Favorite Fotos: Lecom (McKechnie) Park

I've attended Grapefruit League games since the mid-'80s, but it took until 2018 for me to get to Bradenton, the winter home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are traditions you love -- small, simple touches that sybolize the nature of baseball's pre-season. The handwritten lineups (for this game between the Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays) are a good example.
The gift shop honors the great Pirate of the post-World War II era, the incomparable Roberto Clemente.
A perfect Florida setting: the smaller ballpark, the close-in seating, the palm trees framing the grandstand. Just the right scale and, of course, the sun-splashed warmth.

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