What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 24-30)

WATCH FOR two Florida college basketball teams to continue their seasons this week with an eye on a National Championship.

The Florida Gators (34-2 and winners of 27 straight games) continue their run through March Madness, when they meet the UCLA Bruins (28-8) on Thursday night in Memphis, Tennessee with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight to meet the winner of the Dayton/Stanford game.

The Florida State Seminoles (21-13) have won two games in the National Invitational Tournament and meet the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (29-7) in Tallahassee Wednesday night. The winner advances to the Final Four to be played in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

WATCH FOR the final week of the Florida Grapefruit League as the 15 teams holding their Spring Training in Florida break camps and head to their home markets for the 162-game season. With only 20 games remaining from Wednesday through Saturday, over 1.3 million fans have attended 192 games so far this season.

Five teams have topped 100,000 total attendance already this season with the Atlanta Braves (ESPN Wide World of Sports-Walt Disney World), Boston Red Sox (Jet Blue Park-Fort Myers), Detroit Tigers (Joker Marchant Stadium-Lakeland), New York Yankees (Steinbrenner Field-Tampa) and Philadelphia Phillies (Bright House Field-Clearwater) hitting six figures.

The largest crowd of the 2014 season was recorded at Bright House Field when the Phillies hosted the Boston Red Sox before 11,210 fans on March 21. The New York Yankees game against the Red Sox on March 18 drew 11,032 fans.

The 2014 Florida Grapefruit League season has seen more games cancelled due to rain this year than the last three years combined. A total of 12 games have been lost to rain this season, compared to eight over the last three years combined.

WATCH FOR the 10th Anniversary of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg when the Indy cars fire up their engines on March 28 in downtown St. Petersburg.

The INDYCAR-sanctioned event is a 1.8 mile, 14-turn temporary street course that is one of the most respected motorsports races in North America, due to its combination of spectacular road courses, short ovals and exciting super-speedways.

Here’s a few storylines for Indy Car fans to follow as the cars racing through the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

WATCH FOR more Sunshine State Games events to open up for online registration. Currently, the following three championship events, Lacrosse events and Sarasota County and Polk County Olympic-style Sports Festivals are available for amateur athletes to register online.

Sunshine State Games Basketball Championships, Alachua County, May 9-11
Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, Ellenton Ice Complex, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Broward County, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Sarasota County, June 7-8
Sunshine State Games Sarasota County Festival, June 6-8
Sunshine State Games Polk County Festival, June 21-22
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships, Coral Springs, June 27-29

This year is the 35th Anniversary of the Sunshine State Games and is now in its fourth decade of providing amateur sports opportunities for Floridians. The 2014 Sunshine State Games is expected to attract over 10,000 athletes to its nearly 30 sport offered.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (February 17-23)

WATCH FOR Major League Baseball players to take the field for the first time in the 2014 season as full squads will be in action over the next few days.  If they’re not already.  Below is a listing of all 15 Florida Grapefruit League teams and their pre-season workout policies.  There is also contact information to confirm daily workouts.  Only one more week until teams hit the field against one another in preparation for another season.

Atlanta Braves – Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
Daily workouts are held from approximately 9 AM to 2PM from February 19-25. Park admission is charged $16.50 for adults and $11.50 for children.  Once season opens practices are closed and gates open three hours before first pitch on gameday.  Call (407) 939-4263 for more information.

Baltimore Orioles – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
Daily practices are open to the public from 9AM to 1PM with no parking charge. Practices are closed after February 27.  Gates open two hours before first pitch on gameday. Call (941) 893-6300 for more information.

Boston Red Sox – Jet Blue Park, Fort Myers
Daily practices are open to the public from 9AM to 1PM, with no parking charge, on practice fields adjacent to Jet Blue Park. Once regular season starts minor league games will be held on back fields with no admission charge. Call (239) 334-4700 for more information.

Detroit Tigers – Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
Daily practices are open to the public in the mornings and into the afternoon with no parking charge on the practice field adjacent to Marchant Stadium until February 25. Call (863) 686-8075 for more information.

Houston Astros – Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9AM to 1PM, until February 28.  Once season starts there is no access to practice field on gameday. Practice fields are open to the public on non-gamedays. Call (321) 697-3200 for more information.

Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals  – Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9AM to 1PM, until games begin.  Gates open at 11:30 a.m. on gameday.

Minnesota Twins – Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9AM to 12 Noon until games begin. Minor league practice is open to the public on gameday with a parking change.  On non-gamedays, there will be no parking charge to attend minor league workouts. 

New York Mets – Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9AM to 12 Noon until February 26. Call (772) 871-2115 for more information.

New York Yankees – Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, beginning at 10AM.  There will be no access to the practice fields after February 25.  Gates open 2 hours prior to first pitch on gamedays. Call (813) 879-2244 for more information.

Philadelphia Phillies – Bright House Field, Clearwater
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 8AM to 12 Noon at the Carpenter Complex (651 North Coachman Road).  Gates open at Bright House Field at 10:30 a.m. on gamedays. Call (727) 467-4457 for more information.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Pirate City, Bradenton
Daily practices at Pirate City (1701 27th St E) are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9AM to 12 Noon. Gates open at McKechnie Field 2 hours before first pitch on gamedays.  Call (941) 747-3031 for more information.

Tampa Bay Rays – Charlotte County Sports Complex, Port Charlotte
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge from 9:30 a.m. to 1PM. There will be a parking charge on gamedays.

Toronto Blue Jays – Dunedin
Daily practices at the Bobby Mattick Training Facility (1700 Solon Avenue, Dunedin, 34698) are open to the public, with no parking charge, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon.  Gates open at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium at 10:30 a.m. on gamedays.  Call (727) 734-8007 for more information.

Washington Nationals – Space Coast Stadium, Viera
Daily practices are open to the public, with no parking charge from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon until the season starts.  Call (321) 633-4487 for more information.

Follow the 2014 Florida Grapefruit League season at www.floridagrapefruitleague.com and on Twitter @FlaSpringTrain.  The Florida ports Foundation is also offering a new Mobile App for Apple and Android Smartphones.  LInks to download the app can be found at www.floridagrapefruitleague.com.  It features schedules, stadium information and fans will receive notifications during the season about daily gameday promotions and weather updates if necessary during the 33 days of Florida Spring Training.

WATCH FOR Budweiser Speedweeks to continue at the “World Center of Racing,” the Daytona International Speedway.  A full schedule of racing takes place this week leading up to the 56th running of the Daytona 500.  Some of the biggest storylines of the weekend center around “The Great American Race.”

• Tony Stewart’s return to racing: The Sprint Unlimited marks Stewart’s long-awaited return to racing after suffering injuries in a sprint car accident in August 2013. Stewart, who is second on the all-time wins list at Daytona, is searching for his first DAYTONA 500 win in his 15th start in “The Great American Race.”
• Defending DAYTONA 500 champion: Coming off a sweep of both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona in 2013, Jimmie Johnson is returning to the “World Center of Racing” attempting to become the first driver to capture back-to-back DAYTONA 500s since Sterling Marlin in 1994-95. A DAYTONA 500 win would put Johnson, who is the defending six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, alongside Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison and Dale Jarrett as three-time DAYTONA 500 winners.
• Return of No. 3: Austin Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will drive the legendary No. 3 car for the 2014 season. The historic No. 3 hasn’t been used in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition since 2001.

Find more storylines at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com as well as ticket information for the races of the week.

WATCH FOR Florida’s NBA teams to get back on the floor after the All Star Break last weekend.  The Miami Heat currently lead the Southeast Division with a 37-18 record and are second among Eastern Conference teams, behind the Indiana Pacers.  The Heat have road games to start the second half, at Dallas and Oklahoma City, before returning home to the American Airlines Arena for a four-game homestand.  Beginning February 23, the Heat play the Chicago Bulls, followed by the New York Knicks (February 27), Orlando Magic (March 1) and the Charlotte Bobcats (March 3).

The Orlando Magic, play six of their next seven games after the break, on the road but return to Amway Arena for a  home game against the New York Knicks on February 21. 

The March 1 game between the Heat and Magic will be the 99th regular season meeting between the two Florida teams.  The Heat hold a 54-44 regular season series edge over the Magic dating back to the 1989-90 season.  The Heat also hold a post-season edge over the Magic, 3-2, winning an Eastern Conference first round playoff series in 1997.

