European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday february 14, 1968 the stars and stripes Page 23 baseball Roundup glad tidings pitchers and catchers report thursday by Ben Walker a he built writer the olympics Are starting Michael Jordan is dominating and Doug Williams is America s latest hero. Who cares pitchers and catchers report thursday. Baseball is Back. Spring training begins this wee when the world Serin Champion Minnesota twins and 17 of her teams open Camp. Billy Martin is also Back again. So is Bob Homer. Along with he possibility or another strike in the near future. Steve Garvey is gone. So it player Pete Rose Al though he resists the word Reggie Jackson also May have taken his last big swings. Jack Clark Kirk Gibson. Dave parter Lee Smith Bob Welch Phil Bradley. Brett Butler Danny Jackson Floyd Bannister and Richard Poison have new Homes in the major leagues. Bill Gullickson Bill Madlock and Doug do Lincci have new addresses in Japan. The new York mets Kansas City royals and Cincinnati reds have new training Sites m Florida. But the Chicago cubs now with manager Don Zim mar leading the Hope for their first Pennant since 1945, still spend the Spring at cozy hoho Kim Park in Mesa Ariz. Some things slay the same in the Best game of All. Like the questions that make Spring training so delightful. Who will be this season s lop rookies the not Prospect that seem destined for Cooperstown maybe shortstop Kevin it sir of the mets. Or slug Ger Joey Meyer with Milwaukee. Might be Jack Mcdowell of the Chicago while sox. Perhaps Glenallen thrill kill of Toronto. Who will be the Surprise learns this year maybe Oakland new with Parker Welch mall Young and Don Baylor. Could be those los Angeles Blu bloods having added Gibson Jay Howell Jesse oif co Alfredo Griffin and Mike Davis. I m prepared to open a new chapter in my career and a new Era for the lot Angeles dodgers. 1 believe they arc committed to restoring the winning Trade consecutive 200-htt seasons National a Guc Ward Wada Boggs out Kyj i &msknmu.phil. It Veffa Krejer. Bait Mim Chicago. 19w33 Urfe Brooklyn. 1bb4-1901 inc oem Nger. 193347 Wade 1900, 5. Truck Klein. Bogus Kosiw 13w-b7. Wax Eljhia 19kw3 Nugo Twu Oik Sham Cut Titus no Neon lion Gibson said. I just enrolled at the University of Gibson left Detroit and signed a three year million contract with the dodgers after being Given a second Chance Al free Agency by arbitrator Tom Rob pm who ruled owners conspired to restrict the Market in 1985. Two More collusion grievances filed by the players1 Union Are still pending. There is a Chance Tim Raines Andre Dawson Jack Morris and Lance Pash could get the same Opportunity As Gibson later this year. Owners and players Are also griping about other issues fueling speculation then will be a strike in 1990 when the Basic agreement ends. Both sides Are posturing and waiting. Clark did not wait. He left St. Louis and signed a two year contract with the new York Yankees who charged Back into the multimillion Dollar free agent sweepstakes. I m coining Over Here to do some Trillin Clark said. Clark will join Martin in his fifth term in manager along with Rafael Santana the Only major leaguer Ever traded Between the new York teams Poison John Candelaria Don Laughl and Lee Guiterman Al Yankee stadium where the Fence in left Center Reid has been moved in from 411 feel to 399. This weekend Snow is covering the Field in the Bronx. There is plenty of time before the regular sea son opens april 4 Wilh St. Louis at Cincinnati and Milwaukee at Baltimore. For now the games that matter even though they Don t count 11 March 3. That s when Kansas Cit plays Florida stale University in the Grapefruit league opener and the cubs faces Mesa Community College in the first Cactus league game. The royals shifted their Spring Camp from fort Myers to baseball City a new Complex near reds moved a few Miles from Tampa to Plant City. The mets left St. Petersburg on the Gulf coast to he port St. Lucie on the Atlantic Ocean Side. The mets first exhibition game March 5 against los Angeles has been sold out for awhile. Minnesota still works out near Disney world perfect for a team that completed a dream season in 1987 by destroying inside its Decibel dome. The twins Mode no major changes in the olt season a danger Ous patient in the past except in it Cir payroll which zoomed As Frank Viola. Kirby Puckett Gary Garlti and others signed Rich new contracts. It s important