One of our co-writers, Tom Brennan, put me onto a newsletter
about minor league baseball which fills in a great many of the heretofore
hidden details about visits to the pre-season camps in Florida and
Arizona. Despite me living now in El
Paso, TX not far from Arizona, the fact is I’ve never made the journey there
for the hot and sweaty practice leading up to the start of the regular
season. I have, however, made a journey
to Port St. Lucie to see the Mets when my Dad was retired in South
Florida. Let’s just say it was not
exactly what could be expected.
For the past few years when the Mets held a AAA club in Las
Vegas, they regularly came here to play the El Paso Chihuahuas and it was a
refresher about the whole experience.
Granted, this experience included the press box and locker room access
whereas the Florida jaunt was simply as a fan.
For one thing, the games in February and March are a huge
draw. Unlike many regular season games,
there seemed to be intense competition to get the tickets. I actually saw lines of folks waiting to see
a great many players who would likely never see a major league game unless they
paid to go through the turnstile.
However, during the winter it’s a popular family engagement to have cold
weather relatives take the three-hour flight to enjoy palm trees, shedding the
winter wardrobe and get a head start on enjoying the upcoming diamond season.
Being south Florida I didn’t anticipate the weather
conditions. It’s Florida and you think hot
weather, suntans and air conditioning. I
was dressed as an older teen in shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers. Imagine my surprise to feel the hurricane-force
winds that had most people in down type parkas.
Even though I had no money, I went down to the gift shop to see what I
could get to help me survive the chill.
For a young teen a $65 sweatshirt was a bit stiff, but I was willing to swallow
hard to get the relief. Of course, they
didn’t have my size so I had a pretty awful night.
It turns out that the game itself became a somewhat
secondary experience. There were a great
many wannabes and over-the-hill folks hoping to migrate north with the
Mets. I enjoyed the time with my father
and brother very much in between the shivering and wind chill.
In a weird way, Spring Training games are a bit tough for
pure baseball fans. The multiple innings
are not as much about trying to win the game as they are about seeing prospects
and hanger-onners in order to determine who should make the team better. The experience is more about the interaction with
family and friends, and the enthusiasm for the season about to start.
One truly good news thing about this game was the openness
of the players. They were very
forthcoming both pre-game and even during the game to interact with fans,
providing autographs and smiling from ear to ear. It let you know that they were just as happy
being back to the game they loved as we were there to experience it. If ever you can get the opportunity to enjoy
a Spring Training game, just do it.
4 comments:
Florida games can be fun. Last time I went, Thor was doing long toss in the outfield and just at the end of it, uncorked a bullet from CF that cleared the leap of the catcher and sailed over the fence. N o one screamed, so I guess no one was hit. Later, a handsome young kid and his girl were talking right in front of me in the stands with an usher for a few minutes - looked athletic, and I thought maybe a tennis player. I realized later it was Simeon Woods Richardson. I'd never make it as a detective!
Your Richardson mentions reminds me how some of the guys assigned to the minor league complex would walk over and watch the major leaguers give out their autograph.
Thanks for the tips on visiting Florida for Spring Training Reese. I will be sure to dress warm.
Minor league games can be informal as well. I met Justin Dunn and Daniel Zamora after Binghamton game. Spoke to Luis Guillerme before a Syracuse game. Much more intimate than the Major League game.
John, I drove to Florida one January (1976) with friends WHO CARED NOT A WHIT ABOUT THE SUPER BOWL - Ion Super Bowl Sunday, we went out to Breakfast in Miami and it was 40 degrees and windy...only got to the high 50s. Another time, much more recently, in Bradenton one January AM around 7:00 or so - 28 degrees. Two years earlier, it was in the mid 80s at mid day the same time of year there.
Gotta bring some warm clothes.
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