Birdland South
Warning: I’m going to sound a bit like a shill, here, but I had a great Orioles-related experience today, and wanted to share.
As longtime listeners may remember, I was treated to a surprise Spring Training trip back in 2013. At that time, I found Ed Smith Stadium to be charming – the mark of Orioles Magic was all over the place. Every effort was made to make O’s fans feel at home. I enjoyed getting a closer look at the players, and the opportunity to enjoy some fun in the sun when I would ordinarily be bundled up in Baltimore. In short, I can’t recommend enough making a trip to Sarasota to go see the Orioles in March.
My family vacations in Siesta Key (one of the islands in the marketing phrase “Sarasota and her islands”) every Thanksgiving. My crew doesn’t usually make the trip down, but this year is an exception. While we’ve been enjoying the beach and time away from work, I managed to sneak some Orioles time into the trip.
The gentlemen of our group, including my six-year old son, enjoyed a tour of Ed Smith Stadium today. I have to hand it to the Orioles – they were amazing in making this happen. I called to see if the facility was open for tours, and the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t sure they could accommodate it, because of the holiday week. She called me back about 15 minutes later, offering me my choice of a few different days/times, and asked who my son’s favorite player was – you see, they do their best to tailor each tour, if they can.
Everyone from the greeter at the door, to our tour guide, to the employees we passed made us feel welcome – smiles all around. There was no schedule (apparent to us) – we were allowed to linger in areas of interest. Our tour guide was patient with my rambunctious kid, and his “kid in a candy shop” father.
In all, it was a great experience. I didn’t call trying to drop my podcast’s name, or mention that I was a season ticket holder. I simply called and said that a group of die-hard Orioles fans were in town from Baltimore, and the O’s gave us a great morning. There was a time when the Orioles couldn’t seem to win on the field, or off it. If my experience today is any indication, the team that’s enjoyed playoff berths in three of the last five years has made great strides in both areas.
Here are a few shots from the tour:
My kid tried his best “wave it bye-bye!” and “good bye, home run!” from the booth.
Then it was off to the press box. No one was on an iPad, accessing AOL mail.
We saw a lot of swanky suites and party rooms, but regardless of the décor or amenities, the real take-away was the view.
Not that we can’t appreciate a nice bar…
The visiting clubhouse (home clubhouse was off-limits).
I assume the visiting manager’s office is a little more spartan than Buck’s.
Here is the grass we weren’t allowed to touch.
Strange to see an unmolested bullpen phone. I guess Spring Training opponents haven’t got such an ego.
The new 2017 logo is already up.
This one gets an update every time a team in the Grapefruit League changes locations.
Learned lots about this chandelier:
- The 2016 AL Wild Card banner is on the way.
- The bats come directly from Louisville Slugger, and are the exact kind Cal Ripken Jr. used.
- The staff cannot wait to figure out how to accommodate more banners when they run out of room. They figure it can comfortably accommodate one more, after 2016.
