Spring Training in Bradenton and Sarasota

Spring Training in Bradenton and Sarasota
Author: Raymond Sinibaldi
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 0738598682

McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida, is the oldest active major-league spring-training facility in the country. Opened in the spring of 1923 with Commissioner Keneshaw Mountain Landis in attendance, it has played host to six different major-league teams, with the Pittsburgh Pirates calling it home since 1969. The New York Giants traveled to Sarasota in 1924 as the first of five teams to venture to its confines. These two cities, both situated on the Gulf Coast of Florida, boast nearly a century of baseball history and have seen the game's all-time greats.

Spring Training

Spring Training
Author: Dan Shaughnessy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2003
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780618213993

Before the purpose-pitch that zips inches from the batter's head, before greenfly autograph-seekers stalk hotel lobbies, before thousands of fans stand up and boo in 50,000-seat stadiums, before the proverbial dog days of summer and the pressure-packed moments of October . . . there is sweet spring. The long hello. Baseball's early season. The words spring training have long held special power over baseball fans. They signal the arrival of fresh air and sunshine after a long winter devoid of bare feet and box scores. The chance to see the game up close and personal, in beautiful slow motion. No other sport undergoes this slow, glorious unfolding. And no other book captures baseball's rite of passage in all its magic. Come on a wild ride through spring training's many attractions and peculiarities, from Florida to Arizona, the National to the American League, the dugouts to Section D. Glimpse retirees in Hawaiian shirts singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," million-dollar players taking it easy on the field and in the bars, young rookies flashing their skills, grizzled vets going through the motions, wide-eyed children dressed from head to toe in their favorite team's garb. It's all here, from Alligator Alley to Cactus Way, sit-ups to sunblock, home runs to hangovers -- a lively tribute to America's favorite pastime in its purest, most wonderful form.

Spring Training Handbook

Spring Training Handbook
Author: Josh Pahigian
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2013-06-04
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1476601984

Spring training is a time of renewal for baseball, when teams and fans descend on Florida and Arizona to begin the ever hopeful new season. The pace is a little slower, the fans are closer to the action, and the players are more accessible: the sport returns to its idyllic roots. When the first edition of this book was released, 18 of the MLB teams trained in Florida and 12 in Arizona. As 2013 arrives each league consists of 15 teams; together they utilize 14 parks in Florida and 10 in Arizona. This heavily illustrated work dedicates a chapter to each park, including modern Cactus League marvels like Camelback Ranch and Salt River Fields, and Grapefruit League bastions like Joker Marchant Stadium and McKechnie Field. Florida's Fenway Park replica, which opened in 2012, is included. In addition to profiling the five parks that have opened since the first edition, the author has updated the other chapters. Each provides a description of the park, and a recounting of its history, followed by a summary of the home team or teams' spring history. Next is a review of the park's seating, concessions and fan traditions. Each chapter concludes with information about nearby baseball landmarks and attractions.

Spring Training

Spring Training
Author: William Zinsser
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1990
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780138378998

William Zinsser describes his pilgrimage to the Florida base of the Pittsburgh Pirates, catching the intimacy and innocence of the game's rites of spring. He talks baseball with those who know it best; Spring Training is as fresh and unforgettable as the year's first crack of the bat.

Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast Adventure Guide

Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast Adventure Guide
Author: Chelle Koster Walton
Publisher: Hunter Publishing, Inc
Total Pages: 842
Release: 2008
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1588436756

A fully updated and expanded edition of this ever-popular guidebook. Visit vibrant cities, charming hometowns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and the famous white-sand beaches of Florida's Gulf shore. The book covers all of Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg and north to Withlacoochee State Forest, and south to Sanibel Island, Naples and Everglades National Park. Canoeing the Everglades, fishing on Marco Island, biking in Boca Grande, diving with manatees in Crystal River, sailing along St. Pete Beach, theater-going in Sarasota, shopping the sponge markets of Greek-flavored Tarpon Springs, exploring.

Moon Florida Gulf Coast

Moon Florida Gulf Coast
Author: Joshua Lawrence Kinser
Publisher: Moon Travel
Total Pages: 765
Release: 2016-11-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1631214004

Whether you're kayaking through mangroves, bodysurfing with manta rays, or sunbathing with a piña colada in hand, soak up the Sunshine State with Moon Florida Gulf Coast. Inside you'll find: Flexible, strategic itineraries from a weeklong family vacation to a 10-day road trip covering all 700 miles of the Florida Gulf Coast, designed for beach-goers, wildlife enthusiasts, water sports lovers, and more The best spots for outdoor adventures like kayaking, hiking, biking, bird-watching, and fishing and the best beaches for swimming, sunsets, and seclusion Top activities and unique experiences: Discover the vibrant performing arts scene in Sarasota or stroll through quaint riverfront towns and secluded island enclaves. Unwind on shell-scattered beaches, collect fresh scallops in spring-fed waters, explore winding mazes of mangroves, or spot gators in the swampy Everglades. Ride the coasters at Busch Gardens, browse art galleries in Naples, or check out a local swamp buggy race. Sail through the canals of Tampa, kick back at a beachfront oyster bar, and sip a local brew as the sun sets over the ocean Expert advice from Florida native Jason Ferguson on where to stay, where to eat, and how to get around by car, bus, or boat Photos and detailed maps throughout Background information on the Gulf Coast's landscape, wildlife, history, and culture Handy tips for international visitors, families with kids, LGBTQ travelers, and travelers with disabilities With Moon Florida Gulf Coast's practical advice and local know-how, you can plan your trip your way. For more of the Sunshine State, try Moon Florida Keys. Hitting the road? Check out Moon South Florida & the Keys Road Trip.

