My Trip to Spring Training in Tampa

March 6th, 2010 started off with great promise! I awoke bright early, both fully functional and most importantly, with the sun shining bright. The weather reports were all saying the same thing… I was to expect a cloudless, 70+ degree day with absolutely NO chance of rain. In my mind, the P-E-R-F-E-C-T day for baseball. We hopped in the rental car which was an absolutely dreadful (reader should re-read “absolutely dreadful” and throw in Simon Cowell’s accent) Mercury Grand Marquis and made the 90 mile trip to Tampa, FL, to be more exact, George M. Steinbrenner Field. During the entire drive, I couldn’t help but feel this childish joy inside of me. I was finally about to see my first baseball game of the 2010 season. How much better could it possibly get?!

As we headed west on Route 4 towards Tampa, I kept feeling this sense that as I was passing people on the highway, drivers had to have been thinking, “How is this OLD person passing me?”  As I already stated, I was clearly driving a car that was meant for drivers who were already collecting social security, and have retired down to Florida. This was not a car that we should have been driving in. That said, we made it to George M. Steinbrenner with 2 hours to spare, so we decided to take in the stadium. We checked out the ridiculously overcrowded team store outside the main entrance to the stadium. After shopping for a little bit, and purchasing an awesome gift for my nephew, we decided it was time to go in and get settled.

Click here to view images from the experience

After walking into the stadium, and locating the section we were in, we made our way through the tunnel and into the field. The feeling that rushed through me was the same feeling I get each time I walked through the tunnels in the Old Yankee Stadium (RIP). After finding our seats, and taking in the sights, we decided to get some food, and drinks (obviously a beer in my case).

The game started promptly at 1:05pm, and I have to say, for a game that in a sense means absolutely nothing, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a baseball game.

The reason why I say that is because:

1. It’s not every day fans get to see the Yankees play spring training in their spring training home. The place where they prepare to win year after year.
2. I got to see players that you may not see for a year or two, or may never see at all in the big leagues.

A.J. Burnett started for the Yankees, pitching to who else, but Jorge Posada. I am so glad I got to see this because in mid-February I wrote a post about how A.J. and Jorge are working on mending their pitcher/catcher relationship.

Up until the 3^rd inning, every starter was playing, with the exception of Nick Swisher, Nick Johnson, and Mark Teixeira. As is expected in the spring, after the 3^rd inning, almost every starter was removed, and the field was full of minor league players. This is where I experienced one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. The stadium public address announcer did a very poor job informing the fans of who was replacing who, as well as the stadium was half empty by the end of the 5th inning.

Click here to view images from the experience

All I know is that I love Yankee fans, but I must say that there were a few “fans” who really got under my skin. There is no doubt about it; the Yankees were completely manhandled by the Blue Jays 9-1. My question to all the fans though is, will anyone really remember this game come June, July, August? I didn’t think so! Some Yankees “fan” had the nerve to yell out in the 6^th inning, “THIS team won the World Series last year? Wow!” Really? Wow? That is the kind of garbage that frustrates me. These games are played with the intention of ALL players to work on preparing for the season. If this game was being played in mid-June/July, I would completely understand their frustration. Field players and hitters are trying to get back into the groove of timing pitches and getting comfortable at the plate and in the field, while pitchers are trying to feel their stuff and work on fine tuning their pitches. Case and point, A.J. Burnett is trying to add a changeup into his arsenal of pitches, so he obviously will not be pitching with the command he normally would by Opening Day. Perhaps this fan should have read another post on BronxBombersBeat.com about how to properly watch a spring training game.

As I stated earlier in this post, by the 4th inning, almost all of the starters were removed from the game and replaced with Yankee players vying for a spot in the 40-man roster. Austin Romine pinch ran for Francisco Cervelli after he was hit in the head by a Zechry Zinicola fastball. Test results at the hospital were returned negative. The list below shows which players came into the game to replace the starters.

• Reggie Corona for Derek Jeter
• Jamie Hoffmann for Curtis Granderson
• P.J. Pilittere for Jorge Posada
• Brandon Laird for Alex Rodriguez
• David Winfree for Randy Winn
• Colin Curtis for Brett Gardner
• Jorge Vazquez for Juan Miranda
• Kevin Russo for Ramiro Pena

Sadly there weren’t many stars in the game, but to note a few moments, New York pushed its first run across in the third inning as pinch-runner Austin Romine moved to third base on a Juan Miranda single, then scored on a Ramiro Pena fielder’s choice, and Burnett shattered the bat of former battery-mate Jose Molina in the second inning.

Click here to view images from the experience

For those of you who made it this far into the post, I highly recommend making the trip to Tampa one March and see the Yankees in action. You will see players that you won’t see for a few years, and you’ll get to see Major League Baseball in action before anyone else does. The weather is great, and there are so many other things to do while visiting Florida. If anyone has any questions about my experience and want some information, please feel free to e-mail me at brian.capozzi@bronxbombersbeat.com.

Related posts:

1. My Trip to Spring Training in Tampa (IMAGES)
2. Yankees Spring Training Schedule Announced
3. Gene Monahan-less Spring Training
4. How to Watch a Spring Training Game
5. Colon Will Start First Spring Training Game