Baseball Place No. 27: Baseball Boulevard; Alternative place No. 27A: Thomas White Stadium/Tradition Field

Anybody having a good time at spring training this year – and that includes me – needs to thank Al Lang.

Early teams bounced around southern states in the weeks before a new season to get their players in shape.

Lang, the mayor of St. Petersburg, saw the potential in bringing teams together in one spot, train and play practice games before paying customers.

St. Pete in 1913 was a dry town, which appealed to folks like Branch Rickey, who thought it might be a good idea to keep players focused on baseball.

Today, Lang is remembered with a stadium named in his honor and a street.

Baseball Boulevard stretches the 10 blocks between Al Lang Stadium and the Tropicana Dome, where the Rays spend the season. It's also the home of the Ted Williams Museum.

It's of special note to Mets fans because the team trained there between 1969 and 1987, sharing the complex with the Cardinals. I found that poster with the schedule for both teams at a card show in Michigan. Clearly the pitcher is Seaver, but I can't figure out why the artist decided to give him a moushstache.

The street begins with a bust of Lang, and historic moments in spring training are reflected on monuments along the way.

Josh Pahigian selected Baseball Boulevard to be spot No. 27 in his “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.”

I’ve never been to St. Petersburg, but I have seen the Mets numerous times in their new home in Port St. Lucie.

Alternative place No. 27A: Thomas White Stadium/Tradition Field

It was a big deal when the Mets made the move across the state in 1988. Here’s what General Manager Frank Cashen said about the new spot in the spring program:

“And about the setting, you can call the new St. Lucie County Sports Complex anything you want, but please don’t spare the adjectival superlatives. ‘Terrific,’ ‘Fantastic.’ ‘Outstanding’ – none of them are laudatory enough. ‘Matchless’ and ‘Incomparable’ are probably a little closer.”

So Frank liked the place. Other people called it “Port St. Lonesome” because the new complex was considered in the middle of nowhere, one of the first stages of development in the area.

There was some truth to that. And the ballpark was kind of cold, long on poured concrete and short on charm.

That’s all changed, as you know from the post with photos from my recent trip. Now called Tradition Field, the ballpark is one of the nicer ones I’ve seen and the setting is beautiful.

But let’s take a look back at some of the early days. My folks moved about 40 minutes south of St. Lucie in the early 1990s, and naturally we started making annual treks to see the Mets.

Sunshine Sis joined me for a game in 1993.

Thomas J. White Stadium was named for the developer behind the St. Lucie project.

Not a lot to see along the third base side. Today there's a tiki bar and tables. And trees.

Right field before the addition of the berm seating area. The scoreboard's been expanded and moved to left.
There's not a bad seat in the house.

We were there for the Jeff Torborg era. Here's the skipper bringing out the lineup card.

HoJo meets some fans.
Maybe we should have held on to Jeff Kent -- but hire someone to wash his monster truck.
I have no idea what Eddie Murray was swinging in the on-deck circle. But it looked intimidating. Luckily Eddie took at regular bat to the plate.

Here's a later shot, notable because I was able to catch Mo Vaughn in action. Sort of, it's an intra-squad game.

Baseball Place No. 26: Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame; Alternative Place No. 26A: Labatt Park

Until last season, the idea of moving anything to Tropicana Field so more people could see it would have baseball fans rolling on the floor laughing.

That should give you an idea of how bad attendance was at the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando, Fla.

But now that the Rays are American League champs and fans are actually showing up at the Trop, Ted’s museum is getting some exposure.

The museum has Williams’ memorabilia and displays about 20 great hitters.

Josh Pahigian picks the newly located Hall as spot No. 26 in his “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.”

I’ve never been to St. Petersburg, but I did meet Ted Williams. That takes us to:

Alternative Spot No. 26A: Labatt Park in London, Ontario

Note the big clouds moving in.

OK, I’m not talking about Ted Williams the Red Sox star. Will and I met Ted Williams, the Seattle Mariners prospect.

We ventured from Flint to London, Ont. to check out Labatt Park and had one of the wildest days we’ve ever had at a ballpark.

We arrived in London under some big puffy clouds floating overhead.

Labatt is neat little park, with covered grandstands along third base and behind home plate. There weren’t much in the way of concessions, but the team had white-topped tents along a grassy area selling food.

It looked like we might get a little rain as the game progressed. Then big dark clouds appeared -- then the deluge. It seemed to go from sprinkle to downpour is seconds, sending fans scrambling to the covered areas.

