Ghost Stadiums - Cocoa Expo Sports Complex, Cocoa, Florida

(This post originally appeared on Bus Leagues Baseball.com)

Before I left for Afghanistan in mid-March, I drove across Florida from my home in Tampa to my parents’ home in Melbourne. Along the way, on Florida State Road 520, just outside of Cocoa, Florida, I saw the remains of what was once the home of the Florida State League’s Cocoa Astros, the spring home of the Houston Astros, and for a season, the spring home of the then-Florida Marlins. Sadly, even at 55 mph, it was apparent the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex had seen better days.

Built in 1964, the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex was designed to host baseball, soccer, and other sports on its outdoor fields; basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports in its indoor complex; and events such as the Florida State Fair in its exhibition hall. The 40-acre complex was supposed to be the premier multi-use event center in Brevard County.

And for many years it was. Shortly after the facility opened, the Houston Astros moved from Apache Junction, Arizona to the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex for spring training and made it the new home of their Florida State League affiliate, the Cocoa Astros. In 1972, the Cocoa Astros moved to Dubuque, Iowa, then to Cedar Rapids, then came back to Cocoa in 1977, before moving throughout Florida from 1982 to 2000 and then finding their current home in the Carolina League as the Lancaster Jethawks.

In 1985, the big league Astros joined their minor league affiliate in departing the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex when they claimed the facility was “rundown” and told the City of Cocoa to pay for the renovations. After the city balked, claiming renovation had to be paid for by the Astros organization, the City of Kissimmee swooped in and lured the Astros and their minor league team an hour west.

After the Astros moved, a private ownership group bought the Cocoa Expo, put their own money into fixing it, and hosted various professional baseball-related events such as the Joe Brinkman Umpire School (1985-1998) and and an academy run by former Brevard County standout and current Major League manager Clint Hurdle. The facility also continued to host many amateur events.

On a personal note, I had a chance to play in one of the many amateur events during my final year of Little League in 1992. A few weeks after our season was over, my then-coach called to ask me if I wanted to participate in an exhibition against a team of traveling Brazilian teens. Never one to turn down the ability to play, I accepted. Although I don’t remember the final score, I remember the Brazilian team being very good and their pitcher throwing very fast, faster than most American kids my age. If I remember correctly, I went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and ground out.

A year after I played there, the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex hosted to its final professional baseball team. In 1993, the then-Florida Marlins played their first season in the Grapefruit League at the Cocoa Expo as they awaited the completion of Space Coast Stadium. Unlike the Astros however, the Marlins only used the complex for its stadium as they practiced and worked out in neighboring Viera adjacent to Space Coast Stadium on the fields of the Carl Barger Complex. Following the Marlins temporary residence, the complex still hosted amateur baseball, basketball, volleyball, and soccer tournaments, gun shows, and the state fair.

Unfortunately, time and the poor economy caught up to the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex. According to recent reports, in June 2011 the complex was foreclosed and seized by its main lender. After months of vacancy, with chains and locks and a sign announcing the foreclosure on the gates, new owners bought the complex and began $40 million dollars in repairs with the intent of making the complex a destination for amateur baseball, basketball, and volleyball teams from around the country. The new ownership attempted to open parts of the complex in March 2012 for a baseball tournament, but faced a wide array of complaints that the fields and facilities were unsafe and that the venue was “an open construction site”.

Will there ever be professional baseball at the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex again? Highly doubtful for three reasons. First and foremost, that doesn’t seem to be the intent of the new ownership. Second, while the complex might one day be suitable for college and amateur training and showcases, the main stadium needs far too many improvements to be considered a viable Florida State League destination. And third, and with Space Coast Stadium, home of the Brevard County Manatees since 1994, only 15 minutes south on I-95, I doubt there is any interest from a Minor League Baseball to place another team in the area.

Professional baseball history is also not on the side of the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex. Only once since 1941 has more than one team called Brevard County home. In 1972 the Cocoa Astros were joined by the four teams of the Florida East Coast Rookie League teams, the also-named Cocoa Astros, the Cocoa Expos, and the Melbourne Twins and Melbourne Reds. After one season, the Florida East Coast Rookie League folded and was never heard from again.

With their recent black eye and bad press, the new ownership of the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex might want to wait until the renovations are completely finished before opening the facility to the public. Until then, however, the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex will be devoid of all baseball and sit as a sad decrepit reminder of Cocoa, Florida’s minor league past.

Image acquired from ballparkreviews.com.

Is there baseball in Afghanistan?

Hey folks, I have a big announcement:

My job is sending me to Afghanistan for a year in late January / early February.

After being unemployed for most of 2011, I decided to take a job in Afghanistan for a year. So after I take my physicals, get my shots, do my paperwork, and learn my job, it is off to the vast unknown.

