Five Things to Consider When Picking Dates for Astros Spring Training

Someone asked Alyson Footer a question about when is the best time to come to Spring Training, and she answered, comparing February (to see practices) to March (to see games). As a reporter who comes for all of Spring Training -- and gets paid to do it -- she may not be the best guide on this subject. On the other hand, I've got the selection of Spring Training dates down to an art form. There are whole books of tips for Spring Training, but for me, it can be reduced to five things to consider:

1. Forget about February. You want to see games! So plan to come in March. (The February and April games this year are an anomaly, due to the WBC.) On no-game days, you can get into the morning practices, so you can have both. Last year I got an extra bonus: I got to see Bagwell at the practice field working with the Minor League guys.

2. Look at the Spring Training schedule. The dark-grey blocks are home games. Unless you want to chase the team all over Central Florida, you want to find a week (or however long you can stay) that has a clump of home games. For instance, let's say you can only go for 5 days. March 8-12 would be a lousy choice, since there is only one home game in that time block. March 20-24, on the other hand, has 4 games - much better! Treat an away game against the Braves as a home game, since they play down the road at Disney.

3. Do you want to check out lots of prospects or do you really want to see the team that is likely to start the season? If you want to see the "kids," come early in March, before they start getting sent down to Minor League camp. In 2006, I came the first week of March, saw Hunter Pence (wearing jersey 91) up for a "cup of coffee," then saw him the next day on the practice field in his Minor League jersey.

4. Do you really want to check out the pitching rotation? If you come early in March, the starters will only be pitching a couple of innings. Late in the month they'll be in for 5 or 6 innings.

5. Do you particularly want to see (or want to avoid) a specific opposing team? Me, I don't care, but there are a whole bunch of folks who are gaga for the Yankees. If one of your games is against the Yankees, get your tickets as early as possible (like the day the go on sale in January) or you might be disappointed in the seat selection. Better yet, avoid the Yankees games unless you're a New Yorker - they jack up the ticket prices and the fans are, shall we say, not very polite.

I've come to Spring Training early, mid, and late, and each has its advantages. The only really bad choice is not to come to Spring Training!