Grand Slam In Bradenton, Florida

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I used to think traveling around the country in the middle of the night was always an adventure to make time when I had to get projects done at their destinations.

But when you cover Spring Training, there are always new adventures every time you plan something so you better plan on your feet.

Over the years, I’ve always been able to do that and this spring tested my resolve. Add the World Baseball Classic and it was difficult to always utilize Plan A, so I had to have a Plan B and C.

During the weekend of March 21-22, this proved to be the case.

I was hoping to set-up the Atlanta Braves at the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park aka “Fenway South” but those credentials never came to fruition.

But the word that I’ve used a lot this spring is “Pivoted” and that’s what becomes the case as I applied for the Toronto Blue Jays at the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. I waited all night to see if we were going. I emailed the Pirates and never got an answer. But I never gave up.

In the middle of the night, I called Pirates City and as fate would have it, found a woman in security that knew the right Public Relations person to contact. She tracked his phone number and at 6 AM on Saturday March 21, I reached out to Dan Hart. I texted him and he quickly got back to me and was surprised that I  never got the confirmation email that we were approved. He moved swiftly to get the approval and my photographer and I managed to get to the ballpark by 10 AM. Three hours before game time.

There would be no clubhouse access but I’ve always found a way to work around that situation.

As soon as we got to the Press Box, I ran into Pirates Radio Play By Play Announcer Joe Block. I asked Joe if he would like to be on the “Motor City Mad Mouth” Show and he said yes. Before I  did the interview, Joe told me he was from the Metro Detroit Area and I could see that we were going to have a  blast talking about the Pirates and Detroit Tigers. There is nothing better than a quick strike when you get to the ballpark and 15 minutes later, we accomplished one thing.

After eating a couple of hot dogs at the concession stand, I decided to go to the Toronto Blue Jays and see what I could get. 

I hit the jackpot.

First, I interviewed Toronto Hitting Coach David Popkins and it was great talking to him. I learned a lot about hitting, his relationship with Don Mattingly and he told me after the interview that he had a good time talking to a person that knew a lot about baseball.

Second, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider had his Media Availability and it was great getting a few questions in with the skipper. He’s a super nice guy and is a person that you pull for hoping that he’ll win a World Series. Last year versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays came away one out short of accomplishing their goal.

Third, Blue Jays center fielder Myles Straw was great. He’s a Gold Glove winner and is extremely quick on the base paths. He fields his position very well and we also had an excellent conversation.

Before 11:30 AM, I hit the ultimate grand slam by snapping up a broadcaster, coach, manager and a player. I even took a photo with my good friend and Blue Jays Field Reporter Hazel Mae.

All of those videos are inside the story. We hope you enjoy them.

When I started working the game, I did sit next to Dan Hart and he saw where the issues occurred during the Major League Baseball Credentialing system. He apologized for the mixup, but I said no worries and now he’s a great contact for the future. He’s been with the Pirates for over 12 years and said that he was pleased that the security lady at Pirates City got me in touch with him.

I told him in the future, I would need clubhouse and he told me just to mention it in the notes. Hart is a class act and I told him that I would like to go to Pittsburgh and he said no problem.

I’ve actually shared this story on a couple of my podcasts, plus used the other interviews as well for topics. If there was ever a time where we won “Ugly” this was it. But nevertheless, we got the job done and that’s all that mattered.

We attempted to cover games the following day, but a couple of the requests never went through. The World Baseball Classic concluded so there was plenty of media in Florida with the regular players back. 

But overall, I was extremely pleased with what we accomplished in Spring Training and the Only Plan A that came to fruition was a story that I wrote in Atlanta about their new ballpark, “CoolToday Park up I-75 in North Port. Otherwise, from the game selection and the interviews, we did tons of pivoting and that gave me an adrenaline rush.

Indeed, this was quite an adventure.

But that was fun with what we’ve added here at the South Florida Tribune Media Network.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on X @TribuneSouth. You can see his broadcasts by subscribing to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

He also wrote a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which you can purchase on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes And Noble. It’s also available in Audio Form.  

Don Mattingly Alive And Well With Philadelphia Phillies

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The one thing that I truly look forward to every baseball season is catching up with my great friend Don Mattingly. Wherever Don goes, I follow him.

