After deciding to visit Clearwater and Bradenton for games while in Tampa for a conference, I opted to make the short trek from my downtown hotel to watch a Tampa Yankees game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. I made the 15-minute drive from my hotel, and arrived armed with the code of “Peter O’Brien” to take advantage of the ticket deal on Bill Currie Ford Social Media Friday. Before delving into details about the ballpark, fans should see the signage that greets visitors as they arrive at the stadium. After taking advantage of the free parking (a rarity at Minor League games), I was quickly inundated with imagery related to…
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My night with the Bradenton Marauders – April 10, 2014
While in the Tampa region for a conference, I aimed to visit as many of the area Minor League Baseball stadiums. From downtown Tampa, where I stayed for the conference, there are five Minor League teams within an hour drive. So after committing to watching a Clearwater Threshers game (more on that visit here), I had to choose between the other ballparks to visit. Eventually I decided to make a trip to the south end of Tampa Bay, and visit the Bradenton Marauders. I decided to visit Bradenton for a few reasons. 1: It is near DeSoto National Memorial, and visiting NPS sites is another one of my traveling objectives.…
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My night with the Clearwater Threshers – April 8, 2014
Since 2010, the start of spring means that I am traveling to a new city to attend the AAG Annual Meeting. The 2014 conference was in Tampa, Fla., which was a slight letdown because Tampa doesn’t scream “tourist destination” to me. However, I was optimistic that I could see the Tampa Bay Rays play at Tropicana Field and maybe catch a few minor league games. As it turns out, MLB’s schedule makers had the Rays on the road during my conference. However, with five teams within an hour drive of downtown Tampa I had the opportunity to visit my choice of minor league ballparks. The first stop was Clearwater because…
