Went a couple of years ago...had a blast. Great place to get to know the players, and see some of the young guys. Feel free to include any Spring Training stories you have!
We're heading to FL for Spring Training but not Kissimmee. This year we're heading to St Pete to see the DRays vs Yankees and Sarasota to see the Reds vs Twins (front row just past the Twins dugout). I swore I'd never go to another Yankee ST game again - but here we go again. Hey folks from NY - it's hot in FL - they have this stuff called deoderant - use it. The Reds have a nice place and are friendly - good atmosphere. The Blue Jays are stuck up - go figure. The Pirates - eh. The Red Sox were ok - though my daughter asked - "Why are there so many Grandmas and Grandpas?" Also, someone needed a Depends change around the 3rd inning - come the 9th inning, you'd think we were watching the game from a port-a-potty. The Rangers blew with their All-Star lineup. The Phillies though had the best crowd and friendliest team. Best experience yet
Id like to. I'm on spring break from March 5th -13th, need to look and verify that they have already started the exhibition games etc during that time. I'm sure they most likley have.
They start March 3rd. I caught a game a couple of years ago while in Orlando for work. It was a blast. $12 for 3rd row behind the Astros dugout. I'm hoping that work will take me back soon so that I can go again.
I'm going next year. I've been planning this for a few years. I have a friend who's a single mom that lives about 15 miles outside of Tampa. When the baby was born, I told her that I would take her daughter to a baseball game when she was four years old. Next year she turns four. I'd like to see the Yankees in Tampa if the Astros are playing there in 2006.
It may be different next year but this year the Yankees sold out all the games before single game tickets went on sale. So to see them, you have to find them playing at an away game and get the tickets as soon as they go on sale, because they sell out very quickly (depends on the park, but start checking 1/1/2006). Or you can open your wallet and get your tix on ebay. Yankee tickets are by far the hardest tickets to get. Also, the later you go during the month of March, the better odds of actually see the major league players play. Eariler in the month, they are playing the minor league guys more to check them out. Later, the have already formed their opinions and are trying to get the team ready. Spring Training is definately a good time though. You never know who you will see on the field during warmups. Old time players, celebrities, etc. Very laid back and more fun than business.
It doesn't have to be the Yankees. Detroit's ST is about 30 miles from Tampa, and Cleveland is about 35 miles. And if I have to, I'll make the hour drive from her house to Kissimee to see an Astro's home game.
In that case, there are quite a few to choose from in that area. Besides those, you have the DRays in St Pete, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Pirates in Bradenton and the Reds in Sarasota.
Yeah, but this year, the Astros do not play any of those teams in an away game (except the Phillies, I neglected to mention them). I'll have to wait to see next year's schedule.
The first spring I went was 3 years ago...the last spring before they re-did Osceola County Stadium. Had a blast. Got autographs from nearly everyone there. There was a guy next to me who bought an authentic Bagwell jersey and drove all the way from Chicago to see if he could get it signed. Not only did Bagwell sign it, but he was very nice to the guy and took his time signing it. He also gave his padded batting glove to some kid and came back by after the game and signed it for the kid. Real class act. Not all the players signed though....Hidalgo nearly tripped over himself running past the fans so he wouldn't have to sign. The players thought it was hilarious. If you're a baseball fan, and you haven't been to Spring Training in Florida or Arizona....you've got to go.
More detail analysis of our trips are... Yankees vs Blue Jays - Hideki Matsui's premier - what a mad house. Hundreds of media people with thousands of fans, grown people, trying to get autos of the "stars". Joe Torre signed for almost an hour. Jeter signed a few. My boys got crowed out and went over to the Blue Jays side. I can't count the guys that walked right by my 8 and 10 year old (who were part of a handfull of people on the BJ side - the madhouse was over on the other side) who politely asked for them to sign their baseball. The day was near complete when Joe and the coaches (Yogi was in the back) about ran over us in his Benz as we left the stadium. ? vs Reds - Very nice atmosphere. Griffey ignored all requests but the other players obliged. Dick Vitale showed up. Awwesome Babbby! Later I was hit with a Tshirt from a sling shot that was pulled by Griffey. I say hit because I was standing up with 2 drinks in my hand when I could do nothing but take the hit from a tightly wrapped XXL tshirt. Hey tickets are cheap, but the food and drinks are MLB priced. Red Sox vs Rangers - It must have been AARP day and I missed the memo. Players like Carl Everett getting heckled by 80+ year olds - male and female - was interesting. It was 97 degrees that day. Mix that with an overdo Depends change, it made for a memorable day. ARod, IRod, Juan Gonzalez and other were sitting a picnic table just feet away from a few kids politely asking for an autograph - sorry kids - not today. Nomar, Manny, Pedro, etc - no one would sign from either team. Just a few no name minor leaguers. Pirates vs Phillies - Brian Giles signed from the Pirates. Then almost everyone signed from the Phillies. Everyone except Pat Burrell. The people in the crowd were friendly, knowledgeable and funny. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were to show up that game since they were in town and Tug was still a part of the team, but the day before Tug went to the hospital for his brain tumor that killed him shortly thereafter. O's vs Reds - Everyone was signing on this one too. You could get anyone you wanted. Anyone but Griffey that is - out with an injury. Tejada, Javy, Rafy, BJ, Larkin, Casey, Kearns, Dunn they were all more than friendly. Though BJ Surhoff spilled his coffee all over some girls autod sheet that she had filled up. He was more upset that his coffee was gone than the fact the he just ruined this girls momento.
I was working down in St Pete a couple of years ago in March, and made it to a Blue Jays spring training game versus the Red Sox. My buddy was a pitcher for the Red Sox, but unfortunately he didn't make the trip since starting pitchers only travel when they're starting. The experience was awesome. Warm weather and the fact that you're right next to the players is really cool. Carlos Delgado was a beast up close. There are some really hard core fans down there that make the trip down from the Northeast. They can be easily spotted by their pasty white appearance.
