Spring Training Online

Fort Lauderdale Stadium is not regarded as one of the gems of the Grapefruit League, despite its status as one of the older stadiums still in use. The Orioles are actively seeking a replacement after their lease expires in 2004, but there's been no organized movement to renovate or preserve Fort Lauderdale Stadium as a spring-training venue -- in fact, the most likely use for the ballpark in the future is either as a cricket facility or the home of a fall independent baseball league. Not that any tears will be shed by Fort Lauderdale baseball fans: Fort Lauderdale Stadium is not old enough to be a classic stadium, and architecturally it's not distinguished enough to be considered interesting enough to be worth saving should a new complex be built for the Orioles. And the Orioles have not been using Fort Lauderdale Stadium long enough to be identified with the stadium -- Fort Lauderdale Stadium was previously the spring-training of the New York Yankees, and many fans still associate the glory days of the Yankees in the 1960s with the relaxed atmosphere of Fort Lauderdale.

If you want to see a spring-training game in Fort Lauderdale Stadium, you had better do so this year, as the Orioles are still committed to Fort Lauderdale for the 2009 spring-training season but nothing beyond. At one point the team was negotiating with Fort Lauderdale to expand the training facility to provide for enough room for both the minor- and major-league squads, but those talks collapsed: the Orioles have stated that they do not find the facility adequate and are seeking a new stadium in the same general location. One plan still under consideration: Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is the owner of the land and are seeking to expand in the general area. So the current plan is to expand the training area by building a new stadium, along with training facilities, on the current site of adjoining Lockhart Stadium.

Spring Training History

The Baltimore Orioles have trained at the following sites (including their years as the St. Louis Browns): St. Louis (1901); French Lick, Ind. (1902); Baton Rouge (1903); Corsicana, Texas (1904); Dallas (1905-1906); San Antonio (1907, 1919, 1937-1941); Shreveport (1908, 1918); Houston (1909-1910); Hot Springs, Ark. (1911); Montgomery, Ala. (1912); Waco (1913); St. Petersburg (1914); Houston (1915); Palestine, Texas (1916-1917); Taylor, Ala. (1920); Bogalusa, Ala. (1921); Mobile, Ala. (1922-1924); Tarpon Springs, Fla. (1925-1927); West Palm Beach (1928-1936); Deland, Fla. (1942); Cape Girardeau, Mo. (1943-1945); Anaheim (1946); Miami (1947); San Bernardino, Cal. (1948, 1953); Burbank, Cal. (1949-1952); Yuma, Az. (1954); Daytona Beach, Fla. (1955); Scottsdale (1956-1958); Miami (1959-1990); Sarasota (1989-1991); St. Petersburg (1992-1995); Fort Lauderdale (1996-present).

Ballpark History

The facility previous served as the spring-training home of the New York Yankees, until the Yanks moved into its present home at Legends Field (now Steinbrenner Field) in 1996.