Cool Today Park, Is A Cool Ballpark!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Over the years, I’ve been to three different Spring Training Venues with the Atlanta Braves.

First, I saw them in West Palm Beach when they played in West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. This was back in the 1980’s. 

Second, the Braves played in Orlando at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Stadium. They played there from 1997-2019. The ballpark held approximately 7,500 and was located in Kissimmee, FL.It’s called Champion Stadium. The major issues the Braves had was travel as there were very few teams in Central Florida. The most common opponent was the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, FL off of I-4.

The Braves moved into their current Spring Training Park on March 24, 2019 as Atlanta defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2. The Rays train down the road off of I-75 in Port Charlotte. CoolToday Park also serves as the Braves year-round rehabilitation facility.

On Saturday, August 14, I made my first trip to CoolToday Park and the Braves crushed the Boston Red Sox 10-1. The ballpark is located in Sarasota County, has 6,200 fixed seats, and 8,000 total. Left Field is 335 feet, Left-Center 385 feat, Center Field 400 feet, Reight-Center 375 feet and Right Field is 325 feet.

The Press Box is very spacious and is one of the best that I’ve ever been in covering Spring Training through the years.

In this story, I recorded a short video of this Spring Training gem which I encourage everyone to see at least once. I’m looking forward to making return trips here in the future.

Also, My photographer Candy Ebling did a sensational job taking photos as she made her way around this place. 

The Braves $140 Million project was funded by private and public sources. The Braves signed a 30-year lease so they’re not going anywhere for a while.

Sarasota County contributed $21.2 million through hotel and bed dollars. The state of Florida put in $20 Million after showing the Braves arrival would add $1.7 billion economic impact over the 30 year lease.

Mattamy Homes, a private developer donated the land and $4.7 million. The city of North Port contributed $4.7 million and Wellen Park, the planned community within North Port that houses the facility, ran the construction and the development.

The biggest advantage for the Braves is their proximity to teams located off of I-75.

The Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox play in Fort Myers Florida. The Pittsburgh Pirates are located in Bradenton, the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota and the Tampa Bay Rays are in Port Charlotte. There are five teams located within two hours which was a challenge when they were in Disney.

The Braves Public Relations and Comminications staff were great hosts and I look forward to working with them when we make our way to Truist Park in Atlanta.

The Braves Staff were instrumental in helping me land Coach Tony Diaz for the Motor City Mad Mouth Show and had a Media Availability with Manager Walt Weiss. You can also find those videos in this story. I wrote a separate article on Diaz that you might want to check out. I predict that Diaz will manage in the Big Leagues one day.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the short video and the photos. This is definitely a place which is NOT a ONE and DONE! 

It’s a bucket list item for those that want to chase ballparks and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of watching the Boys of Summer during the Spring.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloriudatribune@gmail.com and you can see his broadcasts on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. There is no cost to subscribe. Also, Scott wrote a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble. There is also an Audio Book that you can get as well.

My next story of Spring Training, I took a trip to Bradenton, Florida and I’ll go over that experience.

Tony Diaz, Hidden Gem, Atlanta Braves Coach

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I’ve been covering Spring Training for years and the valuable lesson that I’ve learned is you better be able to think on your feet and have a back-up plan if Plan A doesn’t go through.

It’s easier to create a back-up plan than it was years ago because of the mobile phone. If you need to find out information on someone, then google the individual and it’s right at your fingertips.

When I covered the Boston Red Sox game in North Port, Fla at Cool Today Park, my agenda was to write a pair of stories.

One was about the Atlanta Braves latest Spring Training venue, and I’ve seen them play at the old West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium as well as in Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. That story will follow this one.

The other story I wanted to write was on Darnell Coles, who was added to Atlanta’s Coaching staff this season. Coles has been a friend of mine since his days with the Detroit Tigers.

Who would be my Plan B? 

Antonio Tony Diaz happened to be standing next to me in the Braves dugout. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, was hired by New Manager Walt Weiss to the staff. The 49-year old is the infield coach and started his college baseball career at Gulf Coast College before moving to Florida International University where he played for the FIU Panthers.

According to Coach Danny Price, he was a professional prospect until suffering an arm injury. After his college career, a former teammate recommended him as a baseball coach to the Colorado Rockies, who were specifically looking for bilingual coaches.

He graduated from FIU with a BA Degree in Marketing. He served as manager for the baseball team at G Holmes Braddock High School in Miami Florida. Diaz served as the hitting coach for the Casper Ghosts from 2–1-2006, taking over as their manager in 2007.

Diaz would join the Colorado Rockies in 2017 and stayed in Denver through 2018. His tenure with the Minnesota Twins was from 2019-2024. On April 15, 2025, it was announced that Diaz would be the hitting coach for the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League for their upcoming 2025 season.

He was hired to join Walt Weiss’ staff in 2026.

In the dugout, I asked Diaz if he wanted to come on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show. 

He agreed to come on and the PR Guy asked me about the South Florida Tribune. I clarified that all interviews I do go to the Show and I write stories on the Tribune. He understood what I was doing and was totally fine with everything.

These days, I like the people I interview to go in multiple places to maximize the exposure. They’ve been extremely cooperative up to this point.

