FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s the constant refrain of escapees from Elmira and East Rutherford: South Florida has no seasons. Not so. Saturday is opening day for Grapefruit League spring-training baseball for five Major League teams in three South Florida ballparks — for fans, it’s Christmas every day.
For the next month, local fans will mingle with brethren from all over the country at parks in West Palm Beach, Jupiter and Port St. Lucie to celebrate this season of renewal, when all things are possible, everyone is in first place, and even the Washington Nationals have hope.
This optimism radiates off the faces of out-of-town visitors, slathered in sunblock in winter, who are just happy to be here, whether at the ballpark or a local restaurant — hotel-ticket travel packages are sold out for each team.
