Take me out to the ball game

By Sheila Mesulam
Naples Daily News

Neapolitans (residents of Naples, Fl.) can easily
visit all 18 teams in the Grapefruit League during
spring training by driving a total of about 650 miles.

Catchers and pitchers report to spring training
workouts around Feb. 14 and position players follow
around five days later. Most full team workouts start
around Feb. 23. (Check the individual team schedules
before you start, because you might have to reverse
the drive to be able to see all the teams during
workouts.)

Drive 43 miles from Naples to Fort Myers to see the
Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium and the Boston Red
Sox at the City of Palms Park, continue north on
Interstate 75 for 75 miles to Sarasota to view the
Cincinnati Reds at Ed Smith Stadium. The Pittsburgh
Pirates are at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, which is
13 miles from Sarasota and that leads yoU nortn to St.
Petersburg to watch Lou Pinella and the Tampa Bay
Devil Rays.

Dunedin Stadium is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays
and is only 20 miles from St. Petersburg. The
Clearwater Community Sports Complex in Clearwater is
home to the Philadelphia Phillies and is a short hop
from Dunedin. Legend Field in Tampa is where the New
York Yankees call home in the off-season and is about
23 miles from Clearwater. The Detroit Tigers play at
Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, which is only 36
miles from Tampa.

Continue east for 16 miles to Winter Heaven to watch
the Cleveland Indians at Chain of Lakes Park and then
drive 38 miles north to Osceola County Stadium in
Kissimmee to see the Houston Astros. (You might get a
glimpse of the Rocket warming up, but then you might
not recognize him without his pinstripes.)

Get back in the car and go north to Lake Buena Vista,
Disney World, to see the Atlanta Braves at Cracker
Jack Stadium.

Your drive east to Melbourne is the longest one at 83
miles to catch the Montreal Expos at Space Coast
Stadium. Approximately 34 miles south is Vero Beach
and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Holman Stadium. The New
York Mets are 27 miles farther south in Port St. Lucie
at Thomas J. White Stadium, and the St. Louis
Cardinals and Florida Marlins can be seen practicing
at the Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, which is 35
miles south. The last stop on your whirlwind tour is
Fort Lauderdale Stadium to see the Baltimore Orioles,
which is 61 miles south of Jupiter.

You have now made the full circle and only have to go
107 miles back to Naples.

The teams usually only work out until noon, so
planning is needed. Try to get there before the games
start in March to be able to wander around the
practice fields and spot your favorite players. There
is a charge for the games in March, but watching
workouts are free at all the stadiums except Cracker
Jack at Wide World of Sports at Disney' World. The
admission fee there is $10.50 for adults and $7.75 for
children.

Plan your trip by going to
www.springtrainingonline.com. You will be able to get
information on nearby motels and hotels, ballpark
history, restaurants and sightseeing for the areas
where all of the teams practice.

See one or two teams practice in the morning, drive to
your next destination and spend the night. You might
even get to see your heroes eating dinner at a popular
restaurant or shopping at the local mall.

This is America's favorite pastime and you are
watching the boys of summer as they get in their grove
and ply their trade. You are able to see the past and
the future of the game as you take the tour from
Southwest Florida to Central Florida and across to the
Atlantic coast. You will have gathered autographs,
pictures and a lifetime of memories.

You will feel just like you did at your first major
league game, and this trip will have you counting down
to opening day and the call to play ball.

Just think, next year you can plan to fly to Phoenix
and drive to the 12 Cactus League teams.


=====
Dianna

Fort Myers Miracle Fan Page
http://www.geocities.com/fmmiraclegal/index.html

Bladesline Online
http://www.geocities.com/bladesgal17/index.html

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