Category: Spring Training
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Bob Feller’s Post-War Baseball School
1946 Bob Feller served faithfully in World War II while in the prime of his major league career. Feller was able to play baseball in the military intermittently during his stint that began when he heard of the Pearl Harbor bombing and immediately enlisted in the Navy. In March of 1942 he began playing for…
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Whites Only
A man’s memories of when baseball integrated but towns didn’t Paul Stewart was born in 1948 one year after Jackie Robinson integrated into the major leagues. He was three when spring training integrated in St. Petersburg Florida. These are his recollections from living around and in a home that boarded African-American (“negro” at the time)…
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Hall of Famers That Trained in the Region
Part 13: 1971 – 75 Boston Red Sox Winter Haven Chain O’ Lakes Park Chicago White Sox Sarasota Payne Park Cincinnati Reds Tampa Al Lopez Field Detroit Tigers Lakeland Joker Marchant Stadium New York Mets St. Petersburg Huggins-Stengel Field/ Al Lang Field Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater Jack Russell Stadium Pittsburgh Pirates Bradenton McKechnie Field St. Louis…
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Hall of Famers That Trained in the Region
Part 12: 1966 – 70 Boston Red Sox Winter Haven Chain O’ Lakes Park Chicago White Sox Sarasota Payne Park Cincinnati Reds Tampa Al Lopez Field Detroit Tigers Lakeland Joker Marchant Stadium New York Mets St. Petersburg Huggins-Stengel Field/ Al Lang Field Kansa City ’66/Oakland ’67, 68 A’s Bradenton McKechnie Field Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater Jack…
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Hall of Famers That Trained in the Region
Part 11: 1961 – 65 Chicago White Sox Sarasota Payne Park Cincinnati Reds Tampa AL Lopez Field Detroit Tigers Lakeland Henley Field Kansas City A’s Bradenton ’63 – 65 McKechnie Field Milwaukee Braves Bradenton ’61, 62 Braves Field ’61 McKechnie Field ’62 New York Yankees St. Petersburg ’61 Huggins Field, Al Lang Field New York…
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Dr. J. L. Moorefield and Moorefield Ballpark, 1920
Doc Moorefield became St. Pete’s Mr. Baseball for 1920 Epilogue Moorefield is done with baseball in St. Pete but not yet done with baseball. In 1921 he tries promoting a barnstorming team of Cubans he had brought over in 1920. He writes to a Fort Scott, Kan., franchise looking to schedule games for his “Cuban…
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Hall of Famers That Trained in the Region
Part 10: 1956 – 1960 Boston Red Sox 1956 – 58 Sarasota Payne Park Chicago White Sox ’56 – 59 Tampa Al Lopez Field ’60 Sarasota Payne Park Cincinnati Reds 1956 – 60 Tampa AL Lopez Field Detroit Tigers 1956 – 60 Lakeland Henley Field Milwaukee Braves 1956 – 60 Bradenton Braves Field New York…
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Dr. J. L. Moorefield and Moorefield Ballpark, 1920
Doc Moorefield became St. Pete’s Mr. Baseball for 1920 Part 5 When speaking about the winter league team for the coming season, Moorefield drops a bombshell. He says he recently received a letter on behalf of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Jackson wishes to become manager of the St. Pete winter league club and he will bring…
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Hall of Famers That Trained in the Region
Part 9: 1951 – 1955 Boston ‘51,52, Milwaukee Braves ’53 – 55 Bradenton Braves Field Boston Red Sox Sarasota Payne Park Chicago White Sox ’54, 55 Tampa Plant Field Cincinnati Reds Tampa Plant Field Detroit Tigers Lakeland Joker Marchant New York Giants ’51 St. Petersburg Huggins Fled/Al Lang Field New York Yankees ’50, 52 –…
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Dr. J. L. Moorefield and Moorefield Ballpark, 1920
Doc Moorefield became St. Pete’s Mr. Baseball for 1920 Part 4 1920 Indianapolis Indians at Moorefield Ballpark, St. Petersburg, Fl. On the field the Indians had a pretty good spring. They split two games with the Southern College nine, the first being prior to their full squad arriving and so early in camp that they…