The Wandering Disciple

Sarasota, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs traveled to Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota for their final road game of the spring. Here they faced the Frederick Keys in their second to last game of spring training. The roster shuffle is in full swing and the rosters are looking more and more like opening day. These two teams will face off tomorrow in Port Charlotte and that will conclude the exhibition schedule for the Stone Crabs. They will play in intrasquad scrimmages over the weekend and then begin workouts to prepare for opening day on April 7. Click on the photo above to view the Stone Crabs/Keys photo gallery.

Sarasota, Florida: The Baltimore Orioles wrapped up a record breaking spring on Tuesday afternoon at the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium. This spring, over 115,000 people passed through the gates of the ballpark which saw 40 million dollar renovation during the off-season to make it one of the premier venues in the Grapefruit League. A crowd of over 5,000 witnessed and offensive show for the spring finale between the Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays. The clubs combined for 11 runs on 26 hits and in the end it was the Blue Jays winning the game 7-4. The Blue Jays jumped out to a three run lead in the first inning. Yunel Escobar and Jose Bautista reached base on back to back singles. Then Aaron Hill double to left, scoring Escobar and Bautista. Hill would later score on an RBI single by Juan Rivera to put the Blue Jays ahead 3-0. The Orioles chipped away at the lead staring in the home half of the first. Derrek Lee doubled to left with two outs to put a runner in scoring positio...

El Jobean, Florida: Located where the Myakka River meets Charlotte Harbor, the El Jobean Fishing Pier is one of Charlotte County’s premier fishing piers. Like many of the other piers in the county, this is an abandoned railroad trestle that was converted into a fishing pier. The pier was once the Myakka River crossing on the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad. When the route was discontinued, the local government removed the drawbridge and converted the southern end of the crossing into a fishing pier. The location of the pier is where the Myakka River empties into Charlotte Harbor and the water is mostly saltwater. Snook and Redfish are frequently found in this area. In addition to fishing from the pier, there are also plenty of good fishing spots along the seawall of the SR-776 bridge. There is no charge to use the pier. 3/27/2011: Hit the pier just after noon today with a dozen live shrimp. Had several hits but did not land a fish. One took the line and ran it around the pili...

Sarasota, Florida: As opening day fast approaches, the Charlotte Stone Crabs continued to prepare for the 2011 season as they faced the Frederick Keys on Thursday afternoon at Twin Lakes Park. Both clubs dueled in an nine inning exhibition game in which no score or official stats are recorded. The main purpose of the game is to prepare the players for the upcoming season. Click on the photo above to view the Stone Crabs/Keys photo gallery.

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs took to the backfields of Charlotte Sports Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon to host the Frederick Keys in a spring training exhibition game. Today's game wrapped up the first week of spring training games as the minor leaguers prepare for the start of the 2011 season. No official stats are recorded at these spring training games as the focus of these contests are for training and not statistics. Click on the photo above to view the Stone Crabs/Keys photo gallery from Saturday.

Sarasota, Florida: Sunny skies ushered in the annual Sarasota County Fair on Friday as thousands of people flocked to the fairgrounds for the opening night of the fair. This years fair features the family favorites and a few new treats. There is food, fun and thrills for the entire family. The fair features rides for adults and a separate area for kids rides, a midway with games and a large selections of food featuring plenty of variety from fair favorites to international selections. The entertainment schedule is packed for the week featuring magic shows, an all-new monkey show, sea lion show, music acts and plenty of agricultural displays. The fun and excitement are to benefit the Sarasota County Agricultural Association and showcase the hard work of the 4-H and the Future Farmers of America. The 75th Annual Sarasota County Fair will run until March 27. Admission is $8 and they feature daily ride specials.

Sarasota, Florida: Minor league spring training is underway as teams prepare for the 2011 season set to start in early April. The Charlotte Stone Crabs traveled to Sarasota to play the Frederick Keys at the Buck O'Neil Complex at Twin Lakes Park in the second spring game of the year. The clubs dueled under a cloudless sky, working to perfect those skills needed for a successful season. No official score or stats are kept during minor league spring training but here is a collection of photos from the game. Click on the photo above to view the Stone Crabs/Keys photo gallery.