"There's nothing to do up there," said Ilene Bronfman, an Orioles fan who comes down annually. "I hear that the place is nice, I never have been, but there aren't many hotels and it isn't like here. We come. We go to the beach. We go to Miami. It's a full trip. It would be too far away to do that in Vero."
"We haven't heard anything about Vero," said Bill Stetka, media relations director for the Orioles. He cited problems with approvals from the FAA, which has to clear anything built next door to the civil airport, and other minor issues for the delays in rebuilding Fort Lauderdale's facility thus far.With the Dodgers demise in Grapefruitland, the much smaller Cactus league is still on the prowl. The Houston Astros remain the last logical target to woo away from Florida.
"If the Dodgers can move closer to home, how long is it before we go [to the Cactus League]?" said a source in the Astros organization on condition of anonymity. "We moved our farm teams to Texas over the last few years. Our fans would sure like us closer. It would make sense."
If the Orioles don't move, though, one of the best, and most historic player development facilities in the Grapefruit League will probably turn into a housing project.
The Indians, who were lured away from the Cactus League in 1992 to Winter Haven, will wing their way west, back to Arizona in 2009: Another dark spot on the rind of the Grapefruit League. Likewise, the Reds will ankle their aging Florida digs in Sarasota in favor of a shiny new Arizona facility.
For the clubs that stay put though, modernizing facilities to meet the needs of fans both of Spring Training and the Florida State League's hot summer nights needs to happen...soon.
The problem with Florida is the climate: The political climate. Both major league clubs, the Rays and Marlins want new facilities. projected to dip into the state coffers to the tune of nearly $100 million. At a time where Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist has been cutting back property taxes, and cities are scrambling to run public recreation and arts programs in the wake of those cuts, such largesse to Big Baseball is not happening.
Finding the Youth Hook
What has eluded the Grapefruit League for the past several seasons is how to bring back the 18 to 20-something fan. Baseball is not a big spring break destination anymore, even though kids come to party throughout the coasts of Florida during spring training.
"Most college students want to get drunk and party!" said collegian Alan Ormsby to the cheers of his buds hoisting Buds at a Twins game this spring.
"Closer to the beach!" was the suggestion of Alan Richards, a twenty-something Philadelphia native with family out at the ballpark in Port St. Lucie for the day. "You have to drive so far inland to see most of these teams. If it was closer to where I hang out when I come down, I would probably go more."
"Baseball is too slow," said a girl named Dawn in the group, "They need to do something to make it more interesting."
Rising prospect Carlos Gomez, the Mets' big gun prospect, then silenced her complaint as he ran out a no-brainer grounder and, with his speed and power-slide head-first into first, took the bag to the roar of the enthusiastic Twins faithful.
It may be that the higher-risk, higher action game still seen in the minors needs to make a comeback in the major leagues, and in spring. If MLB wants to fill the seats of the Greatest Generation with the growing spending power of the kids from Generation X, then they better bring the product up to the hyperactive video game generation's need for speed and intensity.
To see the complete spring reports on each club, click on the buttons to the left.
Club reports will be added throughout the week - ed.
