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Have A Ball This Spring

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The Associated Press

Published: February 15, 2009

Opening day for Major League Baseball is April 6. But fans don't have to wait that long to see their favorite teams. Spring training games are scheduled from Feb. 25 to April 5 in Florida and Arizona.

In Florida, attendance at so-called Grapefruit League games averages a total of 1.56 million each spring. In Arizona, the Cactus League set an attendance record of 1.31 million fans in 2008.

Kevin Reichard, author of "The Complete Guide to Spring Training" (August Publications, $14.95), said there are even more opportunities than usual this year for travelers interested in spring training. For one thing, "this is the longest spring training period in years," he said. In addition, ticket sales "are a little bit slower because of the economy."

Premium seats usually sell out fast, and it can be hard to get tickets for a few teams such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. But for others, regular seats will be available right up until game day.

And prices for most games are reasonable. General attendance or lawn seating is $10 or less for many games, and the stadiums are smaller, minor league-size arenas where you're never too far from the action.

Highest-priced tickets for most teams do not exceed $22, though the Yankees have a $35 category and the Los Angeles Dodgers made news this year by charging $90 for the best 692 seats in their new Glendale, Ariz., facility. The $90 price includes a $20 coupon for food, beverages and merchandise, free parking and other freebies - a hat, water, sunscreen and cool, scented towels. The top ticket in the team's old spring training stadium in Vero Beach was a mere $20 but with no perks.

In both states, many spring training facilities are geographically so close that you could see several teams play over the course of a week without driving too far. In Arizona, two teams play in Tucson and the other 14 play in the Phoenix metro area. Although spring training facilities for the 16 teams that play in Florida are around the state, many are within a half-hour drive of two or three others.

"You could schedule an entire vacation around spring training for baseball fans," said Lauren Tjaden, of Visit Florida.com. "You've got three or more teams playing very close together, so you could go to a different team in a different city every day - the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Yankees in Tampa, the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland."

Tjaden added that "one of the really fun games" scheduled for this season is the March 12 faceoff in Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte between the 2008 World Series rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Spring training also offers opportunities for fans to see their favorite players up-close. "It depends on the team, but for instance, the Detroit Tigers have an autograph area at the ballpark," Reichard said. "The other way to get close to the players is to go to workouts in the mornings. Every team does it a little different, but if you go to a workout at say 9:30 a.m., you might see them running, fielding, bunting and doing other drills. Sometimes the players will come by the fence to greet the fans."

Reichard's "Complete Guide to Spring Training" also includes listings for "places where the true fans hang out before the game," such as Lenny's in Clearwater, where Phillies' fans can eat that Pennsylvania favorite, scrapple. In Bradenton, Popi's is where Pirates players can be found at breakfast time.

Reichard said most of the spring training games are "run in a low-key fashion. There's no entertainment between the innings, for example."

But some of the ballparks are kid-friendly. "In Kissimmee, the Astros have a huge play area, and where the Braves play, they have an outdoor barn where kids can run around," he said.

The big news this year in spring training was moves by four teams. In addition to the Dodgers' relocation to Glendale, the White Sox also moved to Glendale, from Tucson; the Cleveland Indians moved from Winter Haven to Goodyear, Ariz.; and the Rays shifted from St. Petersburg to Port Charlotte.

ON THE WEB

http://floridaspring

training.com" rel="nofollow">class="bold">training.com and http://www.cactusleague.com: For schedules, ticketing and other details

www.visitflorida.com and www.arizonaguide.com: Packages and details on related attractions

www.mlb.com: Major League Baseball site

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