Spring has Sprung.

Well hello and happy 2012!

Baseball season is almost here, you know what that means, Spring Training time. I don't have any grand ballpark tour plans this year, (I actually plan to go to London 2012, no baseball there though). I'll just see what happens but I definitely hope to squeeze in at least a couple this year. 16 to go...I should have that cleaned up in 7-8 years, no? We'll see if the internet even exists in its present form by that time.

But back to Spring Training...one great thing about living in Florida is, Grapefruit League time! Over the past couple of weeks I have made it to a few parks. A couple of weeks ago I went to Digital Domain Park in Port St. Lucie to see the Mets play the Marlins. Then this last weekend I went to see games in Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, and Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte. A lot of these Spring Training parks are pretty standard fare, but I'll take whatever I can get after being without baseball for 5 long, cold months. Digital Domain was about average. Hammond Stadium was pretty on the outside, but boring, hot, and metallic on the inside. Charlotte Sports Park was probably the nicest of them all, and it's been recently renovated. You can't help but love the kids dressed as fruit in the fruit race.

I'm not really trying to see all the Spring Training parks, but I'm not ruling anything out! Enjoy the pics. (#1 Hammond Stadium, #2 Digital Domain Park, #3 Charlotte Sports Park.)

14 down, 16 to go. (Progressive Field-Cleveland)

Well hello there!

The last park I went to see was Cleveland. It was a pretty cool park, the fans were into it, the scoreboard was nice. The food was just ok. They have a cool Indians hall of fame where you definitely get a sense of the long and distinguished Indians history. If I sound a little ho-hum, it's because I strongly dislike Ohio. That comes from my ex being from Ohio, and me graduating from the University of Miami and being in the marching band and being in the stands in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and watching a national championship being stolen from us.

But I digress...

Progressive Field was pretty nice.

(I still have Cincinnati to go, so I have to venture into Ohio one more time...)

This may be the last one of the year, I'm playing with the idea of making one more trip before the season ends, we'll see. If it is, I'll still try to post some fun things here in the winter.

Adios for now!

13 down, 17 to go. (PNC Park-Pittsburgh)

I had a great time in Pittsburgh and at PNC Park. It's a beautiful park, one of my favorites so far. It's right next to the Roberto Clemente bridge and there's a statue of its namesake right outside the stadium. Upon arriving at the stadium I promptly ordered a pulled pork and pierogi stacker, as is shown in loving detail above. Sounds like a weird combo, but it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.

The crowd was lively, especially with the Pirates in contention this year. Definitely swing by if you're in town.

12 down, 18 to go. (Rogers Centre-Toronto)

Why hello! Welcome to the latest installment of my northern ballpark tour, this time north of the border at Rogers Centre. I saw a pretty spicy game here, there were ejections, suspensions, things being thrown from the stands, lots of drama in a Blue Jays vs. Phillies game. It was also Doc Halladay's first return to Toronto and he got a couple of nice ovations in a Phillies win.

The ballpark was unexpectedly nice, a lot better than it looks on TV. The CN tower is right there, and the hotel in the outfield is a unique feature. The ballpark food is pretty standard but good nonetheless. There are ton of things to do and places to eat in the neighborhood, overall it was a pretty nice experience.

See you next time!

11 down, 19 to go. (Comerica Park-Detroit)

Welcome to Comerica Park in Detroit! This was a really nice park. It matches the personality of the city it's in. Detroit isn't fancy, just proud and hard-working. This park doesn't have the huge video boards or detailed scoreboards that other parks do, but it makes up for it in history and feel. There are cool statues of all of the Tigers hall of famers in the outfield, and as you would expect from the Motor City, a prominent Chevrolet fountain in center.

The food was also pretty good. :) I really enjoyed my time in this park and Detroit. If you're in town, definitely see a game and swing by Greektown after the game. Happy baseballing!

10 down, 20 to go. (Kauffman Stadium-Kansas City)

Welcome to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. I really enjoyed my visit here. Before the game I went to the Royals Hall of Fame at the stadium, which was a really cool (but admittedly short) experience. They had a nice tribute to Paul Splittorff and Memorial Day festivities at the park. The Royals Hall of Fame blended in nicely with my previous day's visit to the Negro Leagues Museum in KC, which I definitely recommend to anyone in town.

So the city, its museums, and its stadiums are all recommended. I can't speak for the stadium food, I didn't have any (a shocker, I know). However that turned out to be a good decision from the saving money standpoint considering I got a speeding ticket in Kansas. So just as a tip, any baseball lovers, keep the speedometer on the dial while in Kansas.

Happy traveling.

9 down, 21 to go. (Coors Field-Denver)

Welcome to Coors Field in Denver. Everyone knows it as being a launching pad for baseballs, but ever since the humidor has come onto the scene it hasn't been, so much. The park is in a cool part of town, Blake Street has tons to do as far as pre or post game activity. The sight lines in the park are good, and it even has that cheesy purple row of seats a mile high.

What food I did try wasn't that great, maybe the Mexican fare was better but I'm not much for spicy food. The crowd was knowledgeable and really into the game. The brick facade really gives a homey ambiance to the place. Definitely a recommended place to visit when you're in Denver. I didn't see any Denver omelets on the menu, maybe another time.

Adios for now!