City of Palms Park
Encyclopedia
City of Palms Park is a stadium
in Fort Myers, Florida
primarily used for baseball
, although the City of Fort Myers uses the venue for the occasional concert. Former Boston Red Sox
left fielder
Mike Greenwell
is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring training
. The stadium was built in for that purpose and holds 8,000 people. It is also the home of the Red Sox Rookie team, the Gulf Coast League Red Sox
, from April through June. The stadium's name is taken from the city's official nickname.
A crew of six is on hand during spring training to groom the Ballfields/Common grounds. Every effort is made to ensure that the players have access to the best spring training facility in Major League Baseball. Since Lee County Parks and Recreation has taken this facility over from the City of Fort Myers in , the Grounds Crew has won the Ground Crew of the year award for the Red Sox Gulf Coast League in and .
Perhaps the most memorable game played at City of Palms was on March 7, . This was the first game played between the Red Sox and New York Yankees
since Aaron Boone
hit the home run
that eliminated the Red Sox from the play offs the previous October. Boone's replacement at third base
, Alex Rodriguez
was the high profile key acquisition of the off season for the Yankees, and he was savagely booed by the 7,304 in attendance.
City of Palms Park is one of three spring training facilities in Fort Myers. The Minnesota Twins
train in Hammond Stadium
on the Southern end of town. Terry Park Ballfield
(also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is currently not in use, however, it is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians
, Pittsburgh Pirates
and Kansas City Royals
.
The Player Development Complex is where the Red Sox train and practice before exhibition season begins at City of Palms. It also houses all the Minor League
affiliates and coaches the entire month of March, and it is where players are reassigned as they whittle the roster down during spring training. Once spring training ends, Extended spring training runs from April through the beginning of the Gulf Coast League season. Instructional league takes place here from September to October.
This Complex includes: five baseball fields with bullpens and eight batting tunnels. The Clubhouse includes: a spacious meeting room, conference room, kitchen, six offices, a spacious players' locker room with showers, a Trainer/Therapy room, a Hydro-Therapy room, laundry room, an Umpire locker room, Coaches' locker room, and a new, expanded weight training room that was added in -.
season. Chief operating officer Mike Dee met with Sarasota officials on April 25, to discuss the possibility of the Red Sox moving to Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium
once its current spring inhabitants, the Cincinnati Reds
, move to their new spring home in Goodyear, Arizona
.
John Yarborough, director of Lee County Parks and Rec, met with Jeff Mudgett, a Fort Myers architect
who is volunteering his time to brainstorm ideas on what can be done to keep the Red Sox in Fort Myers. “I’d like to have a project by 2012,’’ Yarborough said after the meeting.
On October 28, 2008, the Lee County commission voted 3-1 to approve an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to build a new spring-training facility
for the team in south Lee County. Commissioner Brian Bigelow was the lone dissenting vote. Commissioner Bob Janes was not present for the vote, but stated that he supported it.
Dee was present in the chambers for the vote, and took the agreement back to Boston to meet with team owner John Henry
and other team officials. On November 1, 2008, the Red Sox signed an agreement with Lee County that will keep their spring training home in the Fort Myers area for 30 more years.
Wednesday, April 30, 2009, the Lee County commissioners selected the Watermen-Pinnacle site on Daniels Parkway (a little more than a mile east of Interstate 75) as the site for the new facility. The backup choice, if negotiations between county staff and the developer falter, is the University Highland site just north of Germain Arena
in Estero. Jeff Mudgett, a Fort Myers architect
who is volunteering his time toward the project, envisions a facility with a mini-Fenway Park
that would open for Spring 2012.
County officials have talked for months about the possibility of securing another team for City of Palms with the Baltimore Orioles
(who had also been in talks with Sarasota about Ed Smith Stadium, however, declined) leading the list of potential new tenants.
On February 25th, 2010, the Boston Red Sox officially released the proposed architectural plans for its new training facility in Fort Myers, FL. The new stadium is to be located just miles from the former site, and will offer fans a more "quaint" version of Fenway Park
. The outfield will be an exact copy of the Fenway field, and will contain a Green Monster
. However, the stadium will offer a mix of the old Fenway style and a Floridian and modern style. On March 29, 2011, it was announcd that the new field would be named JetBlue Park.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
primarily used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, although the City of Fort Myers uses the venue for the occasional concert. Former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Mike Greenwell
Mike Greenwell
Michael Lewis Greenwell is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox . He briefly played a few games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan , before retiring. Greenwell was nicknamed "The Gator." He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. The stadium was built in for that purpose and holds 8,000 people. It is also the home of the Red Sox Rookie team, the Gulf Coast League Red Sox
Gulf Coast League Red Sox
The Gulf Coast League Red Sox are the Rookie Level minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Boston Red Sox Player Development Complex and some games at City of Palms Park....
, from April through June. The stadium's name is taken from the city's official nickname.
