SPRING TRAINING "2007" DAVID'S ANNUAL SPRING TRAINING GUIDE Baseball and Beaches; Sunshine and Seafood A 2007 Guide for the Phillies Phan's Spring Training Trip By David R. Kahn INTRODUCTION Do you hear the siren call of Baseball in February? Have you secretly longed to travel south for Spring Training? I heard it as a youngster, and first succumbed thirty years ago. Many changes have taken place in the last three decades, from the new parks that make it harder to mingle with the players, to the ever-increasing traffic, to bigger crowds at the games and more difficulty in obtaining tickets to sit where you want. But do not be discouraged; I believe this is the best time of the year to watch baseball. It's a wonderful experience to shed winter at the end of February and see the green grass of the baseball field, hear the sounds of leather cracking, bat on ball, whistles and the other shrill sounds of players working out. It's a relaxed atmosphere, even for the veterans struggling to stay in the show, and the rookies vying for a place to play. 2007 is year four for the Phillies in their lovely new park, the horribly-named Bright House Networks Field, located next to the Carpenter Complex (minor-league training center) at Drew St. and Old Coachman Road, directly west of Route 19, just north of Route 60 - Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. Spring Training is much more than going to the games. This guide covers how to obtain tickets, get around the area, places to stay, quality places to eat, from reasonable to ultra expensive, other activities for rainy days or when the team is playing farther away than you want to drive, and last but not least, minor league training camp visits. What follows is culled from my own personal experiences. I have used other resources to verify the names, addresses, phone numbers and rates of some of the establishments mentioned. This is only a partial listing. I suggest that you check one or more of the guidebooks available. One basic source of information on team locations, directions to parks, ticket info and a sprinkling of other helpful things is Spring Training Online. My wife loves baseball, but I know her willingness to go to as many parks and fields, and see as much baseball as we have crammed into all too few days is a mark of her love for me, not just the Game itself. I thank her, my sons and their wives, for their participation and understanding of what this is all about. THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU GO Buy your game tickets in advance: With parks seating between 6500 and 10,000, there are almost no bad seats. Be careful when you order. If you're calling Ticketmaster or tickets.com they can't always tell you where the location of the seats are, but you can find a seating diagram on their respective web sites. If you tell Ticketmaster what section(s) you're interested in, they should be able to help you, rather than just selling you whatever pops up on their computer screen. If staying out of the sun is important to you, you generally do not want to ask for "the best location" available. Make your sun or shade preferences known. Usually "reserved" seats instead of "box" seats will do the trick if you don't want to burn. Typical park orientation means that between home and 1st base, high up (not really very high) is the shadiest area. The Phillies individual game tickets went on sale by phone in January. The phone number is 727-442-8496. The Phillies play the following teams within a reasonable driving distance (from Bright House Networks Field). Your travel time may vary depending on where you stay. All starting times are 1:05 PM unless otherwise indicated. To see the 2007 schedule, go to: The Phillies Website Schedule. Thursday, March 1, and Friday, March 16 vs. Tigers @ Lakeland, a 2 hour drive. You can call Ticketmaster at 813-287-8844. Saturday, March 3, vs. Red Sox at Fort Myers. Call 877-733-7699. The Red Sox play at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. NOTE: There are two parks in Fort Myers. This one is in the downtown section. The other one, Hammond Stadium at the Lee County Sports Complex is on a highway leading to beautiful Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Fort Myers trips are probably the longest on the schedule, 2/12-3 hours. You might want to stay over and enjoy the area -- Sanibel Island is known for the great shells on its beaches; they also have a museum with an outstanding, beautiful shell collection. Fort Myers Beach is a lovely area, too. Monday, March 5, and Saturday, March 24 vs Reds at Sarasota, a 1 3/4 hour drive. You can call tickets.com at 800-955-5566. Tuesday, March 6, and Thursday, March 29 vs. Pirates at Bradenton, a 1 1/2 hour drive. Call tickets.com at 800-955-5566. Even though this is a newer park, replacing the last of the old wooden structures several years ago, it ranks near the top of my list of favorites. It was built in a style to reflect the heritage of the old parks. Thursday, March 8 vs Indians at Chain O' Lakes Park in Winter Haven. A jewel of a fifties-era park. Get there this year if you can, for the Indians are moving. About a 1 1/2 hour drive. Call Ticketmaster at 866-487-7423. Saturday, March 10 vs. Astros at Kissimmee, about a 2 hour drive. Call Ticketmaster at 800- 839-3900. (NOTE: Split Squad game) Saturday March 10 (NOTE: Split Squad game), and Tuesday, March 13 vs. Devil Rays at Progress Energy Park, Al Lang Field, 180 2nd Ave SE, at 1st St South, St. Petersburg, a 40 minute drive. Call Ticketmaster at 727-898-7297 Sunday, March 18, vs. Twins, (NOTE: Split Squad game-the other game is in Clearwater vs. the Devil Rays), at Fort Myers. Call 