Where the legends live

Welcome to Legends Field, the spring home of the New York Yankees, located across Dale Mabry Highway from Raymond James Stadium, the fall home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is Roger Mooney, and I’ll be your blogger for this afternoon’s tilt between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Yankees. First pitch is 1:15 p.m.

It’s 10 a.m., and from my seat in the press box I can see the Bucs practice facility, which is on the far side of the RJS parking lot. That’s an interesting note, because from my seat in the press box I can’t see much of the right side of the infield.

There’s a pillar that cuts through the press box, so I have obstructed view seating, sort of like those old days at old Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees dressed this pillar up nice, though. There is a framed picture of Babe Ruth striding to the plate.

It’s good to see the Babe.

No team celebrates their history like the Yankees, and in the press box alone, you can see framed photos of Elston Howard, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Casey Stengel, Don Mattingly, Roger Maris, Phil Rizzuto, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle.

On your way in you pass replicas of the World Series trophies.

Outside the stadium, lining a plot of grass, are small monuments shaped like baseballs, that honor those Yankees who had their numbers retired.

This place is less spring training ballpark and more miniature stadium.

You forget you’re at a spring training game.

But you don’t forget where you are.