DODGERS START THE MOVING PROCESS SPRING TRAINING MAY BE IN ARIZONA.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

Officials from the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox will hold a joint news conference in Glendale, Ariz., this afternoon to announce that they will explore the possibility of moving their spring-training operations to a proposed two-team complex in the Phoenix suburb, probably in 2009.

It is the strongest indication yet that the Dodgers will soon leave Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., which has served as their spring-training home since 1948. The development was characterized Tuesday by the Dodgers, White Sox and Glendale officials as merely the first step in a long process that by no means guarantees the clubs will share a complex in Glendale.

But the two teams and the city have been talking for what one source said was ``about 10 months,'' and sources close to both teams said their respective moves are a virtual certainty.

The Dodgers' current lease with Vero Beach, which was signed after the 2001 season, runs through 2021. But the club could simply buy it out, probably for $10 to $15million, or another club could move in to replace the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are the only team west of the Houston Astros that trains in Florida. The geographic distance of roughly 3,000 miles prevents the Dodgers from drawing a large contingent of fans from Los Angeles to spring training.

``This is an opportunity to be closer to our West Coast fan base,'' said Camille Johnston, the Dodgers' senior vice president for communications.

Since 1998, the White Sox have trained in Tucson, Ariz., where they share a complex with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The White Sox's lease runs through 2012, but they could get out of it simply by finding another club to replace them in Tucson, something that shouldn't be terribly difficult.

The Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles, both of whom play in outdated Florida facilities, might be willing to move to Tucson.

``We look at (greater Phoenix) as basically (consisting of) transplanted Chicagoans,'' said Scott Reifert, the White Sox's vice president for communications. ``We saw a statistic that one out of every seven people in Phoenix can trace their roots back to Chicago. We're looking at the size of that area and the opportunity it gives us from a fan-based perspective.''

The next step in the process is to secure an estimated $48 million in funding from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority. That amount would cover about two-thirds of the cost of building the two-team facility in Glendale, which also is home to an NHL arena and an NFL stadium that will host Super Bowl XLII in January 2008.

The Indians reached an agreement months ago with the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear and are competing with the Dodgers/White Sox contingent for that state money. But the Sports and Tourism Authority has made no secret of the fact it prefers to fund a two-team facility.

While the Indians are seeking a second club to share a proposed facility in Goodyear, the fact the Dodgers and White Sox have already agreed to enter this venture jointly would seem to put Glendale far ahead of Goodyear.

The Dodgers will be represented at today's news conference by Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, now a special advisor to chairman Frank McCourt; Howard Sunkin, the club's senior vice president for public affairs; and Johnston.

[e-mail]

[phone]