Sarasota Florida - Palm trees swayed to a light breeze and sea gulls volunteered play-by-play commentary with the temperature in the lower 70s as the Orioles pitchers and catchers took the field Thursday for the first day of spring training in their new training facilities in Sarasota after spending the pre-season the last 14 years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Williams family of Westminster Maryland was also there and delighted to have had the opportunity to share a light-hearted moment with Orioles manager Dave Trembley at the first day of spring training workouts at Ed Smith Stadium in sunny Sarasota Florida.
Kenny Williams and his wife, Barbara Schildwachter Williams, and their sons, Jeremy and Jonathan, from the Greens off Royer Road in Westminster were happy to be away from the cold - and visiting the Orioles’ spring training camp.
“Yeah, I’m got tired of shoveling snow,” said Mr. Williams, a landscape contractor by trade. The temperature was hovering in the 30s at home in Westminster. “We came down here (to Sarasota) to get away from the snow and the cold,” he said with a broad smile.
Jeremy Williams, an 8th grader at West Middle School in Westminster, was excited to be at spring training. “My favorite player is Brian Roberts… He plays second base.”
Roberts, the all-star player from the Durham – Chapel Hill area of North Carolina and the other “position players will have their first day of training next Tuesday… the 23rd,” said Orioles director of public relations Monica Barlow.
After being drafted by the Orioles in 1999, Roberts was brought up to the major leagues in 2001, after playing for several of the organization’s farm teams, including a number of games in Frederick, MD in 2000.
Meanwhile Jonathan Williams, a 6th grader at West Middle, didn’t have a favorite player – he was just happy to be warm.
Barbara Williams explained, “This is our third winter trip to Sarasota. We’re big Orioles fans. We’re glad they’re here… This is our first time visiting spring training. We really enjoy Sarasota. It’s warm…”
Trembley displayed a good sense of humor as he spent several minutes signing autographs, answering questions and talking about spring training with several hundred Orioles baseball fans.
“We’re excited to be here,” said Trembley referring to the team returning to Sarasota. “We’re looking forward to good year and for right now starting a long-tern relationship with Sarasota.”
The Orioles have not trained in Sarasota since 1995.
After two rebuilding years and a 64-98 record in 2009, the Orioles are looking forward to a fresh new start to this season in their upgraded facilities that will combine the team’s minor and major league operations in one place.
In the past the two operations were several hours apart, making the coordination of pre-season difficult.
The Birds took over the training facility, at the 20-year-old, 9,000-seat Ed Smith Stadium, from the Cincinnati Reds who had moved-on to a facility in the U.S. southwest.
Workers were busy throughout the day putting the finishing touches on preparing the stadium for the first home game on March 3rd against the Tampa Bay Rays. Ticket sales have been brisk for the sixteen Orioles spring training games against 10 different opponents, said Barlow.
“We’re thrilled… Sarasota has been so welcoming. We’re glad to be here,” said Barlow as she multi-tasked corralling a large contingent of Japanese reporters and photographers who were there covering Koji Uehara, the right-handed pitcher from Osaka, Japan.
Many fans are hoping that the good crop of young players will add to the team this year as Uehara returns for his second year with the Birds to shore-up the bullpen.
There are also great hopes for the off-season moves that witnessed the Birds signing free agent third baseman Miguel Tejada, starting pitcher Kevin Millwood, first baseman Garrett Atkins and closing pitcher Mike Gonzalez, observed Barlow.
Barlow also noted that the organization is looking for good results from youngsters in the outfield, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Nolan Reimold; young pitchers Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken, Dave Hernandez, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman; and Matt Wieters behind the plate at the catcher position.
Meanwhile as the fans in the Maryland area are looking forward to warmer weather and the upcoming baseball season, the fans at spring practice, the coaches and the players all share Barlow’s enthusiasm that maybe, just maybe, this is the year for the Birds.
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20100218 sdosmked de SCE pubver Oriole sprng trnng
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Photo caption: The Williams family, of Westminster Maryland, was also at the first day of spring training workouts at Ed Smith Stadium in sunny Sarasota Florida and delighted to have had the opportunity to share a light-hearted moment with Orioles manager Dave Trembley (left.)
From left to right, Barbara Schildwachter Williams, son Jeremy, husband
Kenny Williams and son Jonathan - from the Greens off Royer Road in Westminster were happy to be away from the cold - and visiting the Orioles’ spring training camp. Photo by Kevin Dayhoff February 18, 2010
[20100218 OriolesSarasotaTremblyWms21]
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Related:
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/orioles-manager-trembley-with-evelyn.html Orioles’ manager Trembley with Evelyn Babylon in Sarasota training camp
http://tinyurl.com/yh46oxhhttp://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/caroline-babylon-of-westminster-md-gets.html http://tinyurl.com/yfduskq Caroline Babylon of Westminster MD gets the autograph of Orioles manager Dave Trembley
http://tinyurl.com/yfduskq http://twitpic.com/142s9y[20100218 OriolesSarasotaTrembleyCB]
Dayhoff Daily Photoblog,
Dayhoff photos,
Dayhoff photos family,
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US st Fl Long Boat Sarasota 2010 Feb,
US st Florida 2010 FebInterviewing Orioles director of public relations Monica Barlow
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/interviewing-orioles-director-of-public.html http://tinyurl.com/yhhqpm9EAGLE ARCHIVE: Which comes first, baseball or digging out my driveway? EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff
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http://tinyurl.com/ykabspmWednesday, February 24, 2010
Sarasota Snowbird http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=3620Kevin E. Dayhoff
http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41Sarasota FL – The Orioles’ pitchers and catchers took the field last Thursday for the first day of spring training in their new training facilities in Sarasota after spending the pre-season the last 14 years in Fort Lauderdale.
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Oriole pitchers and catchers take to the field for the first day of spring training
http://tinyurl.com/yb9tudo http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/oriole-pitchers-and-catchers-take-to.htmlWestminster MD fans join Oriole pitchers and catchers for the first day of spring training
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/oriole-pitchers-and-catchers-take-to.html or here:
http://tinyurl.com/yb9tudo Click here for a larger image:
http://twitpic.com/14999i on my
Twitpic:
http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/410746018/westminster-md-fans-join-oriole-pitchers-andWhich comes first, baseball or digging out my driveway?
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/explore-carroll-which-comes-first.html EAGLE ARCHIVE: Which comes first, baseball or digging out my driveway? EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff
(Enlarge) Posted
http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/3973/which-comes-first-baseball-or-digging-my-driveway/ 2/21/10
http://tinyurl.com/ykabspmClick
here for a larger image:
http://twitpic.com/157t3v or here:
http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/410923602/february-11-2010-snow-picture-photo-caption-my [20100211 Moody snow pics UTR]
Click
here for a larger image:
http://twitpic.com/157uiv or here:
http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/410805246/collage-orioles-spring-training-ed-smith-stadium [20100218 BirdsKEDSarasotacollage caption]
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