800-338-9467. The Twins play at Hammond Stadium at the Lee County Sports Complex. See the Note above (in the Red Sox listing). Tuesday, March 20 (night game, 7:15 PM) and Thursday, March 26, 1:15 PM vs. Yankees at Tampa, a 30 minute drive 813-287-8844 (Ticketmaster). Seating sections run from the first base side to the third base side, 101-120, and 201-220. Wednesday, March 21 vs Blue Jays at Dunedin, a 5 minute drive, 800-707-8269. Seating sections run from the first base side to the third base side. The rear rows in the 200 level from 203- 209 will have shade. No game this year vs. the Braves at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, Cracker Jack Stadium, 710 South Victory Way, Kissimmee. About a 2 1/4 hour drive. Call Ticketmaster at 407-839-3900 to order tickets. NOTE: Shade is at a minimum. And make hotel/motel reservations, too. See below for some ideas. SETTING PRIORITIES FOR WHERE TO STAY Decide if you want to stay on the beach, or nearer to the stadium. Traffic can be heavy and you could have long trips to and from the ballpark, even for home games, depending on where you stay. There are, of course, all price ranges available in the area. Staying right on Clearwater Beach may be noisy and crowded with college students on spring break. The beaches immediately south are quieter, and offer mainland access that is usually less crowded than the Clearwater Causeway. There are numerous small motels along this strip, and a few major brand name hotels as well, including Raddison Suites, and Sheraton on Sand Key, Holiday Inn in Indian Rocks Beach, Doubletree in North Redington Beach, and further south, another Holiday Inn in Treasure Island. A convenient location is George Steinbrenner's Radisson, 8 minutes from Tampa International, facing Old Tampa Bay on the main drag into Clearwater, route 60 -- Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. Also in that area are a couple of high rise hotels, including a Hyatt and a Doubletree. In Dunedin, which is a neat place to stay if you don't want a beach ,try the Best Western Yacht Harbor Inn -- 727-733-4121. You may have a water or marina view here. A newer hotel around the corner is a Holiday Inn Express - 727-450-1200. A few blocks south on Alternate19 is a new Comfort Suites. Dunedin has a lovely little main street with several good places to eat. It is within walking distance of the Blue Jays ballpark, and offers easy access to the Pinellas Trail, which is wonderful for walking, jogging, or cycling. Should you want to go see Jack Russell Stadium for some nostalgia, it is only five minutes from Dunedin by car. GETTING WHERE YOU WANT TO GO IN FLORIDA TRAFFIC Orienting yourself to the roads in the area with a map is helpful. If you can, do this before you go. The Clearwater-Largo-St.-Pete area (Pinellas County) is basically laid out in a grid. The main east-west road into Clearwater and Clearwater Beach is route 60 -- Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. This is the road you'll hook up with coming out of Tampa International. If you're staying on a beach between Sand Key and St. Pete Beach, you'll want to take I-275 from the airport and the long causeway, then connect with the appropriate 600 series road going west to the beaches. The main north-south routes from Tarpon Springs to the St. Pete area are Route 19, Alternate 19, and Interstate 275, the road you want to connect with if you are going to St. Pete, Bradenton, Sarasota and other points south. EATING SOMEWHERE BESIDES THE BALLPARK Remember those player's wives and youngsters you saw at the park? You're as likely as not to see them at one of the restaurants listed alphabetically below. There are many other wonderful places listed in Zagat's Tampa/Sarasota Guidebook (N.B. I believe it is currently unavailable.) You'll also find the usual chains and fast food joints, but I've been to all the ones listed below (unless noted), most more than once, and some (starred) I try to get to every trip, if I have enough evenings available. Should you follow up on an overnight stay in the Fort Myers area, I recommend a restaurant on Sanibel/Captiva called The Green Flash. There are also at least two fine breakfast places on Sanibel. Clearwater-St. Pete area (Pinellas County) Island Way Grill -- 727-461- 6617 -- Located off the Causeway to Clearwater Beach in Island Way Estates. It's a Pan-Asian seafood place. Highly recommended by sportswriters in a 2003 article. *Blue Heron -- 727-789-5176 -- fine cuisine in an out-of-the-way strip shopping center east of Palm Harbor and route 19, north of Clearwater. Long-time Phillies fans Pat and Dave Hildebrand let me in on this one. *Bob Heilman's Beachcomber -- 727-442-4144 -- a known eating and drinking hangout for the Phillies' brass on Clearwater Beach -- steaks, chops, famous chicken -- reservations suggested. *Bobby's Bistro and Winebar -- 727-446-9463 behind Beachcomber with the same ownership -- no reservations, fine food and wine. Capagna's Dugout -- on Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. great pizza and other casual food with a baseball theme. Autographed memorabilia on the walls. Great for the kids Frenchy's -- 5 locations in Clearwater Beach-- one of Bill Conlin's favorites -- they're all very noisy -- my favorite is "Rockaway Grill" -- it's the only one on the beach side of Mandalay -- the main drag north of the causeway. *Guppy's on the Beach -- 727-593-2032 a great casual place to eat fresh fish outdoors in Indian Rocks Beach -- no reservations. Recently renovated. Keegan's Seafood Grille -- 727-596-2477 -- a casual place, kid-friendly, for seafood. *Kelly's For Just About Anything -- 727-736-5284 -- Main Street in Dunedin