Garage Fruit Baseball.

Florida is home to many professional baseball teams spring training camps. Here in our immediate area we have the Boston Red Sox and theMinnesota Twins. They're about 18 pre-season games and we are able to see our favourites several times. The Toronto Blue Jays are further north but about 2 hours away.

Many people come for their holidays and make it to the park every day to watch their team practising. There is no charge and you can get up close and personal with the players. While here the players take time out for autographs and talk to the fans.

The players work every day and quit after the noon game. There usually is a mad rush to the golf courses and fishing holes. It is reported that there is an economic advantage to this spring training to the tune of some $30,000,000. This helps the motels, restaurants and other venues to be busy.The ball parks that they play in become home to the local triple A teams which play here for the whole season.

These parks have four to six practise fields adjacent to the main field and become magnets for university and secondary tournaments.There is rarely a vacant seat during the practise season and entry to the games are between $14 to $30. Attendance runs around the 10,000 to 15,ooo. When the Yankees come to play Boston they open the gates for hill sitting for $10. This means you can bring a chair or blanket and sit on the grass adjacent to the game and watch. It is surprising how popular this is.

All over Florida the papers are full of the reports and the forecasting as to where they will finish in the fall. It is truly America's sport and a good one it is. Play ball!