While I am there I will still try to write, but I am not sure how close I am going to be able to follow baseball in America. I'll try to do some interviews if at all possible - maybe I can email people some questions and post their answers here. Maybe I can find people who are playing baseball in Afghanistan and talk to them. A quick google search on "Afghanistan baseball" brings up articles on baseball being played in Afghanistan as early as 1946, baseball currently growing in popularity in Afghanistan, Army soldiers teaching Afghans baseball, the South Asian Baseball Tournament between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and other Americans keeping their baseball love strong by playing at bases thousands of miles from home. So there should be some interesting subjects to write about.

But I won't be going to any games until Spring Training 2013.

Wow, that seems so far away, since we aren't even in Spring Training 2012. But by the time the 2012 World Series finishes and the season is officially over, I'll only have a few months left. The way I see it, following baseball will get me through to November, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, New Years, then I'll be counting down the days on my fingers and toes.

Baseball history is full of players who travel and come back more successful. A few examples include Cecil Fielder, Orestes Destrade, and current Ranger hurler Colby Lewis. For these players, their time overseas helped them focus, seize their potential, and become better ballplayers. My goal is to do the same with writing. Along with the possibility of emailing Q&As, I also have some short stories I want to finish during my time away. Even though I will be out of the loop, I refuse to get rusty as a writer. With not much else to do besides work, I would be foolish not to take the time to improve my craft.

Another one of the benefits of going overseas for a year is the pay and the fact that I won't be spending anything in regards to bills for a year. Perhaps I will do a trek of minor league parks when I return. We'll see.

Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 is now available

(This post originally appeared on Bus Leagues Baseball.com)

We are happy to announce the release of our second annual book: The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2.

Like our first release, The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 is a collection of interviews and conversations with some of the brightest prospects in Minor League Baseball as well as coaches, media personnel, fans, and other people associated with the lower levels of professional baseball. Volume 2 expands on our original work by featuring the voices of our expanded roster of writers and includes much of the work Brian and Mike did during their tenures with MiLB.com.

We worked hard to ensure The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 is available for the holidays. We promise it will make a great gift for baseball fans of all ages no matter what their holiday or denomination.

Again, we would like to thank each and every one of you for your support, without of which this book would never be possible.

Click here to buy The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 at Amazon.com.

The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 includes interviews with the following:

Travelers & Fans

James Dively

Tug Haines

Joe Price

Torianne Valdez

Craig Wieczorkiewicz

Writers & Broadcasters

Bruce Baskin

Clark Brooks

Jim Donten

Kurt Schweizer

Greg Young

Players

Dellin Betances

Tiffany Brooks

Chris Cates

Travis d’Arnaud

Wes Etheridge

Anthony Gose

Mark Hendrickson

Liam Hendriks

Chad Jenkins

Mike McDade

Mike Minor

Stolmy Pimentel

D’Vontrey Richardson

Moises Sierra

Michael Spidale

Zach Stewart

Kyle Weiland

MiLB.com

Stetson Allie & Justin Meccage

Aaron Altherr & Mickey Morandini

Garin Cecchini & Rich Gedman

Alexander Colome

Cito Culver

Jarek Cunningham

Matt Hobgood & Scott McGregor

Kyle Jensen

Coline Kaline

Jeff Locke

Richard Lucas

Matthew Neil

Matt Rice & Kes Carter

Garrett Wittels

From the Podcast

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jeff Perro

George Springer

Thanks!

Missing out on the Macho Man

(This post originally appeared on Bus Leagues Baseball.com)

Nearly a year to the day before he died, I discussed with Bus Leagues Baseball the idea that I should interview Randy Poffo about his brief minor league career.

Poffo, better known as “Macho Man” Randy Savage, played ever so briefly for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, the Gulf Coast League Red Birds, the Orangeburg Cardinals, and the Tampa Tarpons. As other people have mentioned, he didn’t play long and after an injury, he changed his name to "Randy Savage" and decided to try the pro wrestling route.

(Here is an absolute must-read article by Jeff Pearlman on Randy Poffo's love for baseball and his minor league career.)

After agreeing that an interview with Randy Poffo would be a great story, I surfed the web for any contact info for the Macho Man. A visit to a few web sites informed me that he had recently tied the knot, but I failed to find an email or any representative contact information. So I shelved the idea and wrote the name "Macho Man" Randy Savage on my potential interview list.

The problem with putting ideas on the back burner is sometimes they burn away.

Having grown up when pro wrestling was blowing up in a national sense, I was always a big Macho Man fan, as were millions and millions of kids my age. His stories and situations were always among the best and you knew no matter who he fought, he was going to put on a hell of a match. I got into wrestling as he was feuding with George “The Animal” Steele and followed him throughout his WWF/WWE career.

Although he wrestled in various other promotions throughout the late 90s and into the 2000s, I never saw another Macho Man match after he left the WWF. I know better now, but in those days I used to think anything outside of WWF/WWE was an inferior product, with less capable wrestlers. I thought WWF/WWE was “the big leagues” and would never consider “the minors” as equal entertainment.

Funny how things change.

