Last week, I was in Tampa, Florida for work (ABF Freight). During my stay, I discovered that the Tampa area has an abundance of baseball experiences including but not limited to a Major League franchise (Tampa Bay Rays), a Minor League club (Tampa Tarpons), and a MLB Spring Training site (NY Yankees). It is home to several major college baseball programs as well as some major league baseball (and other professional sports) talent, past and present. I was excited to see as much as I could during my personal time and started my Tampa baseball journey at the site closest to my hotel – the Tampa Tarpons.

It was very early on Tuesday morning when I took the roughly 6 mile drive from my hotel near Busch Gardens over to George M. Steinbrenner Field, home of the Tampa Tarpons. The Tarpons happen to be the Single A affiliate of the NY Yankees. When I arrived Tuesday morning, the parking lot was mostly empty except for a few security guards’ vehicles, so I decided to make quick work of my tour. I figured it was better just to get a few photos, experience what I could, and be better for it. So, that’s what I did.

First thing that caught my attention – the George Steinbrenner statue, lit up in the early morning darkness, just in case a baseball fan like myself wanted to read more about GMS and his volume of work with the NY Yankees. Actually, first impressions – the front of the stadium looked amazing with the palm trees rising high up, a plethora of NY Yankee tributes illuminated throughout the front gate area, and a clean, professional look to the baseball field entrance. Steinbrenner, the owner who disapproved of beards and crazy hair and overall untidiness would have been proud of what I saw on Tuesday am.

For those of you who have read my blog over the past ten years, you will know that I am a Boston Red Sox fan and a NY Yankee non-fan. That being said, I can soulfully recognize baseball greatness when I see it. Derek Jeter, I have said this many times, would be one of my favorite players of all time if he were a non-Yankee. Same can be said for Ron Guidry, Bernie Williams, and Don Mattingly. Can’t fault them for wearing the pinstripes their entire careers. All great players, generational talents, and all tormented my Boston Red Sox for years. So because of that, they cannot come into my baseball all-time house. As for the NY Yankees, I took this photo of my true feelings of the Yankees organization, sarcastically speaking of course…

I did my best to illuminate photos with my camera but have to admit – photo editing is not my strong suit. Lighting matters, meaning sunlight or artificial stadium lights and my flash just didn’t do a lot of these photos justice. I had a long list of other Tampa baseball experiences, but vowed that if I had time, I would come back during the day to grab photos with the sun out. So, I do apologize to all the Yankee fans reading this left in the dark, photo wise.

Despite the lack of light and the uneasiness of being pretty much the only person at the field, I did have a positive Tampa Tarpons baseball experience. The NY Yankees love to showcase their history, their impressive roster of former players from Ruth and Gehrig to Jeter and Williams. The history of the NY Yankees via the tribute plaques is on full display right there at the entrance to George M. Steinbrenner Field. As is the giant statue of “The Boss” himself. Heck, he rebuilt a sad franchise and turned it into the juggernaut it is today, so you have to give him a high-five, right? Overall, it was a very cool Tampa Tarpons, NY Yankee Spring Training site experience there at George M. Steinbrenner Field.