Don't Lose Your Head at the Ed

The following post is guest-authored by Carp . It's the first in a series of ballpark reviews from our jaunt across the west coast of Florida.
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Spring Training Ballpark Review: Ed Smith Stadium
Sarasota, Florida

The first stop on our Spring Training tour, Ed Smith Stadium, is the spring home of the Cincinnati Reds. 

For those of you scoring at home, Ed Smith, was a strong advocate of youth sports and loved the children of Sarasota dearly.  Perhaps he loved them too much.  We will never know for sure.  Some say he died of a broken heart.  I think he succumbed from spending too many hours at the ballpark without the proper sunscreen. 

The Cincinnati Reds are a relatively new arrival to Sarasota and Ed Smith Stadium, after having moved from Plant City in 1998. Ed Smith Stadium opened in March 1989 as the spring-training home of the Chicago White Sox, who have since shifted their spring-training home to Tucson Electric Park in Arizona. Ed Smith Stadium and the surrounding spring-training complex includes four-and-a-half practice fields and 35,000 square feet of clubhouses and office space.

Enough about Ed Smith Stadium, let’s talk about the ballpark experience we had on Saturday when the Reds downed the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-1.

Our seats were down the left field line.  Subjected to the blazing sun beating against our faces, Ed Smith Stadium does not provide a great deal of protection from ultraviolet rays.  Upon completion of the game my skin had taken on the hue of a boiled lobster.  Of course, I had failed to apply any sun tan lotion.  It was not Ed’s fault, I swear.

The concessions were quite basic – hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, and peanuts.  Nothing exotic to be found at any of the six food stands sprinkled throughout the ballpark.

The sign of a good hot dog is its snap when you bite into one.  My wieners provided little snap yet tasted fairly good.  Also, they were not overly plump.  But, all in all, they provided a decent meal.

Ed Smith Stadium features Coke products which is always welcome in my book.  The Reds offer a decorative souvenir cup for $3.50 that can contain a trough of liquid.  Ed Smith Stadium has learned the art of super sizing for sure.

While we missed the pre-game Clydesdale dance review show, the friendliness of the ushering staff made us quickly forget our misfortune. 

Perhaps the highlight of any Spring Training baseball game is the presence of a team mascot.  Dedicated to providing off field entertainment between innings, the Cincinnati Reds have a winning pair of mirth makers in Mr. Red and Sarasota the Alligator.  The dynamic duo of Ed Smith Stadium danced, pranced, cajoled children, and even may have channeled the spirit of Ed Smith in their performance.  John and I had the extreme pleasure of not only being photographed with Mr. Red and Sarasota the Alligator, but we also partied with them later that evening at the Sarasota Cay Club Tiki Bar.  However, the evening did end on a sour note when Mr. Red’s baseball head accidentally fell into a nearby swimming pool.  He forgave us though.

Overall Rating:  B- 

Comments

[Jennifer E. Jones]

Glad you're having fun, Chris. While you've been gone, half the staff quit and Michael Little keeps coming by wondering where you are.

:-)

Kidding, of course.