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Holman Stadium (Vero Beach)
Encyclopedia
Holman Stadium is a baseball
stadium
in Vero Beach, Florida
, built in 1953 to accommodate spring training
for the Dodgers
as part of a complex called Dodgertown. In addition to the Dodgers' spring games, it was also the home of the Vero Beach Devil Rays
of the Florida State League
, through the 2008 season. Official seating capacity
is 6,500.
teams to conduct spring training
in Florida, establishing their operations in this quiet beachside town in 1948. The team continued the tradition after becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers
in 1958. In recent decades, Arizona
has established itself alongside Florida as the second major center for spring baseball, and the Dodgers were the last western
team to still conduct its spring training in Florida.
In 2001, the Dodgers seriously considered moving their spring training operations to Arizona
, but the city of Vero Beach persuaded them to stay by purchasing the Dodgertown complex from the team and leasing it back for $1 per year. In 2006, the Dodgers again received offers from several Arizona cities, attempting to persuade them to move. The Dodgers will have to repay much of the money Vero Beach laid out to purchase the complex, but the Arizona offers were too lucrative to overcome this obstacle. With the Camelback Ranch opening in Glendale, Arizona
in 2009, the Dodgers joined the Chicago White Sox
to share operations of the new facility. The Dodgers' last spring training game in Vero Beach was on March 17, 2008.
In addition, the neighborhood around Dodger Stadium
in Los Angeles is expected to be renamed Dodgertown, in keeping the spirit of the Dodgers' longtime spring-training home.
Holman is unique for its open-air dugout
s that are literally dug out along the sides of the field. These may have been the inspiration for the dugouts in Johnny Hart
's B.C. comic strip
. "This place is so different from any other park," states George Betscha, a Batboy at Dodgertown from 2005-2008. "There is so much history here and you can feel it when you walk around."
In addition to baseball, the Holman Stadium complex and conference center have hosted training sessions by the New Orleans Saints
, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Hurricanes, the Chunichi Dragons of Japan, the Osaka Buffaloes (Japan) and the LG Twins from Korea. The Saints held training camp in Vero Beach during July and August ten of the eleven years between 1974 and 1984.
The Baltimore Orioles
were recruited to move up to Vero Beach in 2010, from their spring home in Fort Lauderdale
, but after failing to reach an agreement, the City of Vero Beach rescinded its offer.
The city is exploring other options outside of Major League Baseball spring training. Reports surfaced in 2009
that the Major League Baseball Players Association
was considering Holman Stadium as an alternate training site for players who entered the spring as unsigned free agent
s, such as Manny Ramirez
. But the MLBPA decided not to go forward with the plan.
There is no word on whether nearby Dodgertown Elementary School will change its name.
The United Football League has expressed an interest in using the Dodgertown facility as a training and practice grounds.
Dodgertown became the Vero Beach Sports Village in 2010. It is now used for sports tournaments including baseball and football
tournaments, concerts, monster truck
rallies and other special events.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
, built in 1953 to accommodate spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
for the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
as part of a complex called Dodgertown. In addition to the Dodgers' spring games, it was also the home of the Vero Beach Devil Rays
Vero Beach Devil Rays
The Vero Beach Devil Rays, originally the Vero Beach Dodgers, were a minor league baseball team based in Vero Beach, Florida. They played in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1980–2008, at which point they relocated to Port Charlotte, Florida as the Charlotte Stone Crabs...
of the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
, through the 2008 season. Official seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
is 6,500.
History
The Brooklyn Dodgers were one of the first major league baseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams to conduct spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in Florida, establishing their operations in this quiet beachside town in 1948. The team continued the tradition after becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in 1958. In recent decades, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
has established itself alongside Florida as the second major center for spring baseball, and the Dodgers were the last western
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
team to still conduct its spring training in Florida.
In 2001, the Dodgers seriously considered moving their spring training operations to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, but the city of Vero Beach persuaded them to stay by purchasing the Dodgertown complex from the team and leasing it back for $1 per year. In 2006, the Dodgers again received offers from several Arizona cities, attempting to persuade them to move. The Dodgers will have to repay much of the money Vero Beach laid out to purchase the complex, but the Arizona offers were too lucrative to overcome this obstacle. With the Camelback Ranch opening in Glendale, Arizona
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
in 2009, the Dodgers joined the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
to share operations of the new facility. The Dodgers' last spring training game in Vero Beach was on March 17, 2008.
In addition, the neighborhood around Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
in Los Angeles is expected to be renamed Dodgertown, in keeping the spirit of the Dodgers' longtime spring-training home.
Holman is unique for its open-air dugout
Dugout (baseball)
In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
s that are literally dug out along the sides of the field. These may have been the inspiration for the dugouts in Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
's B.C. comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
. "This place is so different from any other park," states George Betscha, a Batboy at Dodgertown from 2005-2008. "There is so much history here and you can feel it when you walk around."
In addition to baseball, the Holman Stadium complex and conference center have hosted training sessions by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Hurricanes, the Chunichi Dragons of Japan, the Osaka Buffaloes (Japan) and the LG Twins from Korea. The Saints held training camp in Vero Beach during July and August ten of the eleven years between 1974 and 1984.
The Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
were recruited to move up to Vero Beach in 2010, from their spring home in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, but after failing to reach an agreement, the City of Vero Beach rescinded its offer.
The city is exploring other options outside of Major League Baseball spring training. Reports surfaced in 2009
2009 Major League Baseball season
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to...
that the Major League Baseball Players Association
Major League Baseball Players Association
The Major League Baseball Players Association is the union of professional major-league baseball players.-History of MLBPA:The MLBPA was not the first attempt to unionize baseball players...
was considering Holman Stadium as an alternate training site for players who entered the spring as unsigned free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
s, such as Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...
. But the MLBPA decided not to go forward with the plan.
There is no word on whether nearby Dodgertown Elementary School will change its name.
The United Football League has expressed an interest in using the Dodgertown facility as a training and practice grounds.
Dodgertown became the Vero Beach Sports Village in 2010. It is now used for sports tournaments including baseball and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tournaments, concerts, monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
rallies and other special events.