Joker Marchant Stadium

The most impressive aspect of attending a Spring Training game in Lakeland is the fact that the Tigers have trained in this city for so long. With the exception of the World War II years (1943-45), Detroit has trained in Lakeland since 1934, the longest relationship between a franchise and host city in spring baseball history. The next closest isn't even that close: the Phillies in Clearwater since 1947. For an even more amazing fact, consider that 18 of the 30 MLB teams changed or established new spring homes in the '90's alone.

The beneficiary of the team's loyalty is funny-named Joker Marchant Stadium, which has been the centerpiece of Tigertown, as the Lakeland complex is known, since 1966. Joker Marchant was Lakeland's longtime director of public works and recreation and was responsible for the maintenance of the stadium.

But just because the stadium is older than most in Florida, you can't start calling Joker Marchant "The Joke."

In fact, the ballpark has aged rather well. When you drive into the main entrance of Tigertown you'll be surprised at how new the outer façade looks. With a host of palm trees greeting your arrival, the ticket booth is the nicest of its kind, with the word "Tickets" emblazoned in big orange letters arched overhead. On either side of the ticket booth, the Tigers pay homage to their history with large banners containing artist's renditions of Tiger greats Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Norm Cash, and Al Kaline.

The top ticket price of $10 is among the cheapest in the Grapefruit League. Even better, the game I saw was a night contest, which made it possible to take in two games in one day for me and my friend, Joe. After watching an afternoon game 15 miles to the east in Winter Haven, we were glad to hear an announcement that came over the Chain of Lakes Park PA system informing us that our ticket stub from the Indians-Braves game could be used in a 2-for-1-ticket promotion in Lakeland that evening. As a result of the cross promotion amongst division rivals, we saw the Tigers and Royals for a mere $5.

The first thing you notice when you enter Joker Marchant are the 698 bright orange box seats that comprise the first rows of seating below the main aisle in the grandstand that extends from first base to third base. The majority of the seats are above the main concourse and are aluminum bleachers with blue seat backs.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the stadium is the large grandstand section down the left field foul line, which was built in 1988 and increased Joker Marchant's original seating capacity of 4,900 to 7,027.

The metal bleacher section is one of a kind due to its height and structure. Built in concrete, it's the only bleacher section I've seen in Florida that can't be removed once Spring Training is over. The section also towers high above the field. The top of the bleachers is actually above the main grandstand's roof, a sight I've never seen before. Sitting at the top and even with the outfield fence in left field, the vantage point is as far away from the field as you can get, and is the Grapefruit League's premiere nosebleed seat.

We decided to check out the bleachers for a few innings and it's almost like being in a different ballpark. Wind that you didn't know existed in the grandstand hits you at full force the higher you ascend. When you get to the top row there was even the temporary anxiety that you experience at considerable heights. It's from up here that you realize just how spacious the outfield is. At 420 feet to center and 340 down the lines, Joker Marchant has the most outfield territory of any ballpark in the state of Florida. If center field were just a little bit deeper, the outfield dimensions would actually form a square.

But the bleachers have their perks as well. Typically there are very few fans sitting in this rather large section, which makes it a great place to catch a foul ball. And as an added bonus, if you sit near the top you can watch where foul balls land when they exit the ballpark. In Lakeland's case, many of those balls end up directly hitting or bouncing off the cars in the parking lot.

As a precaution, if you go to Joker Marchant make sure that you don't park anywhere behind the bleacher grandstand down the left field line. Among the cars caught in the evening's crossfire was a Cadillac that had its windshield cracked by a popup and another unfortunate auto that had its bumper bruised by a line drive.

Another cool feature unique to Joker Marchant is that fans can stand behind the few rows of box seats directly behind third base and not have to worry about obstructing the view of anybody behind them. This open platform is the direct result of the gap between the main and the left field bleacher grandstands.

The concession stand also provided a memorable moment, albeit a folly, as my souvenir soda cup with the 2002 spring schedule listed the Tigers' opponent as the Kansas City Chiefs, not the Royals. Additional concession stand fare was provided by Little Caesars Pizza, which is where Tigers owner Mike Ilitch made the millions he used to buy the team.

Although the Tigers draw reasonably well at Joker Marchant, the team's Class A Florida State League affiliate does not. In 2000 the Lakeland Tigers drew only 23,647 fans for the entire season. The average attendance of only 338 fans per home game was by far the worst in all of minor league baseball. In fact the stadium has never drawn large crowds once the Tigers head north. The season attendance record for the Lakeland Tigers was just a meager 61,255 in 1987, an average of only 875 fans.

Even if the local fans don't agree in the summer, I think Joker Marchant is a neat place to watch a ballgame, and the Tigers should be commended on building upon the tradition that they have established here over the years.

Although it doesn't happen often, changes are on the horizon in Lakeland, with $10 million in renovations scheduled to be completed in time for the 2003 spring schedule. Enhanced seating, including the creation of a berm in left field, will increase Joker Marchant's capacity to 9,000. About the only thing I found that needed fixing (besides the lettering of the souvenir cup) was the public address system, which sounded muffled wherever I sat.

While the team continues to plan changes to Tiger Town there's always the one constant that fans can count on -- the Tigers in Lakeland. And to that end the team recently extended its lease with the city through 2016. After all, some things never change.

Parking

$4 inside the Tigertown complex, where you can park behind the first base grandstand if you enter through the main gate. There is also ample parking available beyond left field. I strongly advise you to stay away from the parking area behind the left field grandstand, which is responsible for quite a bit of cosmetic damages due to wayward foul balls. You're best bet is to park at the church across the street from Joker Marchant, behind left field. There is no attendant, just a drop box to place a $2 donation into. The lot is easy to get into and you avoid the traffic on the way out.

- Written by Graham Knight on March 22, 2002