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