'ol John D. had the whole top floor of the last high rise condo on the left. Nice guy, liked his Boodles. Peter they're going to have a tough time dragging you out of there for the trip north. But, with the way communications are today, you might not have to move. Cover the O's from the beach.