Scott Butherus' "View from the Cheap Seats," Mar. 8: Ahhh! You know it's springtime in Florida when you can smell the coconut suntan lotion wafting off half-naked bodies basking in the warm sun. OK, so the half-naked bodies belong to middle-aged men with large guts and hairy backs, but it's a beautiful afternoon all the same. Today was my final stop in Bradenton and McKechnie Field, and I spent it like the rest of the bleacher bums: sprawled out across three rows of bleachers with no shirt, surrounded by sunflower husks and empty beer cups. Hey, when in Rome…
Today marks the midway point for my "Cheap Seats" spring-training project. Thanks to everyone who's shared their baseball stories and bought me beers at each ballpark that I’ve been to. It ha
s been quite a trip so far, and I am looking forward to the next 10 days with lots of great stuff on deck. Friday I will be in Dunedin at Knology Park and afterward I’ll be doing a tour of the Dunedin Brewery. This weekend I will be in St. Pete at Waterfront Park and the Trop, and next week I’ll be spending spring break with the Twins and Red Sox. If you see me at a game don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation: I always enjoy good ballpark banter. (If you think you can stump me on spring training trivia, I welcome the challenge.
This article appears in Mar 7-13, 2007.