Hensley Field- Lakeland Florida

I know, I picked a bad time to visit a park and get photos. Still, I got a couple of shots of the other Lakeland area park that has hosted the Tigers for spring training.

Kal Segrist 1952 Yankees, and 1955 Orioles

Kal Segrist played in 20 games during 2 years in the majors. Kal sent a note and answered some questions for me recently.

He lets me know that he played for the Kansas City Blues in Louisville for his first series in professional baseball. He would visit Louisville often over the next four years in baseball.

He started out playing shortstop. He was moved all over, and finally ended up at third.

He says that he really doesn't care for professional baseball now, feeling that it is about the money and not about team spirit.

Kal recently had his 80th birthday, and I really appreciate his taking the time to send a note!

Butch Wynegar 1976-1988 Major leaguer

Butch Wynegar spend most of his career with the Twins, then he spent the mid 80s with the Yankees. he finished his career with the Angels in 1987 and 1988.

He had a great career, and he is one of those great characters in the game who could probably retire and be happy, but he is still around the sport as a coach in AAA!

I asked Butch about his career. "I am starting my 5th year as AAA hitting coach for the NY Yankees this year. It is nice being back with the Yankees as a coach!"

Cy Buker- 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers

Cy Buker played in the majors 65 years ago! During WWII he was able to spend some time with the Brooklyn Dodgers!

Cy VERY kindly sent a great note to me recently.

I asked Cy about other players, playing in Kentucky, and some other things.

He told me that his memory is faint these days. He says that he remembers playing in Louisville, but he can't remember the name of the hotel his team stayed in.

He says that he had all sorts of records relating to his career but they were stored in an attic. He rented the house out, and the renters cleaned out the attic.

Concerning playing in Louisville, he says that he remembers flooding. He tells me that, as the teams train would come approach Louisville, all you could see was water.

Also, when his team was scheduled during Derby- things would get wild.

He spent four years in the old American Association, and he says that he enjoyed every minute of it.

He says that Louisville always had a good ballpark with long fences, and well maintained grounds. He says there weren't any parks better. He enjoyed pitching there.

He mentions some of the other parks he pitched in. He mentions Minneapolis was brutal for pitchers. He says you could almost spit over the right field fence from home plate!

He says that Columbus, Indianapolis, and Kansas City were OK.

Cy, thanks for the letter, and all of the info! I appreciate your taking the time to write!

Gary Wheelock- Angels and Mariners

Gary Wheelock played some games for the Angels in 1976, and he played for the Mariners in 1977 and 1980. He kindly took the time to send me a brief note recently!

He let me know that Sandy Koufax was his favorite player.

I asked him about playing for the Spokane Indians specifically, and he said that it was a pretty city with good fans.

He also mentioned that his favorite baseball movies were "Field of Dreams" and "Damn Yankees".

Bruce Von Hoff

Bruce Von Hoff played for that very early Astros team between 1965 and 1967.

He sent a nice note about his playing days, and answered some questions.

He says that he loved playing, but now he does not follow any teams.

I asked him if he had a favorite baseball book, and he mentions Willie Mays' "The Life, The Legend."

I also asked him about playing for the legendary Asheville Tourists in 1969. He said that he "had a blast" in Asheville. He mentions that he loved the drinking water and the cool evenings. He also says that he had some great teammates who were a bunch of cut- ups.

I asked Bruce if he had any good baseball stories relating to Kentucky. He said that he did not, but he did go to the same high school (Batavia, IL.) as basketball legend Dan Issel!

Jim Strickland 1971-1973 Twins

Jim Strickland pitched for the Twins in the early 70s, and he briefly joined the Cleveland Indians in 1975. Jim sent me a great note recently.

I asked him about stories relating to my state. "No Kentucky stories" he tells me.

He goes on with a great story about playing for the Pocatello Chiefs in Idaho. His manager at the time was Tom Lasorda! Well, the future Dodgers manager started a brawl against Idaho Falls. It was the 25 players from Jim's team, against the 42 with Idaho Falls. Jim was pitching that day. The fight lasted 20 minutes, and Jim stresses that everyone fought.

Jim fought the pitcher for the other team. Jim says that after the fight ended, he was the first hitter- hitting against the guy he was just fighting! Jim hit a line drive between the pitchers legs and drove in two runs.

This was Lasorda's first year managing. Jim says he knew Tommy for a long time- he was the scout that had signed Jim!

Atlanta Fulton County Stadium

What is left of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium is in the Turner Field parking lot. I like the way that, at least a little of it, is preserved. We actually drove the bases. Again, see my previous posts about the Braves organization, touring their park, and seeing their museum.

Joker Marchant Stadium- Lakeland, FL

Joker Marchant Stadium was a highlight of our baseball road trip.

