The Complete Guide to Spring Training, Second Edition

Totally updated for Spring Training 2009, The Complete Guide to Spring Training, 2nd Edition is baseball's definitive guide for the ultimate Spring Training experience. Combining complete coverage of both Florida and Arizona destinations, this guide is for both the hardcore fan seeking out the next spring phenom and the casual fan who cares more about lying in the sun and sipping a cold one. In this book, you'll learn:

* The best spots for collecting autographs

* The best spring training venues for families

* Where to find the best parties during spring training

* How to score great tickets for sold-out games

* Where to see tomorrow's stars free

* Obtaining spring-training schedules the minute they are released

* Information on new training facilities

* Where to stay near the ballparks

* Bonus coverage of annual games in Las Vegas, as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic

This book covers spring training both in Florida and Arizona. In 2009, the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be moving spring operations from Florida to Phoenix, changing the dynamic of spring training in both locales. Even so, the two spring-training experiences tend to be different. Spring training in Florida is a relaxed, sprawling affair; though many teams train in the Tampa and Orlando areas, spring training takes place throughout the state, all the way from Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers to the south and Orlando to the north. You tend to focus on a team or two in a specific area and then schedule other activities around an afternoon exhibition game. It's a very laid-back environment.

Compare that with Arizona, where 11 teams train in Phoenix and three in Tucson; the concentration of 14 teams into just 11 facilities makes for baseball nirvana, as you can hit a large number of games with relatively little fuss. A spring-training game in Florida's Lakeland or Dunedin tends to be a subdued affair rich with tradition, but a spring-training game in Peoria or Surprise tends to be a rowdier affair, with kids romping through the outfield berm and college co-eds teasing young men. Florida is your father's spring training and Arizona is party central not that there s anything wrong with either, and you can certainly find rowdy parties at Florida ballparks and subdued atmospheres in Arizona, particularly down in Tucson.

This book is divided into two sections: a Florida guide and an Arizona guide. They're not structured exactly the same. As mentioned, Florida spring training sprawls across the entire state, and most fans tend to stick in one place (in other words, they won't be traversing the width of the state often), so there's plenty of information about each spring-training city. Most visitors to the Cactus League spend the vast majority of their time in the Phoenix/Scottsdale or Tucson areas, and our Arizona coverage focuses on those areas.