2007 Grapefruit League Overview

It's nearly spring break for Hal McCoy.

He's just days away ("but who's counting?") until an annual migration from his home in Englewood, Ohio, to Florida — the spring-training mecca of 18 Major League Baseball teams.

Hal McCoy

He has a condo on the Sunshine State's west side. "Out the front door, make a right turn and I'm on the Gulf of Mexico," said McCoy, 66.

Yep, McCoy seems to have it made, except he'll be on the job next month, soon after the pitchers and catchers report and the balance of their teams join them.

A member of the National Baseball of Fame as a scribe, he is celebrating his 35th year covering the Cincinnati Reds for the Dayton Daily News; it's the longest tenure of any baseball beat writer in the nation.

Indeed, McCoy knows a thing or two about the Grapefruit League, and what he does first before departing Ohio is pop in the movie "Major League."

"It really gets me in a high mood," McCoy said. "I really don't need it that much, because I'm pumped up to go. But that's a ritual for me."

Make it your ritual, too, ball junkies … and absorb McCoy's other pearls:

Get to the ballpark early in the day

Arrive before batting practice begins. The players don't have as much to do then and tend to hang with fans. A chain-link fence is typically all that separates fans from competitors, so chat it up and click the shots, shutterbugs.

"The access is the best it will be all year long," McCoy said. "You can practically reach out and touch players; I've seem them hand out baseballs, gloves and broken bats."

Downsize

"The stadiums are so much smaller and fans get up-close views of the players," McCoy said. "The players are relaxed. I notice they sign more autographs; they intermingle with the fans more."

Also, travel time is short; an hour to 90 minutes between game sites.

Enjoy the night life

Early workouts are 9 a.m. to noon, so much of your days will be free. And come game time, plan on matinees at the park and free nights. It'll certainly take time for you regular-season folks to acclimate after growing so accustomed to night games.

Dress appropriately

Shorts and T-shirts are required. Sunscreen, too. Expect temps in the 70s and 80s and the humidity to be quite reasonable.

Hey, the Grapefruit League is definitely a good thing. Some teams have been making the pilgrimage to the land of flamingos, blue-haired retirees and early-bird dinner specials for decades. The Tigers, for example, have made their home in Lakeland, Fla., since 1934.

And that's just all right with the fans of these squads, all of which hail from headquarters in the East and Midwest, with one lone exception. Geography be damned for the Dodgers in Vero Beach, but only for the near future: Dodgertown will be folded in favor of a new facility in Glendale, Ariz., in 2009.

See below for information on each of the Grapefruit facilities. Action begins Feb. 28 and concludes March 31.

Atlanta Braves
Lake Buena Vista (since 1997)
Schedule

Home Field
The Ballpark (formerly Cracker Jack Park) (Seating capacity: 9,500)
700 S. Victory Lane
Lake Buena Vista, FL 34747

Directions (from Orlando)
Take Interstate 4 West to Hwy. 192.
Follow signs toward Disney World.
Stadium is on the campus of Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Tickets
Price range: $14 to $22.50
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 407-839-3900

Did You Know?
The Braves move to the Disney campus in 1997 ended a 35-year association with West Palm Beach. The Wide World of Sports complex also is the training camp home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Baltimore Orioles
Fort Lauderdale (since 1996)
Schedule

Home Field
Fort Lauderdale Stadium (8,340)
1301 N.W. 55th St.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
954-776-1921

Directions (from I-95)
Take Exit 32 (Commercial Boulevard).
Travel west a half-mile to N.W. 12th Avenue, also known as Oriole Boulevard.
Turn right. Fort Lauderdale Stadium is the second stadium on your left-hand side.

Tickets
Price range: $10 to $20
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 954-523-3309

Did You Know?
Baltimore's spring home, Fort Lauderdale Stadium, was the home of the Yankees from 1962-1995.

Boston Red Sox
Fort Myers (since 1993)
Schedule

Home Field
City of Palms Park (7,290)
2201 Edison Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33901

Directions (from the south)
Take I-75 North to Colonial Boulevard (Exit 22).
Travel west on Colonial for four miles.
Travel north on U.S. 41 for 2.4 miles.
Make third right onto Edison Avenue.

Tickets
Price range: $10 to $44
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 617-482-4769

Did You Know?
Boston's arrival in Fort Myers in 1993 marked a seismic shift in spring locales, uprooting the Sox from Winter Haven, where they were a spring fixture from 1966-92. Built in 1992, the complex was designed by HOK Sport, the architects responsible for many of baseball's newer venues.

Cincinnati Reds
Sarasota (since 1998)
Schedule

Home Field
Ed Smith Stadium (7,500)
2700 12th St.
Sarasota, FL 34237
941-954-4464

Directions (from Tampa)
Go south on I-75 to University Parkway.
Go west on University to Tuttle.
Turn left and proceed south on Tuttle.
Stadium is at intersection of 12th and Tuttle.