Those who know me well know my interest in lower level baseball is almost matched by my interest in lower level professional wrestling. For that I have to thank my brother, professional wrestler Bryan Maddox. For over six years, he has wrestled throughout the State of Florida, working in the ring or behind the scenes with such legendary names as Haku, Afa the Wild Samoan, Jimmy Hart, and Scott Hall (aka Razor Ramon). Ironically, he was also once on the same card as Randy Poffo’s brother, “The Genius” Lanny Poffo. My brother’s wrestling career has taught me that like the bus leagues, it takes years of dedication, hard work, and several lucky breaks to make it in professional wrestling.

There were several times I talked to my brother about my idea to interview the Macho Man. Every time I mentioned it, he concurred that it would make a great story and that I was the right person to do it. Unfortunately, I never attempted to use his contacts to track down the Macho Man.

In January of this year, as we planned the Bus Leagues agenda, I reiterated to Brian and Eric how this would be the year I would interview Randy Savage. “My goal this year is to interview Macho Man Randy Savage on his minor league career. I don't care who I have to elbow drop,” I wrote in an email to them.

“I'll say now what I said when you first mentioned it: that would be completely awesome,” Brian wrote back.

“That would need to be on the site. We could not hold that for a book. Everyone would link to an interview with Randy Poffo. We would win the internet for the day,” I replied.

Two weeks ago, and only 10 days before he died, I again wrote to Eric and Brian that I was going to pursue the Macho Man interview. I now work in Sarasota and it would be convenient for me to drive from work one evening and talk to the legendary former grappler. All I had to do was find the right contact and line it up.

Once again, however, my effort to find a contact was minimal. I did another cursory glance at a few web sites, but didn’t consult the Rolodex or push the issue at all.

Sadly, the world mourned the passing of “Macho Man” Randy Savage on May 20^th. Sports Illustrated published pictures of Savage in his minor league uniform, ESPN interviewed Larry Herndon of the Lakeland Flying Tigers on his time playing alongside Savage, and even Deadspin.com discussed Savage’s minor league exploits.

After learning of the car accident that took his life, I logged on to twitter to express my sadness with millions of other people, from casual fans to full-blown “Macho Maniacs”. Among my tweets about Savage was a casual mention that he was one of my “dream interview subjects”.

Shortly after that tweet, I received a reply from a local Tampa Bay Bucs blogger. He told me that he not only lived by the Macho Man, but even had his cell phone number. He told me that although Savage was quiet in regards to wrestling, he loved talking baseball. He even mentioned that Macho Man talked often about his time playing with Andy Van Slyke, Keith Hernandez, and Vince Coleman.

I was crushed.

I missed out on a golden opportunity. All I had to do was ask every journalistic contact I had, “Looking to interview Macho Man about baseball, anyone have a contact?” and I am sure the Bucs blogger would have come through. Or he would have at least tried to make it happen.

But I never contacted anyone. I never made an effort outside of talking about it.

(As I write this I can imagine the Macho Man saying, “Talk is cheap, yeah. Actions speak louder than words. And words written are words read. Dig it?”)

Needless to say, I learned a very valuable lesson. Never put a great idea on the back burner. I thought I had all the time in the world, but as a friend of mine likes to say, “Time is the most precious commodity”.

You never know when it will run out.

Tonight I found my potential interview list and sadly struck a line through the name “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

Birds, Bats, Buses, Bee Girls, and Finally Finding a Home

Sometimes life as an afro-wearing writer can be difficult. Sometimes it seems like I have become more famous for my larger-than-life hair than for the million or so words I have written online. Sometimes I feel my writing achievements have been unrecognized and unappreciated. Forget that I once won an award for Writer of the Year at my college newspaper. Forget that I was writing long, long before I donned an afro for the first time. Forget the fact that I have been read by hopefully close to a million people (or my family a million times).

Sometimes I feel like the Bee Girl of the blogosphere.

You remember the Bee Girl, right? She was the cute, awkward girl in the bee costume who danced in Blind Melon’s 1993 classic “No Rain” video. Try as she did, no one took her dancing seriously. They only laughed at her appearance. They made her feel bad, like she had no one to identify with, and not a friend in the world.

Then, after wandering aimlessly for what seemed like eternity, she finally found a place where she was accepted. A place where everyone wore bee costumes and the Bee Girl could dance and be herself and everyone loved her.

Although I have always considered minor league parks from Memphis to Melbourne (ok, Viera) a second home, last Thursday in Clearwater I finally found acceptance. I found people who were like me. People who loved baseball, who laughed and cheered, smiled and rooted, drank beer, ate hot dogs, and sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” while wearing giant afro wigs. I was not alone anymore.

Together we laughed and cheered, smiled and rooted, drank beer, ate hot dogs, and of course sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame”. All while watching baseball.

Then, after the game, we danced the night away to the sounds of local funk band Disco Inferno.

It was 70's Night and it was perfect.

It was my Bee Girl moment.

Oh yeah, the Clearwater Threshers beat the Jupiter Hammerheads 9 to 1.