On the college hardwood, the Florida Gators are currently ranked second, behind the Syracuse Orangemen, in both the AP and USA Today College Basketball Polls.  With a 23-2 overall record and a 12-0 Southeastern Conference record, the Gators have won a school-record 17 consecutive games, dating back to a December 2 loss to Connecticut.  The Gators, with six regular season contests remaining,  are the only ranked Florida team among Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball teams.

We hope you have enjoyed the Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports.” It is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.
 

What To Watch For This Week in Florida Sports (March 25-31)

WATCH FOR the two biggest stories in sports taking place in the State of Florida. In a state offering so many sports opportunities, it’s the basketball court where the headlines are being made in the Sunshine State.

WATCH FOR the Miami Heat to extend their current 27-game win streak with games this week against the Chicago Bulls (Wednesday), New Orleans Jazz (Friday) and San Antonio Spurs (Sunday). It’s the second-longest streak in NBA History and American sports.

To get a perspective of the 53 days the Heat win streak has been going on, here are some other events that have made the headlines in Florida since Miami’s last loss on February 1 against the Indiana Pacers.

February 12 – Pitchers and Catchers Report for Spring Training at 14 Florida locations
February 24 – Jimmie Johnson wins the 55th Annual Daytona 500
March 2 – Tampa Jesuit High School wins its first Basketball Championship in 29 years
March 6 – Florida Gators win SEC Regular Season Basketball Championship with win over Vanderbilt
March 9 – Florida Gulf Coast Eagles win Sun Belt Conference Tournament to qualify for NCAA Tournament
March 10 – Tiger Woods wins the World Golf Championships at Miami’s Doral Blue Monster
March 17 – Miami Hurricanes defeat North Carolina to win 2013 ACC Basketball Tournament
March 24 – Tiger Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando
March 25 – Florida Spring Training season enters its final week of play

WATCH FOR the nation’s latest Cinderella story, the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Eagles, in their first NCAA Tournament, are the first 15th seeded team to advance to the Sweet 16. Florida is the only state with three teams remaining from the tournament’s original field of 68. Michigan and Kansas have two teams still playing.

Florida Gulf Coast meets the Southeastern Conference regular season champions, the third-seeded Florida Gators, Friday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

WATCH FOR the Miami Hurricanes, who also made headlines in South Florida as the ACC Regular Season and Tournament Champion, as they face the Marquette Warriors, in Sweet 16 action, in Washington, DC.

The winner of the Florida Gulf Coast/Florida matchup meets the winner of the Michigan/Kansas game with the winner advancing to the Final Four. The Miami/Marquette winner plays against the winner of the Indiana/Syracuse Sweet 16 matchup.

In the women’s tournament, the Florida State Seminoles have a chance to be the women’s tournament Cinderella story. After defeating the Princeton Tigers in the first round, the Seminoles meet the defending champion and top-seeded Baylor Bears tonight in Waco, Texas.

WATCH FOR a great bonanza of freshwater fishing opportunities. All across the state, anglers have reported great catches of a wide variety of freshwater fish.

Typically, black crappie (specks), redbreast sunfish and largemouth bass (the largest sunfish) begin spawning when water temperatures get over about 62 F. Crappie will stop spawning before bass, which continue to work the beds until it warms up to about 75 degrees. They are followed by redear sunfish and bluegill.

WATCH FOR the best in Florida Fishing with a copy of the 2013 Florida Fishing and Boating Guide and the Monthly Fish Busters column from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

WATCH FOR the Florida Grapefruit League to close out a successful 2013 season while celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Major League Baseball’s annual pilgrimage to the Sunshine State. Games began on Friday, February 22 and will conclude on Saturday, March 30 with three games.

Over the next few days, three players in Florida will vye for the Grapefruit League home run title. The Phillies Domonic Brown and Ryan Howard, as well as the Braves Freddie Freeman have each hit seven round trippers.

Through games of Monday, March 25, Florida Grapefruit League attendance was well on its way to topping 1.5 million for the 12th time in the last 14 years. Over 1.4 million fans attended games through Monday.

