Herb's Corner

Wheel me out to the ballgame

By Herb Drill

“ … And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

but there is no joy in Mudville, the mighty Casey has struck out!”

Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

It’s a warm, sunny afternoon - perfect for baseball! There’s hope, even though the Philadelphia Phillies are trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 10^th inning.

My wife, Barbara (post-polio), and I (Muscular Dystrophy) are seated next to my high school friend, David Davis, and his charming wife, Carolyn.

We’re not in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia . We’re in Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater , Florida - and it’s March 1.

Wanna get away? - as the Southwest Airlines slogan goes. Would you like to watch pretty good baseball and enjoy a long weekend or week’s vacation cheering at Grapefruit (central Florida ) or Cactus ( Arizona ) League spring training games? After all, Ballpark Digest quoted baseball team owner/impresario the late Bill Veeck as saying, "Ballparks should be happy places."

Shaping up in the Cactus League are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers Warming up in the Grapefruit League are the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, the Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals,

How serious is spring training baseball? One sportswriter wrote this: “A match-up between the arch rival Red Sox and Yankees at Legends Field [had] been sold out since January, and seats were fetching nearly $400 each on the Internet. `And that's for a game that doesn't even count,’ Yankees reliever Kyle Farnsworth said.”

This isn’t a recent phenomenon. In 1925, the former Philadelphia Athletics became the first major league club to train in Fort Myers . The As played at Terry Park, the Cleveland Indians made Fort Myers their spring training base, and years later the Pittsburgh Pirates arrived. The Lee County Sports Complex, anchored by the 7,500-seat William H. Hammond Stadium, is spring training headquarters for the Minnesota Twins and summer home for the Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins’ Class A team. The City of Palms Park, in downtown Fort Myers , is the spring training home of the Red Sox. This 6,990-seat stadium, built in 1992, includes a stadium field, practice field, five minor league fields, 12 indoor hitting tunnels, expansive clubhouses and dugouts, plus conditioning, hydrotherapy, training and locker rooms.

"The architectural style of City of Palms Park is reminiscent of traditional stadiums like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park ," said Jim Humphrey, mayor of Fort Myers . "The stadium was designed with baseball fans in mind. It allows a closeness and an access to the players that only occurs at spring training camps."

Kevin Reichard, editor of Ballparkwatch.com, claims “all spring training ballparks are handicapped-accessible and meet Florida and national guidelines.” Jack Gillrup. chief of the Disabled Services Division for Jacksonville , Florida (all of Duval County ) and a member of the National Association of ADA Coordinators, maintains “often Florida law is stricter than the federal ADA .”

The U.S. Dept. of Justice ADA Title III ’s Standards for Accessible Design defines a “place of public accommodation as a facility, operated by a private entity, whose operations affect commerce and fall within at least one of the following categories, among others: (1) An inn, hotel, motel, or other place of lodging; (2) restaurant, bar, or other establishment serving food or drink; (3) motion picture house, theater, concert hall, stadium, or other place of exhibition or entertainment; (4) park, zoo, amusement park, or other place of recreation.”

Remember, the ADA doesn’t just apply to the disabled person. The ADA ’s Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) state “companion seating for wheelchair users is an important feature for full spectator enjoyment of sports and entertainment facilities.” ADAAG specifies “at least one companion fixed seat shall be provided next to each wheelchair seating area.”

As for sightlines for wheelchair users, ADAAG requires wheelchair locations “provide lines of sight comparable to those in other general seating. There are established industry standards used to compute sightlines for these facilities based on spectators seated in either chairs, bleachers, or stadium seats, depending on the specific facility. Sightlines for wheelchair users are computed in an identical manner, with only minor adjustments for the wheelchair seat height. It may be appropriate, in some specific facilities, to enhance sightlines at the wheelchair seating locations. The sightline requirement is important because it can directly affect the integration of wheelchair spaces and their dispersion in the stadium. In most sports facilities, the industry standard is to allow spectators to see over the heads of spectators seated two rows in front.”

ADAAG notes that “if toilet stalls are provided, then at least one shall be a standard toilet stall complying with ADAAG where six or more stalls are provided; in addition to the stall complying with ADAAG at least one stall 36 inches wide with an outward-swinging, self-closing door and parallel grab bars shall be provided.”