When he left the Miami Marlins, I went up to Toronto, CA., and spent time with him in the Rogers Centre before a game against the Kansas City Royals. We spent some time catching up.

Last season, Don was gracious enough to do a nine minute interview for the “Motor City Mad Mouth Show” before a Miami Marlins game vs the Blue Jays at Loan Depot Park. 

A few months later, Donnie Baseball found himself in the World Series facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but came up one out short of winning his first Championship Ring.

After the Fall Classic, Mattingly left his position with the Toronto Blue Jays and decided to take some time off pondering his future. Retirement was a possibility so he could spend more time with his grandchildren or would he give it another go with another team.

The Philadelphia Phillies would be an intriguing option because his son Preston is the general manager of the club.

Before Spring Training, Mattingly made the decision to join the Phillies and give it another shot at that elusive World Series title. He would be going to the club that had Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and many others on it. This is an extremely talented team and is considered one of the best franchises in baseball.

Instead of going to Dunedin to see Don with the Blue Jays, I would have to travel to Clearwater and see him with the Phillies.

I applied on March 7, but was initially denied. When the Phillies PR Guy spoke to Don, my good buddy said he would like to talk to me and we did get approved. 

By the time I got this notification, I shifted to the Miami Marlins at Houston Astros in West Palm Beach and we covered that game. 

The PR guy was real nice about this and we would see Don a week later vs the Atlanta Braves instead.

Before the Astros game, I interviewed Astros All-Star hurler Josh Hader and manager Joe Espada.

The game we covered was on Sunday, March 15 vs the Atlanta Braves. 

Don and I took pictures, the we talked about his decision to leave Toronto, the World Series, working with Preston, the Phillies chances to win in 2026, the ABS System and many other baseball topics. 

Once again, it was a great time with two individuals who go back a long time. I told Don that when I write my second book, I’ll have to decide what photo of what jersey I’ll have to use.

In this story, you’re going to see the video of our interview. You’re also going to see another interview with Anthony San Fillippo, a prominent media member in Philadelphia covers the Phillies and the areas other teams. We also talked about him on 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk.

A week later, I covered the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays in Bradenton, FL. Blue Jays Manager John Schneider had a ton of praise for his former bench coach.

There is so much love and respect for Don Mattingly.

Before I spoke to Mattingly, I saw him working by the batting cage, then he worked with the first and second baseman trying to give pointers how to hit and field their positions better.

Don Mattingly is all about coaching and contributing anyway he can. 

Nothing has ever changed for the 64-year old native of Evansville, Indiana that has a lifetime batting average of .307, who’s No.23 is retired by the New York Yankees and is a Monument Park honoree.

The one honor that has eluded him is enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Game, but he downplays that because of injuries. To this day, I’ll keep endorsing him until is lands is spot in baseball immortality! Don Mattingly is a Hall of Fame Person and Baseball Player! Many years ago, I did buy a Hydrostone Statue of Don swinging the bat which is in my studio.

Instead, he takes more pride in Mattingly Charities and we also talked about that during our interview.

As Baseball uncertainty is inevitable after the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026, this was one more opportunity to talk to a Baseball Lifer that is truly one of a kind in my eyes and has a tremendous following worldwide.

It was great seeing him again! I look forward to the next time! Now, it’s obvious that I’ll be pulling for the Phillies to win the World Series for “Donnie Baseball” so he can get a champions exit and retire on top!

The one thing which is constant is that before we start an interview, we always exchange hugs and Don always asked me about my health. 

He’s given me moral support when I started dealing with concussions. Now that I have Alzheimer’s Disease, his concern for me is even deeper! 

He always tells me to hang in there and keep plugging away! I tell him it’s not easy but I’m trying and tell him I love him and he just keeps hugging me as my head drops into his arms! Don Mattingly is the older brother that I never had!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@Gmail.com. You can follow him on X @TribuneSouth. To see all of his broadcasts, you can subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Scott also wrote a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchase on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble. It’s also available in Audio Form.

Scott will be writing his final Spring Story about the Toronto Blue Jays vs the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, FL. Stay tuned.