Curtain Call for Clearwater Spring Training

Baseball is not just a game. It is an economic driver, from the tourists who journey to the Sunshine State to take in a game, to the grounds crews, ticket takers and concessionaires who depend on those salaries.

As the 67th spring training season in Clearwater comes to a close on a brisk spring Thursday, March 28, baseball seems as popular as ever.

Crowds jam the roads leading to Bright House Field for their chance to see the Philadelphia Phillies and aging ace Roy Halladay close out the Grapefruit League season with a game against spring training city rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Phillies play in Clearwater at Bright House Field. The Blue Jays play nearby in Dunedin. The teams play two more spring training games at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia before the Phillies start the season against the Braves in Atlanta on Monday.

Grandfathers with their grandsons, families and couples coming to catch the final game and streetside ticket sellers came to the ballpark Thursday, each with their own intentions, but the reason was the same: baseball.

A Grand Day at the Ballpark

John Heidewald, 73, made the trip from St. Petersburg for the ninth time this spring to Clearwater’s Bright House Field.

He brought Matthew, 9, his grandson who is visiting from Chicago. Matthew has gone to regular season games — his favorite team is the Cubs, or the Tampa Bay Rays when he is with his grandfather.

John is a big Rays fan, going to about 15 games a season. But because Rays spring training games are too far away in Port Charlotte, he comes to Clearwater for his baseball fix, he said.

Matthew was happy to get to the ballpark. They were there about an hour before first pitch in order to catch Halladay warm up. The 35-year-old right-hander's health has been an issue this spring.

John and Matthew hurried up the stairs along the third base entrance to the ballpark, disappearing inside by 12:15 p.m.

They were able to get in with enough time to watch Halladay make all his warmup tosses.

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Selling Spring Training

Although a New York Yankees fan, Jimmy Wilson has been a Phillies spring season ticket holder for 30 years.

Wilson, 52, moved down to Clearwater in the early 1980s. He stood under the sun and power lines along the Progress Energy Trail on Thursday, selling his last tickets of the 2013 Grapefruit League season.

He runs off and makes a quick sale of a single ticket to a man in yellow shorts.

Wilson returns shortly.

He gets 10 season tickets for the games, he said. Tickets were easier to sell a few seasons ago when the Phillies were making their World Series run, he said.

Last year was not too good — too hot, he said. This year the weather is a factor again, as it is helping bring fans down from other colder parts of the country.

“This year it’s snowing in Philly,” Wilson said.

The biggest change Wilson has seen since starting his ticket-selling run is the flight of teams from Florida to the West.

While there once were 20 teams here, now 15 call Florida home. They've left for new facilities in Arizona cities. Gov. Rick Scott has proposed a $5 million annual fund aimed at renovating stadiums and keeping Major League Baseball teams in Florida for spring training.

“The big problem is all the teams moving to Arizona,” Wilson said.

Cleveland-to-Clearwater Spring Training Compromise

The time it takes to play a baseball game might seem long enough to watch paint dry.

But, to many fans, a baseball game is much more than nine innings and 27 outs. And just making it to the game in time to see the first pitch is not enough.

Warmups, batting practice, stretches. The game before the game.

That is what Ed Oley comes to the ballpark for.

Ed, his wife Loretta, and their son Casey, came to Bright House Field straight from their arriving flight from Cleveland. Their luggage was still in their rental car.

They live in Avon, OH. Ed, a graduate of USF, has been bringing the family back to the area for the last 40 years, he said.

They are spending about 10 days on vacation and were not going to miss the last spring training game of the season, if possible. They try to make it to a game each time they are here.

As the Oleys walked by the fountain in front of the ballpark entrance, Ed explained the importance of making it to the field early.

If possible, he would have liked to be at the game around 11 a.m. for the 1:05 p.m. game.

“The wife would be here at 1 p.m.” he said.

So their compromise: They got inside just after 12:30 p.m.

The View From the Berm

Baseball signifies the changing of the seasons to the Meyer family. 

Chris, Merri, Emily and Eric came down to Clearwater Beach on vacation from Limerick, PA.

This is their first time coming down for spring training. They knew they would be in town for the last game but were not sure if the weather would be a factor. 

“We're excited to be here the last day,” Chris said, adding that he called ahead to make sure the weather would be OK. “It’s a beautiful day, we had to come.”

The family sat on the edge of the berm and the concrete concourse sipping lemonade, basking in the spurts of warmth from the sun between the breeze, with temperatures in the mid-60s.

They keep the Flyers games on during the winter and Phillies games on during the summer. The family goes to a several games at Citizen’s Bank Park back in Philly each season, Meyer said.

Merri said she likes the change of seasons the beginning of baseball heralds, especially if the Phillies are doing well in the standings.

“It’s fun to watch a team that’s a winner,” she said.

From Toronto to Dunedin to Clearwater for Blue Jays Fans

It is 12:38 p.m., and Don Guckian begins announcing the lineup for the Blue Jays. Jose Reyes will lead off. Jose Bautista hits in the middle. Each name gets a slight sound of applause from the Blue Jays fans peppered in the crowd.

Allison Antonacci and Dylan Reave, both 25, are a couple staying in Palm Harbor and spending their vacation time catching the Blue Jays games in Dunedin and Clearwater.

With Toronto's star-studded lineup this season, they were ready to travel to see their team.

“The trade brought us here,” Reave said — an offseason blockbuster that brought All-Star shortstop Reyes and four other players to Toronto from Miami.

The couple went to the Blue Jays' game Monday in Dunedin. They like the small stadium their hometown team plays in, but understand why the franchise might be interested in bigger digs.

“It’s cute,” Antonacci said, mentioning how they drove past the Yankees' field in Tampa and how they admired Bright House Field.

That day they were able to get an autograph from J. P. Arencibia, a fan favorite, Reave said. They flagged him down after the game, in which he hit two home runs and a double.

Antonacci quickly pulled the signed baseball from a small black purse at her side. She hoped to add to it.

It was their first time down for spring training and said they would likely come back again.

As the grounds crew works to wet the infield clay, Blue Jays players warm up, getting their final stretches and catches in before the 1:05 p.m. start. The couple held a blanket with the Blue Jays logo on it, trying to get some players' attention

“We’re going to move down here,” Antonacci said with a laugh.

Back to Baseball

By 1:04 p.m. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the rest of the Phillies ran onto the field ready to start the last nine innings in Clearwater.

After “O Canada” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” were heard over the loudspeakers Halladay threw his final warm ups.

By 1:09 he tossed the game's first pitch, a strike, to Reyes.

A few pitches in and Reyes is retired with a ground ball to Utley. A quick 1-2-3 inning for Halladay, who gets a roar from the crowd as he walks off the mound.

By 2:20, Halladay has worked through the fifth inning and gets pulled after throwing 40 pitches, 31 strikes, giving up nine hits and two runs while striking out six.

Shortly after, Utley powers a two-run homer over center field, and the Phillies have taken a 3-2 lead they do not relinquish.

Jonathan Papelbon comes in to ceremoniously close the last game, getting Rajai Davis out and eliciting a cheer from the crowd.

Frenchy’s Tiki Bar over left field fills with fans looking to keep the last game going at least a little longer.

Phillies players high five each other with their win, the last one this spring, at least in Clearwater.