"How To Love Baseball Again"

Chris Jones has a nice story in Esquire about recent Florida road trip with some noted baseball scribes to watch some games.

His description of sitting in the stands downing a beer under the warm Florida sun has me longing for those hot sunny days in the Bronx. Glad the season has started.

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/opening-day-2011-baseball-5486648?click=pp

 

I'll read the article later, but I just want to say that if you've never done a Spring Training trip, start planning next year's now.

Warm weather, day games, small stadiums, what's not to love.

I haven't done Arizona, but if you go to Florida and base yourself in the Tampa area, you can see multiple teams in multiple stadiums.

Clearwater's might be my favorite. Good cheese steaks and a tiki bar in left field.

 

Arizona is simple now that Tucson doesn't host any teams. When I was kid growing up in Phoenix, one team was based in the West Valley for a short time.

Now nine of the 15 Cactus League teams are there. Just get a hotel off Loop 101 and you're set.

 

I did not make it down to Florida this year and after reading Jones story, now wishing I did. Just a great way to get out of the winter doldrums and jump start the spring.

 

Thanks for posting this.

 

Arizona spring training is 10 times better than Florida, by the way. Better weather. Less driving. Great restaurants. Newer ballparks.

Funny thing about spring training after you've done it for a while as a baseball writer: The games are the worst part. I've often said that people who leave a regular season game before the final out "don't get it." Well in spring training I think the same applies for people who stay till the final out. Once you spend a little time looking behind the curtain at spring training and seeing how the games are treated by those in uniform, it's hard to even watch them.

If you just treat them as an excuse to sit in the sun and drink a few beers and talk about baseball with your buddies, it's great. Just don't think you are watching baseball.

 

Agree. Spring Training is more than what goes on during the game. It really has a much different feel to it that can only be understood if you have been there. Even The Yankee Clubhouse is relaxed.

 

I've done both and I'll also vouch for Arizona over Florida. I did a mini-trip a few years ago (rode down with my buddy who lives in Vegas) and saw three games at three different stadiums in three days while driving less than an hour each time and staying in the same hotel. When we were driving to one game, we were actually able to stop by another and pick up tickets to the next day's game. I'm going to try the trip again when I have more time and maybe hit all the parks/teams.

As for Jones' essay, it reminds me of my all-time "bad luck" trump card when it comes to the 1994 strike. The day the strike began (August 12) was my 21st birthday.

 

During the season, affiliated minor league baseball is great as well. We have an independent team right down the road, but there is nothing better than heading out to the ball park to see the young kids that will be household names some day in an intimate environment, where you do not have to pay an arm and a leg to take the family with you.

I have four incredible minor league ballparks within two and a half or three hours of my house...Toledo, Columbus, Akron and Lake County. Also, five minutes away is the home to a Prospect League team (kind of a league for guys not good enough to play in the Cape Cod League). I love Major League Baseball, but hitting a minor league game is always entertaining.

 

The Bronx isn't in Florida.

Seriously, he was at McKechnie Field, a great place to watch a game, despite the persistent presence of the home team.

 

Hey, it is in May, June and July for the Bronx. August gets pretty steamy but September can also be pretty nice also.

 

From Letterman the other night:

Baseball's new slogan: Now, this country's fifth best sport.