Baseball

Speaking of walking...walked from downtown to McKechnie Field to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates play the Baltimore Orioles in Spring Training (Grapefruit League) last night.  First, the walk was refreshing, second, the weather was beautiful and, third, even though the Pirates lost, there was a great fireworks display after the game.

March is our biggest month for tourists in this area, for the weather, but also for the baseball fans!  The Pirates have returned to Bradenton for over 40 years now.  And, Sarasota is the new winter home of the Orioles. Avid fans follow their teams and enjoy foot long hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn and singing "Take me out to the Ball Game" an extra month of the year down here.  McKechnie Field now has lights and is available for rent for events too...imagine a wedding at home plate...happened here last year!

And, of course, the icing on the cake for the locals is that these teams bring in revenue for their counties and the teams are active contributors to local events and needs.