I'm leaving for Bradenton Feb. 24th to March 4th for Pirate spring training. BTW, I will make the statement right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be a .500 ball club naxt year!
-Kevin
#Pop 'n Glide, Pop 'n Gilde, see the ball before you stride.
Posts: 228 | Location: Latrobe, PA | Registered: November 06, 2005
Pirates are a very talented young club, and IMHO, Jim Tracy is the perfect skipper for them. They will win games this year, and they will give teams a run for their money even when they don't win.
As for March 15-19, what's going on that week? I live in Sarasota, a fastball away from Bradenton.
Posts: 377 | Location: LaLa Land | Registered: March 24, 2005
Bradenton is a nice town. Make sure you get out to Anna Maria Island to enjoy a sunset or two! Head straight out Manatee Avenue to the end of the road and cruise Gulf Blvd all the way to the North end, then head south past Manatee Ave and come back into town on Cortez Blvd. A nice trip and plenty of eats and watering holes. The Pier at the North end is a great place to wet a line if you like. Make sure you go to the short pier at the North End if you enjoy fishing, not the larger one you will see first!
Posts: 813 | Location: Sunshine State | Registered: January 03, 2006
The Pirate pitching staff is going to be awesome this year. With guys like Perez, Duke, Maholm, and Burnette they will be a dominate staff. Jim Tracy is the right skipper for them, I talked to Ryan Doumit at the Pirate Caravan the other week and he said the in mini-camp there was just a buzz aroun the new coaching staff that he felt more comfortable with than he felt with "team McClendon". I really believe that they will be .500 or better this year.
-Kevin
#Pop 'n Glide, Pop 'n Gilde, see the ball before you stride.
Posts: 228 | Location: Latrobe, PA | Registered: November 06, 2005
Check out Rotten Ralph's at the north end of Anna Maria - great all you can eat fish and chips, plus live music. The Beach House at the foot of Cortez Avenue at the Gulf has really fine fresh fish. For outstanding, authentic, really cheap Mexican fare, it's Tia Panches (sp?) on I believe 30 St West (just north of Cortez in a strip mall between a tattoo parlor and head shop...). For real, real good, and cheap, Italian (plus to see a group that looks like a retired street crew) it's Casa Italiano in a small strip mall on 26th Street West, just east of 53rd. Or, try Portofino, a great (more expensive) Italian place on Cortez below 34th Street West (toward the Gulf). There's a Carrabas on Cortez at about 31st or 32nd West, just north of 34th street west, which is the street the Academies is located on. For outstanding (expensive) steak, it's Michael's on East on the south side of Sarasota just off 41, or if you go a little further south there's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on the west side of 41 (Tamiami Highway). For breakfast, there's no better place than Peaches, on 14th Street West, just to the south of Manatee CC in a strip mall (again...). I could go on and on, it's a great area.
Posts: 1260 | Location: Shorewood, IL and Longboat Key, FL | Registered: January 06, 2003
My sons High School team was just there 3/3-4 to play the pendleton school(IMG Academy). The fields are beautiful. We were supposed to play our saturday game at Mckenchie field(pirates home for the spring) but there was a mixup and we couldnt play there. Also got to see Villanova, Penn State U and Bowling Green play the tournament they had going on there.
Posts: 147 | Location: south broward | Registered: April 23, 2004