one of my favorites for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Really a funky place that transforms for the dinner hour into something a little nicer. They have a patio, recently enlarged and covered (not as intimate as it used to be) in the rear. *Lenny's -- a deli-restaurant on US 19 near Gulf-to-Bay and the minor-league complex. Good for breakfast or lunch. You might see a ballplayer or two very early in the morning. *The Lobster Pot -- 727-391-8592 -- Redington Shores -- elegant seafood place Salt Rock Grill - 727-593-7625 - a similar experience to Guppys, but perhaps slightly more upscale, with steaks and chops as well as seafood. *The Wine Cellar -- 727-393-3491 -- high end beach area restaurant -- North Redington Beach Tampa area (Hillsborough County) Columbia -- 813-248-49061 -- a Cuban restaurant in Tampa *Bern's Steak House -- 813-251-2421-- world famous and extremely expensive -- possibly the finest steak house in the country -- with a wonderful wine list and dessert menu -- reservations a must. St. Barts House -- 813-254-4387 - formerly a French bistro with fine food, now a seafood and tapas place, slightly south of Bern's on South Howard. Sideberns - 813-258-2233 - a lovely restaurant, also on South Howard and owned by Berns, but the similarity ends with the fabulous wines. They also have a fine wine store on the premises. During the past twenty years, South Howard Street has evolved from a depressed-looking area into an upscale restaurant row. There are several other fun and fine dining spots here. GETTING THE MOST ENJOYMENT WHEN GOING TO THE GAMES Until the advent of new, larger stadiums, access to the players was easy. They often had to walk through the stands to get to the clubhouse, if there was one. Now, access is much more restricted. There is a more commercial feel to the games. But if you arrive early, and go down the lines to the outfield areas, many of them will talk with you and sign autographs. Also, you'll see "family" sections near the dugouts with many wives and youngsters in attendance. Also management and scouts are often accessible in these small parks. A little politeness goes a long way with them. These conversations can be entertaining and informative. Souvenirs are for sale as at any park, but sometimes there are unusual and interesting things available. At Bright House you may find game-worn jerseys, cracked bats, and other memorabilia. You might see Robin Roberts autographing his book behind home plate. I t's not unusual to find a Hall- of-Famer or two in the stands taking in the game. Most of all, you can sit back and relax and enjoy baseball in a relaxed, warm atmosphere while your friends back home are still shivering in the cold. Already a tradition at Bright House is the Tiki Bar in left field staying open for a couple hours after the game. Players have been known to stop by after finishing their post-game work. SECRETS FOR ENJOYING MINOR LEAGUE CAMP Minor-league camp officially opens early in March. Games will start about a week later. See the St. Petersburg Times for listings of minor league games and their locations. Or you can see the schedule at the complex on a daily basis. Typically, the Phillies send two teams to another team's camp, and host two teams from that organization. Games are in the afternoon. You can watch the morning workouts ever day a Carpenter Complex, Drew and Old Coachman Roads at 10 A.M. You may also see an occasional major-league "B" game at the complex. If they are at Bright House you probably won't be able to get in to watch. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA? Rainy Days, off day or days when you don't want to follow the team 3 hours south: Salvador Dali Museum, other museums, Ybor City (in Tampa -- the old Cuban section -- learn all about making good cigars and enjoy some Cuban food), movies (at Countryside Mall, Largo, and other locations -- see the St. Petersburg Times for specific info). In St. Pete, go to the pier. If you're up for a two hour drive north, consider a visit to the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando. Disney World is two hours east; perhaps a visit can be tied in with a Braves game. I don't know if the Devil Ray's domed monstrosity is open for tours. Call the Devil Ray's office for more info on this. Beaches of course--Honeymoon Island, Clearwater Beach, Sand Key Park Golf and Tennis. Other activities include Busch Gardens, and the Pinellas County Trail. This trail runs north- south the length of Pinellas County from Tarpon Springs all the way to St. Pete. It's ideal for biking or long walks. There is likely to be a section near wherever you stay. Take a short trip north to Tarpon Springs -- the Greek sponge-diving community, a great place to buy the finest sponges in the world and eat Greek-style seafood in one of the many restaurants along the dock area. Visit Safety Harbor or Dunedin, communities with an old village feel and a Main Street on which to stroll, shop and eat. There is a wonderful performance hall, Ruth Eckerd Hall, in Clearwater. There are big and small name shows on almost a nightly basis. Call the box office for more info at: 727-791- 7400. In Tampa you'll also find a major venue; The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Their box office phone is 813-229-7827. Have a great trip -- you'll be glad you're at Bright House when at the start of the game they announce the current temperatures in Philly and Clearwater. Enjoy! David Kahn has loved Phillies Red exclusively since he first watched Don Newcombe outduel Robin Roberts at Connie Mack Stadium more than fifty years ago. He's been a Phillies Fan Union member a slightly shorter period of time.