Coffee Pot Park
Encyclopedia
Coffee Pot Park was a ballpark in St. Petersburg, Florida
home to the St. Petersburg Saints
minor-league baseball team until 1928, and spring training home of the St. Louis Browns
and Philadelphia Phillies
. Capacity was approximately 850 for baseball. The park was called by the name of Coffee Pot Bayou to which it was near. The field was also used by local high school teams and for amateur softball. The ballpark was replaced in 1922 by Waterfront Park as the home to spring training in St. Pete.
John C. Skipper, in his book Wicked Curve, describes Coffee Pot Park as follows,
came by boat from their base in Tampa and beat the Browns 3-2 in the first game, as 4,000 fans paid from 25 cents (for bleachers) to $1 (for a box seat) and filed into the brand new Sunshine Park on Coffee Pot Bayou.
The Philadelphia Phillies trained at the ballpark from 1915 through 1918. It is said that manager Pat Moran
made the players walk the two-miles from their hotel in downtown St. Petersburg to the ballpark everyday. Top minor league clubs used to hold their own spring training camps; the Indianapolis Indians
trained at the ballpark in 1921.
The Saints joined the Florida State League
in 1920, one year after its inception in 1919.
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
home to the St. Petersburg Saints
St. Petersburg Saints
The St. Petersburg Saints were a minor league baseball team that operated out of St.Petersburg, Florida. The team began as a semi-pro team and as early as October 1908, the semi-pro Saints played the Cincinnati Reds in a post-season exhibition game. By 1914, the Saints were receiving regular...
minor-league baseball team until 1928, and spring training home of the St. Louis Browns
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...
and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Capacity was approximately 850 for baseball. The park was called by the name of Coffee Pot Bayou to which it was near. The field was also used by local high school teams and for amateur softball. The ballpark was replaced in 1922 by Waterfront Park as the home to spring training in St. Pete.
John C. Skipper, in his book Wicked Curve, describes Coffee Pot Park as follows,
The park itself was about as plain as its name, with one shower (that produced only cold water) and a wooden grandstand that held about 500 people - if 400 of them were thin. The park was on a bayou, and many of the players brought fishing poles to the ballpark and threw in a line to relax between practices.
Location
A 1929 article in the Evening Independent cites the location of the diamond as being "built where the Snell Isle golf course now reposes." The Snell Isle was incorporated into the Sunset Golf Club which was eventually absorbed into what today is the Renissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club. In 1965, Fred Lieb wrote that the park was located at First Street North and 22nd Avenue in the "Granada Terrace" section of the city. In 1966, Ken Goldman also wrote that the address of the ballpark had been at "First Street North and 22nd Avenue" which by today's map would place the park southwest of Coffee Pot Bayou.Spring Training
Mayor Al Lang attracted the St. Louis Browns to St. Petersburg in 1914. The Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
came by boat from their base in Tampa and beat the Browns 3-2 in the first game, as 4,000 fans paid from 25 cents (for bleachers) to $1 (for a box seat) and filed into the brand new Sunshine Park on Coffee Pot Bayou.
The Philadelphia Phillies trained at the ballpark from 1915 through 1918. It is said that manager Pat Moran
Pat Moran
Patrick Joseph Moran was an American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he led two teams to their first-ever modern-era National League championships: the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies and the 1919 Cincinnati Reds...
made the players walk the two-miles from their hotel in downtown St. Petersburg to the ballpark everyday. Top minor league clubs used to hold their own spring training camps; the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
trained at the ballpark in 1921.
St. Petersburg Saints
The Saint Petersburg Saints minor-league team played at the ballpark from as early as the 1914 season. An account of a 1916 game against Tampa recounts that the game was called in the seventh-inning "in order that the visitors could catch the boat back to Tampa."The Saints joined the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
in 1920, one year after its inception in 1919.