Camp in the Florida sunshine
In January 2004, the New York Mets ran two back-to-back fantasy camps at their spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The first session began on a Sunday and ran four days, and the second began on the following Thursday. Fans who joined in were able to trade the winter cold in the north for a few days of baseball with former major leaguers.
Who was there
A Mets fan from Port St. Lucie who sent updates to the site listed the former players he expected to see. They included John Stearns, Mickey Brantley, Al Jackson, Howard Johnson, Felix Millan, Randy Niemann, Ron Swoboda, Tim Teufel, Wally Backman, Jim McAndrew, Jerry Grote, Bob Apodaca, Buzz Capra, Don Hahn and Ron Darling. Camp organization was credited to Jay Wegweiser and the Mets.
More from the camp
The photo diaries and the story of Grote’s winning team appear on 1st. Camp and The Champions.