FLORIDA

TRAINING DAYS

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

SPRING IS IN THE AIR, AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS BLOOMED INTO A BASEBALL FAN’S PARADISE.

IN 1886, when Albert “A.G.” Spalding, owner of the Chicago White Stockings, told reporters he was taking his team to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for spring training, it had nothing to do with offering fans a snowy weather reprieve. Spalding knew his boys had held more shot glasses than bats during the winter, so he was hoping the warmer climate would help them sweat out all of the toxins.

The idea caught on across Major League Baseball, and by the mid-1940s, every team trekked to Florida or Arizona in the spring to get back into regular season condition.

Last year during spring training season, which typically runs from late February to late March, some  
1.7 million folks headed to Florida for a glimpse of the action—and this year will be no different. Whether you have a free weekend or even just a free day, there’s no reason you can’t be a part of that growing number.

Here’s a look at where to find Florida’s best springtime baseball action:

FT. MYERS
Amazingly, the Boston Red Sox have won as many World Series titles this century as the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals combined. And they’ll start practicing for another one at City of Palms Park, a postcard-perfect stadium made up of two MLB fields that comfortably seat almost 7,000 fans. Not surprisingly, most Red Sox spring training games sell out, so make sure to plan in advance and book tickets early.

Looking at Minnesota Twins’ Hammond Stadium, fans might wonder why the team would ever leave Ft. Myers. Designed to look like the famed Churchill Downs horse racetrack, the stadium’s exterior is something to behold. Once you’ve finished gawking, head over to the concession stand and order items you won’t find at regular season ballparks, like turkey legs and Kirin Ichiban Japanese lager.

TIP SHEET: If you don’t catch the Red Sox by March 19, you’re out of luck. The World Champions have a season-opening series with Oakland in Japan, starting March 25.

TAMPA
The people of Tampa must have done something to please the diamond gods. The metro area is the spring training home to four big league clubs: the New York Yankees (Tampa), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (St. Petersburg), Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater) and Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin).

A good starting point (and end, if you’re a Yanks fan) is Legends Field, the largest stadium in Florida’s springtime Grapefruit League. Named after Yankee legends, the field exudes history; out front, check out Monument Park, a tribute to icons like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Yogi Berra, complete with a plaque and retired number.

About 30 minutes southwest from Tampa is St. Petersburg’s charming Progress Energy Park—home of Al Lang Field (named after a former mayor of St. Pete and founder of the Grapefruit League) where the Tampa Bay Devil Rays play in the spring. The stadium’s waterfront view is spectacular, and it’s also one of the easiest parks at which to get a Major League autograph.

A 30-minute drive (north from St. Pete’s, west from Tampa) will bring you to Clearwater’s $25 million Bright House Networks Field, home to the Phillies. And just 5 miles from there, you’ll find Knology Park in Dunedin, ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top five places to watch a spring training game.

If you feel like checking out one of the original Florida baseball spring training teams, venture 35 miles east of Tampa and visit Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland to watch the Detroit Tigers play. And a few miles further east is Winter Haven, the spring home of the Cleveland Indians.

TIP SHEET: While the parks’ relative proximity may seem exciting, spring training action generally starts at 1pm, so fans can really only see one game a day. Plan to spend a few days and try to score tickets at each park.

SARASOTA/BRADENTON
About 40 miles south of Tampa is Bradenton, the spring address for the Pittsburgh Pirates. McKechnie Field is a rather basic park, and if you can get past the seats (plastic folding chairs, bucket seats and backless metal benches), you’re in for a treat.

The park provides plenty of shade under three grandstands.  
Keep an eye out for beer vendor Kevin Beauregard, somewhat of a local star. And even though the stadium is modernizing with lights, it still radiates plain, old-school fun.

Know what else is fun? Catching foul balls. At the Cincinnati Reds’ Sarasota home, Ed Smith Stadium, the foul lines are so close to the red seats that your chances of getting a ball on the right side are nearly as good as those of Cincinnati First Baseman Scott Hatteberg.

Of course, man cannot live off pop flies alone. No worries there—the food stands at this stadium are a cut above the rest. Beyond the requisite franks and chicken fingers, faithful Reds fans can also grab a famous Big Red Smokey brat.

TIP SHEET: Though there’s plenty of $5 parking at Ed Smith Stadium, scout out a free spot in the surrounding neighborhood.

ORLANDO
Not just for Mickey Mouse lovers, Walt Disney’s hub has also embraced America’s pastime. Atlanta Braves fans can head to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

One of the more palatial parks, Champion Stadium is massive (9,500 seats), memorable (the only two-deck ballpark in the Grapefruit League) and mostly free of bad views. You can pay as much as $23.50 to see Chipper Jones at the plate, but there’s nothing wrong with the $14.50 lawn area in left center field.

Seats are also good at Kissimmee’s Osceola County Stadium for Houston Astros games. While not as fancy as the Braves’ Disney digs, there’s plenty to be said for the Astros’ more familial approach.

Souvenir seekers should check out Autograph Alley, and families can pay a visit to the fenced-off play area for the kiddies. The jumbo hot dogs are great, too. Who really cares that the park is situated in the middle of a cow pasture?

TIP SHEET: See a Braves game on a weekend when the theme parks are packed, then hit all of Orlando’s other attractions during the slower weekdays.

WEST PALM BEACH
It was the great Chicago Cub Ernie Banks who famously announced, “Let’s play two!” We’re guessing the people at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter (17 miles north of the Palm Beach International Airport) had similar feelings, which could explain why both the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins use the structure as their spring headquarters.

Unfortunately, if you’re thinking the presence of two baseball teams means double the amenities, you’re slightly off base. Sure, there are two home locker rooms. And yes, there are separate areas for fans wanting player photographs.

In terms of appearances, though, Roger Dean is pretty onedimensional—but there is the party deck. You may well find yourself celebrating there if you’re able to grab those hard-to-get Cardinals tickets.

TIP SHEET: If you can’t see the Cardinals or don’t want to watch the Marlins, head north on I-95 and catch the New York Mets (Port St. Lucie), Washington Nationals (Viera) and LA Dodgers (Vero Beach) in action.

BOULEVARD OF DREAMS

St. Petersburg’s Baseball Boulevard is a self-guided tour that covers 10 city blocks between Al Lang Field and Tropicana Field. Follow the path of home-plate-shaped year-by-year plaques, which highlight momentous events in St. Petersburg baseball history from 1914 to the present. From the arrival of the St. Louis Browns in 1914 to Lou Gehrig collapsing during a 1939 exhibition game, the walk recalls it all.