N.C. Cool To Twins
Most residents think Charlotte can support a major-league baseball team, according to a new poll.
But six in 10 Mecklenburg, N.C., residents would vote against using tax money to build an uptown ballpark. And more than two-thirds wouldn’t dream of driving to see a game in Greensboro, where businessman Don Beaver plans to move the Minnesota Twins if baseball owners let him. If Greensboro-area voters say no, Beaver will most likely come calling on Charlotte.
Rebecca Harris, a 24-year-old Charlotte caterer, is all for Charlotte’s efforts. She thinks Charlotte can support baseball better than Greensboro. She wants Charlotte leaders to compete with Greensboro for the team. And she backs using public money to help build an uptown ballpark.
“Charlotte is a growing, expanding city,” she says. “We’re always looking for opportunity.”
A baseball team would be another step for a city on the rise, agrees Lori Lawing, 35, a Charlotte homemaker.
Pitcher Steve Reed signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
He had been with the Giants previously, before being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft.
Reed, a 31-year-old right-hander, has a career record of 26-18 with 15 saves and a 3.62 ERA. He was 4-6 with six saves and a 4.04 ERA in 63 appearances last season with Colorado.
The Cincinnati Reds re-signed outfielder Melvin Nieves to a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration.
The Reds acquired Nieves, 25, from the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Donne Wall and minor-league catcher Paul Bako on Nov. 11.
Nieves spent most of the 1997 season as the Tigers’ starting right fielder, hitting .228 with 20 home runs and 64 runs batted in during 116 games.
A six-year veteran, Nieves has a career .229 average with 61 home runs, 170 RBIs and 441 strikeouts with the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and Tigers.
Outfielder Shane Mack signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics, becoming the third free agent to join the team this off-season.
After two seasons playing professionally in Japan, Mack, 34, returned to the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox in 1997. He played in 60 games for the Red Sox, batting .315 with three home runs and 17 runs batted in.