Tickets
Price range: $7 to $16
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 877-647-7337

Did You Know?
With the exception of three WWII seasons (1943-45), the Reds have spent every spring in Florida since 1923. Once the club heads north, Ed Smith Stadium remains in use as the home of the Sarasota Reds of the Florida State League.

Cleveland Indians
Winter Haven (since 1993)
Schedule

Home Field
Chain of Lakes Park (7,000)
500 Cletus Allen Drive
Winter Haven, FL 33880
863-293-2300

Directions (from Orlando)
Take I-4 West to Exit 55 (U.S. 27).
Take U.S. 27 South for 22 miles.
Turn right onto S.R. 540. Follow 540 for 8 miles.
Park is on the left behind Orange Dome.

Tickets
Price range: $5 to $21
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 866-488-7423

Did You Know?
After residing each spring in Tucson, from 1947-92, the Indians intended on moving to Homestead, Fla., for the 1993 season. The devastation of Hurricane Andrew led the club to Winter Haven, which had been vacated by the Red Sox the previous season. The Indians are expected to return to the Cactus League in 2009, upon the completion of 10,000-seat Goodyear Ballpark, which is in development in Arizona.

Detroit Tigers
Lakeland (since 1934)
Schedule

Home Field
Joker Marchant Stadium (8,000)
2301 Lake Hills Blvd.
Lakeland, FL 33804
863-686-8075

Directions (from I-4)
Take Exit 33 off I-4 onto Hwy. 33 South.
Tiger Town and the ballpark are approximately 2 miles on the left.

Tickets
Price range: $9 to $20
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 866-668-4437

Did You Know?
The Tigers have been in Lakeland since 1934. The relationship — interrupted only by WWII — is the longest continuous agreement between a team and a spring-training host city. Joker Marchant
Stadium, the team's home since 1966, is built on the site of a World
War II flight school.

Florida Marlins
Jupiter (since 2003)
Schedule

Home Field
Roger Dean Stadium (7,000)
4751 Main St.
Jupiter, FL 33458
561-775-1818

Directions (from I-95)
Exit at Donald Ross Road (Exit 83) and travel east one mile to Central Boulevard.
At the light, make a left and follow Central to Frederick Small.
Make a left onto Frederick Small and the stadium will be on your left.

Tickets
Price range: $10 to $25
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 561-775-1818

Did You Know?
The Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals are co-inhabitants of Roger Dean Stadium, named for a West Palm car dealer. The Marlins have had three spring training homes during their brief existence.

Houston Astros
Kissimmee (since 1985)
Schedule

Home Field
Osceola County Stadium (5,225)
1000 Bill Beck Blvd.
Kissimmee, FL 34744
321-697-3200

Directions (from Orlando)
Take turnpike south to Exit 244, turn right on U.S. 192.
Drive 1 mile to Bill Beck Blvd., turn right.
Take Bill Beck Blvd. for 7/10 mile, turn left into parking lot.

Tickets
Price range: $17 to $20
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 407-839-3900

Did You Know?
For 20 years prior to their move to Kissimmee, the Astros trained in Cocoa Beach. Osceola County Stadium, the smallest in the Grapefruit League, underwent an $18 million renovation prior to the 2003 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Vero Beach (since 1949)
Schedule

Home Field
Holman Stadium (6,500)
4001 26th St.
Vero Beach, FL 32961

Directions (from I-95)
Take the Vero Beach exit (147).
Head east on Route 60 to 43rd Avenue; turn left.
Continue to 26th Street.
Dodgertown and the stadium will be on your right.

Tickets
Price range: $10 to $20
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 866-363-4377

Did You Know?
Historic "Dodgertown," privately owned by the team, includes 27 holes of golf, a residential development and 70 acres of citrus groves. Modest Holman Stadium has no dugouts. In 2009, the team is expected to take residence at a new 12,000 seat facility in Glendale, Ariz.

Minnesota Twins
Fort Myers (since 1991)
Schedule

Home Field
Hammond Stadium (7,500)
14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33912

Directions (from I-75)
Take Exit 131 (Daniels Road).
Travel west two miles to Six Mile Cypress Parkway.
Travel south for a half-mile; complex is on the right.

Tickets
Price range: $10 to $35
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 800-338-9467

Did You Know?
Except during WWII, the Twins made Orlando their spring home from 1936-1990. Fort Myers was a good-luck charm; the Twins won the World Series following the first spring training in their current home. Fort Myers boasts the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford; both are open for tours.

New York Mets
Port St. Lucie (since 1988)
Schedule

Home Field
Tradition Field (7,800)
525 N.W. Peacock Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
772-871-2100

Directions (from I-95)
Take Exit 121 (Old 63-C)/St. Lucie West Blvd.
Go east and make a left (north) on Peacock Blvd.
Stadium is one mile ahead on right.

Tickets
Price range: $6 to $25
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 772-871-2115

Did You Know?
To keep bats — at least the ones that fly — from inhabiting Tradition Field, the stadium was "bat proofed" and The St. Lucie Bat House was erected nearby to house thousands of displaced animals.