Physically it was not the most impressive park but, over all, it just had a nice feel. Good staff, good fans, and good atmosphere.

The Detroit Tigers coaches and players seemed happy to see the fans, and even interacted well. Check out the photo of Tom Brookens hamming it up for a fan's photo! Awesome!

Unlike some of the other parks we visited, the Tigers were pushing the home town minor league Flying Tigers. The usual home team's merchandise was available in the gift shop, and they had Flying Tiger souvenir cups at the concession stand (you could choose that, or a Detroit Tiger's spring training cup). Oh, and season schedules for the minor league team were available.

To me, ticket prices here were a bit more reasonable. We had a couple of seats in a very nice area near the Tiger's dugout. Stadium staff came around to check tickets before the game. And again, unlike at some other parks, I thought the staff was at least pleasant as they asked people to return to their actual seats. We had a good time chatting with fans in our area!

Check out the picture of the guy who brought his stuffed tiger to the game! it looks like the tiger has his neck turned to check out the action at the plate!

The Tigers were playing the Nationals, and there was a ceremony before the game acknowledging that great 2006 team, as Pudge was on hand now with Washington. It was very nice.

We generally enjoyed the city of Lakeland too. We found a couple of really nice restaurants we liked downtown. Traffic wasn't too bad either. Sometimes you visit a park and think that it is nice, but you have been there and seen it- and there is no particular reason to go back.

We did not feel that way at Joker Marchant.

I would like to go back to see the minor league team, or to catch the Tigers training again.

Luther Williams Field Macon, GA.

I was very excited about stopping by Luther Williams Field in Macon recently. The park is one of the oldest, and it hosted the legendary Macon Peaches for decades. I was glad to find out that an independent pro team in the Peach State League is playing there! I would love to catch a game sometime at this facility. http://peachstateleague.com/

Jim Bouton, Bryce Harper, and Beer

A funny thing happened at my local ballpark the other day.

Jim Bouton tossed the first pitch! I thought that was pretty cool. I also thought it was a bit odd that my favorite team, the Lexington Legends, did not mention Jim's appearance on their web site.

Sure, there was a mention that National's prospect Bryce Harper would be there. In fact, there were adds in the paper about it.

Don't get me wrong, seeing big name prospects is a big reason to to see a minor league game. It is one of the reasons I go to a lot of games.

But come on, there should be some mention of Bouton at the park, right?

They did announce at the start of the game that he would be selling and signing his book for the first few innings.

I went to find the author/pitcher. I was pleased to see a huge line of young people waiting around.
WOW! I figured thats pretty cool! Some young baseball fans (they looked to be college aged) going to pick up a copy of "Ball Four!" How cool is that?

Then I remembered, it was $1 beer night. The kids weren't in line to meet Bouton, they were there for cheap beer.

I walked right up to Jim and bought a new copy his book, and he kindly signed it. There was no line. I did see people coming up after me to buy books though.

I DID email the Legends about the lack of promoting Jim Bouton's appearance.

The Legends are a classy group, and they let me know that THEY only knew about his appearance a few hours before the game themselves. They said that they wished they had known sooner so that they could have promoted it!

So, after getting that email, I sort of looked at things a little differently. For the price of a ticket on this night, a baseball fan could go to the park expecting $1 drinks and baseball prospects. Seeing Jim Bouton was an unadvertised bonus.

Turner Field- Atlanta, GA.

For $12 you can tour Turner Field in Atlanta! I think thats pretty cool.

We stopped by for the tour on our way to Florida.

The Braves are a pretty classy organization. The tours are walk up and pretty much hassle free.

I love it when a park makes it easy for you to check things out, even on a non-game day.

The tour includes admission to the Braves Museum (see my other post). Also, the tour was thorough, including visits through the suites, dugout, and the field.

I love it when I get one of those cool old timers as a tour guide. You know, the guys who know everything about baseball. Well, for this tour, our guide was young, but still knew a lot about the team and the park. I was pleasantly surprised.

In fact, all of the staff here when we went were great. There was a friendly attendant in the parking lot keeping an eye on things (I like that kind of security).

Atlanta Braves Museum and Hall of Fame

Wild Pitches

Man, the season is here again! I get so fidgety right before the season starts.

There is so much going on right now, it is a good time to be a baseball fan. Well, except here in Lexington- rain has affected baseball in town.

Still, I am glad the season is going again.

I am excited about seeing some new parks, some prospects, and seeing some parks I visit about once a year. There are some great day and weekend trip baseball towns in and around the state. Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana the Virginias and Carolinas all come to mind for me.

Most towns that have a minor league team also have great museums, restaurants, and other attractions. Go see a game somewhere this weekend!

Tropicana Field

ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex- Florida

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/