Spring training!

[dhermann1]

In the spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of . . . baseball!
It's spring training time! Everybody is in first place! It's all fun and games and sunshine (unless you're one of the hundreds of ballplayers competing for a spot on a Major League roster).
I've always wanted to go to spring training. You can wander around the camp and see your heroes close up, maybe even talk with them and get autographs.
Anyone out there ever been to spring training? Have any good stories?

 

[Nathan Flowers]

My father and his brothers have been going to spring training in both FL and AZ since the 60s. The last place you could really "wander around the camp and see your heroes up close" was with the Dodgers at Vero Beach, but they just moved out to the Cactus League to a big stadium.

Nearly every other team is at a big(ish) ballpark, so it's not like you can really get close to the players. That said, the parks are still way smaller than MLB parks, with around 3,000-8,000 seats. It's still worth going to, because the small parks have a real hometown feel, and it certainly feels great to be in Florida's weather.

My favorite spring training park is Joker Merchant Stadium in Lakeland, FL, where the Tigers play.