Arizona Project Short of Funds

The Dodgers might not find the spring training complex of their dreams in either Florida or Arizona.

The Dodgers could decide to stay in Florida, but their wish list carries a price tag in excess of the $20 million in government funding available for the city of Vero Beach and Indian River County to buy Dodgertown, renovate the complex and lease it back to the team.

The Dodgers could decide to move to Arizona, but Fort McDowell officials have come up empty in their search for state funding and have decided they cannot pay a $50-million construction bill by themselves.

“It’s safe to say we’ll have to scale the project down,” said Edward Roybal, tribal attorney for the Fort McDowell Indian Community.

Fort McDowell officials wanted to lure the Dodgers to a lavish spring home on their Phoenix-area reservation, including housing and recreational facilities included in no other training complex. In the absence of state money, however, those amenities may have to be sacrificed.

The Maricopa County Stadium District collects $2.50 from each car rental in the county, with funds reserved for the construction of spring training facilities. The district cannot share that money with Fort McDowell until current obligations are paid off, projected in 2017.

In meetings with tribal leaders, Cactus League officials have discussed generating additional revenue by raising the rental car surcharge or converting it from a flat fee to a percentage. That change, however, would require the consent of the state legislature, which is in recess until January.

The legislature would be wary in any case, in this anti-tax state. Voters in Mesa and two other Maricopa County cities on Tuesday resoundingly defeated a proposed convention center and football stadium for the NFL Cardinals that would have imposed a quarter-cent sales tax increase.

“The state is obviously very interested in having the Dodgers here,” said Chris Baier, director of sports development for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. “We feel the Dodgers belong here, and we feel it’s in their best interest to be here.

“But we don’t have the ability and the support in the state legislature to get an appropriation similar to what they got in Florida. That’s not a reality right now.”

The Dodgers do not plan to contribute to either project.

Fred Coons, the Dodgers’ director of business development, said the team still considers the Florida and Arizona proposals viable and plans to evaluate them in the next few weeks.

*

Reliever Antonio Osuna had surgery Thursday to have a bone spur from his throwing elbow.

Team physicians Frank Jobe and Ralph Gambardella performed the one-hour arthroscopic procedure on the right-hander at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. Osuna is expected to be sidelined at least two months while undergoing rehabilitation.

Jobe said the bone spur caused Osuna pain in the elbow when he extended his arm during his throwing motion.

“We found a small piece of bone in the back of his elbow,” said Jobe, who recommended Osuna have surgery a month ago. “The best way I can describe it is like a pebble in a shoe.

“We really didn’t have to do too much more than that, besides cleaning it [Osuna’s elbow] up a little. I think the ligament is in good shape and his elbow should be fine now that we got that ‘rock out of his shoe.’ ”

Osuna was initially scheduled to have surgery April 21 on Jobe’s recommendation, but he declined in an attempt to pitch through the pain. Jobe performed surgery on Osuna in September to remove a bone spur in the same elbow, and Osuna did not want to go through the process again.

“He should be able to pitch again in about two months, or in that neighborhood,” Jobe said. “We hope he can start tossing in about six weeks, but that’s only a guess.”

Jobe and trainer Charlie Strasser stressed that Osuna’s return depends on many variables.

“Everything went as expected, but we’re far away from that [knowing exactly when Osuna will return],” Strasser said. “It all depends on how he responds. Everyone is different.”

*

The Dodgers will honor late Times columnist Jim Murray during a pregame ceremony tonight. Murray’s widow, Linda McCoy-Murray, will be on the field during the ceremony. An exhibit featuring the Pulitzer Prize winner’s work will be included in the Dodger Experience on the club level.

ON DECK

* Opponent--St. Louis Cardinals, three games.

* Site--Dodger Stadium.

* Tonight--7.

* TV--Channel 5 tonight and Sunday, Fox Sports West 2 Saturday.

* Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Records--Dodgers 21-19, Cardinals 21-18.

* Record vs. Cardinals--2-4.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ ISMAEL VALDES (4-1, 3.40 ERA)

vs.

CARDINALS’ JUAN ACEVEDO (2-1, 7.45 ERA)

* Update--The Dodgers lost the final two games of a three-game series last weekend at Busch Stadium, squandering three-run leads in those games. Valdes pitched 5 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 5-4 loss but did not get the decision. He gave up six hits and three runs in one of his least effective outings. Valdes’ recurring blister problem contributed to his mediocre performance against St. Louis.

* Saturday, 7 p.m.--Darren Dreifort (4-2, 4.81) vs. Clint Sodowsky (0-0, 9.00).

* Sunday, 1 p.m.--Carlos Perez (1-5, 6.63) vs. Darren Oliver (3-2, 3.25).

* Tickets--(323) 224-1HIT