New York Yankees
Tampa (since 1996)
Schedule

Home Field
Legends Field (10,200)
1 Steinbrenner Drive
Tampa, FL 33614
813-879-2244

Directions (from Tampa airport)
Proceed out the Airport exit to Spruce Street.
Go approximately 2 miles, make a left on North Dale Mabry (U.S. 92)
After about a mile, Legends Field will be on your left.

Tickets
Price range: $17 to $23
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 800-969-2657

Did You Know?
Legends Field carries the same outfield dimensions at Yankee Stadium and has a monument park behind the outfield wall.

Philadelphia Phillies
Clearwater (since 1947)
Schedule

Home Field
Bright House Networks Field (7,000)
601 Old Coachman Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-441-9941

Directions (from Tampa)
Take Highway 60 (Courtney Campbell Causeway) West.
Cross over Highway 19 and go to the next stoplight (Old Coachman Road).
Turn right (North) at Old Coachman Road.
Go North through the Drew Street intersection.
Stadium will be on the right.

Tickets
Price range: $9 to $25
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 727-467-4457

Did You Know?
The Phillies have called Clearwater home since 1947; only the Tigers have inhabited their Grapefruit League home longer. A tiki bar and a Philly cheesesteak concession are among the amenities at Bright House Network Field.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Bradenton (since 1969)
Schedule

Home Field
McKechnie Field (6,602)
1611 Ninth St. W.
Bradenton, FL 34205
941-748-4610

Directions (from St. Petersburg)
Go over Skyway Bridge to Exit 5 (U.S. 19 South).
Continue on 41 South (Bradenton/Sarasota).
Make a right turn onto 17th Avenue West and continue to McKechnie Field.

Tickets
Price range: $8 to $16
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 800-955-5566

Did You Know?
McKechnie Field has no lights, so every game is a matinee. Unlike most spring venues, McKechnie Field is a stand-alone facility; the team trains at Pirate City, 5 miles away.

St. Louis Cardinals
Jupiter (since 1998)
Schedule

Home Field
Roger Dean Stadium (7,000)
4751 Main St.
Jupiter, FL 33458
561-775-1818

Directions (from I-95)
Exit at Donald Ross Road (Exit 83) and travel east one mile to Central Boulevard.
At the light, make a left and follow Central to Frederick Small.
Make a left onto Frederick Small and the stadium will be on your left.

Tickets
Price range: $6 to $24
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 561-966-3309

Did You Know?
The Cardinals first came to Florida in 1914. In 1938, they began a 60-year association with St. Petersburg that concluded with the construction of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter in 1998. Two minor league teams — the Florida State League's Jupiter Hammerheads (A) and the Gulf Coast League's Palm Beach Cardinals (Rookie) — also call this facility home.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
St. Petersburg (since 1998)
Schedule

Home Field
Progress Energy Park (6,759)
180 Second Ave. S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33710

Directions (from I-275)
From either direction, take the exit to downtown St. Petersburg.
Follow the signs to Al Lang Field.

Tickets
Price range: $7 to $20
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 727-898-7297

Did You Know?
Historic Al Lang Field has housed the Philadelphia Nationals (1916-1921), the Boston Braves (1922-1924), the New York Yankees (1925-1937) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1938-97). When Tampa arrived in 1998, it became the first team since 1919 to train in the same city where its plays during the regular season.

Toronto Blue Jays
Dunedin (since 1977)
Schedule

Home Field
Knology Park (6,106)
311 Douglas Ave. at Beltress Street
Dunedin, FL 34697

Directions (from Tampa)
Take State Road 60 across Tampa Bay.
Turn right on McMullen Booth Road.
Turn left on Sunset Point Road and cross U.S. 19.
Turn right on Douglas Avenue. Parking is at the second stoplight.

Tickets
Price range: $13 to $24
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 727-733-0429

Did You Know?
Dunedin has been the Blue Jays home for the entirety of the team's existence. In homage to their home city, the Blue Jays play both national anthems before each game, and offer Labatt Blue.

Washington Nationals
Viera (since 2003)
Schedule-->

Home Field
Space Coast Stadium (8,100)
5800 Stadium Parkway
Melbourne, FL 32940

Directions (from Daytona Beach)
Exit I-95 at Exit 195 (cloverleaf).
Turn left (west) on Stadium Parkway.
Space Coast Stadium is two miles ahead on the right.

Tickets
Price range: $8 to $22
Buy online or from StubHub! or call 888-632-6287

Did You Know?
Space Coast Stadium was built for the Marlins in 1994, but the Marlins and Expos switched venues in 2003. When Jeffrey Loria sold the Expos and bought the Marlins, he retained the spring rights to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. The park takes its name in homage to nearby NASA; the space theme is evident throughout.

Bill Evans, a freelance writer based in Milwaukee, provided the research for the team and stadium details.

Plan your dream spring-training trip

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