Florida Spring Training, 3rd Edition: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League (Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League)
By Alan Byrd

Making Spring Training dreams come true for thousands of fans, Byrd concentrates on the vital info they need most: how to find the best parks, best seats, best hot dogs and beer, best spots for getting autographs and snagging foul balls. Plus five week-long trips that combine baseball with Florida fun, theme park thrills, beach blanket bingo, and quiet interludes at the old fishin' hole.
Amazon Sales Rank: #249271 in Books Published on: 2007-01-25 Original language: English Number of items: 1 Binding: Paperback 256 pages
Review A perfect example of the value of the book is the section on getting autographs...he gives you detailed instructions. -- David Pinto, BaseballMusings.com, February 14, 2007Byrd has done a very comprehensive yet efficient job of painting the picture of each town and stadium. -- Tom Goyne, Balls, Sticks & Stuff, December 27, 2006I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to someone who plans on heading down to Florida in March. -- Brian Borawski, Tiger Blog, January 4, 2007Its true value comes in making planning for the road trips fast and easy. -- Brian Walton, StLCardinals.Scout.com, January 5, 2007The book is perfect...every bit of information you'll ever need...taking the guesswork out of your Spring Training experience. -- Dawn Henthorn, Florida Guide, goflorida.about.com, 2/13/07The spring training autograph seeker absolutely must have this book. -- Amanda, red-hot-mama.com, January 14, 2007 From the Back Cover Make Your SPRING TRAINING Dreams Come True! IN THE SPRING, professional baseball teams turn Florida into every fan's dream destination. For the teams, Spring Training represents a new beginning, the first step on a pilgrimage to the World Series. For the fan, Spring Training represents the opportunity to watch the game's heroes up close and personal for just a few dollars and maybe even get their autographs. BUT every one of the 17 stadiums is different. Each has its pluses and minuses, so capturing the ideal Spring Training experience can be elusive without the right information. This book is your key to the ideal Spring Training experience -- at one park or many! For the serious fan, it offers five themed, week-long itineraries that combine baseball fun with theme park thrills, lazy days at the beach, and quiet interludes at the old fishin' hole. "All the information one could hope to find on the Florida ballparks where 18 major league teams train each spring ... Byrd is the consummate baseball fan." -- Kim Cool, Venice Gondolier Sun "Indispensable." -- Callie Stuhler, US Airways Attaché magazine "Detailed analyses of each stadium ... extensive advice on acquiring autographs." -- Harry Shattuck, Houston Chronicle Alan Byrd visits every Spring Training camp in Florida. He tastes every hot dog and every specialty food at the stadiums, and samples the beer. He sits in box seats and bleachers, tries the standing room, and checks for sun and shade. He tries for autographs at every park and reads every program. And he checks out all the great restaurants and nearby attractions to make sure you'll have plenty to do before and after the game. It's a tough job, but Alan's willing to make the sacrifice. About the Author Alan Byrd grew up attending Spring Training games with his Dad. As an adult, he became an award-winning reporter for the Orlando Busines Journal, where he covered Central Florida's sports, tourism, and transportation industries for 10 years. He is currently the director of sales, marketing, and public relations for McCree Inc., an Orlando-based architecture and construction firm. Byrd contributes his skills to a number of Central Florida community organizations and charities. And he still spends Spring Training season in the ballparks, these days with his son.
Great spring training gudie book I am a Florida resident, who absolutely loves spring training. Every spring I load up the car on the weekends and heads all over the state to different parks. I have recently gotten into the autograph act, so now when I go to the games I am seeking autographs as well. The book is very informative and from what I can tell quite accurate in its description of the parks, food, and autograph opportunities. If you are thinking of heading to spring training for the 1st, 2nd or even if you are a seasoned spring training vet, this book is definitely worth the price. It even includes some sample week long itineraries. A REAL HOMERUN I gave this book to my boyfriend for Christmas. He is a 50-year-old baseball fanatic, and he loves the book. When you give a gift you hope it will make the recipient happy. This book did that with flying colors. He is the expert on the subject and I trust his response. Great guide! I bought this book before going to Spring Training 2009. It was very helpful and has good directions. I was also able to get autographs because the book even tells you the best place to wait for autographs. I recommend it!