This is more like it. It’s only a 45-minute drive on I-75 from Fort Myers to Port Charlotte, where the Rays now train. The renovated Charlotte County Stadium looks great.

The seamheads out West boast about spring training in Arizona. While I enjoy Florida, the drives are much, much shorter between many ballparks in Arizona. Joe C., for instance, just made the Fort Lauderdale trip to cover the Twins v Orioles. That’s five hours of driving. It will be my turn to make that trip on Wednesday.

So I applaud the Rays for moving down here from St. Petersburg. And I’m pulling for Baltimore to move into Fort Myers after the Red Sox build their $80 million mini-Fenway in a couple of years.

Not much going on today. I talked to Joe Mauer in the clubhouse before driving up here. He’s beyond antsy to get back on the field, but had to take it easy in recent days as he works to get into game-playing shape. Nick Blackburn will throw batting practice. 

Joe Nathan said he felt great after facing the Orioles on Sunday. Terry Ryan was at the game and said Nathan’s slider was at 88 mph and his fastball at 91-92. Nothing to be alarmed about there. Nathan is a slow starter every spring but eventually gets his velo up. I also checked in with Jason Kubel for a story that will run in tomorrow’s paper. Scouts down here have been impressed with him.

Lineups

Twins: 1. Tolbert, SS. 2. Casilla, 2B. 3. Crede, DH. 4. Young, LF. 5. Buscher, 3B. 6. Redmond, C. 7. Harris, 1B. 8. Winfree, RF. 9. Matos, CF. Pitching: Slowey, then Guerrier, Breslow, Jones and Mijares.

Rays: 1. Bartlett, SS. 2. Crawford, LF. 3. Gabe Kapler, CF. 4. Burrell, DH. 5. Zobrist, 3B. 6. Morgan Ensberg, 1B. 7. Adam Kennedy, 2B. 8. Ruggiano, RF. 9. Riggans, C. Pitching: Kazmir. Note the lineup change: Ensberg behind Zobrist, everyone else slides down.

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