SPRING TRAINING "2010"
DAVID'S ANNUAL SPRING TRAINING GUIDE
Baseball, Beaches and Golf; Sunshine, Seafood and More
A Guide for the Phillies Phan's 2010 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-three 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.

2010 is the seventh year the Phillies will play in their lovely spring home, Bright House 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, minor league training camp visits, and other 
activities for rainy days or when the team is playing farther away than you want to drive. For the second year we 
also offer my son Michael's guide to golf courses in the area.

What follows is culled from our 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 you check one 
or more of the guidebooks available. Note the web page links throughout the guide.

Two basic sources of information on the web, with team locations, directions to parks, ticket info and a sprinkling of 
other helpful things are: Spring Training Yearbook Online and 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

Airline tickets: Check Orbitz or Expedia for best buys from traditional airlines. US Airways has the most direct and 
non-stop flights between Philadelphia and Tampa. Try Southwest Airlines, USA3000, or AirTran for discount fares 
(though in the spring, there's not much of a discount). 

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 go on sale the beginning of January. The phone number is 727-442-8496. The 
Philliesplay the following teams within a reasonable driving distance (from Bright House Field). Your travel time 
may vary depending on where you stay. All starting times are 1:05 P.M. unless otherwise indicated.  To see the schedule 
go to the Phillies Spring Training web page. 

HOME GAMES: Bright House Networks Field
Wednesday, March 3 vs. Florida State University 7:05 P.M.
Thursday, March 4 vs. Yankees
Sunday, March 7 vs. Rays
Thursday, March 11 vs. Tigers
Saturday, March 13 vs Twins
Tuesday, March 16 vs. Tigers
Wednesday, March 17 vs Yankees
Friday, March 19 vs. Orioles 7:05 PM
Sunday, March 21 vs. Orioles
Monday, March 22 vs. Yankees
Tuesday, March 23 vs. Blue Jays
Thursday, March 25 vs Astros
Sunday, March 28 vs. Pirates
Monday, March 29 vs. Braves
Wednesday, March 31 vs Blue Jays
Thursday, April 1 vs Pirates

AWAY GAMES:
Friday, March 5, and Wednesday March 10 vs. Blue Jays @ Knology Park, Dunedin, 311 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, 
a 10 minute drive. Call 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.

Saturday, March 6, and Monday, March 15 vs. Pirates @ McKechnie Field, 1611 9th Street West (17th Avenue 
West & 9th Street West) 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 ina style to reflect the heritage of the old parks. Lots of shade in the seats behind home plate, 
but the space between rows is quite narrow.

Monday, March 8 (1:05 PM) and Friday, March 26 (7:05 PM) vs. Yankees @ George Steinbrenner Field (formerly 
known as Legends Field), 1 Steinbrenner Drive (Dale Mabry Blvd., across from Raymond James Stadium) Tampa, 
a 30 minute drive. Call 813-879-2244 for ticket information. Seating sections run from the first base side to the third 
base side, 101-120, and 201-220.

Tuesday, March 9, (7:05 PM) and Wednesday, March 24 (1:05 PM) vs. Braves @ Champion Stadium, Disney's Wide 
World of Sports Complex, 710 South Victory Way, Lake Buena Vista, Disney World. About a 2 1/4 hour drive. Call 
Ticketmaster at 407-839-3900. NOTE: Shade is at a minimum.

Friday, March 12, (SPLIT SQUAD) and Saturday, March 20 vs. Tigers @ Joker Marchant Stadium, opened in 1966, 
renovated in 2003. Al Kaline Drive, 2301 Lake Hills Blvd., Lakeland. About a 1 ¾ hour drive. Call 866-668-4437.

Friday, March 12, (SPLIT SQUAD) vs. Rays @ Charlotte County Sports Park, 2300 El Jobean Rd. (SR 776) Port 
Charlotte, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. This park served as the spring home of the Texas Rangers for 15 years before 
they moved to Arizona. 2010 will be the Rays second spring season at this facility. They formerly trained in St. 
Petersburg.

Sunday, March 14 vs. Orioles @ Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th Street (12th Street and Tuttle Avenue), Sarasota. 
Approximately a 3/4 hour drive. Go to the Orioles web site for ticket information.

