2008 Woodie Awards
Prologue: Spring TrainingNotes on a 'dream' trip to Florida
Pat Pickens
Issue date: 3/30/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 4 next >
Connecticut is seldom a destination that people seek for a spring vacation. But Florida? To sit in the sun and watch baseball and golf? Does it get better than that?
The answer, of course, is a resounding no.
Any fan that has sat inside all winter is excited for the start of the Major League Baseball season to begin, and I have had the grand fortune to see some of the great talent of the Grapefruit League over the past week.
Before I get into the details of the trip. I would like to offer a brief background history of the trip itself.
The idea of going to Florida for spring break begins with my father, Tom Pickens, and I, when I was in seventh grade. We had the grandiose idea of traveling to Florida for a weekend to watch our beloved Yankees, and to take in the sun, and the atmosphere of Florida in March while we were customarily shut in at home in New Jersey.
The plan did not pan out until my junior year of high school. I had a spring break in March for Easter, and we finally planned our trip and went. It started as somewhat of a makeshift operation. We were new to the spring training scene and did not realize its popularity. As a result, the seats for our games were not particularly good. However, as the years have gone by, we have become more seasoned in our preparation.
We always buy seats the minute they go on sale (especially for games featuring the Yankees), and we have figured out not to have more than one day with multiple games. While it is feezible, it is not practical to do.
The moments that the two of us have shared together on these trips are some of the greatest and most memorable of my life. Three years ago, in Kissimmee while watching the Indians play the Astros, we found ourselves sitting next to former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr.! He seemed to have the same non-existent personality that his son is currently sporting. However, he was nice enough to sign a ball for me.
We have been to 23 games in 16 different spring training stadiums.
The answer, of course, is a resounding no.
Any fan that has sat inside all winter is excited for the start of the Major League Baseball season to begin, and I have had the grand fortune to see some of the great talent of the Grapefruit League over the past week.
Before I get into the details of the trip. I would like to offer a brief background history of the trip itself.
The idea of going to Florida for spring break begins with my father, Tom Pickens, and I, when I was in seventh grade. We had the grandiose idea of traveling to Florida for a weekend to watch our beloved Yankees, and to take in the sun, and the atmosphere of Florida in March while we were customarily shut in at home in New Jersey.
The plan did not pan out until my junior year of high school. I had a spring break in March for Easter, and we finally planned our trip and went. It started as somewhat of a makeshift operation. We were new to the spring training scene and did not realize its popularity. As a result, the seats for our games were not particularly good. However, as the years have gone by, we have become more seasoned in our preparation.
We always buy seats the minute they go on sale (especially for games featuring the Yankees), and we have figured out not to have more than one day with multiple games. While it is feezible, it is not practical to do.
The moments that the two of us have shared together on these trips are some of the greatest and most memorable of my life. Three years ago, in Kissimmee while watching the Indians play the Astros, we found ourselves sitting next to former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr.! He seemed to have the same non-existent personality that his son is currently sporting. However, he was nice enough to sign a ball for me.
We have been to 23 games in 16 different spring training stadiums.