Pulling off the ultimate spring weekend
Here are four ways to make the most of an affordable trip
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GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE ULTIMATE FOUR-DAY WEEKEND NO. 1
Thursday 3/18/10: If you’re in the east, hop on a first AM flight bound for the Sunshine State, ideally Tampa because tonight the Rays visit the defending champion Yankees at 7 p.m. in the second of three spring meetings between the AL East clubs. If you get into the Tampa-St. Pete area early enough, cruise across Tampa Bay to Dunedin and make it an AL East day as you watch the Blue Jays host the Orioles. Dunedin is about a 20-minute drive from the airports as well as Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees home.
More in a National League East state of mind? Take a first AM flight to West Palm Beach, on the other side of Florida, to catch a 7 p.m. battle between the host Marlins against the Mets in Jupiter.
Friday 3/19/10: If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, you can make Ernie Banks proud by catching two in one day and also relive the 1983 World Series as Orioles visit the Phillies in Clearwater for a 7 p.m. tilt. During the day, head south to Bradenton as the Pirates host the Red Sox at quaint McKechnie Field, or watch the Yankees host the Tigers.
On the east coast, a short drive up from Palm Beach, the Mets host the Twins in Port St. Lucie while another idea is to head further north and west to Orlando to visit Minnie and Mickey — but some baseball first. The Astros host the Jays in Kissimmee while that night the Tigers visit the Braves at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex at 6 p.m.
Saturday 3/20/10: If you’ve been staying in the Tampa-St. Pete area, you could follow the Yankees to Kissimmee as they visit the Astros, or the Phillies to Lakeland as they battle the Tigers. But you could also head south on I-75 to check out the Twins battle the Rays in Port Charlotte at revamped Charlotte Sports Park or the Orioles at the Red Sox in Fort Myers where there’s always a buzz. On the east coast, the premiere match-up is Cardinals hosting the Mets in Jupiter. Up in the Tampa area — and even if you’re not a hockey fan — check out the Lightning at 7:30 p.m. because the visiting Capitals have one of the game’s most electric players in Alex Ovechkin.
Sunday 3/21/10: Before you fly back home, there’s 10 games on the Sunday circuit, as the Tigers visit the Yankees in Tampa and the Cardinals play the Braves at Disney.
GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE ULTIMATE FOUR-DAY WEEKEND NO. 2
Friday 3/26/10: The third and final meeting of the spring campaign between the Yankees and Phillies starts at 7 p.m. in Tampa. If you’ve arrived the night before or catch a first AM flight, the Jays host the Rays in nearby Dunedin under the sun. Or if you just can’t stand the Yankees or the Phillies, the Orioles host the Twins in a nightcap at 7 p.m. in Sarasota, one of Florida’s best beachside communities.
On the east coast, the Mets visit the Marlins in Jupiter while the Cardinals travel up I-95 to Viera to visit the Nationals. If you get into the Sunshine State the day before and will be traveling between the Orlando attractions and the east coast beaches, you could catch the Tigers visiting the Nats on 3/25 at 7 p.m.
Saturday 3/27/10: On Florida’s left coast, the Red Sox visit the Orioles in Sarasota while in Central Florida, the Bronx Bombers travel to Tiger Town in Lakeland to battle Detroit. On the east coast, the Marlins visit the Cardinals in Jupiter and the Mets host the Nationals in Port St. Lucie.
Sunday 3/28/10: The Battle of Fort Myers renews once again as the Twins visit the Red Sox at City of Palms Park while the Yankees and Tigers continue their home-and-home series as Detroit travel to Tampa to visit the Bronx Bombers. On the east coast, the Mets host the Cardinals in Port St. Lucie. If you’re still up in Orlando, the NBA’s Magic host Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets at 6 p.m. And here’s another curveball: The Bay Hill Invitational, of which some golfer named Tiger Woods is the defending champion, takes place March 25-March 28 in Orlando.
Monday 3/29/10: A pair of night games on west coast, as the Red Sox host the Rays in Fort Myers and Orioles entertain the Yankees in Sarasota. If possible, fans flying out Monday night or Tuesday should check out the Braves visiting the Phillies in Clearwater under the sun. On the east coast, catch baseball under the sun as the Twins visit the Cardinals or the Mets host the Marlins.
Joe Connor is a contributor to NBCSports.com and author of the annually-updated online spring training travel guide, “A Fan’s Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience” which is available for purchase exclusively at his Web sites: http://www.modernerabaseball.com and http://www.mrsportstravel.com.
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