Updating Hurricane Milton's impact on Orioles' spring training facility

Ed Smith Stadium 2

Hurricane Milton, a violent Category 3 storm that made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, apparently didn't cause major destruction to the Orioles' spring training complex in Sarasota.

Sustained winds reaching 120 mph tore the fabric roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Ed Smith Stadium complex appears to have been spared.

The storm weakened to a Category 1 as it moved through the state this morning.

“We are evaluating the Sarasota complex at this time, but initial assessments have not yet uncovered significant damage,” Orioles senior vice president of communications Jennifer Grondahl said in a statement. “FP&L (Florida Power & Light) is activating from our facility to help restore power to our community. We will share additional ways in which we intend to support the response efforts as plans are finalized.”

FP&L is using the facility as a staging center and local officials marked it as a sandbag distribution center. The Orioles evacuated personnel Monday at Ed Smith and the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park.

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Orioles announce spring training schedule and report dates

Orioles announce spring training schedule and report dates
The Orioles already can plan ahead to 2022 spring training, with their first exhibition game played on Saturday, Feb. 26 against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Fla. They travel to Port Charlotte the following day to face the Rays. Pitchers and catchers are set to report to the complex on Feb. 15, with the full squad due five days later. This is the Orioles' 13th spring training in Sarasota after moving out of Fort Lauderdale. More than one million fans have attended games at Ed...
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O's Mike Elias on Martin, Bundy, service time considerations and more

O's Mike Elias on Martin, Bundy, service time considerations and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has, to no one's surprise, been a very busy man in Florida. He's checking out the O's spring roster and watching the team play often. He's swung a couple of trades since camp started and has taken time to do some amateur scouting as well. Yesterday, when the Orioles beat the Twins 9-4 in Fort Myers, he took some time to hang out with me during the live-streamed audio-only broadcast of the Birds on Orioles.com....
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Ed Smith Stadium transforms to Nashville for a weekend

Ed Smith Stadium transforms to Nashville for a weekend
Eleven-time No. 1 singer/songwriter and Grammy-nominated country music star Cole Swindell performed in the outfield at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., as part of the weekend-long "Athletes & Artists Play for Kids" event in support of arts education and girls' empowerment. A portion of the proceeds from the events of March 1-3 helped fund the establishment of the new Orioles Charitable Foundation Music & Arts Education Scholarships, designed to support young students in Sarasota,...
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Orioles' economic impact on Sarasota exceeds $360 million since 2015

Orioles' economic impact on Sarasota exceeds $360 million since 2015
When the Orioles moved their spring training facilities to Sarasota, Fla., in 2010, officials pointed to the positive effect the franchise would bring to the economy of the Gulf Coast community. It turns out that the annual impact is much greater than anticipated. According Sarasota County's analysis of data it has been collecting since 2015, the Orioles have generated more than $360 million in cumulative economic impact since that time. In the most recent reporting period, the club brought...
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Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota

Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota
For years, I've spent the offseason staring at the canopy that houses Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards during the regular season and wondered how good it would be to chow down on a pit beef sandwich (medium well, with barbecue sauce and horseradish, of course) to ward off the winter chill. But the emptiness beneath the canopy on Eutaw Street usually tells me that there will be no wintertime feast (though I've often though about the gold mine that would be created by opening Boog's BBQ one day a...
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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The American Spirit"

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The American Spirit"
"The American Spirit" is the latest in David McCullough's writings on the lineage of American history. There are few authors I run to the bookstore for to acquire their latest work, but he is one of them. The book contains 15 speeches of McCullough given before Congress, at the White House and to college graduates. Each contains historical matter relevant to the location of the speech, beautifully intertwined to a larger historical theme - America's history - for which this author has a...
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Annual "Go Green" auction to feature caps, bases from St. Patrick's Day game

Annual "Go Green" auction to feature caps, bases from St. Patrick's Day game
You already know that Saturday, March 17 is St. Patrick's Day, which is reserved for the wearing of the green. It's the one day when the Orioles divert from their typical orange-and-black color scheme to don green caps for the only time during spring training. But you won't want to miss the bidding on the green in the club's annual "Go Green" auction to benefit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. Orioles players and coaches will wear specially designed green caps when the Orioles...
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LOCASH headlines charity concert at Ed Smith Stadium

LOCASH headlines charity concert at Ed Smith Stadium
Who says the end of spring training needs to be a sad time? Yes, the ending of camp means the regular season is about to start. But after training, playing and living in an area for over a month, it can be a little bittersweet to leave your spring home for your regular season home. That can be especially said for the Orioles, who have made a longstanding commitment to the Greater Sarasota community since they moved their big league spring training operations there in 2010. So it's no surprise...
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Orioles to host Army-Navy doubleheader, play 2019 exhibition game in Annapolis

Orioles to host Army-Navy doubleheader, play 2019 exhibition game in Annapolis
It's widely considered that the rivalry between our nation's military and naval academies is the greatest in all of American sports. And while that rivarly is mostly associated with the annual Army-Navy football game, don't think that it doesn't carry over into other sports (or just about anything, for that matter). How cool is it that we have the Naval Academy right in our backyard in historic Annapolis and get to witness this rivalry firsthand year-round? Now that rivalry is being brought...
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Ed Smith Stadium voted top spring training venue

