Changes ahead for Florida spring training

While our northern neighbors are saying hooray as their favorite team heads north this week for opening day, it is always a bittersweet occasion here in Florida. Elsewhere, our crack prognosticator will make his predictions but here are a few thoughts on the state of the game and the state. Florida is holding its own with exactly half the teams training here. We’re going to see some shuffling with the Astros moving to Florida’s east coast and the Braves probably moving to southwest Florida, and who knows what is going to happen with Dunedin’s long standing relationship with the Blue Jays? If there has been any progress between the city and the team, it is not readily apparent. Dunedin needs to fast track a new agreement or the Blue Jays will be just a memory five years from now.

Around the bay:

1. As we near the end of the official spring break, it is more and more apparent what Clearwater’s marina needs is not another Mexican restaurant or real estate office (yes, it really has one) but a long overdue multi-story parking garage to handle the many venues at the marina.

2. Ferry update: Last Saturday at 1 p.m., the new mainland to beach ferry unloaded 14 passengers at the marina terminus - fourteen people and four crew members (perhaps some were trainees). It will take a higher crew to passenger ratio to make the ferry work, but it’s early.             

3. So St. Pete professionals are going to get a well-deserved 2.5 percent raise. This has some union organizers all in a tizzy because it comes before a planned, but unscheduled, union election. They got the raise. Who cares how they get it? Except, the union won’t be able to get their cut of that pay increase – advantage workers.

4. It was probably the safest pick – staying inside the organization and choosing Deputy Director Thomas Jewsbury to take over for retiring Director Noah Lagos at the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport. Let’s also hope it’s the best pick. Jewsbury needs to carry on the successful programs of Lagos but at the same time bring his own stamp to the well-run Pinellas County facility.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the corner occupied by Sam’s Club had a Bellas Hess store then later was home to Jersey Jim Towers, Studio 19, Peaches Record Store and the Jeans Giant. By the way, there are still a few existing Peaches Record Stores – New Orleans has one.

The diamond, the media & other stuff:

6. It’s quite possible the Cubs will become the next Mets or Dodgers – spending millions with negligible results.

7. Factoid – long time MLB base stealing champ Lou Brock stole 938 bases in his storied career but never stole home. Babe Ruth, on the other hand, swiped home ten times.

8. So you took the field versus Kentucky at the beginning of the dance? How do you like your chances at this juncture?

9. In all of professional sports no team needs to catch a break more than the #44 auto racing team of Travis Kvapil. This was the car that was stolen before the NASCAR race in Atlanta and not recovered until it was too late to qualify. Last week even though the car posted faster qualifying times than other cars, they missed the race because of antiquated rules regarding “owner points’’. You can’t help but pull for this underdog of underdogs.

10. Most embarrassing NCAA tourney moment: Analyst Charles Barkley commenting on the first half play of U of Kansas freshman forward Cliff Alexander. Problem was Alexander was not in the game – having been suspended by the Jayhawks. Barkley continues to try to bluff and bluster through pre, post and halftime shows without doing his homework. It just doesn’t play well.

How we see the 2015 baseball season:

You can’t let spring training end without predictions for the upcoming season. Our crack prognosticator Achmed Walled (Pronounced wall-ED) likes the Nationals, Pirates and the Giants to win their divisions with the Dodgers and Cards joining them in the NL playoffs. In the junior circuit, he likes the Yanks in a wide-open Eastern Division along with Kansas City and the Angels. His wild card picks are the much improved White Sox and the Mariners. Teams that could surprise people are the Marlins in the NL and the Indians in the AL. Most overrated teams – the Padres and Red Sox.