The front page of the Florida Grapefruit League web site features links to articles about team preparations for the upcoming season. Also feel free to visit the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays as their regular seasons open on Monday, April 1.

WATCH FOR the recently released Florida Sports Foundation five-minute video showing how sports contributes to the State of Florida economy. As a $36 billion industry, it’s hard to imagine all of the aspects of sports and how it relates to the business community. Hopefully, this video will introduce a better perspective of the relation between the two.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by Florida Sports Foundation Director of Communications, Nick Gandy. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 11-17)

Spring Training Baseball in March and Florida are a Perfect Pair

Today, March 12, marks approximately the midway point in the 2013 Florida Spring Training season.  The 36 days of Grapefruit League Baseball began with a full slate of games on Saturday, February 23 and concludes on Saturday, March 30.  Today being  day number 18.

A few things that have happened so far in the 14 Florida locations include….

A total of 128 games have been played with only one game rained out.  It came on Tuesday, February 26 in Bradenton. Through games of March 12 at total of 732,755 fans attended the 123 games played for an average of just under 6,000 fans per game.

The crowd of 11,022 to watch the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, March 9 in Clearwater was a Bright House Field record.

The Tampa Bay Rays lead the Grapefruit League with 11 wins, as of Tuesday, March 12.  The Baltimore Orioles have a 10-4 record for the best winning percentage in the Grapefruit League.

The renovated McKechnie Field in Bradenton has been met with rave reviews.  “You’re in for a pleasant surprise after you pass through the main gate at our grand ol’ ballyard on Ninth Street West. The venerable 90-year-old ballpark is fresh off its most audacious overhaul yet, a $10 million renovation that includes 2,000 more seats, a fan plaza, larger restrooms, new concession stands and a host of other amenities.”

Florida Governor Rick Scott participated in the 16th “Let’s Get to Work Day” at Joker Marchant Stadium, Wednesday, February 27, and announced that he will work to provide $5 million annually to be used only for spring training facilities. During the workday, the Governor participated in daily operations for the Detroit Tigers Baseball team, including working at the concession stands, managing equipment and working with the grounds crew.

While current law provides some ability for local governments to incentivize spring training baseball, there is no predictability or a regular funding stream for spring training in Florida. That means if teams need renovations to their facilities, they must begin at square-one to secure funding and planning from the state and from local governments. Currently, 15 teams use Florida facilities for spring training, three teams’ leases come up for renewal in 2016, and two come up for renewal in 2017.

Under the initiative, local governments will be required to match at least 50 percent of project costs. State contributions for each project would be capped at $20 million and the Department of Economic Opportunity would review and approve the match to ensure it provides a return on investment for taxpayers.

Florida Basketball teams look to “The Big Dance”
The ninth-ranked Miami Hurricanes, who finished the regular season 24-6, won the Atlantic Coast Conference Regular Season Championship and enter the ACC tournament this weekend, as the top seed with a first round bye.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to play Friday at noon against the winner of Thursday’s matchup between No. 9 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Boston College.

The 11th-ranked University of Florida Gators, the 2012-13 SEC regular season champions, heads into postseason play as the top seed of the SEC Tournament.  Florida has a bye until the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. The team will take on either Georgia or LSU on Friday, March 15 in Nashville, Tenn.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga and Florida coach Billy Donovan each earned Conference Coach of the Year honors for their 2012-13 efforts.

The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles were the first team in this year’s NCAA Tournament field of 68 to clinch a berth thanks to a conference automatic bid.  The Eagles defeated top-seeded Mercer 88-75 in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Game in Macon, Georgia.

The NCAA Men’s Tournament selection will be announced on Sunday, March 17 with the Women’s Tournament announced on Monday, March 18.

In anticipation of their tournament seed and destination, the 25th -ranked Florida State Seminoles women’s basketball team will host an NCAA Selection Show party at the President’s Box inside Doak Campbell Stadium. The doors will open to all fans at 6:30 p.m.