for this club to keep key players from our championship team for a couple of years twins general manager Andy Macphail said. That s what All winners say but none have made repeat appearances in the world series since the Yan Kees in 1977-tb. The twins begin that quest thursday when baseball returns. Florida readies pocketbooks for 100th annual rite of Spring by Ira Kaufman St. Petersburg. Honda up for 100 years Florida has been the right place for baseball s rite of Spring. In 18sb, when the Washington Carilou arrived in Jacksonville to become the lint major league baseball team to train in Florida Only 270,000 people resided in the entire slate. Today with in of the 26 teams training Here the Tampa Tribune alone has a daily circulation of 270,000. A Century after future Hall of Famer Connie Mack Ted the capitols Down South away from the Treacher Ous weather Back Home Spring training has evolved into big business for the stale of Florida. While Tampa us Petersburg and Miami compete for an expansion team Spring training sics shuffle across the stale in an expensive Shell game. Baseball fans flee the Snow Belt and arrive in Florida ready to hear the sounds and see the sights of the summer game. Dunedin a sleepy town of 35,000 just North of Clearwater awakens each March in time to sell out Grant Field where the Toronto Blue jays have trained for each of their ii Yean. The new York mets. Who trained Here from 1962-87, have moved East to port Sluice this Spring courted by a 7,000-seat, $7 million stadium Complex. It All teemed so much simpler in 1888, when the capitols perhaps inspired by the National league Phillies and cubs who trekked to other Ninny climes iwo Yean earlier broke new ground in Florida. The Florida Tun did t hip much that first year As Washington finished last in the National league. Mack caught to games and balled jew .187 Overall while Hank o Day managed to win 16 games. And lose 29. A half Century ago most players reported to Florida during the first week of March. The expanded Bell buckle revealed the effects of a sedentary Winter and the first order of business was not the Balling Cage but the Beer belly. Today s squads report the third week of february and Don t break Camp until a. Day or two before the regular season opener. Ill Tell you right now for me i think Spring train ing too Long says Cincinnati manager Pete Rose. Especially now with players coming to Camp in Bel Ter shape than in the past. It s a funny thing the own ers Are always talking about ways to save Money but hey never consider shortening Spring of they did major league owners would face consid Erable opposition from Florida politicians. According to a study released four months ago Spring training affects nearly 380,000 Florida employees who have a combined income of $3.1 billion. State and local governments split More than s16 million in taxes from he Cost of tickets. Total attendance at All Spring training games in the state lopped 1.1 million in 1987, in Vero Beach the dodgers Are an Industry says . Norton executive director of the local chamber of Commerce. I cannot imagine Scro Beach without the dodgers. They were Here Long before they were in los the dodgers who have trained in Scro Beach since 1943, still attract fans from Brooklyn each Spring 30 years after the team fled from ebbed Field for tinsel town Wilh the exception of Hirw years during world War ii St Petersburg has been the training borne for two teams every year from 192 until this Spring the St Tau ii Browns current Baltimore orioles trained Here in 1914, the Phillies from 191518, the Boston braves from 1921-37. The new York Yankees from 1925-Fil, the new York giants in 1951, the mets from 1962-87 and the cardinals from 1938 through today. With the reds move this Spring from Tampa to nearby plan City Lakeland boasts the longest Spring training affiliation with a major league club. Except for the War years of 1943-45. When they trained to Evansville ind. The Tigera have been gearing up for the new season in Lakeland since 1934.while attendance increases every year Spring train ing crowds often face the disappointment of finding stars on the Bench and Rookie phenoms in the major league managers fret about the Grapefruit league s Bottom line. There is no importance in win cing exhibition games unless you Are trying to sell More season tickets in your Hometown says Cardinal manager Whiley Herzfe. My teams Don t win in Spring floridians do
