http://tinyurl.com/ymqb8w
Rangers and Devil Rays to move 3-game series to Kissimmee
By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer
December 14, 2006
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) -- Regular-season major league ball is headed to Disney
World.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' effort to bolster fan support and make themselves
a regional franchise will include playing a three-game series against the
Texas Rangers at Disney's Wide of Sports complex next season.
Kissimmee, about 90 miles from the Devil Rays' home in St. Petersburg, has
been the spring training base for the Atlanta Braves for the past decade.
Disney also hosted part of the inaugural World Baseball Classic this year.
Silverman reiterated that shifting the May 15-17 series was part of
principal owner Stuart Sternberg's desire to transform the team into a
regional franchise rather than an attempt to gauge the Orlando market as a
potential site for relocation.
The stadium at Disney seats about 9,500. With temporary stands and outfield
berm seating, capacity can be expanded to about 13,000.
For the full article, click on the link above.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.minorleagueballparks.com/osce_fl.html
When is the last time that a regular season major league game was played in
a venue quite this small? Hi Bithorn in San Juan has a capacity of 19,000.
The recent opening day series played in Mexico and Japan were played at
significantly larger stadia, too.
Rod Nelson