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Florida Spring Training: Your Guide To Touring The Grapefruit League |
That dream would come true in the spring of 1986. The Texas Rangers had signed me in the June draft the year before. I would be going to Spring Training in Pompano Beach, Florida, just fifteen minutes from Fort Lauderdale. I would be able to live at home and play in front of my family and friends. It was my first Spring Training, it was Big League camp, and I was both nervous and excited about showing off my talents to the Ranger organization. Like most rookies, I didn’t stay long, but I didn’t care. I was there long enough to hit a home run and sign a lot of those autographs that I had longed to do as a kid. I spent only one Spring Training season in Pompano Beach. The Rangers moved their training site to Port Charlotte on the west coast of Florida in 1987. It was here, in 1988, that I experienced the thrill of making the Major League team out of Spring Training. In 1992, I ended my tenure with the Rangers and signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. That’s right. Come spring, I was in camp with the same team that I had come to see as a kid. I was now playing on the same field that I had dreamed of playing on as a child sitting in the stands. Hollywood could not have improved on the script. Reggie Jackson was there. Ron Guidry was there and would throw batting practice. And my favorite, Whitey Ford, joined us. I will never forget this legend on the backfield shagging balls or feeding a curveball machine. This was a Hall of Famer! Most greats of the game simply put on a uniform for Spring Training and are there to be seen. Whitey was there to help us and make us better. I doubt you could find another player of his greatness with more humility. Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
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