The large and small of spring training

You know how planning a vacation together can be stressful?

I’d never been to spring training before this March, although many of my baseball-loving friends here in California have gone to Arizona to see Cactus League play. When the missus told me she wanted to go to Florida, I signed on with the condition that we go in springtime so I could see the Twins in the Grapefruit League.

This led to some unintentional tension, as she was ready to sign up for the trip last fall and I needed to see the spring training schedules to determine when. I knew I wasn’t going to drive way down to Fort Myers (the Twins’ southern home) so it meant seeing them play on the road. We kept checking the home schedules of the teams playing closest to Orlando, to see when my team was visiting. The schedules were released haphazardly — and they weren’t visiting the Braves at nearby Lake Buena Vista, or any of the other nearby teams, while she looked and looked …

I think for a while Mrs. Ombud was the foremost expert on the Grapefruit League schedule in the SF Bay area.

Finally the Twins released their schedule, and we chose a week where I could see them in Bradenton (play the Pirates) and Tampa (against the Yankees).

I really liked the Pirates’ little park in Bradenton.

I had the chance to see the Twins’ manager, Gardy, reasonably close:

 

 and the stadium itself, although modern, is intimate and charming:

 

Plus, I had a chance to see the Twins

 

and reasonably close up, too.

 

Going to see the Yankees in Tampa, however, was a very different experience. The park is far larger, more like what you would expect to see in a triple A minor league park, such as the one we’ve visited in Sacramento.

with an imposing view of the stadium where the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers play football (in the background):

Although it used to be called “Legends Field” and they even have their own version of the infamous Yankee monuments outside the front gates, they aren’t shy about letting you know for whom the place has been modestly renamed:

We did see George late in the game; there was a spattering of applause, and we looked up at the luxury suite on the right field line, and there was “the Boss” taking a seat outside in the sun, for a little while. It was fun, although had I wanted to see so many New Yorkers, I’d have gone to Miami. *wink*

Even though my Twins lost (both games) it was very nice to be there, in the spring time, and to know the regular season was so close we could practically taste it. Maybe, some future year, we’ll go see the Twins in Fort Myers — March mecca, for a Twins fan.

*smile*