The Phillies’ Bright House Networks Field, at 601 Old Coachman Road in Clearwater , opened in 2004 and seats 7,000 fans. There’s a ramp and elevator - near the somewhat limited handicapped parking - which leads to the accessible seating behind home plate and other areas on the concourse level with shops (collectibles, paraphernalia) and food concessions (hot dogs). I don’t know the cost of the beer - I don’t drink it.

Major League Ballpark found Bright House to be “located near a very congested area of Clearwater , close to the intersection of heavily-used U.S. 19 and Drew Street . Route 19 is akin to Interstate 95 in New England - in a perpetual state of "improvement," yielding a construction zone tie-up.

There are other baseball facilities close by in every direction: the Blue Jays in Dunedin six miles to the west; across the bay in Tampa (16-mile drive) is Legends Field, spring home of the Yankees; and due south 17 miles is the Devil Rays' spring home. From Clearwater , “you're not far from spring baseball in Sarasota or Bradenton . Bright House has a 360-degree concourse that allows a stroll around the field, and when you're behind the bullpens in left field note the sign which provides a light-hearted look at distances to the Phillies' minor league affiliates.”

If you pan a trip, in the duffel bag put information that the Tampa Bay area casts opportunities for fishing, boating, sightseeing, side trips such as the Antique Car Museum in Sarasota . You can visit Tampa , St. Petersburg , Clearwater , and Dunedin . Don’t forget that place - what’s its name? - oh, Disney, in Orlando . The beaches areas of Fort Myers and Sanibel facing the Gulf of Mexico offer top-flight fishing, golfing, and backcountry boating, and hockey. We marvel at sunset over the Gulf.

Since Florida is a state living on tourism dollars, lodging and restaurants are as numerous as Paris Hilton boyfriends. Near the Phillies stadium is the Clearwater Quality Inn (727-799-6133), which owner Stanley Kulach< > told me was ”made to be beyond ADA and Florida code. The bank made sure I did that when I bought the facility from the previous owner.”

If you’re a fish and seafood lover, mosey on over to Joe’s Crab House and use the ramp to get to the large portions at modest prices, plus the servers’ joyous line dance every half hour. That’s worth the wait.

Want more information from Major League Baseball? Don’t bother. They’re the folks who denied admission to the Baseball Hall of Fame to the late Negro Leagues star and all-of-baseball ambassador Buck O’Neil just months before his recent passing at 94.

On the bright side, avid baseball fan Carolyn Davis, of Hunterdon County , NJ , described an extended weekend visit to the Grapefruit League this way: “The whole experience was very enjoyable. The [Quality Inn] was a perfect location for Bright House Field. The room was clean and in a good location on the grounds. We were glad that it was in the rear of the property, not facing the main road. The management was courteous and [continental] breakfast was adequate. The ballpark was easy to find and very accessible. The location of the seats was excellent. We would do it again.” Her husband, David, added, “The accommodations at the motel were fine, the rates were reasonable. We felt the staff was courteous and helpful. The short distance we traveled to the ballpark was a definite plus.”

Wheelchair Getaways contends a spring training tour might be the perfect ticket to start off the spring season. More information about the tours is available at www.sprintrainingtours.com. Jay Buckley Baseball Tours offer fans an opportunity to see some spring action. Wheelchair Getaways has an Arizona franchise at 1-888-824-7413 or the Florida franchisee, serving Tampa , Orlando , Bradenton , and Sarasota , at 1-800-242-4990 .

Still, if funds don’t permit such a trip and you don’t want to strike out like the mighty Casey, you can visit www.SpringTrainingOnline.com.

It’s outta here!

In his wheelchair in Jacksonville , FL , Herb Drill writes and edits www.notaccessible.com and is a charter member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. His e-mail address is herbdrill@notaccessible.com.

Herb Drill (seated) and his wife, Barbara (behind him), with longtime friends Carolyn and David Davis in front of Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater , Florida

Jack Gillrup. chief of the Disabled Services Division for Jacksonville , Florida