DAYTON DAILY NEWS                  Copyright (c) 1997, Dayton Newspapers Inc.DATE: Wednesday, June 4, 1997               TAG: 9706040288EDITION: CITY          SECTION: NEWS        PAGE: 1ASOURCE: By Susan Vinella Dayton Daily News                         REDS TO DAYTON: PLAY BALL   Reds give their approval  Downtown partnership must meet conditions  The Cincinnati Reds have given Dayton approval to bring minor leaguebaseball downtown, eliminating a major obstacle in the city's bid to have ateam playing here within two years.   The Reds agreed to waive their territorial rights to allow a team indowntown if the Downtown Dayton Partnership meets certain conditions by Aug.15. Without the Reds approval, a minor league team affiliated with a majorleague club could not relocate here.   Reds owner Marge Schott has long opposed minor league baseball in Dayton.But Reds managing partner John Allen, who is running the club while Schottserves a suspension, decided to approve the agreement.   It's unclear if he had Schott's blessings.Allen said the Reds "would like to work as partners to support both minorleague baseball in Dayton and major league baseball in Cincinnati."That partnership is contingent upon the following conditions:   * Team investors working with the Partnership purchase   an "acceptable'' Class A Midwest League team and relocate it to Dayton byApril, 1999.   * Funding "commitments" be in place to build a proposed $20 millionstadium, which should be ready for play by Opening Day, 1999   * Dayton and team owners agree to work with the Reds to market the  minorleague team.   * The team owners receive final approval from the Reds and  baseballauthorities,including the Midwest League and Major League Baseball.   The agreement does not specifically say a Dayton team would be a Redsaffiliate, but that is implied. The Reds can not discuss a possibleaffiliation with a  Dayton team because, until 1998, they are legally bound totheir current Midwest League affiliate, the Burlington (Iowa) Bees.   The agreement is exclusive between the Partnership and the Reds and all butkills a competing proposal by another group to bring a team affiliated withMajor League Baseball to Hara Arena in Trotwood.   Johnny Walker, Hara president, could not be reached, but a spokesman forthe Hara group said it hasn't given up. "We're going to stay in the game untilthe last pitch," said Phil Craig, the spokesman.   The investors who are working with the Partnership, Tom Dickson and SherrieMyers, still  must acquire a team. And financing must be secured to build astadium.   But partnership president Maureen Pero is optimistic.   "We're the closest we've ever been," Pero said. "But we still have a longway to go.''   Dayton city commissioner Tony Capizzi, a long-time proponent of baseball indowntown, said: "I have a very strong belief that we've come so far that thishas to happen.''   The next step  is securing financing for a downtown stadium. On Friday, theMontgomery County Economic Development and Equity Grant committee meets torecommend whether the project should receive $1.4 million next year in ED/GEmoney. The city of Dayton wants $4 million in ED/GE money over three years.The county commissioners last week wrote a letter to ED/GE committee memberssuggesting strongly that Reds approval be in place before they recommendfunding for baseball.   County commissioner Don Lucas, an ED/GE committee member who pushed forthat criteria, said he will vote to recommend the $1.4 million be allocated tothe baseball project. The rest of the money to fund the proposed $20 millionstadium is being sought from county, city, state, federal and private sources.   Dickson said the Reds approval paves the way for him to aggressively pursuea Midwest League team. He said one option is to purchase the Rockford (Ill.)Cubbies, who are up for sale, and move the team here.   Pero said it's now up to Dayton to get this done.   "If this community wants to have baseball ... we now have an opportunity tohave it,'' she said. "We can't blame the Reds anymore.''