PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Baseball is back in Port Charlotte.
Tampa Bay Rays have returned to the community for spring training after holding last year’s camp in Orlando while Port Charlotte recovered from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ian in September, 2022.
The Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that killed 161 people and caused $113 billion in damage, wrecked the Port Charlotte Sports Park, the team’s training facility, and upended the lives of Rays fans and employees.
“I was very saddened to see the ballpark in the condition that it was, it almost brought tears to my eyes to see the devastation the hurricane caused,” said Frank Shorey, 81, assistant office manager for the Rays in Port Charlotte.
The effects of the storm are unforgettable to many in the county, and to baseball fans at the Rays game against the Philadelphia Phillies March 7.
“Streets were blocked, trees were down and a lot of people lost their homes. Some people still do not have their homes,” said 40-year Port Charlotte resident Maryanne Sharkey.
Some Port Charlotte residents consider themselves luckier than others. Pennsylvanian Ed Holloway has been coming to spring training for the last 27 years, ever since he moved to the Florida county.
“Our neighbour’s house was completely destroyed,” he said.
Even though they considered themselves fortunate they were also “out of work for a couple weeks because of no internet,” Holloway’s wife Teri added.
A fan host at the Charlotte Sports Park, Bill Darlington, recalled the chaotic scene. He’s lived in Port Charlotte for five years and remembered exactly what he observed at the facility a couple of days after the hurricane.
“Mangled metal, trees torn down and just pure destruction,” Darlington said.
Podcast: Trip to the Tampa Bay Rays spring game
Dylan Nazareth, David Leo and Christian Larsen share their experience from attending Thursday’s spring training game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies at the Port Charlotte Sports Complex.
Residents shared the experience of the hurricane and relied on each other for help in a time of tragedy.
“I saw our community come together, everybody took an interest in how I can help my neighbour and how can my neighbour help me,” Shorey said.
It as “a great come-together event,” Shorey said.
Other fans at the Port Charlotte stadium agreed.
“We had a generator, so everybody brought their food over and we had a gas grill, so we were cooking for everybody and sharing all the food,” Ed Holloway said.
Philadelphia Phillies fan Phil Coldren lent a hand as well. He played a role in bringing in necessities to help his community through his job at a window supply business.
“We pulled in a dozen or more tractor-trailers of generators, water and portions of food,” Coldren said.
When fans were asked how they felt about being back at this ballpark, the common answer was they loved it.
And they showed it.
The 4,210 fans in attendance gave the stadium an electric feel. The sense of unity and battling adversity in the atmosphere brought fans of both teams closer together.
“When fans come to a ballgame, they’re happy,” Shorey said.
Port Charlotte residents have been waiting so long for baseball to be back and “you can tell they missed it last year and they’re glad to have the Rays back,” Darlington said.
Video: An afternoon at the ballpark for Rays Spring Training baseball
Photo Gallery
Jonathan Leon, 19, brought his brother Tyler, 14, down to spring training from Philadelphia, who says has the best stadiums in the country. (Photo: David Leo)
Flashy Rays accessories were seen all around the stadium in Port Charlotte. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Fresh off his 21st birthday, Fort Myers native Ben Talmage sports a special edition Tampa Bay Rays jersey. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Aspiring opera singer Ella Zarkos performs the national anthem at spring training, a first for the 15-year-old. (Photo: Dylan Nazareth)
Cindy and Mike Sadusky from Clearwater show off their pride for the original Devil Rays franchise with a vintage jersey. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Bill Burt and his wife Lisa love the Florida vibes, but they’re still Philadelphians at heart. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Nick Prayner made the long trip from Alaska down to Florida to catch some rays and support the Phillies. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Fashionable Phillies fan Roberta Bob Seville, 64, Carmen Coxhead, 77, and Rosie Seville, 74, are part of a large group of senior Philadelphians who have retired down in Florida. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Fashionable Phillies fan Roberta Windish shows off her self-made noisemaker hat created with a tube contraption, Phanatic cap and green wig. (Photo: Dylan Nazareth)
Hawaiian shirts are a popular theme with Rays fans like Bob Snyder, down in Florida from Virginia. (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Philadelphia resident John Berlinger, 68, showing team pride at the Port Charlotte Sports Complex (Photo: Melissa Akgez)
Sidebar
Spring training deals a hit at renovated Tampa Bay Rays merchandise store
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The most popular item at the Tampa Bay Rays spring training store features team logos from 14 of their Major League Baseball opponents.
Despite Charlotte Sports Park being the Rays home for much of February and March, the top selling item in the team store are shirts that include the logos of each of the 15 teams in the Florida Grapefruit League.
“The most popular thing we sell are the spring training t-shirts,” said Steve Galbraith who’s been the general manager of retail for the Tampa Bay Rays since 2007. “They include the Grapefruit League logo that says ‘Spring Training ‘24’ on it, and they would have all the logos of all the teams that are here in Florida.”
According to Galbraith, the team’s home white jersey and throwback uniforms are also fan favourites.
“I like the Devil Ray stuff. Something about the colour gradient was just beautiful way back then,” he said. “Unfortunately, they changed the logo in 2007, so I am really glad it’s back.”
When walking through the team store in Port Charlotte, which is located behind home plate in the ballpark concourse, you see numerous fans browsing the fully stocked shelves and looking to buy everything from game uniform items, funky Hawaiian shirts littered with the team logo, and even game-used balls.
Galbraith, 51, said there’s always unique items, such as memorabilia, for sale that fans are eager to splurge on.
“We had some [baseball] bats for the 25th anniversary last season, and we had 25 of them each for US $275, Galbraith said. “We sold out in one day at the 2023 fan fest…
“There’s also been fans who have spent US $1,500 to US $1,800 for one transaction.”
Despite growing up in Texas, Galbraith has been a fan of the Rays since 1999.
But he wasn’t the biggest fan of the team store when he started with the organization 17 years ago.
Now that he oversees the team stores in Port Charlotte and at Tropicana Field, the Rays’ regular season home located in St. Petersburg, Galbraith made it his mission to provide a high-quality shopping experience at a reasonable price.
“When I was a fan that came to the games, I didn’t want to buy anything,” he said. “We try to sell better things at a premium price that last longer, and the fans really like it.”
Now that Charlotte Sports Park has reopened following the damage cause by Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Galbraith is loving the atmosphere that Rays baseball brings to his store and the small Florida town where it resides.
“You wouldn’t even tell that a hurricane was here,” Galbraith said. “I love it here. The ballpark smells great, and you can hear all the sounds when you walk around. The team down here worked really hard to get the facility back to where it is, and I think they’ve done a great job.”