The Cactus League

The Cactus League
Author: Emily Nemens
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2020-02-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0374720495

Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR and Lit Hub. A Los Angeles Times Bestseller. A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice "In The Cactus League [Emily Nemens] provides her readers with what amounts to a miniature, self-enclosed world that is funny and poignant and lovingly observed." --Charles McGrath, The New York Times Book Review An explosive, character-driven odyssey through the world of baseball Jason Goodyear is the star outfielder for the Los Angeles Lions, stationed with the rest of his team in the punishingly hot Arizona desert for their annual spring training. Handsome, famous, and talented, Goodyear is nonetheless coming apart at the seams. And the coaches, writers, wives, girlfriends, petty criminals, and diehard fans following his every move are eager to find out why—as they hide secrets of their own. Humming with the energy of a ballpark before the first pitch, Emily Nemens's The Cactus League unravels the tightly connected web of people behind a seemingly linear game. Narrated by a sportscaster, Goodyear’s story is interspersed with tales of Michael Taylor, a batting coach trying to stay relevant; Tamara Rowland, a resourceful spring-training paramour, looking for one last catch; Herb Allison, a legendary sports agent grappling with his decline; and a plethora of other richly drawn characters, all striving to be seen as the season approaches. It’s a journey that, like the Arizona desert, brims with both possibility and destruction. Anchored by an expert knowledge of baseball’s inner workings, Emily Nemens's The Cactus League is a propulsive and deeply human debut that captures a strange desert world that is both exciting and unforgiving, where the most crucial games are the ones played off the field.

The Summer of '64

The Summer of '64
Author: William A. Cook
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2002-06-13
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 078641216X

The 1964 season, highlighted by two significant trades, a game-winning home run, and three no-hitters, was a dramatic one for the National League. But even more thrilling was that season's final week and the race for the pennant. All the drama of the 1964 National League season through the Cardinals' league championship is in this book. It covers Johnny Callison's All-Star game-winning home run, Duke Snider's trade from the New York Mets to the San Francisco Giants and Lou Brock's trade from the Cubs to the Cardinals, Reds manager Fred Hutchinson's battle with cancer (and his replacement, and death in November 1964), the controversial remarks made by Giants manager Alvin Dark about African American and Latin players on his own team, the no-hitters pitched by Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers, Jim Bunning of the Phillies, and Ken Johnson of the Colt .45s (later the Astros), the opening of Shea Stadium, and the demolition of the Polo Grounds. Special attention is given to the final weeks of the season when the Phillies collapsed with a six and a half game lead and twelve games to go, while battling it out with the Cardinals and the Reds.

Explorer's Guide Sarasota, Sanibel Island & Naples

Explorer's Guide Sarasota, Sanibel Island & Naples
Author: Chelle Koster-Walton
Publisher: The Countryman Press
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2011-01-03
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1581571194

In this updated guide you’ll find the definitive word on this Gulf Coast area, its recreation, restaurants, hotels, and more, from deluxe to offbeat. Enjoy an insider’s vantage point on Charlotte Harbor’s wild shores, the coast’s sandy barrier islands, Naples’s polished allure, and Sarasota-Bradenton’s “sweet” history.

Oldest Tampa Bay

Oldest Tampa Bay
Author: Joshua Ginsberg
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2022-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1681063638

Human history in the Tampa Bay area goes back thousands of years, long before the first European visitors landed in “La Florida,” before Florida became the 27th US state, before Henry Plant and others brought railroads and hotels to the area, and before Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to a Superbowl. Oldest Tampa Bay is your invitation to explore how one of the fastest growing and changing areas in the United States evolved from “Tampa Town” that sprung up around Fort Brooke to “Cigar City” which is home to the country’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker, to a major metropolitan area. Visit a shipyard older than the state of Florida, take a ride on Florida’s oldest restored streetcar and have a tropical drink at one of the oldest tiki bars in the country. Catch a movie at the Tampa Bay area’s oldest drive-in theater or an exhibit at the oldest museum in St. Petersburg. Along the way you’ll meet some of the pioneering men and women that shaped the area, from the McMullen and Beall families to West Tampa developer Hugh MacFarlane, Kate Jackson who was the driving force behind the area’s first playground, John Ringling, Mary Wheeler Eaton, Madame Fortune Taylor, and a great many others. In 90 chapters spanning over a thousand years and multiple cities including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton and Sarasota, author Joshua Ginsberg has endeavored to capture the unique character of the Tampa Bay area.