Skip to content
How Tampa became a Spring Training destination episode artwork

Feb 26, 2025 28 min

How Tampa became a Spring Training destination

from Florida Matters Hosted by WUSF Public Media

It’s Spring Training time, and for the next two months, fans of the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and other Grapefruit league teams get to experience a slightly more relaxed brand of baseball before the regular season starts. Florida Matters takes you on a tour of Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, the Spring Training base for the Baltimore Orioles. The team's Senior VP of Communications, Jennifer Grondahl, explains some of the traditions the Orioles bring to the Tampa Bay region, including their newest mascot, Mr. Splash. You'll also meet a trio of siblings reconnecting at Spring Training over their love of baseball. And hear from baseball man Rick Vaughn. He led public relations for two major league teams for decades: the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles. And he’s the author of two books about the history of baseball in the Tampa Bay region: 100 Years of Baseball on St. Petersburg’s Waterfront: how the game helped shape a city, and Tampa Spring Training Tales: Major League Memories.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

How Tampa became a Spring Training destination

0:00 28:00

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Florida Matters?

This episode is 28 minutes long.

When was this Florida Matters episode published?

This episode was published on February 26, 2025.

Can I download this Florida Matters episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.