Miami Stadium – Later Bobby Maduro Stadium

Deadball Baseball

Miami Stadium was located at 2301 Northwest 10th Avenue in Miami, Florida.  Constructed in 1949, Miami Stadium hosted both Major League Spring Training and Minor League baseball games. In 1987, Miami Stadium was renamed Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium in honor of Miami resident Roberto “Bobby” Maduro. Mr. Maduro was the former owner of two professional baseball…

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Ft. Lauderdale Stadium – The Ghost of Spring Trainings Past

The exterior of the Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Fort Lauderdale Stadium is located at 1401 NW 55th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just east of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and north of Lockhart Stadium. Although the City of Fort Lauderdale operates the ballpark, the land it is on is part of the 64 acres that make up the airport. For almost 50 seasons,…

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Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium Redux

The front façade of the Ed Smith Stadium

Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida, is not a lost ballpark. However, the stadium as it existed in when it first opened in 1989 is long gone, replaced with a strikingly different ballpark that calls out for a deadballbaseball then and now comparison. Ed Smith Stadium as it exists today is modern, yet seemingly from…

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Waterfront Park/Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida

Professional baseball first came to St. Petersburg, Florida, as early as 1908 when the then- independent St. Paul Saints played an exhibition game against the National League Cincinnati Reds. In 1914, businessman and future mayor Al Lang convinced the St. Louis Browns to come to St. Petersburg and train at Sunshine Park – also known…

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Crescent Lake Park/Huggins-Stengel Field in St. Petersburg, Florida

A Crescent Lake Park signage

Crecent Lake Park is located at 1320 5th Street N in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the southern most part of the park, tucked away in a residential neighborhood, is an important and relatively unspoiled historical baseball site. Beginning in 1925, the ball field at Crescent Lake Park was the spring training home of the American League…

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The Six Different Ballparks Known As Oriole Park

The Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country. Now over 20 years old, it helped usher in the era of “retro ballparks” that swept both major league and minor league ballparks over the past two decades. Oriole Park at Camden…

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Lonaconing’s Own Lefty Grove

Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. He spent his 17 year major league career with the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics, compiling a record of 300-141 with an ERA of 3.06. Prior to his major league debut, he pitched for several seasons for the Baltimore Orioles…

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