Full Description
Spring training is a time of renewal for baseball, when teams and fans descend on Florida and Arizona to begin the ever hopeful new season. The pace is a little slower, the fans are closer to the action, and the players are more accessible: the sport returns to its idyllic roots. When the first edition of this book was released, 18 of the MLB teams trained in Florida and 12 in Arizona. As 2013 arrives each league consists of 15 teams; together they utilize 14 parks in Florida and 10 in Arizona.
This heavily illustrated work dedicates a chapter to each park, including modern Cactus League marvels like Camelback Ranch and Salt River Fields, and Grapefruit League bastions like Joker Marchant Stadium and McKechnie Field. Florida's Fenway Park replica, which opened in 2012, is included. In addition to profiling the five parks that have opened since the first edition, the author has updated the other chapters. Each provides a description of the park, and a recounting of its history, followed by a summary of the home team or teams' spring history. Next is a review of the park's seating, concessions and fan traditions. Each chapter concludes with information about nearby baseball landmarks and attractions.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
I. Florida's Grapefruit League
George M. Steinbrenner Field (Tampa) New York Yankees
Bright House Field (Clearwater) Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Auto Exchange Stadium (Dunedin) Toronto Blue Jays
McKechnie Field (Bradenton) Pittsburgh Pirates
Ed Smith Stadium (Sarasota) Baltimore Orioles
Charlotte Sports Park (Port Charlotte) Tampa Bay Rays
Jet Blue Park (Fort Myers) Boston Red Sox
Hammond Stadium (Fort Myers) Minnesota Twins
Roger Dean Stadium (Jupiter) St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins
Tradition Field (Port St. Lucie) New York Mets
Space Coast Stadium (Viera/Melbourne) Washington Nationals
Osceola County Stadium (Kissimmee) Houston Astros
Champion Stadium (Lake Buena Vista/Kissimmee) Atlanta Braves
Joker Marchant Stadium (Lakeland) Detroit Tigers
II. Arizona's Cactus League
Scottsdale Stadium (Scottsdale) San Francisco Giants
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Scottsdale) Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies
Tempe Diablo Stadium (Tempe) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
HoHoKam Stadium (Mesa) Chicago Cubs
Phoenix Municipal Stadium (Phoenix) Oakland A's
Maryvale Baseball Park (Maryvale/Phoenix) Milwaukee Brewers
Peoria Stadium (Peoria) Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres
Surprise Stadium (Surprise) Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers
Camelback Ranch-Glendale (Glendale/Phoenix) Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox
Goodyear Ballpark (Goodyear) Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians
Spring Training Sites Since 1914, Team by Team
Bibliography
Index