Saturday, March 27 vs. Twins @ Hammond Stadium (Lee County Sports Complex), 14100 Six Miles Cypress Pkwy., 
Ft. Myers, about a 3 hour drive. Trips to Ft. Myers are probably the longest on the schedule. 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. Check out The Green Flash on Captiva Island  (connected to Sanibel by a short 
bridge) for dinner. Fort Myers Beach is a lovely area, too. The other park in Ft. Myers is the City of Palms Park, 2201 
Edison Ave., home to the Red Sox. This is in the downtown 
Ft. Myers area. In an unusual spring schedule, the Phillies do not have a game scheduled with the Red Sox in Ft. Myers
or Clearwater this year.

Tuesday, March 30, vs. Astros  @Osceola County Stadium, 1000 Bill Beck Blvd, Kissimmee. About a 2 hour drive. 
Call Ticketmaster at 407-839-3900. Not much shade in this 1980's ballpark. Close to Disney World.

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. Further south, there are many hotels and motels stretching all the way to St. Pete Beach. A very convenient 
location is the Rocky Point area, not far from Tampa International Airport, on Route 60-Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. George 
Steinbrenner's Radisson Bay Harbor Hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, a Hampton Inn and others. Also at Rocky Point are 
a couple of high rise hotels, including the Grand 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 Alternate Route 19 is a recently opened 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 wonder-ful for walking, jogging, or cycling. Should you want to go see the ruins of demolished 
Jack Russell Stadium for some nostalgia, itis 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 withcoming 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, and 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 
restaurantslisted alphabetically below. There are many other wonderful places listed on the web at: Zagats guide.

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, 20 Island Way. Located off the Causeway to Clearwater Beach, in Island Way Estates. 
It's a Pan-Asian seafood place. Flashy and expensive. Highly recommended by sportswriters in a 2003 article.

*Blue Heron, 727-789-5176, 3285 Tampa Rd., Palm Harbor. Fine cuisine in an out-of-the-way strip shopping center east of 
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, 447 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach.  A traditional 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, 447 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach. Behind Bob Heilman's Beachcomber 
with the same ownership. No reservations, fine food and wine.

*Capogna's Dugout, 727-441-4791, 1650 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., Clearwater.  Decent pizza and other casual food, with a 
baseball theme. Autographed memorabilia on the walls. Great for the kids.

*Domenic's Capri, 727-441-1111, 411 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach.  Bill Giles once said this was his favorite 
Italian restaurant in Clearwater Beach, and in this instance, his opinion has value. Excellently prepared traditional 
Southern Italian dishes and a fine wine list.

*Frenchy's, 4 locations in Clearwater Beach, one of Bill Conlin's favorites. They're all very noisy. My favorite is 
"Rockaway Grill" 727-446-4844, 7 Rockaway St. (at Mandalay Ave.). It's the only one on the beach side of Mandalay 
Ave., the main drag north of the causeway.

*Guppy's on the Beach, 727-593-2032, 1701 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.  A great casual place to eat fresh fish 
outdoors on the barrier island.  No reservations. Recently renovated.

*Keegan's Seafood Grille, 727-596-2477, 1519 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach. A casual place, kid-friendly, for seafood. 

*Kelly's For Just About Anything, 727-736-5284, 319 Main St., 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, 21220 US 19 N, Clearwater .The famous deli-restaurant near Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. (Route 60) and the Phillies 
complex. Good for breakfast or lunch. You might see a ballplayer or two very early in the morning. You must approach 
from the North and watch for the right-hand exit areas immediately after crossing Drew Street. Lenny's is within walking 
distance of the ballpark.

The Lobster Pot, 727-391-8592, 17814 Gulf Blvd., Redington Shores - Elegant old-time seafood place.

*Mystic Fish, 3253 Tampa Rd., Palm Harbor. A sister restaurant to Guppy's, this place in the same strip shopping center 
as Blue Heron is a busy, casual place that serves upscale food, from fish to poultry to beef.

*Salt Rock Grill, 727-593-7625, 19325 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores. A similar experience to Guppys, but somewhat more 
upscale, withsteaks and chops as well as seafood.

*Walt's Seasonal Cuisine, 727-733-1909, 1140 Main Street, Dunedin. Wonderfully prepared dishes. My son Michael 
discovered this restaurant about three years ago.

The Wine Cellar, 727-393-3491, 17307 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach.  A high end beach area restaurant.

Tampa Area (Hillsborough County)

*Bern's Steak House, 813-251-2421, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa.  World famous and extremely expensive, our family's 
favorite steak house in the USA, with a wonderful wine list and dessert menu. Reservations are required.

