We haven't even played the Super Bowl yet so it seems unfair to start talking baseball, but tickets and travel to the annual kickoff of baseball season are a lot easier to get and less expensive to get to than the pigskin classic. And the timing works better, too. Who wouldn't want to spend a long February or March weekend in Florida or Arizona (both golfing and shopping central) watching superstars shag fly balls, take batting practice and give out autographs and smiles more prevalently than they do once the stress-filled regular season begins? A trip to baseball's spring training is a buddy bonding session or a family affair.
For the most part, spring training is divided into two practice leagues: the Cactus League in Arizona and the Grapefruit League in Florida. A great place to start your Spring Training travel experience, however, is at Spring Training Magazine (www.springtrainingmagazine.com). Billed as "all the information a spring training fan will need," the site lists includes information on directions and driving times to ballparks, ticket sales, player information, history, full schedules and highlights of hot prospects so you can watch tomorrow's stars today. The driving time between parks chart helps you decide where to stay based on how many parks you can get to within a short drive. Best of all, the site gives information on local hotels, and occasionally gives information on the team hotel so you can grab autographs and player sightings after the day's game or practice session ends. For do-it-yourself travelers, you can do everything but book a flight at Spring Training Magazine's site. Ticket prices for games range between $5 and $15. Some practice sessions are free.
For fully-designed package tours, Spring Training Tours (tel. 800/892-7687; www.springtrainingtours.com) specializes in trips to spring training locations. Currently, the site offers land-only packages for six teams including the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals with more teams coming soon. For an example of the site's offerings, let's say you're a San Francisco Giants fan. In addition to giving travelers a wide selection of hotels from which to choose (rates increase based on luxury level of hotel), the packages include a choice of 2, 3, 5, or 7 night trips with all accommodations covered, a four-door rental car from Hertz, a welcoming reception season preview with Giants manager Felipe Alou or a member of the Giants coaching staff, a "Meet the Giants" autograph session with select players, preferred game tickets, a Giants souvenir merchandise package, and all hotel and rental car taxes. Discounts on airfare into the Phoenix area are available through a Spring Training Tours representative. Departure days for the trip are March 3, 11, 17, and 24. Prices for the two night package start at $541 per person with accommodations in a double room at the Comfort Suites in Scottsdale. Prices go down to $408 with quadruple occupancy. For the seven night package, double occupancy costs approximately $1,231. For a more luxurious stay with onsite golfing, a double occupancy package with accommodations at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa starts at $837 for the two-night all-inclusive trip. Similar trips with the same package extras are available for the other teams as well, including the St. Louis Cardinals who play in Jupiter, Florida, near Palm Beach. The site also lists area attractions for things to do when not at the game.
For the skinny on Arizona's Cactus League, whose teams include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, and World Champion Chicago White Sox, check out the league's official website at www.cactus-league.com. The nifty site contains up-to-the-minute information on schedules and events as well as ticket and ballpark information. Most spring training seasons begin around March 5, 2006, and teams play around 30 games, which include a fair share or intra-squad and split squad games as well as double headers. The site also lists lodging near spring training stadiums broken out by moderate and premium categories.
Of course, you can always go straight to the horse's mouth and check out the official Major League Baseball Site (tel. 212/339-7800; www.mlb.com) for links to each team's individual Site. Be advised, this year the World Baseball Classic (www.worldbaseballclassic.com) takes place from March 3 to March 20, 2006. Baseball's best players will represent their home country in venues from Tokyo to San Juan to San Diego. For the Classic's first round of pool play, games in the United States will take place in Phoenix and Orlando. Tickets are available online at http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/wbc/tickets.jsp.
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