The ground crew struggled to get the tarp on the mound, much less the whole infield.


We’re talking thunder, lightening, walls of water and wailing winds, among the most intense storms I’ve seen.

And then, as soon as it came, the storm stopped, and there was brilliant sunshine. It was like someone flicked the weather switch.

That gave everyone time to survey the damage. The white tents outside were blown down. The foul lines and batter’s box were just gone. And there was no power.

Players started wandering out as the crew worked on the field.

It was kind of fun seeing what baseball players do when they’re killing time. One player would get into assorted batting stances, and asked his teammates – and some fans – to guess who he was imitating. I correctly guessed a Dave Magadan stance!

Chris Chambliss was the London Tigers manager, and he walked along the grandstand signing autographs.

The visiting team was the Williamsport Bills. I asked manager Rich Morales what exactly a Bill was. “It’s what we owe,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Then along came Mr. Williams. Not quite the splendid splinter, but he could run. We were there in July, and he already had 34 swipes and was soon promoted to Triple-A Calgary.

He happily signed a baseball card for me.

After a while, the field was ready again, and all that was missing was the power. The game resumed anyway, the only time I’ve seen a professional baseball game without a scoreboard, player announcements and other things that come blaring at your. It was pretty nice.
Will checks out the damage.

The Tigers ended up winning 3-0, though future Met Rico Brogna struckout swinging in all three of his at-bats. Our new friend Ted didn’t do too much better, going 1-for-4, and got caught trying to steal third.

Williams never made it beyond Triple-A, moving from the Mariners’ system to the Tigers’.
Meeting Teddy Ballgame's namesake.

He played seven seasons, not counting a one-game appearance for Wichita in 1995 after missing all of 1994. Not sure what happened in that one game. He’s credited with a run, but not an at-bat.

Williams finished with a .247 career average, but 349 steals, which is impressive.

As for the ballpark, I didn’t realize until much later – like on Monday – of its rich history.

Labatt Park is debated to be the oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world, with history that dates back to 1877.

It was named Tecumseh Park until 1936, and was a frequent stop for barnstorming teams that included Satchel Paige and the House of David.

Two years after retiring, Denny McLain made a comeback of sorts playing for the London Majors. He pitched only nine games, but played shortstop, first base and catcher.

And future Hall-of-Famer Fergie Jenkins pitched two years for the Majors in 1984-85,after retiring from the Major Leagues, commuting from his nearby home.

The Tigers didn’t stay too long, arriving in 1989 and bailing after the 1993 season. Today the stadium is used by semi-pro teams.

We also thought it was odd that despite the name, the team was prohibited from selling beer during games because the stadium was in a city park. But after that experience, we couldn't say it was a "dry" field.

Baseball Place No. 25: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame; Alternative Place No. 25A: SkyDome

You can’t go to a baseball game in Canada and expect what you’re used to in the States.

It’s that “whole different country” thing.

I don’t get why they have another country’s figurehead on their money and hanging in most hockey rinks. They just do.

Then again, Canadians might not understand some of our traditions, either.
So when you cross the border, you have to be open to doing some familiar things in different ways.

Josh Pahigian takes us to St. Marys for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as spot No. 25 in the “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.”

Note, there’s no apostrophe in St. Marys. Remember, Canadians do things differently. And that's OK.

And the Canadian Hall does some things differently, too. Inductees can be folks who were born in the Great White North or played there.

So it’s nice to see former Mets Gary Carter, Ron Taylor, Tony Fernandez and Tom Burgess in there along with personal favorite Joe Carter. I’m starting a campaign to get Kelly Gruber inducted next.

But the Hall also inducts entire teams, such as the Beachville and Zorra amateur squads who played the first game there in 1838, the 1991 National Youth Team, and every Canadian who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

The Hall has only been around since 1983, when it was a small display at Exhibition Stadium. It moved to St. Marys in 1989 in a small stone building, and plans call for it to move to a larger building next door.

Sounds like a neat place, but I’ve never been to it. But I have enjoyed another baseball site in Ontario. That would be:

Alternative Baseball Place No. 25A: SkyDome

OK, I know it was renamed the Rogers Centre in 2005 when the team was sold. But SkyDome is such a better name for the first stadium with a retractable roof – at least one that actually worked. Sorry, Expos.

