Ed Smith Stadium

Parking
There is a small paved/grass lot behind left field, but the large grass field across from the ballpark on 12th Street is where most fans end up. Neither option is wallet friendly so you're better off to screw the county and park in one of the lots belonging to private businesses on Euclid Avenue.
 Cost: $5 (neighborhood) or $8 (official)

Stadium Information
There's not much to say about Ed Smith Stadium, primarily because there is nothing distinct about it. It has a symmetrical seating grandstand and, except for the exterior behind home plate, a weathered look. Cracks in the pavement on the concourses, faded and rusted seats are all a part of an uninspiring package. The stadium was the winter home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1998 to 2009, during which time its railings and the wall surrounding its playing field were colored in Cincinnati's shade of red. A few months after the Reds played their final game in the Grapefruit League (they moved to Goodyear, AZ) Sarasota officials were able to lure the Orioles to town from Fort Lauderdale by promising to fund $31.2 million of upgrades to the two decades-old stadium, a process that was scheduled to begin in April 2010 but is being held up by a lawsuit. Nonetheless, the Orioles are in Sarasota for the long haul, having signed a 30-year lease with the county, who has already cosmetically refurbished the stadium in Baltimore's shade of colors, plus added the half-dozen numbers the team has retired to the facade of the press box. Less permanent alterations include Orioles pennants and banners draped upon both sides of the press box's facade, and banners lining the concourse that exclaim Sarasota as the home of the Orioles. As for that home, it's named in honor of Ed Smith, a long-time member and president of the Sarasota Sports Committee who passed away during spring training in 2006.

Fast Facts

Practice Fields

Types of Seating
All of the weathered blue seats in the grandstand have chair backs and armrests. There are freestanding sections of bleachers down each outfield line.

Notes about the seating

Sections and rows

Tickets

Seats to avoid
It may be a boring ballpark, but Ed Smith Stadium doesn't have a bad seat, although the bleachers are far from the action and face the outfield instead of the infield.

Seats under cover and in the shade
A roof is overhead the top seven rows (KK & up) of every reserved section except 101, 112-115 and 125. At the start of afternoon games the sun is behind the first base side of the grandstand and rows that are shaded are: KK & up in sections 103-110, LL & up in sections 111-112, NN & up in section 114, and MM & up in sections 115-123. As the afternoon progresses all Reserved Grandstand seats on the first base side of the stadium become shaded while there is no change is shaded seats on the stadium's third base side.

VIP seating
This stadium is one of the more recent ones built (1989) to lack any suites. It does have a private picnic area next to the left field bleachers (on the other side of the outfield fence) that can be reserved by groups of 20 or more for pregame gatherings.

Game Day
Gates open 2 hours before game time.

Food, drink and bag policy

Getting autographs
The Orioles' clubhouse is behind right field and players will sign for fans on their way to it following the game in the same first baseline box sections (1-6) where they sign before games. The visiting team's bus is parked behind the left field wall and if you're lucky a couple of players will sign on their way to it following the game, although they are more likely to sign for fans before the game in the sections closest to their dugout.

Unique ballpark fare
The arrival of a team from Baltimore meant the departure of two of Cincinnati's favorite delicacies from Sarasota's concession fare. With the Reds in town, the Big Red Smokey (Polish sausage) could be widely found and a Skyline Chili stand was in right field. The regional replacement is the Phillips crab cake sandwich, exclusively available behind home plate, while within the grandstand vendors tote containers of Sabrett hot dogs around. Budweiser products are readily available on draft and there's a specialty beer stand in the right field concourse that has numerous imported options available in bottles. All fountain drinks come from the Pepsi family.

2010 Orioles Spring Training Schedule (only home games at Ed Smith Stadium are listed)
March	Day	Time	Visiting Team	StubHub
3	Wednesday	1:05	Rays	Tickets
5	Friday	7:05	Pirates	Tickets
7	Sunday	1:05	Red Sox	Tickets
8	Monday	1:05	Twins	Tickets
9	Tuesday	1:05	Rays	Tickets
12	Friday	1:05	Marlins	Tickets
14	Sunday	1:05	Phillies	Tickets
17	Wednesday	1:05	Blue Jays	Tickets
20	Saturday	1:05	Pirates	Tickets
25	Thursday	1:05	Yankees	Tickets
26	Friday	7:05	Twins	Tickets
27	Saturday	1:05	Red Sox	Tickets
29	Monday	7:05	Yankees	Tickets
30	Tuesday	1:05	Tigers	Tickets
31	Wednesday	1:05	Red Sox	Tickets
April	Day	Time	Visiting Team	StubHub
3	Saturday	1:05	Mets	Tickets
* Single game tickets went on sale Saturday, January 16. See the full 2010 Orioles Spring Training schedule

Ballpark Area Info
The immediate area around the stadium is a mix of residential and commercial enterprises. Downtown Sarasota is on the waterfront and only about two miles away from Ed Smith Stadium. And don't consider the bland ballpark symbolic of Sarasota. The rest of the city is First Class all the way, probably the Grapefruit League's finest destination. Home to many celebrities, great beaches and beautiful scenery, there's plenty to do and plenty to enjoy, all a short drive from the stadium.

Travelers' notes

Restaurants close to Ed Smith Stadium
Distance	Restaurant	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.1 miles	Sports Zone	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-8515
0.1	El Patio Latino Peruvian	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-5093
0.1	Maria's Chicken	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-1818
0.1	Subway	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-954-8794
0.1	Domino's Pizza	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-4900
0.1	Uncle Wen's	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-0434
0.1	Gus 12 St. Cafe	2594 12th St	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-952-1172
0.45	Cedars Bar & Grill	2385 12th St	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-953-5531
0.55	La Sabrosita	3070 17th St	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-366-3330
0.6	KFC	925 N Lime Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-3898
0.6	Buffalo Wing Factory & Pub	3082 17th St	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-316-9518
0.7	Marianna's Cafe	3232 17th St	Sarasota, FL 34235	941-366-5523
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Hotels close to Ed Smith Stadium
Distance	Hotel	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
1.1 miles	Classic Residence by Hyatt	677 N Washington Blvd	Sarasota, FL 34236	941-952-5806
1.1	Homewood Suites	3470 Fruitville Rd	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-7300
1.5	Hotel Ranola	118 Indian Place	Sarasota, FL 34236	941-951-0111
2.0	Hotel Indigo	1223 Blvd of the Arts	Sarasota, FL 34236	941-487-3800
2.0	Galaxy Motel	1716 N Tamiami Trl	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-953-5568
2.0	La Quinta Inn	1803 N Tamiami Trl	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-366-5128
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Airports close to Ed Smith Stadium
Distance	Airport		Airport Code
3.3 miles	Sarasota Bradenton International		SRQ
39.9	St. Petersburg-Clearwater International		PIE
43.6	Tampa International		TPA
71.7	Southwest Florida International (Fort Myers)		RSW

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