The day was just like any other in Florida – a 70-degree, sunny day.  It was common Florida weather; however, something was up, as the roads were filled with cars.

Today was not just any other day in the state of Florida.  No, the coming of March brings spring and with spring comes baseball. Florida, hosts spring-training sites for a good number of teams (15 to be exact) but on this day the Baltimore Orioles faced off against the defending World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox.  The day was perfect for baseball and ended up being a great game for the Orioles, with them coming out the victor against the Red Sox. The feeling in the stadium resembled the feeling of a home game in the Orioles own Camden Yards.  The fans crowded the smaller-sized stadium, which can seat just over 4,000 people.  A spring training game generally consists of the first 4 innings with the big- name stars, which would include J.J Hardy, Chris Davis, and Matt Wieters for the O’s, and then the rest of the game is for upcoming prospects to prove themselves in the game. As some people have put it, the ones with the higher-numbered jerseys are the ones fighting for a spot.

Spring training may try to be like the majors, but it has its own personality. A spring-training game is a very chilled-out environment where fans get together to watch the veteran players show off their off-season gains and the new prospects show off their talent and try to get their name in the news the following day.  Teams use spring training as a way to test their team’s passion for the game. Players who come in out of shape and unprepared get looked down upon and end up having a bad start for the actual season due to their poor work ethic and preparation. Spring training also brings fans from both teams to talk about their team’s future with one another and even discuss what their teams could do to benefit each other with trade ideas and much more. The overall spring-training environment is a good one, with friendly vendors and even friendlier spectators. I’d recommend that any baseball fanatic go to spring training at least once in his lifetime. Not only do you get live baseball, but you also have great weather and a great vacation as well.