Coffee Pot Park
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Coffee Pot Park was a ballpark in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
home to the
St. Petersburg Saints The St. Petersburg Saints were a minor league baseball team that operated out of St. Petersburg, Florida. The team began as a semi-pro team and as early as October 1908, the semi-pro Saints played the Cincinnati Reds in a post-season exhibition g ...
minor-league baseball team until 1928, and spring training home of the
St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
and
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. Its capacity was approximately 850 for baseball. The park was named for the nearby Coffee Pot Bayou. The field was also used by local high school teams and for amateur softball. The ballpark was replaced in 1922 by Waterfront Park as the home to spring training in St. Pete.


History

A 1929 article in the ''Evening Independent'' cites the location of the diamond as being "built where the Snell Isle golf course now reposes." The Snell Isle was incorporated into the Sunset Golf Club which was eventually absorbed into what today is the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club. But in 1965, Fred Lieb wrote that the park was located at First Street North and 22nd Avenue in the "Granada Terrace" section of the city. In 1966, Ken Goldman also wrote that the address of the ballpark had been at "First Street North and 22nd Avenue" which by today's map would place the park southwest of Coffee Pot Bayou. John C. Skipper, in his book ''Wicked Curve'', describes Coffee Pot Park as follows: "The park itself was about as plain as its name, with one shower (that produced only cold water) and a wooden grandstand that held about 500 people – if 400 of them were thin. The park was on a bayou, and many of the players brought fishing poles to the ballpark and threw in a line to relax between practices. The Saint Petersburg Saints minor-league team played at the ballpark from as early as the 1914 season. An account of a 1916 game against Tampa recounts that the game was called in the seventh-inning "in order that the visitors could catch the boat back to Tampa." The Saints joined the
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
in 1920, one year after its inception in 1919. St. Petersburg mayor Al Lang attracted the St. Louis Browns to the city in 1914. In the first game, the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
came by boat across the bay from their spring home in Tampa. The Cubs beat the Browns 3-2, as 4,000 fans paid from 25 cents (for bleachers) to $1 (for a box seat). The Philadelphia Phillies trained at the ballpark from 1915 through 1918. Manager
Pat Moran Patrick Joseph Moran (February 7, 1876 – March 7, 1924) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1914. The year after his retirement, he became a manager, and he led two ...
made the players walk the from their hotel in downtown St. Petersburg to the ballpark every day. Phillies owner and president William Baker considered purchasing land adjacent to the ballpark and constructing a "permanent southern base" with hotel and clubhouse. Top minor league clubs used to hold their own spring training camps; the
Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
trained at the ballpark in 1921.


See also

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Baseball in the Tampa Bay area Baseball in the Tampa Bay area, both amateur and professional, has had a long and storied history, even though the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the two youngest franchises in Major League Baseball, the other being the Arizona Diamondbacks. Spring tr ...
*
Progress Energy Park Al Lang Stadium is a 7,500-seat sports stadium along the waterfront of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, United States which was used almost exclusively as a baseball park for over 60 years. Since 2011, it has been the home pitch of the Tampa Bay ...


References

{{FSL ballparks Grapefruit League venues Philadelphia Phillies spring training venues St. Louis Browns spring training venues Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida 1914 establishments in Florida Sports venues completed in 1914