Friday, February 18, 2011
Cleveland Baseball Spring Training History is Well Traveled
Spring Training in Cleveland
One of the sure signs that winter is heading into spring, is when the Indians begin Spring Training every year. This week, the tradition continued as pitchers and catchers had to report to the Indians Spring Training home in Goodyear, Arizona. In years past, Cleveland’s baseball clubs wintered in 13 different states, and even in some local places here in Cleveland that still exists today! The Waring Block Building, St. Malachi’s Hall and The Cleveland Athletic Club all were home to some “indoor” Spring Trainings in Cleveland’s past. These locations were chosen for one of two reasons; traveling South for Spring Training developed as a tradition in the late 1880’s; or, financial considerations.
List of Cleveland Baseball Clubs’ Spring Training Homes:
Cleveland Blues
· 1879 – Case Commons, Cleveland
· 1880 – Waring Block Building, Cleveland
· 1881 – St. Malachi’s Hall, Cleveland
· 1882-1884 – Cleveland
· 1887 – Cleveland Driving Park, Cleveland
· 1888 – Columbus, Ohio & Wheeling, WV
Cleveland Spiders
· 1889-1890 – Hot Springs, Arkansas
· 1891 – Jacksonville, Florida
· 1892 – Hot Springs, Arkansas
· 1893 – Atlanta, Macon, Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA and Chattanooga, TN
· 1894 – Cleveland Athletic Club, Cleveland
· 1895-1898 – Hot Springs, Arkansas
· 1899 – Terra Haute, Indiana
Cleveland Indians (Blues, Bronchos, Naps)
· 1901 – Cleveland
· 1902-1903 – New Orleans
· 1904 – San Antonio
· 1905-1906 – Atlanta
· 1907-1908 – Macon, Georgia
· 1909 – Mobile, Alabama
· 1910–1911 – Alexandria, LA
· 1912 – Mobile, Alabama
· 1913 – Pensacola, FL
· 1914 – Athens, Georgia
· 1915 – San Antonio
· 1916-1920 – New Orleans
· 1921-1922 – Dallas
· 1923-1927 – Lakeland, FL
· 1928-1939 – New Orleans
· 1940-1941 – Fort Meyers, FL
· 1942 – Clearwater, FL
· 1943-1945 – Lafayette, Indiana
· 1946 – Clearwater, FL
· 1947-1992 – Tucson, Arizona
· 1993-2008 – Winter Haven, FL
· 2009-present – Goodyear, Arizona
source – springtrainingonline.com & Base Ball on the Western Reserve
Through all the years of the Spring Training tradition, Clevelanders could look forward to baseball in the spring, while the players practiced to bring a Championship to Cleveland.
Photo Credits
- St. Malachi's Church - Cleveland Catholic Diocese
- 1909 Cleveland Naps in Mobile, Alabama - Library of Congress
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Having once lived in Tucson (1973-89), I eagerly checked the Cleveland Press Collection for photos for Cleveland Memory, but surprisingly there aren't any, despite the team having trained in Tucson far longer than any place else!
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