It had been three years since I had been to Florida for a normal Spring Training.
In 2020, not long after arriving, everything was put on hold with the outbreak of Covid. While taking in a Braves-Tigers game in Lakeland, everyone was informed that things were being shut down for a while at the conclusion of the games being played that day.
That would be an understatement. It would be the spring of 2022 before I tried to return to the Grapefruit League, and that trip was cut short by the players being locked out, then reaching an agreement with the owners, which led to a delayed and abbreviated spring season.
So here it is 2023, and things are finally back to normal. The weather is great, the crowds are back, and I am ready to take it all in.
The big question is, what impact, if any, has all of this had on the great spring tradition of player accessibility to fans? And what affect are MLB’s new rule changes having? It doesn’t take long to find out.
