| Like a number of major league baseball teams, | | | | façade looks. With a host of palm trees |
| the Detroit Tigers head to Florida every year | | | | greeting your arrival, the ticket booth is |
| for spring training. And if you want to see | | | | the nicest of its kind, with the word |
| the Tigers play any preseason games, you | | | | "Tickets" emblazoned in big orange letters |
| might have to hitch a limo or luxury sedan to | | | | arched overhead. On either side of the ticket |
| the airport and fly down Lakeland, FLA, for a | | | | booth, the Tigers pay homage to their history |
| seat in the stadium. | | | | with large banners containing artist's |
| | | | renditions of Tiger greats Lou Whitaker, Alan |
| Tiger Town is the Spring Training | | | | Trammell, Norm Cash, and Al Kaline. |
| headquarters for the Detroit Tigers and the | | | | |
| regular season home of its minor league farm | | | | The first thing you notice when you enter |
| team in the Class A Florida State League, The | | | | Joker Marchant are the 698 bright orange box |
| Lakeland Tigers. It's owned and operated by | | | | seats that comprise the first rows of seating |
| the City of Lakeland. The City of Lakeland's | | | | below the main aisle in the grandstand that |
| Parks and Recreation Department is | | | | extends from first base to third base. The |
| responsible for maintaining the facilities. | | | | majority of the seats are above the main |
| | | | concourse and are aluminum bleachers with |
| Named in honor of the late Joker Marchant, | | | | blue seat backs. |
| Lakeland's former parks and recreation | | | | |
| director, Joker Marchant Stadium was used by | | | | Perhaps the most striking feature of the |
| the Detroit Tigers for Spring Training for | | | | stadium is the large grandstand section down |
| the first time in 1966 at which time it | | | | the left field foul line, which was built in |
| contained seating for 4,900 spectators. | | | | 1988 and increased Joker Marchant's original |
| Expansion projects undertaken in the early | | | | seating capacity of 4,900 to 7,027. |
| 1970's and the addition of new grandstands | | | | |
| along the left field foul line in 1988 | | | | The metal bleacher section is one of a kind |
| brought the stadium capacity to its current | | | | due to its height and structure. Built in |
| capacity of 7,100 seats. But just because the | | | | concrete, it's the only bleacher section in |
| stadium is older than most in Florida, you | | | | Florida that can't be removed once Spring |
| can't start calling Joker Marchant "The | | | | Training is over. The section also towers |
| Joke." | | | | high above the field. Sitting at the top and |
| | | | even with the outfield fence in left field, |
| The Detroit Tigers began coming to Lakeland | | | | the vantage point is as far away from the |
| for Spring Training in 1934 and have been | | | | field as you can get, and is the Grapefruit |
| coming back each year ever since. The 70-year | | | | League's premiere nosebleed seat. |
| relationship between the Detroit Tigers and | | | | |
| the City of Lakeland is the longest lasting | | | | It's from up here that you realize just how |
| relationship between a major League | | | | spacious the outfield is. At 420 feet to |
| baseball team and a spring training host | | | | center and 340 down the lines, Joker Marchant |
| city. | | | | has the most outfield territory of any |
| | | | ballpark in the state of Florida. If center |
| The most impressive aspect of attending a | | | | field were just a little bit deeper, the |
| Spring Training game in Lakeland is the fact | | | | outfield dimensions would actually form a |
| that the Tigers have trained in this city for | | | | square. |
| so long. With the exception of the World War | | | | |
| II years (1943-45), Detroit has trained in | | | | Changes are on the horizon in Lakeland, with |
| Lakeland since 1934, the longest relationship | | | | $10 million in renovations scheduled to be |
| between a franchise and host city in spring | | | | completed in time for the 2003 spring |
| baseball history. The next closest isn't even | | | | schedule. Enhanced seating, including the |
| that close: the Phillies in Clearwater since | | | | creation of a berm in left field, will |
| 1947. For an even more amazing fact, consider | | | | increase Joker Marchant's capacity to 9,000. |
| that 18 of the 30 MLB teams changed or | | | | |
| established new spring homes in the '90's | | | | While the team continues to plan changes to |
| alone. | | | | Tiger Town there's always the one constant |
| | | | that fans can count on -- the Tigers in |
| The ballpark has aged rather well. When you | | | | Lakeland. And the team recently extended its |
| drive into the main entrance of Tigertown | | | | lease with the city through 2016. |
| you'll be surprised at how new the outer | | | | |