A crew of six is on hand during spring training to groom the Ballfields/Common grounds. Every effort is made to ensure that the players have access to the best spring training facility in Major League Baseball. Since Lee County Parks and Recreation has taken this facility over from the City of Fort Myers in , the Grounds Crew has won the Ground Crew of the year award for the Red Sox Gulf Coast League in and .
Perhaps the most memorable game played at City of Palms was on March 7, . This was the first game played between the Red Sox and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
since Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone is a former Major League Baseball infielder whose famous home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield won the 2003 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Washington...
hit the home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
that eliminated the Red Sox from the play offs the previous October. Boone's replacement at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
, Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
was the high profile key acquisition of the off season for the Yankees, and he was savagely booed by the 7,304 in attendance.
City of Palms Park is one of three spring training facilities in Fort Myers. The Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
train in Hammond Stadium
Hammond Stadium
Hammond Stadium is a baseball field located in the Lee County Sports Complex in South Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The stadium was built in and holds 7,500 people. It is the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins, and houses their Class A Advanced affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle, in...
on the Southern end of town. Terry Park Ballfield
Terry Park Ballfield
The Terry Park Ballfield is a historic site in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The park is named after the family that donated the land in the 1920s. For years the stadium has hosted Major League Baseball spring training as well as a dozen years of Florida State League baseball...
(also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is currently not in use, however, it is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
.
Boston Red Sox Player Development Complex
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
affiliates and coaches the entire month of March, and it is where players are reassigned as they whittle the roster down during spring training. Once spring training ends, Extended spring training runs from April through the beginning of the Gulf Coast League season. Instructional league takes place here from September to October.
This Complex includes: five baseball fields with bullpens and eight batting tunnels. The Clubhouse includes: a spacious meeting room, conference room, kitchen, six offices, a spacious players' locker room with showers, a Trainer/Therapy room, a Hydro-Therapy room, laundry room, an Umpire locker room, Coaches' locker room, and a new, expanded weight training room that was added in -.
New spring facility
The Red Sox's lease with Fort Myers runs through 2019, however, team ownership had been toying with exercising the early out in their contract that allows them to leave following the springSpring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
season. Chief operating officer Mike Dee met with Sarasota officials on April 25, to discuss the possibility of the Red Sox moving to Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium
Ed Smith Stadium
Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. The stadium was built in 1989 to replace Payne Park as a Spring Training and Minor League Baseball site. In 2010, the Baltimore Orioles began playing spring games at the ballpark.-History:...
once its current spring inhabitants, the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, move to their new spring home in Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275...
.
John Yarborough, director of Lee County Parks and Rec, met with Jeff Mudgett, a Fort Myers architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who is volunteering his time to brainstorm ideas on what can be done to keep the Red Sox in Fort Myers. “I’d like to have a project by 2012,’’ Yarborough said after the meeting.
On October 28, 2008, the Lee County commission voted 3-1 to approve an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to build a new spring-training facility
New Fort Myers Ballpark
JetBlue Park is a baseball park currently under construction in Fort Myers, Florida. It will be primarily used for baseball and will be the spring training home of Boston Red Sox, beginning in 2012. The ballpark will have a capacity of approximately 11,000 spectators...
for the team in south Lee County. Commissioner Brian Bigelow was the lone dissenting vote. Commissioner Bob Janes was not present for the vote, but stated that he supported it.
Dee was present in the chambers for the vote, and took the agreement back to Boston to meet with team owner John Henry
John W. Henry
John William Henry II is a futures and foreign exchange trading advisor who founded John W. Henry & Company . He is the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C., and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. In March 2006, Boston Magazine estimated his net worth at $1.1 billion, but noted...
and other team officials. On November 1, 2008, the Red Sox signed an agreement with Lee County that will keep their spring training home in the Fort Myers area for 30 more years.
Wednesday, April 30, 2009, the Lee County commissioners selected the Watermen-Pinnacle site on Daniels Parkway (a little more than a mile east of Interstate 75) as the site for the new facility. The backup choice, if negotiations between county staff and the developer falter, is the University Highland site just north of Germain Arena
Germain Arena
Germain Arena is a 7,128-seat multi-purpose arena in Estero, Florida, United States.The arena was first named Everblades Arena in 1998 after the hockey team that played there. TECO Energy was the first company to obtain the naming rights to the building, changing the name to TECO Arena. In 2004,...
in Estero. Jeff Mudgett, a Fort Myers architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who is volunteering his time toward the project, envisions a facility with a mini-Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
that would open for Spring 2012.
County officials have talked for months about the possibility of securing another team for City of Palms with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(who had also been in talks with Sarasota about Ed Smith Stadium, however, declined) leading the list of potential new tenants.
On February 25th, 2010, the Boston Red Sox officially released the proposed architectural plans for its new training facility in Fort Myers, FL. The new stadium is to be located just miles from the former site, and will offer fans a more "quaint" version of Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. The outfield will be an exact copy of the Fenway field, and will contain a Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
. However, the stadium will offer a mix of the old Fenway style and a Floridian and modern style. On March 29, 2011, it was announcd that the new field would be named JetBlue Park.