ORLANDO, Fla. — As the Vegas Golden Knights skate in yet another Stanley Cup Final, Orlando should be asking itself an uncomfortable question:

How is Las Vegas about to become a four-sport major league city before Orlando has even landed a second team in one of the four major sports leagues in this country?

Think about it.

Ten years ago, Las Vegas was considered an impossible sports market. League commissioners openly worried about gambling. Skeptics insisted tourists wouldn’t support teams. Conventional wisdom said Sin City was built for weekend visitors, not season-ticket holders.

Today?

Vegas has the NHL’s Golden Knights plus the NFL’s Raiders and will soon have Major League Baseball’s Athletics. And, yes, most industry insiders fully expect Las Vegas to soon land an NBA expansion franchise.

That’s all four major league teams in the 40th-largest media market in the country. Plus, Vegas is home to the WNBA’s Aces.

Meanwhile, Orlando — the nation’s 15th-largest media market and the largest market in America without an NFL or MLB franchise — still has only one team (the Magic) in the country’s four most popular sports leagues, as well as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride.

That’s it.

And that’s the frustrating part.

For years, Orlando possessed many of the same advantages Vegas eventually leveraged into sports dominance. We have world-class tourism infrastructure. We host nearly 80 million visitors annually. We have convention business, corporate hospitality opportunities, hotel capacity and one of the fastest-growing populations in America.

In fact, Orlando’s metro population is roughly twice that of Las Vegas. Yet somehow Vegas became the sports capital of the desert while Orlando remains the city of potential.

Why?

Because Las Vegas had something Orlando lacked:

Urgency.

Vision.

And political leadership willing to aggressively pursue pro sports as an economic engine.

When Vegas leaders saw an opportunity, they didn’t hold another committee meeting. They secured public funding and built stadiums. They convinced leagues that sports tourism wasn’t a side benefit of their economy; it was a major part of their economy’s future.

The Golden Knights became the proof of concept. Their instant success shattered every outdated stereotype about Las Vegas being an unsuitable sports town. Suddenly, the Raiders wanted in. The Athletics followed. The NBA is almost certainly next.

Vegas didn’t stumble into becoming a sports destination. It made a conscious decision to become one. Orlando, by contrast, has spent years treating sports as something nice to have rather than something worth aggressively pursuing.

Orlando hosts events. Vegas acquires franchises.

There’s a difference.

But the good news is Orlando may finally be waking up. Political leaders and business leaders are finally rallying around the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida.

For the first time, Orlando’s sports ambitions are starting to feel somewhat coordinated rather than aspirational.

And maybe that’s the lesson Vegas has taught us.

Sports isn’t just entertainment anymore.

It’s tourism.

It’s economic development.

It’s branding.

It’s convention business.

It’s national relevance.

Las Vegas figured that out a decade ago and raced past cities that should have had a head start, including Orlando.

The Golden Knights reaching another Stanley Cup Final should serve as both inspiration and irritation for Central Florida sports fans.

Inspiration because Vegas built something remarkable.

Irritation because Orlando has had every opportunity to do the same.

The encouraging part is that Orlando finally appears ready to stop watching the race and start running it.

DANVILLE — For over a decade, Eric Coleman saw close games take place at Danville Stadium.

On Friday, he was able to return to the place with so many memories and good friends while his former team continued a unbeaten first week of the season.

Coleman returned to be honored in a ceremony in the fourth inning. He was handed a plaque by team owners Rick Kurth and Jeanie Cooke and also addressed the crowd that he always enjoyed.

“I would have never thought that this could happen 11 years ago. Jeanie and Rick took a chance on me and I would have never thought that Danville would embrace me and it is an honor to be back,” Coleman said. “It is a family atmosphere here. You are a Dan for life one you play for me and a lot of guys stay in touch of me. I am happy to be a piece of the history in Danville because the tradition was here before me but it has been an honor and it has been a ride.”

Coleman is the lead rep for USA Baseball’s National Team Identification Series in Tennessee.

“We get to work with the 11-12 years olds in the area,” Coleman said. “I started last fall and I worked with (former Major Leaguer) Juan Pierre’s kid and there are a few kids that have a chance to make the US team and the major leagues. It is fun.”

As for the game, the Dans were able to break a 5-5 tie with two runs in the eighth in an 7-5 win over the Terre Haute Rex to remain undefeated for the first week of the season.

“This was a great day of baseball and it was tied a lot of the way, but like I said, these guys find a way to win. I am really proud and happy for them,” Danville coach Cam Gross said. “ I was also happy one of my guys, Will Burke, gets the winning triple. I wish I could win one by a lot so I don’t get a heart attack near the end of one, but I am ecstatic. Jackson Kees closing the game and Blake Hoffa coming in for Hayden Trier gave us great pitching. I am proud of them and I hope it is a reflection of me and the staff.”

Burke broke the tie with a triple to bring in Amir Streeter, while Carson Brady drove in Burke with an fly out. Burke and Brady are two of the guys that Gross has coached before reuniting in Danville.

“Burke, Carson Brady, JJ Baysinger, Mason McReynolds are some of my guys,” Gross said. “I have coached those guys before and I love those guys as mich as I love my own brother. They get to make the kids of Danville happy the same way they make me happy. They are great kids and good at the whole baseball thing.”

“We played for him last summer,” Burke said. “I know me and Carson were going to play in the Florida league before coach Cam texted us about coming up here right before we signed and it looked a lot cooler than that. I like it and the weather is cooler.

“There was a runner on third, so I had to get the ball in the air. He threw breaking balls low. Luckily, the first baseman dropped the foul ball I hit and then the next one, I stayed with it and got the job done.”

Nick Palmi had a three-run home run in the first to take a 3-2 lead, while Cameron Steinbaugh doubled in a run for a 4-2 lead. Brady reached on an error to score Burke in the second for a 5-2 lead.

The Rex scored a run in the third and added two in the sixth to tie things up.

Trier had five strikeouts in five innings, while Hoffa got the win with six strikeouts in three innings and Kees had two strikeouts in the ninth.

Gross was able to have a talk with Coleman as he tries to continue things how his predecessor had.

“He was here for 11 years and won hundreds of game and had numerous draft picks,” Gross said. “He is a savant for the game of baseball and I am happy to be his successor and we talked pregame for a while and he is an encyclopedia of knowledge. The Dans are not as respected if he wasn’t here, along with coach (Ron) Polk.”

“It is the same philosophy like get them on, get them over and get them in,” Coleman said. “We are playing small ball and in this park you do that. He is going to have his own style and own stamp on it. They are off to a good start and hopefully it continues.”

It continued on Saturday with an 11-inning win over the Decatur Bean Ballers.

Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin grad Caden Kelemenic started the game and had four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings, while Salt Fork product Pedro Rangel IV had four strikeouts in four innings to get his first win of the season.

Decatur took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but Palmi had an RBI triple and Baysinger had an sacrifice fly in the sixth to tie things up.

In the 11th, Baysinger drove in two runs with a single and Hudson Roberts had an sacrifice fly to get the win.

The Dans complete the first week of the season with an 5-0 record and will try to build on that today. The team returns to Danville Stadium for a doubleheader with the Champion City Half Trax at 5:30 p.m.