Yankees Fans Warm Up To Team's Preseason Home
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Bronx Bombers fans making the trip to Tampa Bay for spring training are enjoying both Big Apple comforts and sunshine-filled skies. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.Twelve-hundred miles and 30 degrees is not enough to separate New York Yankees fans from the boys of summer.
"I drove 17 hours to go to this game at spring training," says one Yankees fan.
One of only a handful of games played under the lights, fans can choose to keep the heat of the Florida sun at bay.
Because it predates the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is more like a mini House that Ruth Built.
"The stadium almost looks the same as it does back in New York, but the weather is obviously different, and the fans still look the same," says one Yankees fan.
"I miss New York, there’s nothing wrong with being here," says another fan.
It tastes a bit like home too, with its nearly New York style pizza and pretzels.
As a spring training stadium, Steinbrenner Field is not as intimate as, say, the Mets in Port St. Lucie. Not to mention big league ball at minor league prices: Everything from cheaper tickets to budget-friendly hotels.
"It's just so relaxing, a completely different atmosphere. You know, you go up to Yankee Stadium, 40, 50,000 people," says one Yankees fan.
"We are staying in Orlando and staying in Celebration, Florida. We're going to hit up some of the parks like Disney, Universal," says another Yankees fan.
If you're up for a theme park nearer to the ball park, Tampa is home to Busch Gardens and, of course, the beach.