And if all of that college basketball news wasn’t enough… How about the Miami Heat? They’ve won 18 straight games, are sitting atop the league standings and have a very real chance of wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the East playoffs by the end of the month. They go for win number 19 tonight at home against the Atlanta Hawks and then travel to play the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Indian River State College Swim Team Extends Championship Streak

Indian River State College’s men’s swim team, from Fort Pierce, didn’t simply claim its 39th consecutive national championship; it did so in perfect fashion.

The men won all six races in the NJCAA Swimming and Diving Championships capping a meet in which they won all 18 races. IRSC scored 1,832 points, while runner-up Daytona State College had 1,319.

“That was one for the books,” said IRSC coach Ryan Mallam, who just wrapped up his fourth year. “That’s a really hard thing to do because the level of competition has really been going up over the last few years.”

IRSC’s women were crowned as national champions for the 31st consecutive time and 35th overall. The women, which won four races Saturday, finished the championships with 1,648 points; second-place Daytona State had 951. The men’s streak is the longest in the nation at any collegiate level.

Could the Next U.S. Open Tennis Champion be from Florida?

If you’ve ever dreamed of playing in one of tennis’ Grand Slams, then the road to the 2013 US Open starts for Florida players in Tallahassee this May.

Entries will open on March 15 for the 2013 US Open National Playoffs, with the Florida event to be held on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, starting on Saturday, May 25, through May 28.

The US Open remains the only of the four Grand Slams to open its qualifying to all players age 14 or over in men’s singles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles. The Florida winners in all three categories will advance to the national tournament featuring the USTA section winners.

The US Open National Playoffs men’s and women’s national singles champions earn a wildcard into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, held the week prior to the US Open. The US Open National Playoffs mixed doubles champions receive a wildcard into the main draw of the 2013 US Open Mixed Doubles.

“Anyone who dreams of playing in the US Open — top junior players, collegians, teaching professionals, ‘weekend warriors,’ or recreational players — can make that dream a reality through the US Open National Playoffs,” said Dave Haggerty, USTA chairman, CEO, and president.

Registration and additional information can be found at www.USOpen.org/NationalPlayoffs. More than 1,200 players competed in the 2012 US Open National Playoffs, ranging from experienced professionals who were once ranked in the Top 50, to upcoming junior players, to current and former college standouts, to recreational players of all playing abilities and walks of life. Participants included those competing for charities as well as pastors, musicians, lawyers, reporters and stay-at-home mothers. Former notable participants include Olympic skier Bode Miller and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, who teamed with six-time US Open champion Chris Evert in mixed doubles.

Two Florida PGA Tour Stops in the books with three remaining

So far this month the PGA Tour has stopped at the PGA National Championship Course in Palm Beach Gardens and the Blue Monster at Doral, in Miami.  Stop number three of the month is coming up this weekend at Innisbruck Resort in Palm Harbor. 

Future stops include the Bay Hill Club and Lodge and the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in the Orlando area.

Tiger Woods won the World Golf Championship last week in Miami and is the defending champion at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge which begins on March 21.  If the defending champion and seven-time Bay Hill Champion were to add one more victory, he would tie Sam Snead with the most wins in a PGA TOUR event. Snead won the Greensboro tournament, now called the Wyndham Championship, eight times from1938 to 1965.

Last year’s Bay Hill win marked Woods’s 72nd PGA TOUR title, and he has since added three more as he moved past Jack Nicklaus into second place on the all-time victory list behind only Snead’s 82 wins. Only two players have ever successfully defended a title in the previous 34 years at Bay Hill. Loren Roberts won back-to-back in 1994- 95, while Woods won four in a row from 2000-03 and pulled off consecutive wins in 2008-09.

The State of Florida has seen the world’s best golfers in action the first weeks of March and has three more weekends to see the PGA Tour at its finest.

March 14 – 17 – Tampa Bay Championship Innisbrook Resort
Copperhead, Palm Harbor
Purse: $5,500,000 – 2012 Champion, Luke Donald

March 21 – 24 – Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando
Purse: $6,200,000 – 2012 Champion, Tiger Woods

Mar 25 – 26 – Tavistock Cup
Isleworth Golf & Country Club, Windermere
Purse: $2,170,000 – 2012 Champion, Ben Curtis

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by Florida Sports Foundation Director of Communications, Nick Gandy. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.