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Grapefruit League a paradise for autograph seekers as MLB Spring Training returned to normal
It had been three years since I had been to Florida for a normal Spring Training.
In 2020, not long after arriving, everything was put on hold with the outbreak of Covid. While taking in a Braves-Tigers game in Lakeland, everyone was informed that things were being shut down for a while at the conclusion of the games being played that day.
That would be an understatement. It would be the spring of 2022 before I tried to return to the Grapefruit League, and that trip was cut short by the players being locked out, then reaching an agreement with the owners, which led to a delayed and abbreviated spring season.
So here it is 2023, and things are finally back to normal. The weather is great, the crowds are back, and I am ready to take it all in.
The big question is, what impact, if any, has all of this had on the great spring tradition of player accessibility to fans? And what affect are MLB’s new rule changes having? It doesn’t take long to find out.
My first stop is back in “Tigertown” in Lakeland. Detroit is hosting the New York Yankees on this Friday afternoon and the game is close to a sellout. The fans are decked out, many wearing jerseys of their favorite players, past and present.
One of the neat things is that you can run into former players just about everywhere you go. On this day it is an hour before the first pitch and former Tiger greats Kirk Gibson and Jim Leyland are chatting with a small group of reporters down the right field line.
Gibson is best known for his dramatic pinch-hit home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 World Series versus the Oakland A’s. (Detroit fans would say it was his home run off Goose Gossage that clinched their 1984 World Series championship over the San Diego Padres after Gossage famously refused to walk Gibson with a base open.) Gibson is holding court and in response to a question about the new rules, he quickly gets excited talking about what he hopes is a return to more stolen bases, one of his strengths as a player. He begins by explaining how players should be taking leads off first base, then demonstrating how it should be done and taught.
“They have really gotten away from teaching this in the minors over the last years,” he said, looking over at Leyland, who nods and agrees with him. “Everybody gets on base and waits for someone to hit a home run. I say run, put pressure on the pitcher and the defense. That’s the way the game is supposed to be played.”
Gibson then excuses himself to go do his gig as the color analyst for the Tigers television broadcast. Leyland moves over and starts signing autographs for fans.
Kevin Barrett hands him a ball to sign. He says that he is from right outside Philadelphia, but that his favorite team is the Atlanta Braves.
“Goes back to when I was a kid,” he tells me. “I have over 400 balls signed and displayed in my collection. We spent yesterday at North Port to see the Braves, the day before that in Dunedin. I’ve gotten Chipper Jones and Austin Riley.”
Spencer Torkelson of the Tigers stops and signs a ball for him as we speak.
“I think it has been great this year, more back to normal,” he says. “We go to a different park every day.”
The only downside for me was that the Tigers Foundation usually holds a really nice silent auction of signed balls and bats during the games, but on this day, it was not taking place. It has always been a fun event, with fans coming down during the game to bid on items or to just see how they stand. It is sad that Tiger great Al Kaline has passed away, as he was always around the stadium.
COLLECTORS PARADISE
I am headed back to Tampa after the game when I drive buy the Holiday Inn/Westshore Airport hotel, and spot yellow signs stuck in the grass that say ”Baseball Card Show, Friday/Saturday.” So, of course I pull in and venture inside.
Things are winding down for the evening as I look around and spot longtime sports card legend Dick Decourcy in the back of the room in his trademark neon green shirt. He retired a few years back, but still keeps his hand in the business and is a fixture at the National Sports Collectors Convention. It was good to see him and catch up.
On Saturday morning I head across Tampa Bay to the quaint little town of Dunedin, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. They are taking on the Baltimore Orioles, who are loaded with young stars. They don’t disappoint as Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 player taken in the 2022 MLB Draft, and Gunnar Henderson, who is rated MLB’s top prospect, are signing after they finish taking batting practice.
I run into my old friend Harry Bouldry, who lives in the Tampa area. He has been a fixture at the Dunedin games ever since I started coming down several years ago and we met when he gave me some cards of guys that were signing that I didn’t have.