Ed Smith Stadium voted top spring training venue
Anyone who's been lucky enough to watch an Orioles game there understands that Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., is a uniquely wonderful ballpark. It doesn't matter whether you're sunning yourself in the box seats, grabbing something to eat on the concourse or stationed in the left field picnic area awaiting a home run ball to fly your way. Ed Smith Stadium is gem, possessing a retro feel in its comfy configurations and delivering the intimate game-watching experience that fans...
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Orioles generate record $97 million economic impact in Sarasota

Orioles generate record $97 million economic impact in Sarasota
If you make the trip down south for spring training and drive around downtown Sarasota, Fla,, you would wonder if you ever left Baltimore. The lamp posts that line the sidewalks down Main Street are draped in Birdland banners and the people walking around are dressed in orange and black. If you head over to the Ed Smith Stadium complex, you'll find Orioles fans lined up at the crack of dawn to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. The Orioles have made quite the little community in...
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Orioles' charity concert in Sarasota expanded to include weekend full of musical, wellness events

Orioles' charity concert in Sarasota expanded to include weekend full of musical, wellness events
Music and Orioles baseball go together, from the pregame rendition of the national anthem to crowd-pumping between-innings tunes to "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during the seventh-inning stretch at Camden Yards. And who doesn't like to hear "Orioles Magic" as a celebratory nod when the Orioles win at home? Furthering the special connection between music and the national pastime, the Orioles will host the third annual Nashville's Music Row Comes to the Ballpark - a one-of-a-kind,...
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Orioles Health & Fitness Challenge returning to Sarasota County middle schoolers

Orioles Health & Fitness Challenge returning to Sarasota County middle schoolers
Orioles pitchers and catchers are reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., in just a few short weeks, meaning spring is right around the corner. Goodbye, winter's chill, hello spring's warmth. While the weather warms up and the Orioles get ready to start baseball activities, the organization is encouraging the youth of Sarasota County to do the same! Maybe not necessarily with baseball, but definitely in terms of getting active. (Especially since they essentially get...
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Information on spring training report dates and home games

Information on spring training report dates and home games
The Orioles have announced their spring training report dates and released the home portion of their Grapefruit League schedule. Pitchers and catchers must report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota by Feb. 13, though they routinely arrive earlier. The full-squad report date is set for Feb. 18. Ten different teams will provide the opposition on the 16-game home schedule, beginning with the Rays on Feb. 23 at 1:05 p.m. The Orioles finish the Sarasota portion with a March 24 game versus...
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After hurricane, O's will still hold instructional league (game update)

After hurricane, O's will still hold instructional league (game update)
TORONTO - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said today that the team will still be able to hold their fall instructional league at their Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. It is been delayed by the impact from Hurricane Irma on Florida's Gulf Coast. Originally players were expected to begin arriving for that tomorrow. Now players and staff will head to Florida on Sunday and the first workout is set for Monday. All things considered, the Orioles' facility in Sarasota came through the...
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O's economic impact in Sarasota grows with expanded Wilson tournament

O's economic impact in Sarasota grows with expanded Wilson tournament
Just because Orioles spring training at Ed Smith Stadium has ended doesn't mean the end of baseball in Sarasota. Thanks to the Orioles, baseball continues to be a year-round activity in and around their preseason home. After impressing organizers of the prestigious Wilson Premier baseball tournament program in 2016, the Orioles will host 15 days of competition in Sarasota County this summer from June 22-July 12 during the Wilson Premier Championship East. The event is one of the largest...
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Nashville's Music Row returns to the ballpark

Nashville's Music Row returns to the ballpark
After it successful first year, Nashville's Music Row Comes to the Ballpark returned to Ed Smith Stadium this past March. Call it an encore performance or a curtain call. For the second straight year, the event brought together Orioles players, coaches alongside some of Nashville's top singers and songwriters for a night of charity, fun, auctions and, of course, fantastic music. This year's lineup included Liz Rose, GRAMMY Award and American Country Music Award-winning songwriter; Laura...
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"Go Green" cap auction to benefit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota

"Go Green" cap auction to benefit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota
The wearing of the green is a big deal, even during spring training to the guys who normally don black and orange. Once again this St. Patrick's Day, the Orioles are wearing specially designed green caps in their game against the Pirates in Bradenton and during morning workouts at Ed Smith Stadium. The game-worn and team-issued caps will be autographed, authenticated and auctioned online at www.orioles.com/spring to benefit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Orioles fans may bid online to support...
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Nashville-themed charity concert returns to Ed Smith Stadium on March 17

Nashville-themed charity concert returns to Ed Smith Stadium on March 17
Just call Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles' spring training home, Nashville South. For the second consecutive year, the Orioles will host "Nashville's Music Row Comes to the Ballpark" - an exclusive, on-field performance at Ed Smith Stadium - on Friday, March 17. Every dollar raised at the charity event will benefit the Library Foundation for Sarasota County's early childhood literacy programs and the Music Health Alliance. This year's event is presented by the Orioles in partnership with...
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