The happiest month in the baseball season is about to begin! That is right, Spring Training is upon us. It’s the time of year when fans league-wide flock to Florida and Arizona for the chance to get closer to their favorite players than they ever could during the regular season. Kids flock to the field hoping to get a glimpse or maybe even an autograph from the game stars while the next generation of ballplayers strive to make their mark on their respective teams.
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best homes in all of baseball in Clearwater, Fla. In their 79th year of Spring Training in Clearwooder, the Florida city has become a haven for Phillies baseball. Those Phillies fans wealthy enough to do so opt to retire in the sunny city in droves while families often use their one vacation of the year to trek down to Clearwater, spend some time in Clearwater Beach, and then catch some Spring Training action at BayCare Ballpark.
“Spring training is finally here, and we can’t wait to welcome the best fans in baseball back to BayCare Ballpark,” said John Timberlake, Director of Florida Operations for the Phillies, in a recent press release. “In addition to cheering on the reigning National League East champion Phillies, this year’s spring training experience will feature new additions to our off-the-field lineup that includes tasty menu items, along with terrific gear and merchandise exclusive to our ballpark.”
Let’s check out some of the new happenings at BayCare Ballpark, including some of my personal favorites!
Newest Phillies Merchandise
Every year of Spring Training comes with a slightly refreshed version of the Phillies’ caps. New Spring Training logo, slightly altered design, same classic caps. One of the larger sales each year at Spring Training is the St. Patrick’s Day hats, which have a bit of shamrock-y flair to them this year. Additionally, the popular parrot hats are back. Clearwater truly embraces the Margaritaville style of life, so the parrot hats are just a part of Jimmy Buffett’s influence on Phillies Spring Training merchandise.
The Phanatic’s line of Spring Training merchandise includes a lot of tropical Phanatic shirts, shorts, hoodies, and novelty items. One bit of Phanatic merchandise, however, stands above the rest: a full Phanatic suit. That’s right, you can now purchase your very own onesie-style Phanatic suit! At the time of publishing, it does not seem like the suit is available for purchase online yet, but surely if the demand is there, the supply will be made available. It’s only a matter of time until there is a viral video of John Kruk in a Phanatic suit; mark my words!
Personally, my favorite piece of merchandise this spring has to be the new Spring Training cooling headbands. Three tropical designs are new this year, and these headbands are perfect to keep you cool on the beach or back home at Citizens Bank Park on a muggy July afternoon. And there is even one with the Phanatic riding a dolphin. That’s right, who wouldn’t want to see the Phanatic riding a dolphin?
New Food and Drink Selections
There are plenty of new food additions to be had at the ballpark this year at camp. First, there is a trio of new “Clearwater Creations” to be available this year: El Jefe Nachos (Double L Pork with salsa verde, brisket chili, queso, pork belly bacon, fried jalapeños, chipotle sauce over fresh fried nacho chips), a seafood platter (jumbo fried shrimp, Phillips Crab Cake Bites, grouper filets, fried calamari over Boardwalk French Fries), and a wagyu burger (half-pound Wagyu beef burger seasoned with Japanese BBQ sauce topped with fried jalapeños, pork belly bacon, and provolone cheese with Carlos’ Consuming Fire Mango Habanero Hot Sauce).
There are also new menu options at the Cocina De Los Muertos, and the Little Greek Fresh Grill is back as well. When it comes to food at the ballpark, I am a bit of a classics guy myself, which makes the new additions at the Specialty Hot Dog Cart the most interesting to me. They’re adding four new hot dogs this year: a Big Mac Dog, a ClearWOODER Dog, an Italian Hot Dog, and a Taco Dog.
When it comes to beverages, Clearwater certainly does not lack options. This year, Clearwater Cocktail Co. has a new menu including a Cotton Candy Cosmo, a Jalepeño Margarita, a Watermelon Sour, and a Tequila Mule. A new bar, The Volstead Lounge, has been added in the right field and will feature a Caramel Apple-Tini, a Coconut Margarita, a Mint Smash, a Popcorn Old Fashion, and a Spicy Blood Orange Margarita. The Tiki Bar in left field has also added Coco’s Tequila Crush, a popular Orange Crush concoction from Coco’s Crush Bar on Clearwater Beach.
Speaking of orange, Coca-Cola’s new orange cream Coca-Cola bottle will be on sale throughout the ballpark as well as a new lemonade recipe and souvenir cup. While I’m not much of a drinker myself, I am most excited to see all of the beer bats around the ballpark. I just love their design and am half-tempted to buy a beer just to keep the bat!
Time to Enjoy Some Fun Under the Sun!
The Major League Baseball season is a gruesome marathon. Spring Training is a fun, lighthearted time as the players prepare for the marathon to begin. For those of you who will make the pilgrimage to Clearwater this season, sit back, try out one of the new ballpark additions, and enjoy yourself as the Philadelphia Phillies take the field!
Photo Credit courtesy of the Philadelphia Phillies
