Yankee Spring Training tickets are, by far, the hottest commodities of the Grapefruit League. The team usually sells out its slate of home games in a matter of minutes. That being said, going to Spring Training is one of the sheer joys of March, and the Yankees’ Grapefruit League tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. The scheduling and ticket information is available here, and PeteAbe always puts together a great Spring Training travel guide. If you have any inkling of heading to Tampa in March, snap up some tickets and take a trip. It’s well worth it.
Three months away
The Yankees unveiled their Spring Training schedule today, and the party gets started early this year. The Yanks’ first Grapefruit League game is Feb. 25, 2009, and the Bombers are set to take on the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida. They play their first game in Tampa the next day. Individual game tickets will go on sale in January. For more, check out the official press release.
Ruining Spring Training
The Dodgers made some waves yesterday when the AP revealed some $90 tickets in the team’s new Arizona Spring Training home. That price tag comes as shock to this baseball fan who hasn’t missed a Spring Training trip since 1997. One of the joys of Spring Training has long been the price tag. It’s a time to kick back and catch a game under sunny skies in spring. The regulars play a few innings, and a bunch of prospects and non-roster invitees duke it out for the rest of the day. To charge $90 for what should be a $20 experience seems a bit excessive. But if the market can support, who am I to argue with economics?
LaTroy Hawkins says it best
In an update on some Yankee farmhands, Chad Jennings lands a great quote from LaTroy Hawkins. When asked about how his Spring Training, Hawkins, who’s thrown eight scoreless innings, said, “Spring don’t mean shit, dude.” While rabid Yankee fans and bloggers alike fixate on spring numbers, we seem to care more than the players. They know it doesn’t count until Monday. We should take a lesson.
A Spring Training observation
While Spring Training stats are, by and large, meaningless, if I’m in charge of giving out the rest of the $105 million owed to Barry Zito, I am alarmed by his spring numbers. In 12.2 spring innings, Zito has surrendered 21 H and 24 ER. He’s walked 10 hitters while striking out 0. That’s not a typo, and I sure am glad the Yanks didn’t sign him when they had the chance.
Top prospects visit Legends Field
The Yanks are taking on the Rays this afternoon, and both Evan Longoria and David Price made the trip for Tampa. You can catch the action on YES. Lineups courtesy of PeteAbe:
Yanks
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A-Rod DH (Posada to follow)
The Big G 1B
Cano 2B
Cody Ransom 3B
Molina C
Melky CF
Moose, Karstens, Farnsworth, Albaladejo, Ohlendorf on the mound.
Rays
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Pena 1B
Bossman Jr CF
Floyd DH
Gomes RF
Longoria 3B
Riggans C
Bartlett SS
Garza, Dohmann, Anderson, Birkins, Munter, Price on the bump. Comment here on the action.
FYI: Patrick is looking for a few more Yankee bloggers for the YanksBlog.com Fantasy League. If you run a Yankee-focused blog and are interested in joining the league (I’m in it), head over there and sign up.
Yanks to face top pick this Saturday
The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that David Price, the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, will take the mound for the first game action of his professional career this Saturday when the Rays visit Legends Field. The big lanky southpaw reminds me a bit of Andy Pettitte, but he’s got much better pure stuff (low-90s heat, wipeout slider and sinking changeup). The game is on YES, and should be fun to watch regardless of who’s throwing for the Bombers.
(hat tip to Jason at My Baseball Bias)