|
Orlando's not a one-mouse town and this is the site that proves it! |
What sets Cracker Jack apart from other Spring Training venues, besides its double deck, is the entertainment it offers. Fireworks, disc jockeys, and rock music keep fans entertained and excited through all nine innings, even when the stars of the game have hit the shower. For instance, the roving microphone person will come up to someone in the stands and ask them a trivia question over the public address system. He may play “name that tune” or lead a golf game in the left field berm. Activities like these take place in a number of stadiums, the difference here is that Disney Enterprises knows how to pick entertainers. The roving microphone man is a professional, not just a staff member who’s not afraid to speak on the public address system, as is the case in most other parks.
While fans will be entertained here, they will rarely get close to the stars. This is, after all, a Major League Ballpark in miniature. And just as in Major League Baseball, players here enter the field through the dugout. They don’t walk along the bleacher walls as they do in traditional Spring Training parks. In addition, the stands are higher in Cracker Jack than they are in most Spring Training stadiums. The right field stands sit at least 20 feet above the playing surface and there is a cement wall on the grandstand fences. What it all adds up to is that fans will get autographs here only if the players are in a good mood and the fan is in the right spot — just past the dugout on the first base side. The day I visited, pitcher John Smoltz must have spent 30 minutes signing and I managed to get his autograph. All-star outfielder Chipper Jones also signed. But that was a rarity according to many of the regulars. Only a couple of other players even came to the stands, and they stayed just five minutes or so. While there are regulars here, Cracker Jack Stadium is not necessarily a place you’re going to find the die-hard baseball fan. Instead, expect a lot of curious tourists; this is the Walt Disney World Resort after all. While Spring Training attracts literally millions of tourists to Grapefruit League stadiums, the feel of the crowd here is different from that at other stadiums. You’ll see lots of families and few regulars. Sure, you’ll meet fans of the Atlanta Braves, complete with their thick Georgia accents, but you’ll encounter far more accents from Britain, the Midwest, the Northeast, and a hodgepodge of other areas. It’s really a place to talk about the newest changes to “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”TM in Disney-MGM Studios and how your daughter enjoyed her first ride on “it’s a small world” at the Magic Kingdom. All told, Cracker Jack Stadium is perfect for those looking to experience a baseball game with all the creature comforts. You get a truly Major League ballpark feeling here, more than at just about any other Spring Training stadium in Florida. If you’re looking to reach out and touch your favorite player, however, you’ll be happier elsewhere. Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
IF
YOU THINK THIS IS COOL, WAIT'LL YOU SEE |
||||
 |
The
Intrepid Traveler |
|||
|
|
