Fields of Dreams: Spring Training
by Joe Volz
Every spring a young boy's fancy turns to baseball. And so does his grandfather's.
The boy dreams of some day trotting out onto the field as a major league star. Grandpa may have dreamed that dream long ago but he still has the memories.
So, is there a better way to spend a few balmy spring days than for granddad and grandson to head south to Florida or Arizona and catch a couple of games, watching today's big leaguers get ready for the season? Nope. This is Spring Training at its best.
Every spring during the month of March the big leaguers play practice games, called exhibition games, in Florida's Grapefruit League or in Arizona's Cactus League. You can catch a game at a small field, where you can enjoy being up close and personal with the veterans and the new players. And the admission charge is only a fraction of the price you'll pay at the big league stadiums up north.
Every major league team participates, but we have picked out our favorites to give you an idea of the fun you have in store.
Dodgerland
My odds-on first choice place to watch spring training is Dodgerland, run by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Florida's East Coast at Vero Beach. It's a short drive to Orlando and Disney World if your grandchild tires of baseball. And, by the way, after junior has his fill of rides, you might point out that the Atlanta Braves are training right there in Orlando.
The Dodger fields are well manicured and connected by streets, such as Roy Campanella Boulevard, honoring past Dodger heroes. Roy was the great Dodger catcher in the glory days before the Brooklyn Dodgers abandoned Ebbetts Field, now an apartment complex, for Los Angeles in the 1950s.
As you watch the big leaguers on the field, you might see some of the oldtimers helping out. I have chatted with such greats as Carl Erskine, Ralph Branca, and Frank Howard. Erskine and Branca were both great pitchers, although Branca is known for the one pitch that got away from him—a home run ball to the Giants' Bobby Thomson that resulted in the Giants winning the National League pennant. Branca is still asked about that pitch and still doesn't want to talk about it! Erskine likes to come back each year, but the man who tossed two no-hitters says he is lucky to throw the ball 15 mph when he pitches warm-up these days.
Don't be fooled by those Grapefruit League standings—they don't often match the way teams perform during the season. Since the games are really tryouts for the new kids and to help the oldsters get back in shape, winning isn't the most important thing. For example, last year's world champions, the Chicago White Sox, did miserably in Spring Training, winning less than half of their games.
By the way, you will see more rookies than vets on the field. Spring Training is a testing ground for young hopefuls, and many of them will watch their dreams evaporate when Spring Training ends. Though they will be cut from the team, they have had a chance to live their dream, if only for a few moments.
Some 20 big league teams train in Florida, and you can see many of them just a few miles from each other. For example, both the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox train in Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast, and just up the road in St. Petersburg the Tampa Bay Devil Rays work out. If you are a Yankee fan, the Bronx Bombers train in Tampa, just across the bay from St. Petersburg.
Playing in the Cactus Leagues
But West Coasters don't have to travel all the way back East for Spring Training. Ten big league teams train in Arizona and play in the Cactus League.
Three of those teams—the world champion White Sox, the Colorado Rockies, and the Arizona Diamondbacks—train in Tucson, so there's a chance to see a lot of baseball without leaving town. Tucson has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the country, with mountains towering on three sides.
But the ballpark I like best in Arizona is two hours north of Tucson near Phoenix. The Chicago Cubs' training ground in Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, is a delight. The stadium is big league in everything but size.
So take your grandson out to the ballpark and buy him some peanuts and crackerjack. Maybe, as the song says, you won't care if you ever come back.
You can find more information here:
Books
Find these books online at Barnes and Noble.com.
- The Boys of Summer. Roger Kahn. HarperTrade. May 2000
- Spring Training Handbook. Joshua Pahigian. McFarland& Company. December 2005
- Spring Training. William Zinsser. University of Pittsburgh Press. March 2003