Columbia, 813-248-4961, 2117 East 7th Ave., Tampa. A famous Cuban restaurant.

*St. Barts House, 813-254-4387, 1502 S. Howard Ave., Tampa. Formerly a French bistro with fine food, this is now a fine 
seafood and tapas place, just south of Bern's.

*Sideberns, 813-258-2233, 2208 W. Morrison Ave. (at S. Howard Ave.), Tampa. A lovely restaurant, a couple of blocks
north of Berns, and owned by the same family, but the similarity ends with the fabulous wines. Sideberns has a fine wine 
store on the premises, but it closes before the typical inner hour.

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 will talk with you and sign auto-
graphs. You can see the "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. It'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 at the Carpenter Complex, Drew St.
and Old Coachman Road, at 10 A.M.

You may also see an occasional major-league "B" game at the complex or at Bright House. These usually start 
at 10 A.M.

GOLF AND YOUR SPRING TRAINING VACATION-MICHAEL KAHN'S GUIDE 

The Tampa/Clearwater area makes it easy to fit some golf into your spring training vacation. There are golf opportunities 
ranging from simple parkland layouts, good for knocking off the rust after a northern winter, to upscale and challenging 
resort layouts.

Clearwater proper is largely built up, and public golf courses are not plentiful. The closest course to Bright House 
Networks Field is Clearwater Country Club, 525 N. Betty Lane in Clearwater, about 8 minutes from the ballpark. There
is a driving range and putting/chipping green; however, the course is old, very tight, and not upscale, and the practice 
facilities seem tobe an afterthought. Serious golfers will want to play and practice elsewhere.

Our golf home in the area is Rocky Point Golf Course, 4151 Dana Shores Blvd., in Tampa, right near the Campbell 
Causeway (Route 60). Expect to drive about 25 minutes to the ballpark. This course is well run by the Tampa Sports 
Authority. The driving range is nicely maintained, and the practice green is large and runs true. The course is well 
maintained, although neither long nor challenging, and a bargain for the area. This is the best opportunity to combine 
a full spring training itinerary with a golf vacation, while trying to rediscover your swing after a winter layoff. My wife 
Jennifer (also a golfer) and I accomplish this by staying at hotels at Rocky Point, right at the beginning of the causeway,
5 minutes from the course and 20 minutes from the ballpark. If you get going by 9 A.M. you can hit a bucket of balls 
and some putts, eat brunch at Lenny's, and arrive in your seat just in time for the Phils' first pitch at 1 P.M. We consider 
this our default daily itinerary when the Phils play at home. Skip the brunch and you could play 9 or even 18 holes, 
depending on how early you get moving. 

When the Phillies are on the road and you're not following them, or you just need a day off from baseball, there are some 
excellent destination" golf courses to consider.  Also, Teeofftampabay.com is a terrific web site run by Tampa's local PGA 
professionals. It offers last-minute tee times at bargain-basement prices. We've had great success booking golf this way, 
and now rely on it once we get to Tampa, instead of making tee times way in advance and paying peak rates. 
Recommended courses available through this site (besides Rocky Point Golf Club) include:

The Eagles Golf Club, in Odessa, is a 36-hole public layout about 25 minutes from Rocky Point.

Bloomingdale Golf Club, in Valrico, is a healthy ride (at least 45 minutes from Rocky Point, expect the return trip to take 
longer because you may hit Tampa rush hour), but well worth it if you come across a bargain. The course is immaculate, 
and the practice facilities are top notch.

Other local upscale golf resorts include Innisbrook (once home to a PGA event) and the 
Belleview Biltmore (a Donald Ross design). Expect to pay top dollar to play these layouts.

Finally, the I-75 corridor south near Bradenton and Sarasota contains some well-regarded courses. We never miss Legacy 
Golf Club east of I-75, just past Bradenton. It's a wide-open, outstanding Arnold Palmer designwith great scenery and 
terrific facilities.

Happy golfing!

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA?

Rainy days, the one 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.

Walt Disney World is two hours east; perhaps a visit can be tied in with a Braves game.

Beaches of course--Honeymoon Island, Clearwater Beach, Sand Key Park and numerous spots along the barrier islands 
between Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach

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, running, or long walks. There is likely to be a 
section nearwherever you stay.

Take a short trip north to Tarpon Springs. This Greek sponge-diving community is 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!