Spring Training without Winter Haven

It's that time of year again. A time when the cold blustering winds of the North begin to subside and things finally begin to thaw.  In the states of Florida and Arizona, it can only mean one thing: baseball is back. Spring training finally gets going into exhibition games this week.

As I prepare for what I'm sure will be four weeks of stadium pilgrimages, I feel a bit saddened. This is the first year since I moved to Florida where I will not get to visit the city of Winter Haven to watch the Cleveland Indians. 

As the team (along with the Dodgers, as well as the Reds next season) moved to Arizona's Cactus League, I felt that piece of home that I had grown to expect had been taken away from me.

I understand the need for a move. Comparing the new Indians training facility in Goodyear, AZ to Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, FL is comparing apples and oranges.

A $103 million facility being handed over to you with little or no expense on your part is a draw that I'm sure few can pass up.  As the players took to the field this week, they had been bombarded with questions about the comparison between old and new.

What followed was a barrage of insults being hurled back at the State of Florida and a facility that gave them 16 great years.

It seems that the press can not make a compliment about Goodyear without making a nasty comparison to its predecessor. Player Kelly Shoppach was quoted this week as saying that the best part about Winter Haven was that he lived in Fort Myers and could get out of there quickly. 

Indians radio announcers Mike Hegan and Tom Hamilton have not been able to say anything nice about Goodyear without first pointing out how their families would try to sneak out a week before Chain of Lakes would break camp.

Here is the ironic part: they are absolutely right.

Chain of Lakes was abandoned by the Boston Red Sox after several decades. At the time, the Indians were building a permanent facility in Homestead, FL, but were quick to move to Winter Haven after Hurricane Andrew destroyed their plans. 

What was supposed to be a temporary fix lasted 16 years. The Chain of Lakes complex had old, rusted out buildings and a stadium in dire need of repair. It's outfield walls pressed up against a condominium complex.  Hawks would swoop down during the game before returning to their nests built into the stadium lighting.

By all accounts, it was not a modern Major League facility...and I loved it.

Chain of Lakes reminded me of a simpler time in baseball; a time before the hustle and bustle of big business. To step onto that field was to forget about multi-million dollar contracts and steroid abuse scandals. There would be no fancy sound systems or jumbotron displays.  There would be no lavish seating areas and catered suites.  

It was just you and the game; that perfect blend of intimacy and excitement. 

I know the Indians will have great success in their new spring training home. No matter where they go, I will continue to cheer for them, as I always have. But as you read through more commentaries on the need for 'bigger and better', please don't forget what's important about Spring Training. 

 It is the one time of year when we can enjoy the game for what it was always supposed to be.....simple.  And simple is beautiful.