The Birth of Tampa Baseball

Nine men take the field on a warm spring day, sweating through the thick of their wool uniforms with every step they take. Armed with leather gloves and cloth caps they brace themselves to face off against a powerful St. Louis Browns team. The date is March 26, 1914, and after a dull offseason the excitement of baseball has finally returned for the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs, however, are not playing in their usual residence of Wrigley Field. They stand instead on the grounds of Plant Field to play the first Major League Spring Training game ever played in the city of Tampa. Undaunted by the tenacious Browns and blistering heat, the Cubs swiftly win by a score of 3-2 to cement their first win in the sunshine state.

Despite the Tampa area only having a professional baseball team of their own (the Tampa Bay Rays) since 1998, baseball has been alive in Tampa for decades. In fact, some of baseball’s oldest roots can be traced back to our very own University of Tampa. Plant Field, better known as Pepin-Rood Stadium today, has had some rather famous tenants in its hay day. Notable ball clubs like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers have each utilized Tampa as a home base for their Spring Training games at some point in their storied histories.

Surprisingly, on the very same grounds where lacrosse, soccer and even intramural sport matches are held today, walked some of America’s most iconic athletes. Faces like Johnny Evers, Jim Thorpe and “Buffalo” Bill Cody have all stood upon the lush grass of Plant field. Perhaps the most famous of them all, however, was the Bambino himself, George Herman “Babe” Ruth.

Adjacent to the John H. Sykes College of Business stands a green plaque with the enscription “Babe’s Longest Homer.” Read it and you’ll find out that the Babe once hit a homerun that traveled a whopping 587 feet at Plant Field. Not only was it the longest of Babe’s career, it stands as one of baseball’s longest homers ever.

Though Ruth and his famous teammates didn’t arrive until the early part of the 20th century, the intrigue of baseball in Florida had slowly begun picking up steam as early as the 1880s. After Civil War tensions subsided, the country was more than ready for a game that would ease any leftover angst and increase unification.

As the lucrative cigar industry began booming in Tampa, so did its Hispanic population. Immigrants from Cuba and other Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean were drawn to the job opportunities opened by the cigar factories and quickly began flooding into the area to start a new life.

The new immigrants in turn brought their fervency for baseball with them and exponentially increased the excitement of baseball throughout the west coast of Florida.

Though baseball was already extant in Tampa before the arrival of the Cubans, any semblance of infrastructure was lacking. Through ethnic clubs and organization, the new residents of Ybor City created intersocial baseball leagues that would play on the regular.

According to Liz McCoy, curator for the Ybor City Museum Society, “Cigar Leagues were some of the earliest to ever exist in Tampa.” From then on out, semi-professional teams began to spring up all throughout the Tampa Bay region.

“It really took off with Minor League teams. In 1919, the Tampa Smokers [players from the Cuban/Italian intersocial leagues] began the first season of play. Once the Smokers were there, it wasn’t long before other minor league teams followed suit. Over the course of 100 years, Tampa had a bevy of organized teams and eventually landed the big league teams we see today,” said McCoy.

The Yankees Arrive

By 1996, the New York Yankees had relocated their Spring Training facility from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to Tampa off Dale Mabry Highway. The stadium, then called Legends Field, was state of the art and took the place of an old correctional facility. The founding of the stadium in ’96 was only the beginning of a powerful partnership between the city of Tampa and the mighty Yankees of New York.

The Yankees, arguably Major League Baseball’s most infamous team, have had a massive influence on the city to this day. Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was among the greatest benefactors the city has ever seen; his contributions range from a high school to numerous charitable donations and gifts to the area. Steinbrenner, a magnate in the shipping industry, was intrigued by Tampa and found it advantageous to plant his team in a bigger city (most spring training hubs are often found in small coastal cities such as Dunedin or Bradenton).

When Spring Training rolls around every March, Tampa dwellers don’t have to look very far to see the Yankee influence all around them. New York captain Derek Jeter can often be found casually enjoying a cup of Starbucks Coffee on West Kennedy Boulevard, General Manager Brian Cashman is frequently spotted at local cafés and eateries and Alex Rodriguez is nowhere to be found (as usual).

The Yankees Class-A minor league affiliate, appropriately titled the “Tampa Yankees,” inhabit Steinbrenner Field for most of the year while the Bronx Bombers head back to play the regular season in New York. Tampa Yankees games have become a staple in many Tampa area citizens’ lives over the past decade and a half. Aside from the obvious economic impact that is garnered, the Tampa Yankees provide an alternative for those that don’t wish to make the drive to St. Petersburg for daily Tampa Bay Rays games.

Tampa, a hotbed for many Northerners, is packed to the brim with Yankees merchandise and memorabilia. You can’t walk through the International Mall without noticing the Yankee caps, replica jerseys and autographed posters that line the multitude of shops at the plaza. Whenever the Yankees come to town to square off against the young Rays, it’s certainly no surprise to see Tropicana Field overpopulated with fans in pinstripe shirts.

A Team of Their Own

For years, the Tampa Bay area had desperately been longing for a professional team to call their own. In 1988, their dreams were dashed when the Chicago White Sox informed the league that they would not be moving to Tampa after all. Undeterred by the news, an investing group lead by Vince Naimoli stayed persistent and ultimately acquired one of MLB’s 1995 expansion teams and moved them to St. Petersburg. Three years later The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were up and running.

Though the Rays were terrible in the years following their inception, they have flourished over time to become one of baseball’s biggest gems. Driven by smart ownership and strategic coaching, the Rays have proven that a baseball club can be effectively run on a budget and still be successful. In 2008, the Rays made it as far as the World Series (the first appearance in their history) before falling to the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite recent success in the past five years, the largest problem plaguing Tampa Bay’s only professional baseball team is a lack of attendance. Much to many people’s dismay, the Rays continue to play in nearby St. Petersburg in a stadium that pales in comparison to some of the other ballparks in the league.

Blame the attendance issue on facilities, the long commute from Tampa to St. Petersburg or any other ancillary issue, but don’t attribute it to a lack of fervency among Tampanians. As of right now, Tampa is one of the largest producers per capita of baseball players in the majors and is packed to the brim with local leagues. In fact, the University of Tampa Spartan baseball team that just captured their sixth championship had five players drafted into the MLB.

“The people in this area still love baseball,” said Liz McCoy. “We’ve had so many reputable players come from this area, especially West Tampa. Guys like Lou Pinella, Luis Gonzalez, Tino Martinez and Al Lopez all made their starts here. Go to a Tampa Jesuit game on a Friday night or check out some of the local softball and baseball leagues and you’ll see that the game is very much alive here in Tampa.”

Tampa, once a small fishing village of about 700 people, has formed an unbreakable bond with America’s oldest pastime over the years. For Tampa, baseball is much more than just a game––it’s a reflection of a unique culture that has come to flourish in the area. Walk down the streets of West Tampa and you won’t be hard pressed to hear the sound of “play ball” echoing through the air.

Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@theminaretonline.com