During my conversation with the energetic Diaz, we talked about his journey to the Big Leagues, and if he aspires to be a manager down the road. We even talked about former Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Gallaraga, who nearly pitched a perfect game, but a blown call by umpire Jim Joyce, led to MLB eventually adding instant replay.

In this story, you’re going to hear the entire interview and his Manager Walt Weiss raved about having Diaz on his staff. That interview is also included in this article.

Nowadays, MLB teams employ as many as 15-20 coaches to give more attention to the other positions and expedite the development of their players. It’s a far cry from years past when there were approximately eight coaches.

Furthermore, with the increased addition of Latin players, bilingual is a must these days.

This guy is a hidden gem on the Braves staff and you’re going to hear more about him in the future especially since there are more Latin managers being hired.

There is nothing better than a Plan B that turns out well which shows the unpredictability of Spring Training. I really have a blast adapting to these situations.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can find him on X @TribuneSouth and see his broadcasts by subscribing at no cost to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

He also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which is available on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble. The audio version is available as well.

Up next, get ready for my story on Cool Today Park.

Astros Josh Hader An Old School Closer

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I have seen some electrifying pitchers over the years that bring unbelievable energy when they step on the hill. 

One of my favorites of all-time was back in 1976 when Mark “The Bird” Fidrych played for the Detroit Tigers.

Before the Houston Astros hosted Miami on March 7 in West Palm Beach, I interviewed Josh Hader, the left-handed hurler as he joined the Motor City Mad Mouth Show.

Josh is an amazing pitcher as well as a person.

This is a guy that could pitch in any era as he’s been known to pitch multiple innings to earn his team a save. I also talked to Astros Manager Joe Espada about his closer. 

Both of the videos are in the story. You can click on them and see them in their entirety.

Hader, 31, a Millersville, Maryland, played for the Milwaukee Brewers (2017-2022), San Diego Padres (2022-2023) and he’s presently with the Astros.

Here are some of  his career highlights:

*He’s a six-time All Star (2018, 2019, 2021-2023 and 2025).

* Hader was selected as All-MLB First team three times (2019, 2021 and 2023).

*He was a three times NL Reliever of the Year (2018, 2019, and 2021).

*Josh was the NL saves leader in 2020 with 13 in 15 chances.

*He’s also pitched a combined no hitter on September 11, 2021.

His MLB statistics through the 2025 season are as follows: he’s 34-31, 2.64 ERA, 829 strikeouts and 227 saves.

He was an intricate part of the Milwaukee Brewers success and now the Houston Astros are counting on him to anchor the back end of their bullpen.

During his appearance on my show, we talked about him pitching multiple innings as well as his stops in MLB.

You won’t find a nicer person than Hader and he’s very well liked in the clubhouse, especially by his manager and the Media raves about him.

I hope you enjoy the interview and I’ll definitely monitoring his performance throughout the 2026 Season and see if he can get the Astros back into the playoffs.

Look for more Spring Training Updates.

Scott Morganroth can  be reached at Southfloridatribune@gmail.com and @TribuneSouth on X.

To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel. Just hit the red subscribe button.

Also, he wrote a book: “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle, Barnes and Noble and there is an Audio Book as well…

Sports Scene

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In this column, it’s time to give a few special shout out to some very good people.

We’ll start with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians on priorities for coaches. He said via the NFL Network “I tell my coaches if you miss a Recital, Football Game, Basketball Game, I’ll Fire You.” He won the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2021. He goes on to say, “I missed a lot of (My Son’s Games). Those years don’t come back. It means more to your children. When I hear about guys sleeping in their office…I wonder what the hell they’re doing there…The work will always be there, the kids won’t.”

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The Minnesota Twins received a tough break this spring. Pablo Lopez, a guy that could pitch in any era because he’s an innings eater, has a “Significant Tearing” in his right UCL and will be lost for the season. He will undergo Tommy John Surgery. Get well soon, Pablo. He’s one of my favorite pitchers in this generation.

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I’ve enjoyed working with Mario Cristobal and I like his most recent quote pertaining to recruiting. “We don’t get into negative recruiting, but people always negative recruit us, and that’s fine. No one should ever take that personally . Just let it play out.” On recruiting The State of Florida.

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I want to wish a Happy 80th Birthday to one of My Best Friends in Sports Media, Bob Ryan. He retired from the Boston Globe. He’s a mentor to me and much more! You won’t meet a classier individual than this! If you don’t know much about him then look him up on Google.

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It’s time to talk about Pro Sports Valuations with the South Florida Franchises. 1. Miami Dolphins $8.25 Billion, Miami Heat $6.03 Billion, 3. Florida Panthers $1.89 Billion, 4. Inter-Miami $1.45 Billion 5. Miami Marlins $1.30 Billion.

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Netflix is pursuing Barry Bonds for its exclusive coverage on Opening Day between the Giants and Yankees, per The Athletic. Netflix is also trying to sign CC Sabathia for the broadcast.

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I look forward to the next Sports Scene as the objective is to come up with a combination of storylines that  will certainly be enlightening and informative.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can see his broadcasts by Subscribing to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel. Also, he wrote a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes And Noble. The audio book is also available.