Get ready for baseball, hot dogs and apple pie
It was a wonderful day for a baseball game. The temperature was in the 80s and I developed a bit of sunburn while I munched on a hot dog. Hot dogs are the ultimate ballpark food.
From my bleacher seat in right field, last week, I also checked out the replica “Green Monster,” an outfield wall, in a 10,000 seat field built to the same specifications as Fenway Park in Boston.
A bald eagle circled overhead and everybody was in a jovial mood. Who needed to actually watch the Boston Red Sox/Washington Nationals spring training game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers to fully enjoy the experience?
Players at spring training often cut across the outfield while the game is underway. Did anyone, including the participants, care who won or lost? Spring training is little more than practice.
Sometimes it’s the ballpark more than the game itself that captivates. What follows are some of the stadiums I’ve visited:
• Miller Park, Milwaukee-Since it was a pleasant day when I saw the Brewers win, the stadium’s convertible and retractable roof was open. The roof can open or close in 10 minutes and with the weather in Milwaukee it’s a nice addition to the park. A million more fans attended games here than did at the municipal stadium. This is mostly due to the promise of great baseball weather on a snowy April Wisconsin Day. The roof is partly glass, which allows the grass to grow indoors.
• Tropicana Field, Tampa-There’s a permanent roof here and the weather inside is anything but humid and steamy, as it usually is outside. Even when it rains, nobody gets wet.
• Spectrum Field, Clearwater-The spring home of the Phillies has plenty of general admission seats on the grass in the outfield and they are still relatively cheap. There’s something special about watching a ball game while seated on a lawn.
• Disney’s World of Sports, Orlando-Just as you might have suspected, the grass in the outfield is cut to resemble Mickey Mouse.
• Veteran’s Stadium, Philadelphia-Several hundred times we watched Steve Carlton throw a nasty slider here. One season, Lefty won 27 games, or half of the team’s full season win total. Admission cost $2.50 for the old man and kids were 50 cents. Sadly, these prices are something we will never see again, with $300 million contracts. We sat in the last nine rows and from directly behind home plate it was difficult to judge the difference between a pop up and home run. Ahhh, that 700 section. Multi-purpose stadiums were cavernous mistakes. Remember the chicken dog?
• Wrigley Field, Chicago-Wow! That’s real ivy covering those brick walls and the scoreboard is controlled by hand. Had a hot dog here and they didn’t ask me if I wanted fried onions-they just gave it to me that way.
• Camden Yard, Baltimore-The original retro stadium. There’s a huge factory in the outfield and there’s not a bad seat in the house. We arrived in the second inning and the guy next to us had just caught a home run ball. Yes, we’d brought our gloves and we were very jealous.
• Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia-Although the Vet held great memories, this is a beautiful modern day ball park that harkens back to the days of Connie Mack Stadium.
• Frawley Stadium, Wilmington-Love those Dippin’ Dots. Don’t know if they still sell them and it isn’t regular stadium fare, but it is yummy—the Krispy Kreme doughnut dog. The bun is a glazed doughnut wrapped around a hot dog, with bacon and drizzled raspberry jelly. It is the best ball park food ever. This is where I learned that sometimes the action between innings can outdo the game itself.
• George Steinbrenner Field, Tampa-I’d always dreamed of nabbing a foul ball. With only about 400 fans attending minor league games taking place in major league spring training stadiums, my odds were pretty good. I once hustled up 20 steps to grab a foul ball, only to be beat by a senior who was able to run faster down the steps. All 400 spectators cheered him. I did eventually get two foul balls and although I detest the Yankees, this was a good night. Most of the Florida parks used by minor leaguers feature a weekly all-you-can eat night for about $10.
• Fenway Park, BostonTwenty years ago I scalped good seats to a Red Sox game and sat in the rain for three hours without a pitch thrown. The scheduled pitcher that night was Roger Clemens. A couple of years ago I had a chance to go back and sit in right field, at about the same spot I sat in Fort Myers. At both joints I spent time staring at the green walls.
• Holman Stadium, Vero Beach-The Dodgers no longer play here but when they did I ate one of the world’s finest creations-a “Dodger Dog.” Delish!
• Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin-I proudly wore my Phillies ball cap to an away game at the Florida home of the Toronto Blue Jays. It was during the previous season that the Phillies beat the Jays in the World Series. It’s usually nice to interact with the players in Florida. I was leaning over the bullpen fence and a Jay’s player kindly asked me to pass over my hat so they could all spit in it for me. I smiled and hustled back to my seat.
The regular season starts March 28 against the Atlanta Braves. No matter the weather, it will be the unofficial beginning of spring. The temperature won’t be in the 80s but hot dogs will be served.