“Things are pretty much back to normal at the park,” he says.
At the end of spring training, he tells me he will move on to the Tampa Bay Rays regular-season games at “The Trop” in his ongoing pursuit of more autos.
I meet 84-year-old Dick Reeves, who hails from Ball Ground, Ga. “I’ve been coming since 2007,” he tells me.
What caught my attention was his typed-out list of players he was looking for and his well-organized box of cards he had with him. With a yellow highlighter he was making notations on players he had gotten to sign.
“Been a baseball fan all of my life,” he said. “Going back to when the Atlanta team was just a minor league affiliate, before the Braves moved south from Milwaukee. I was attending school in Atlanta, where I graduated from Georgia Tech as a co-op student.”
He was accompanied by John Howland and his son Andrew. “Friends from my church,” he says. They all said they were doing well getting players to sign.
This game also appears to be close to a sellout. Fans from Canada are everywhere, and everyone seems to be having a great time. I’ve said it before, but I love the double national anthems.
MEETING THE BRAVES
On Sunday morning I head down the coast to Bradenton to catch the Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I park in a left field lot that I soon learn is where the Braves players come in and some are stopping to sign on their way into the stadium. There are about 12 in all, including Michael Harris II, last year’s National League Rookie of the year, and Vaughn Grissom, who is hoping to become the Braves new starting shortstop, along with veteran Kevin Pillar.
Inside I get manager Brian Snitker and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer to sign. Several Braves and Pirates players are signing inside the park as well.
The Pirates have made lots of improvements to their stadium over the last few years that make for a much better game day experience. I am told by a worker that they are expecting a large crowd and the ballpark is nearly full. Fans are definitely coming out to the games this spring.
Don Robinson was one of the star pitchers of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates. Today he is back as a guest of the team, greeting and meeting with fans before the game, signing autographs and posing for pictures. He had a long major league career, also playing for the Giants, Angels and Phillies, and was one of the better hitting pitchers of his time, winning three Silver Slugger Awards and banging out 13 career home runs. His second trip to the World Series was played with the 1989 San Francisco Giants.
He makes his home in Bradenton, Fla.
“When I made it with Pittsburgh, we bought a house there and later bought one here for the offseason,” Robinson said. “When the Pirates traded me, we sold the house up there and have made this our home ever since.”
He has long been known as a good autograph signer, so I asked him just how many cards he gets in the mail to sign.
“I stack them up and do them once every two weeks and send them back out,” he said. “Since Covid hit, they really picked up, and I’d say I average about 40 a week now. Some guy told me not long ago that I am on 37 different baseball cards, and I believe it. There were more card companies when I was playing.”
I’ve now been to three games and at each one the main topic in the crowd seems to be the new pitch clock added by MLB this season. The problem is that everyone seems to have a different interpretation as to just how it works, and I heard a lot of theories about it as there is always one fan sitting nearby who seems to be trying to explain it to those sitting around him. I learn quickly to stay out of those conversations. Myself, I like it, and it clearly makes a difference in the pace of the game. As for the new size of the bases, it really isn’t noticeable from the stands to me.
JUDGE AND THE YANKEES
Early Monday morning I go to the Yankees complex in Tampa. Today they are playing on the road against the Twins and that usually means the players that stay behind will be out early to get their work in. Sure enough, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu come out to take batting practice on one of the side fields with a couple of Yankee coaches.
There is a small crowd of about 20 people on hand to watch the workout. Other players have been coming and going, but these guys are the stars of the show. It is hard to imagine just how big of a guy the 6-7 Judge is until you see him in person. He puts on quite an exhibition, hitting ball after ball out of the park with ease.
This is my last stop and it was a good way to end my journey. Baseball is finally back to normal, and I look forward to what should be another great season. I hope to see you at a ballpark or card show soon!
— Barry Blair is an author/writer from Jonesborough, Tenn. You can reach out to him at www.rightfieldpress.com or barryblair54@gmail.com.
