ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Somewhere, palm fronds are swaying. Seagulls are squawking, the sun is blinding and the familiar scent of Coppertone is wafting through the bleachers.
Just not inside Tropicana Field, where spring training has sacrificed charm for necessity.
The Rays introduced the world to Grapefruit League Concentrate on Thursday, playing the first of 13 spring games indoors due to hurricane damage at their ballpark in Port Charlotte. It wasn’t the organic version of spring, but it was comfortable, convenient and, most of all, practical considering the short amount of time they had to pull it off.
