BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Indians Give Up on Homestead Plans

The Cleveland Indians have abandoned plans to hold spring training in Homestead, Fla., because of their concerns the area may never fully recover from damage caused by Hurricane Andrew.

The Indians, who trained in Tucson from 1946 to 1992, had made a two-year commitment to a new training complex in Homestead until the hurricane hit last August, destroying part of the facility and a majority of the homes and businesses in the South Florida city.

Unable to train in Homestead this spring, the team instead went to Winter Haven, former spring camp of the Boston Red Sox. On Friday, the Indians said they intend to make Winter Haven their permanent spring home.

“As much as we wish we could undo the storm’s impact on Homestead, our 15 spring training games would not have gone very far toward rebuilding the city,” said Richard E. Jacobs, the Indians’ president and owner.

“It’s really a shame that only dollars and cents entered into this equation,” said Homestead city manager Alex Muxo, who said losing the Indians could cost the area $20 million a year.

*

Wally Backman, whose wife gave premature birth this week, was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners said Backman was suffering emotional stress. Bret Boone was recalled from triple-A Calgary. . . . Detroit outfielder Dan Gladden, who has a torn quadriceps muscle in his left arm, was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Tigers.