Cactus & Grapefruit Leagues

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I lived in South Florida from 1981-1984, the only chance I had to see the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training was in Lakeland.

The Tigers never came to Pompano Beach to play the Texas Rangers, Fort Lauderdale to face the New York Yankees or Miami to meet the Baltimore Orioles.

But that was then because Baseball's Spring Training Landscape has drastically changed!

The Cactus League, based in Arizona, took a page from the Movie "Field Of Dreams." If you build it, they will come.

Five former Grapefruit League Teams made the trek west out to Arizona.

For years, the Kansas City Royals played in Fort Myers, Florida and then moved to the Baseball City Complex Haines City.

The Texas Rangers were in Pompano Beach then moved to Port Charlotte.

For decades, the Cincinnati Reds played at Tampa's Al Lopez Field and eventually moved to nearby Plant City and Sarasota.

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to move to Homestead but Hurricane Andrew sent them to Winter Haven.

Dodgertown in Vero Beach was the home to the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers until just a couple years ago.

Now the Royals and Rangers share a stadium in Surprise, AZ. The Reds and Indians share a complex in Goodyear, AZ. The Dodgers moved to Glendale and are neighbors with the Chicago White Sox.

It's hard to believe that the  Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals are the only Midwest Teams in Florida.

I'm amazed that the New York Yankees ever left Fort Lauderdale since their fan base is off I-95.

But considering their late Owner George M. Steinbrenner lived in Tampa, I understand why the Yankees relocated. The New York Mets once trained in St. Petersburg but they moved to the East Coast of Florida to be near the transplants and fill the void left behind by the Yankees.

As I glanced at the Spring Training schedule two weeks ago,  I was surprised to see the Tigers and Mets playing Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Port Saint Lucie. However, they could have played at two other I-95 locations.

The Washington Nationals are in Viera, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins are in Jupiter, Florida.

It's impossible for me to get to away games during the week with my crazy schedule. But this worked out fantastic because I couldn't ask for a better Sunday drive then to see my close cousins Cindy and her husband Peter Spyke in Fort Pierce just 15 minutes north of Port Saint Lucie at 8:30 am, then going to cover the Tigers Vs Mets.

When we made plans, I told Cindy, "How often do I get to cover the Detroit Tigers in your backyard?"

She added, "There was no way I'd miss this opportunity to get together with you."

With gas prices hovering around $4 per-gallon, Port Saint Lucie was a bargain compared to Lakeland. It was a 90 minute drive compared to four hours, plus I was able to spend time with two of the closest members of my family.

All of this was made possible because five teams moved to Arizona and the Tigers had to find new opponents because of the Grapefruit League's decrease therefore, Detroit had to travel Southeast.

But because of circumstances, the Tigers were able to connect with their Gold Coast Fan Base.

This was a win-win situation and from 1981-84, it wasn''t even a thought, just a pipe-dream.

Indeed, the Spring Training Landscape and Times have changed.

During the Tigers and Mets contest, Prince Fielder belted a long homer to right-field as the Mets fans cheered in the fourth inning. Fielder hitting home runs is something Tigers fans should see a lot. This homer run cleared a canopy.

The Mets fans were either happy it was in Spring Training or relieved that he's now in the American League and won't be a headache for them anymore in the Regular Season.

The attendance of 5,836 saw Detroit come away with a 9-2 win.

All in all this was a great way to spend April Fools Day. But this was no April Fools joke.

Just the Modern Day Version of Spring Training, 2012 style.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Ft. Lauderdale Strikers Return

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I walked into the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce to meet with My former Deerfield Beach Observer Editor Ric Green, I saw a schedule for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

As I looked at this schedule, I thought it might be from a youth soccer league. But as I continued to read it, the Strikers were playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL). I decided to call the number and spoke to James Armold.

He filled me in that the Strikers have Returned. The President of the team is 55-year old Tim Robbie, who was the General Manager of the Strikers from 1980-83 when his mother Elizabeth Robbie owned the franchise. Tim Robbie was announced as President on March 9th at a Press Conference at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

The team is playing at Lockhart Stadium. Their offices along with their practice facility are at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Ironically, in last weeks edition of the Deerfield Beach Observer, I actually made mention of the Strikers when I was referring to FAU Football.

Now on this Friday, July 15, 2011 morning, when I was actually at the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce to meet Ric for new ideas on how to market an alarm company that I'm working with, in addition to other money making projects that I'm exploring, it's ironic that a part of my past could once again be a part of my future.

Time will tell when I meet with the Strikers later this week.

But now after looking at the schedule, I know this isn't an April Fools joke.

Back in the 1980's, I enjoyed covering the Strikers. They were one of the first professional sports teams that I wrote about for the Hallandale Digest.

I met one of my closest friends Chip Namias, who was the Director of Public Relations. We've known each other since 1982. Now Chip and I both wear glasses and have a few more gray hairs.

Robbie and I got a long real well and I enjoyed dealing with the rest of his family especially his father Joe, who was the owner/founder of the Miami Dolphins.

I told Armold that every time that I write a Miami Dolphins story, I always use Joe Robbie Stadium because he was the person that built that Miami Gardens venue which has been the home to several Super Bowls and a Pro Bowl. At one point this was vacant land off the Lake Lucerne site next to Calder Race Course.

As I meet the staff of the Strikers this week, it will be very different because most of them will likely be in their 20's to mid 30's. The only stories they'll know are those that Tim Robbie and the rest of the local media has mentioned to them. Sure a lot of these names will be on the Strikers website.

These names include Arnie Mausser, Teofilo "Nene" Cabillas, Ray Hudson, Thomas Rongen, the late Jan Van Beveran, Colin Fowles, Gerd Muller, George Best and Gordon Banks. When Van Beveran died a few weeks ago, Arnold told me that there was a tribute to him as well as a moment of silence.

It will be interesting to see if the Strikers hire any of these players and give them a role with the organization. It would make good sense to connect the old generation to the new one.

But I know the next time I return to Lockhart Stadium, it will be hard to criticize this place because it was a good soccer facility and there were a lot of great memories. Although the NASL isn't on the same level as Major League Soccer, and I assume that Robbie will want to take his Strikers to the next level; for now, this is the best place for him to be.

Welcome back Strikers. It will be neat to see the Red, Yellow and Black colors on the field. It will be great to take a trip back to memory lane 27 years later.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.