I’ve been to three games at the stadium. The first was part of the now epic 1989 Glorious Baseball Road Trip with Rich and Mark. That was the year SkyDome opened mid-season, and we arrived a month after its first game.
Rich, Mark and I arrived just a month after SkyDome opened. We also tried to get a glimpse of the team's old yard, Exhibition Stadium. This is as close as we got. We also checked out the Hockey Hall of Fame, which was a much smaller operation than it is now.


I returned with my brother a couple years later, and then with my son in the late 1990s after the team won two World Series.

The difference is startling. It’s like no other stadium you’ve walked in to, seeming more like a mall than a ballpark. Concessions were a line of McDonald’s, long before you saw name brand food booths.

Stepping into the seating area, you immediately see two things: The massive roof – open all three times I’ve been there – and the spectacular CN Tower, which rises alongside the park.

Then you are drawn to the tremendous scoreboard surrounded by all the windows that are part of the hotel rooms and restaurants.

Note the World Series banners in place by the third visit. And here's a view from the Hard Rock Cafe.

There wasn’t a Seventh-inning Stretch, but there were perky people from some government ministry encouraging people to get out of their seats, singing the “OK, Blue Jays” song.

We’re used to retro yards with statues of former heroes. SkyDome Centre has funky statues of fans – loud and abrasive ones – showing what it must look like from a player’s point of view.

And the souvenirs were really fun, too. I picked up a couple quirky things, like my sweet 3-D official souvenir card that tells of the glories of the SkyDome. And another is an official International Time Zone Card, allowing me to tell the time anyplace in the world with just a few twirls of a little dial. It’s just good to know.

You have to trust me, it's 3-D, and really cool.

And the International Time Zone Card is a very handy tool.




So there are 28 other stadiums in the Majors where you can experience baseball the American way, plus that new Death Star rising in the Bronx.

And there is one across the border that’s a little different. Embrace it. But don’t make fun of the British lady on the money. Trust me.

Baseball Place No. 24: Legends of the Game Baseball Museum; Place No. 24A: Ohio Basebal Hall of Fame

Some ballparks are museums.

Other ballparks have museums.

Josh Pahigian takes us to Arlington, Texas to the Rangers’ ballpark for the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum and Learning Center as spot No. 24 in his “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.”

Anything that helps Texans understand baseball is a good idea, so I can’t blame the Rangers for doing something special. That explains the exhibit’s third floor, which is filled with interactive exhibits that explain the game.

Ohioans, however, need no such training. So I offer:

Alternative No. 24A: Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame.

After discovering minor-league ball in Connecticut, we sought out locales for major-leaguers-to-be shortly after moving to Michigan in 1990.

Among our first stops was Toldeo, Ohio, home of the Mud Hens, which was about two hours south of our Flint-area home.

Technically, the Hens play in Maumee, which is west of the city. Ned Skeldon Stadium is an old racetrack on the Lucas County Fair Grounds that was converted for baseball. It was a fun park and a site for many baseball memories.

But we had no idea that the ballpark housed a treasure that was The Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame.

While Legends of the Game is three stories and 24,000 square feet, the Ohio Hall was one nice-sized room. Much of it was from the collection of one person, Thomas Eakin of Shaker Heights. He was the Hall’s president and founder, and I suspect his wife one day said, “Get this stuff out of the house!” and this was the result.

The Cleveland Indians were well-represented.

It was pretty simple, with balls, bats and uniforms hung out in the open, easy to touch if one was inclined to violate the unspoken rule.

We soon learned that the Hall didn’t just celebrate players who were born in Ohio, but guys who played in Ohio as well.

Frank Robinson's cap and jersey.

Then, it struck me. As Suzyn Waldman might shriek, “Oh my goodness gracious, Tom Seaver player in Ohio!”

As sure enough, hanging there in all its glory was Tom’s Reds jersey, hanging there nice and low. Pants and cap, too. Very touchable, if one was so inclined. The very fabric worn by The Franchise during his years in exile. It was both glorious and painful.

Then, we saw one of Tom’s White Sox uniforms also on display. This was an unexpected treat.

So we had a great time learning about Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench and Cy Young. And there were also uniforms from Steve Carlton and Steve Garvey, players that don’t have any connection to Ohio that I can determine. But if you’ve got a Steve Carlton uniform and a chance to show it off, you just do.

Uniforms from players born in Ohio.

Naturally, we made sure to visit the Hall when we took in a Mud Hens game. But a couple years later it was gone. And best I can tell, it hasn’t been recreated anywhere else. That’s a shame.

My long-suffering wife came prepared.

And now a confession. I touched the Seaver jersey. Just lightly, on the hem.