Spring Training

Spring training became a staple of baseball by the early 20th century and a big business not so long after.

It’s still booming.

While much of the country shivers in the wake of a mid-March snow storm, Arizona and Florida are alive with baseball games every day and tourists who come to enjoy them and the weather.

The newest addition to the spring lineup is The Ballpark of The Palm Beaches, a $150 million gem in the heart of Palm Beach County in Florida. The county lured the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros from venues further north and gave them easy access to a pair of other spring opponents – the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, who train about 15 miles away in Jupiter. A brief romance with the Atlanta Braves, who trained in Palm Beach County years ago, didn’t work out and the Braves will be leaving Disney World in Lake Buena Vista for Sarasota, possibly by 2019.

The 6,500-seat park in West Palm Beach still needs plenty of work on the grounds surrounding it, but it was essentially built in about a year and the stadium itself is attractive, comfortable and easy to walk with its wide concourses. Folks from Michigan and the D.C. area were everywhere on Monday for the meeting between the Detroit Tigers and Nationals. The Tigers actually train in Lakeland, Florida, on the other side of the state, but their swing through the eastern side has them in Jupiter today to play the Marlins. More teams, more variety.

As spring training games go, Monday’s was good. Tigers ace Justin Verlander appeared to have regained his old form, working 4 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit, walking none and striking out four. The Nationals pitched Stephen Strasburg for four innings and he allowed two runs while striking out five.

A sunny day in Florida doesn’t need much to improve it. The beach helps. Baseball is also quite a pleasure.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman