Ray McNulty: Planning a spring training road trip?

By Ray McNulty,
TC sports columnist

February 20, 2004

The spring-training bases on the Treasure Coast all
are special, but here are some tips if you are
planning a Grapefruit League road trip.

Spring training on the Treasure Coast offers a
baseball buffet: Fans have a choice of National League
teams and sites from which to choose.

There's Dodgertown in Vero Beach, where the
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have been training since
1948.

There's the newly renovated stadium in Port St. Lucie,
spring home of the New York Mets.

And, just across the Palm Beach County line, there's
Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, where both the St.
Louis Cardinals and world-champion Florida Marlins
will prepare for the 2004 season.

But what if you want to take a trip to visit some of
the other spring-training settings in Florida?

Where should you go?

It depends on what you're looking for.

If you're hoping to see a few marquee players wearing
new uniforms, you'll want to visit the Houston Astros
(Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte) in Kissimmee, the
Boston Red Sox (Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke) in
Fort Myers and the Baltimore Orioles (Miguel Tejada)
in Fort Lauderdale.

Another reason to put the Orioles camp on your
itinerary: This might be baseball's last spring in
Fort Lauderdale, where the New York Yankees trained
from 1962-95, if the city doesn't commit to a new or
refurbished stadium.

Similarly, it might be your last chance to see the
Orioles train in Florida.

The Orioles, Astros and Cleveland Indians, who have
trained at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven since
1993, all are considering moving their spring
operations to Arizona. And there's a real chance two
of the three teams will go.

You might also want to stop at what used to be called
Baseball City and pay your last respects to the
demolished remains of the Boardwalk & Baseball complex
that was once considered state-of-the-art and ranked
among the major leagues' best spring-training
facilities.

But if you want something more -- if you're seeking
ambiance and flavor and just a fun day at the ballpark
-- allow me to suggest five must-see stops on your
Grapefruit League tour:

Bright House Networks Field, Clearwater, Philadelphia
Phillies: The Phillies will prepare for their new
ballpark in Philadelphia -- Citizens Bank Park -- by
training at their new, $32 million complex in
Clearwater. Bright House Networks Field features
classic Floridian architecture, a main concourse that
circles the playing field and will offer a variety of
concessions booths. The 8,500-seat stadium has a cozy
feel, great sight lines and a Hooters scoreboard. But
the most popular attraction should be the Tiki Bar,
which overlooks the field from beyond the left-field
fence and allows fans to watch the games from their
barstools.

Legends Field, Tampa, New York Yankees: It shouldn't
surprise anyone that the ballpark's address is 1
Steinbrenner Drive, or that the seating capacity
(10,387) is the largest in the Grapefruit League, or
that the Yankees led all 30 teams in spring-training
attendance (153,000). There's a miniature replica of
Monument Park in front of the stadium, as well as
concourses filled with Yankee history and New York
style concessions, and the facility is as clean as it
is cozy. And, yes, you'll hear Sinatra belting out
"New York, New York" at the end of every game.

Cracker Jack Stadium, Lake Buena Vista, Atlanta
Braves: This will be the Braves' seventh season at the
Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, an ultra-modern
facility that rivals the best facilities in Florida or
Arizona. The 9,100-seat stadium has two decks --
uncommon for spring-training ballparks -- and also
offers lawn seating. There's a JumboTron screen and a
hand-operated scoreboard. You'll hear that "Tomahawk
Chop" music during Braves' rallies, just like you
would in Atlanta. And, of course, the place is Disney
clean.

Dunedin Stadium at Grant Field, Dunedin, Toronto Blue
Jays: Located in an othewise-quiet residential area,
there's a nostalgic, neighborhood feel to the
ballpark, which was built in 1930 and rebuilt in 1989.
New offices and clubhouses were added last year, but
there's still a manually operated scoreboard in the
outfield and you'll find the day's starting lineups on
a scorecard on the main concourse. And for those
visiting Canadians, the PA announcer informs everyone
in the stadium of that day's temperature in Toronto.

City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, Boston Red Sox: If the
Red Sox are finally going to win another World Series
-- and the acquisitions of Schilling and Foulke give
them a real chance -- it will all begin here at one of
the smallest spring-training ballparks in the major
leagues. And you can expect the always-enthusiastic
fans in Fort Myers to be more fired-up than usual. The
flowery landscape outside the stadium and the
spectacular palm trees beyond the outfield fence make
for a wonderful setting, but, as is the case in Vero
Beach, Port St. Lucie and Jupiter, it's the crowds
that make this place special.


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