The 70th Governor of the great state of Ohio, Mike DeWine believes that the Dolan's are truly vested in keeping the Indians in Cleveland for a very longtime.
Governor DeWine joined the Ken Carman show with Anthony Lima Thursday morning for an incredible interview where he touched on various topics. DeWine believes that a lease for over 15 years for the Indians would be the best move.
"They basically were talking about a shorter lease, a 15 year lease. And I just expressed a desire... my interest is more, frankly, if we can get a longer lease. They kind of went back and there's a pretty good indication that they can do that," DeWine said. "It looks like there's a really good chance that there could be a possibility for at least the option for the city and the county to extend the lease beyond 15 years."
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Saying there's no indication the team would move out of Cleveland, DeWine added that it's in the state's best interest to play a part in putting a financial package together for a new stadium -- something he acknowledged might not sit well with everyone as recovery from the pandemic continues.
"We have been very careful with spending. When the pandemic started, we cut spending in Ohio. We did what we needed to do, but we've come out of this pandemic... and we have emerged at this point in very good shape," he said. "You can go back and look at the different ballparks and different stadiums that have been built, the state has played a role... and you're not doing it for the owners. You're doing it because we have two small market teams in Ohio. You have great disparity in teams' ability to get players and teams' ability to do what they need to do to compete. And so it's tough for a small market team to begin with."
Governor DeWine also talked about the Covid-19 vaccination percentage, saying any effort to encourage people to get their shot is important.
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"I saw Baker Mayfield's comments about getting the vaccine, giving the Browns a competitive advantage. When we have leaders like that doing things like getting the vaccine, it's a good thing," he said. "I am concerned. We have some counties in Ohio that are below 30 percent vaccination... that's low and I'm really concerned with the Delta variant particularly in those counties."
On the topic of sports betting in Ohio, the governor said it's already happening throughout the state, but it desperately needs to be regulated. He's hopeful to see some movement on the issue this fall.
"I have made it clear to the general assembly that once they get a bill, I will sign the bill," DeWine said. "We're going to monitor exactly what is in that bill, but that's still really over in the legislative side. I've made it very, very clear that I will sign a bill once they get me a bill."
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DeWine wrapped up the interview talking about what he'd like to see his favorite baseball team do at the MLB trade deadline.
"You always keep your fingers crossed. The Reds need a shortstop, they need some relief pitching as well, so we will see," he said. "My hope, and this is a long shot I'm sure, but we had the opportunity to watch Trevor Story play in 2012... he was playing for the Asheville Tourists. My dream would be that the Reds would be able to acquire him. But I'm kind of the typical fan, we all have dreams, right?"
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